.(•^ .■*1^. i :>::) ■^'W^: v:<. :'^"^'- '^^.-1^ THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES ^ (2 - ^^-^JlLJi-xyu t'S^^^'C TH ROUG H Unknown African Countries THE FIRST EXPEDITION FROM SO MAUI AND TO LAKE LAMU BY A. DONALDSON SMITH, M.D.. F.R.G.S. HONORARY MEMEI-:R OF THE ACADEMY OF NATIONAL SCIENCES PHILADELPHIA JdllustrateD EDWARD ARNOLD PUBLISHER TO THE IXDIA OFFICE LONDON NEW YORK 37 Bedford Stkeet 70 Fifth Avenue 1897 Copyright, 1896, By Edward Arnold. Untbersitg ^iress: John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, U.S.A. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE Introductory i CHAPTER H. Arrival at Aden — Haji Hassan — His Discreet Character — Making Contracts with my Men — Voyage to Berbera — The Start — Description of the Somalis — An Odd Mar- riage Custom — Tribal Divisions — The Habr-Avval ... 6 CHAPTER HI. Arrival at Hargesa — Cruelty to Ponies — Across the Des- ert TO MiLMiL — The Ogaden Somalis — Lion-Shooting — A Curious Hairless Mole — At Sessabane — Raids of the Abyssinians — Trees and Fruit — Beautiful Birds — Cruel Treatment of Old Women — Drilling the Boys — We leave Lafkei — An Annoying Plant — Meeting with Capt. C. J. Percival — Unknown Country ahead i8 CHAPTER IV. Turfa Tug — Shooting Rhinoceroses — A Side-trip to the River Ere'r — Narrow Escape froini a Rhinoceros — We are obliged TO lift the Camels over Rocks — A Beautiful Valley — Impossible to cross the Erer with Camels — Return to the Caravan — Mr. Fred Gillett's Lion and Leopard Hunt — We march South to the Shebeli River — The River flooded — Dhum Palms — Great Difficulty in crossing the Webi CONTENTS. PAGE Shebeli — Mule caught by a Crocodile — Man drowned — A Mule and Two Ponies lost — First Footsteps in the Country ok the x\rusa Gallas — We capture Two Natives — News of a Town built of Stone — I disco\-er a Small River — The Gallas are friendly 29 CHAPTER V. The Arusa Gallas — Galea Chiefs tell me of Ap.vssixian Dep- redations — The Country of the Arusa Gallas — A De- lightful Change — Excellent Farming Lands — We meet an Abyssinian — Amusing the Inhabitants of Luku — Arrin'al at Sheikh Husein — Remarkable Discoveries — The Tomb of ;■ Sheikh Husein — An Interesting Reception — We find our- selves IN AN Abyssinian Stronghold — Mt. Abougasin — The Height of Hospitality on the Part of an Abyssinian Officer — My Boys revolt — Cold and Rainy — Mr. Fred Gillett's Elephant Hunt — INIiracles wrought by Sheikh Husein — Natives — A Kudu Drive — Summons from the Abyssinian GeNER^AL GiLLETT STARTS FOR GiNEA A CURIOUS AnIMAL Guinea-Fowl Journey to the Abyssinian Town — My Friend's Account 45 CHAPTER VI. The Abyssinians give ]me a Royal Reception — The Town of Ginea — Offers of Wives — General Wal-da-Gubbra and his Family — The Abyssinians — French Influence — I write to Emperor Menelek — An Elephant Hunt — A Great Dis- covery — A VERY Beautiful and Curious Subterranean Pas- sage ; THE Caves of Wyndlawn — Meeting the Caravan AGAIN AT Sheikh Mohammed — Lon(; Delays — An Extinct Crater — Beautiful New Bird — We can wait no longer — March to the Budda 73 CHAPTER Vn. Surprised by the Abyssinians — The Sc^lalis show their Mf.itle — A Dangerous Predicament — Emperor Menelek orders us to return the Way we came — Gloomy Prospects — Salan Mohammed — ^^'AL-DA-GuBBRA not to blame — We bid good-by CONTENTS. vii PAGE TO THE Good Old Abyssinian General — An Amusing Request FROM WaL-DA-GUBBRA'S DAUGHTER MARCHING TOWARDS So- MALILAND AGAIN ThE HaWATU AND DaRO MOUNTAINS I RECEIVE A Letter from Emperor Menelek saying that he did NOT forbid my going THROUGH HIS COUNTRY — We TURN SOUTH — Hopes dispelled — Wal-da-Gubbra and his Army stop us ON THE Laga Tug — The Expedition a Hard One — At the Shebeli River once more 97 CHAPTER VIII. I sf"d TO Berbera for Cloth and Letters — A Raiding Party of Ogaden SoMALis — We cross the River — A Crocodile gives us A Chill — A Pleasant Surprise — Christmas with Prince Boris — Charged by an Orvx — I am fortunate in being able to buy Rice — Lions about — New Year's Day Notes — Lions and Hyenas — A Hot Desert — African Childhood — Reports of Small-pox 109 CHAPTER IX Along the Shebeli River from Marakadudu to Bari — Daring Crocodiles — A Native Council of War — Beautiful Birds — I show a War Party of Natives the Difference between a Rifle and a Spear — We astonish the Natives — Geledi and Bari — We wait for Salan — Annoying Insects — One cannot move fast in Africa — Fishing — I hold a Clinic — Natives become insolent — Frightened by Rockets — My Friend's Amusing Story . 12 CHAPTER X. Sad News for my Friend — Mr. Fred Gillett leaves for Berbera — I send out a Part of Mv Natural-History Collection — The \\^hole Camp down with Fever — Off again toward Lake Rudolf — A Case of Blackmail — Much Sickness — African Wells — Game and the Effects of Certain Rifles — Trying for Lions by Night — Among the Dagodi 135 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XI. PAGE Baitle between Lions and Hyenas — Shooting a Lioness — Poison- ous Snakes — We arrive at the River Web — The Natives FLEE — Marching down to the Jub — Collecting and Shoot- ing — A Fight averted — We cross the Jub, assisted by the Adones, or Negroes — The Dagodi about the Rivers Jub and Dawa — My Afgab Guide returns to his Tribe — The Beauti- ful Valley of the Dawa — Photographs and Provisions damaged 144 CHAPTER Xn. The Gere Gallas — Frightful Hurricanes — Amusing Natives — The Girls are not Bashful — Intoxicated Natives — Monkeys and Lions — Curious Fish — A Mountainous Country — Re- ported Lake — Shooting Waller's Gazelles — El Modu — Tame Starlings — I go on a Shooting-trip — Obliged to THROW away Luxuries — My Gun- bearers : Yusif, Karsha, Aden Aoule, and Moga — Distressing Marches to Aimola — We frighten the Natives 160 CHAPTER XUI. I AM obliged to seize Native Camels — Elephant Shooting — ^^'ALLER's Gazelles — The Natives are pleased — The Sakuyu BoRAN — The Boran and their Kemg, Abofilato — Elephants AT Close Quarters — Charged by a Rhinoceros — In the Country of the Boran 174 CHAPTER XIV. The Beauties of El Dere — Attempted Murder — The Gabbra AND his Outfit — Difficuli Marching — My Caravan at Nigh^ — Hawayi Somalis and Gabbra — Ancient Wells at Le — The Natives begin to act suspiciously — More Re- markable Wells — Shooting Gazelles in a Thunderstorm — Knocked insensible by Lightning — In Danger from Natives . 182 CONTENTS. ix CHAPTER XV. PAGE The Boran kill one of my Boys and wound Another — Elmi AVENGED — An Extinct Volcano — In Danger from Abofilato's Army — Exciting Nights — The Battle — Moga killed — The Boran sue for Peace 193 CHAPTER XVI. Suspicious Character — jNIost of uy Animals returned — I determine to explore Lake Abaya — The Aseba and Karayu (Boran) — A Cruel Practice — My Present to Abofilato — Through a Rough Country — "Old King Cole" — At Ar- gassa — Abofilato's Son — Shooting Ostriches, Giraffes, and other Game — Lofty Mountains — The Amara — The Death OF Prince Ruspoli — I try Amara Hospitality — An Un- comfortable Night 205 CHAPTER XVII March to the Galana Amara (River) — Shooting Rhinoceroses AND Elephants — Inefficiency of Large- bore Rifles — Mos- quitoes and Gendi Flies — Camp on the Galana Amara — The Work attached to Exploration — A Big Elephant — I start for Lake Abaya — Two of my Boys wounded by an Enraged Rhinoceros — Difficulty in urging my Men to follow Me — Beautiful Lake Abaya — Much Animal Life — The Coun- try TO THE North, and Theories regarding the Omo Rh^er — Many Tribes — Origin of the Galana Amar.\ — Sport — A Hungry Lot 221 CHAPTER XVIII. Return to Caravan — Night Attack by a Rhinoceros — The Amara displeased because i would not join Them in their Raid — " Time does not count " — Threatening Country ahead — Much Ga.me — Through Dense Jungles — We fintd CONTENTS. PAGE SOME KoNSO People — The Camels show Signs of Poisoxing FROM the Gendi Fly — On THE Tertala Plateau Lands Forcing the Natives to trade — An Elephant among the Camels — A Boran Girl joins the Caravan — Ola finds Clothes a Nuisance 234 CHAPTER XIX. Lake Stephanie in Sight — The Galana Amara empties into Lake Stephanie — Side Trip to the Lake — Fishes and Birds — Shooting a Rhinoceros — Dodson and I join the Caravan BY THE River — The ^V atu — Lmpossible to cross the Galana — All the way around the Lake — I am at last successful IN joining my Line of March from Berbera with that of Count Teleki made froini the South — Catfish — A New Lake — A Daring Warrior — The Arbore Cornfields .... 247 CHAPTER XX. Trying to make Friends with the Arbore — I find jSIyself in a Dangerous Position, surrounded by Dancing and Yelling Warriors — Treachery — Description of the Arbore — Sounds of War — The Arbore attack our Camp — Fight in THE Bushes — The Three Proud Kings — We camp near the Arrore Villages — I force the Arbore to exchange Many of their Cattle and Donkeys for Trading Goods — The last of MY Mules — We visit the Burle — Ola flirts with one of my Boran Guides — The Burle or Bura — Religious Forms — Ola finds a Husband — She describes her ^VEDDING Ceremonv 257 CHAPTER XXI. I discover a Tribe of Undersized Men and Women — The Dume are suspicious — Description of the Dume Pygmies — Amusing Incidents — The Kuli and Other Tribes — We cannot cross THE Aro Mountains — The Bunno — Exciting Times — A Dif- ficult Ascent before us 272 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXII. PAGE The Fourth of July in Africa — An Unfortunate Occurrence — Natives attempt to loot Us, using Bees as Allies — The A^L^R are afraid to attack Us — Two Prisoners — Wading BAREFOOTED DOWN A RiVER " SlEEPY EyES " AND " ZeBRA Hide" get into a Tight Place — Beautiful Monkeys — After wading Five Days, we leave the River 283 CHAPTER XXIII. Lake Rudolf in Sight at last — I indulge in a Little Sentimental Writing occasionally — Near Rusia — A Right and Left Shot — Senegal Antelopes — Lagoisi, the Masai — The Rusia are afraid of Us — A Morning's Sport — Natives in their War- paint — On Lake Rudolf — Rejoicings — The People of Rusia — An Amusing Ceremony — I start on a Journey to the North — Elgume Villages — Among the Murle — Murle Women badly disfigured — I get an Aitack of Fever, and AM CARRIED BACK TO RuSIA 289 CHAPTER XXIV. A Second Attempt to journey to the North — We are cau- tioned AGAINST meeting HOSTILE TrIBES LaRGE MuRLE VIL- LAGES — Wandorobbo — A Small Lake — Threatened Attack BY the Kere — Red Tape — Handsome Natives of Kere — Netting Catfish — Buki — Large Trees — Arrival at Gumba — Three Hard Days' Work marching through an Uninhab- ited Country without Guides — Marshes and Black Forests, Annoying Weeds and Dense Jungles 302 CHAPTER XXV. Expecting a Night Attack — We find Ourselves at last in a thickly Populated and Fertile Country — The Friendly and Interesting Mela — A Hundred Miles north of Lake Ru- dolf — Country toward the Nile and toward Abyssinia — Mount Smith — The River Nianam — A Second Tributary to the Nianam — Return Journey to Rusia — Astonishment of xii CONTENTS. PAGE THE GUIMBA AND KeRE AT SEEING Us AGAIN ThEY BEG Me TO PERFORM MlR.\CLES FOR ThEM BaCK AGAIN AT RUSIA DOD- son's Report of his Journey in the Canvas Boat — Hyenas trapped pa' dodson refractory donkeys journey along Lake Rudolf — Tame Zebras and Hartebeests — The Elmolo — Birds and Fishes — Shooting Rhinoceroses, Hippopotami, and Water-buck — Teleki Volcano 313 CHAPTER XXVI. Four Sporting Adventures : Narrow Escape from an Enraged Elephant — The Rhinoceroses' Promenade — Charged by an Elephant — Shooting a Jumbo 334 CHAPTER XXVII. We leave Lake Rudolf to explore the L^nknown Country to THE East — A Risky Undertaking — Much Suffering from Thirst — Charging Rhinoceroses wound one of my Boys and kill a Camel — Mr. Kulol, and its Desolate Surroundings — We find ^^■ATER just in Time to save us from a Miserable Death — A Long March to the Rendile — The Rendile — Buying Fresh Camels — Marsabit — A Beautiful Crater- lake — " Treed " by an Elephant — Journey to Lasamis — Shooting Giraffes — An Ajniusing Request from my Rendile Guide — W'e reach the Guaso Nyiro — Yusif seized by a Crocodile — I am obliged to amputate his Arm — Our Last Plunge into the Unknown — Three Bullying Rhinoceroses — Camel killed 346 CHAPTER XXVIII. Across a Barren Coun try to the Tana River — On the Equaior — At last we reach the Tana — Our Joy at meeting the Rev. Robert Ormerod — A Great Change for Us — A Delightful Journey homeward — Three Hundred Miles in Canoes — WiTU AND Mkanumbi — Capp. A. L. Rojers — Lamu — The Last of our African Home — An Eight Days' Sail 10 Aden — My Boys and I part 362 Conclusion 368 CONTENTS. APPENDICES. PAGE A. Fishes 377 B. Arane^ 386 C. SOLIFUG.«, SCORPIONES, ChILOPODA, AND DiPLOPODA . . . . 392 D. Lepidoptera Heterocera 408 E. Geological Collection 423 F. Fossil Cephalopoda 426 G. Ethnographical Objects 430 H. Words spoken by the Konso, Dume, and Arbore Tribes . 444 1. Coleoptera 447 J. Emperor Menelek's Leiter (French Translation) . . . 455 Index . , 457 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE A'. Donaldson Smith (photogravure) Frontispiece Elephant killed by the Author in 1893 3 Three of the Author's Escort, with Ostrich which had been captured and plucked by Midgans - 13 Lion killed by the Author 21 Heterocephalus glaber 23 The Erer 33 Lion shot by F. Gillett 35 Group of Arusa Gallas 47 The Tomb of Sheikh Husein 53 Women of Sheikh Husein 55 Objects collected at Sheikh Husein 57-6i Lophiomys smithii 64 General Wal-da-Gubbra and Abyssinian Attendants 1^ Abyssinian Knives and Mule Collar 79 A Natural Temple ^5 The Caves of Wyndlawn • §9 Turacus donaldsoni 95 Emperor Menelek's Letter (facsimile) io3 In Somahland again ^'3 New Larks discovered by the Author — Alaudula somalica (Sharpe) . . 127 Red and white Durrha ^3° Somali Knife, Spearhead, Comb, and Amulet -133 Mr. Fred Gillett '3^ Lesser Kudu ^-^^ A Wounded Lioness ^47 Dagodi Sling Shot '5i Natives of Buntal, with some of the Author's Escort I54 Crossing the Jub ^5j Three of the Author's Boys cutting out Tusks '79 The Gabbra's Outfit ^^'^ The Wells of Le '^7 The Fight with the Boran Boran Whip Boran War Feather ~ ' Boran Bracelets Near Argassa " " 201 206 xvi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Village of the Amara 217 A Pool of Water in the Tertala Mountains 241 Lake Stephanie from the Northeastern Corner 249 The First Appearance of the Arbore 259 Arbore Necklaces and Bell for Ankle 261 Arbore Pipe 262 Fight with the Arbore 267 Arbore War Hat 269 Dume Warriors 273 Dume Ornaments 275 Bunno Shield, Spear, and Arrows 2S0 Colobus guereza 287 Rusia Shield 296 Murle Woman 300 Threatened Attack by the Kere 305 Kere Pillow and Bells for Ankles 307 Mela Ornaments 315 Mela Basket 316 Native Bridge 317 One Hundred Miles north of Lake Rudolf 321 Along the Shore of Lake Rudolf 325 Donaldsonia stenopetala and Gillettia sepalosa 329 Near Mount Longendoti 332 Narrow Escape from an Enraged Elephant 337 A Part of the Author's Collection at the Univ-ersity of Pennsylvania, in- cluding the Giraffe, " Camelopardalis aethiopicus," Thomas .... 357 Spearheads (tail-piece) 374 Clarias smithii 379 Lepidoptera Heterocera 421 Arbore War Horn, Sword, Fishing Gaff, and Staff 440 Burle Wristlet 441 Six Maps Illustrating the Expedition to Lake Rudolf. THROUGH UNKNOWxN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. WHEN I left Philadelphia in the summer of 1893, I was by no means unaccustomed to endure physi- cal labor and hardship. Many a sporting trip in different parts of the world had taught me what to expect under most diverse conditions. The keen love of sport and adventure that is innate in most of the Ano-lo-Saxon race had always prompted me to go into the remotest corners of the earth, and I suppose it was my seven years' medical training in America and Europe which taught me never to lose a chance of doing scientific work when it presented itself. An exploring expedition offered me an oppor- tunity for gratifying all my desires and ambitions. My good friend Dr. William Lord Smith, of Massachu- setts, with whom I had just been fishing and shooting in Norway, was contemplating a shooting trip in Somaliland; so I joined him, with the idea that this preliminary journey would give me the requisite knowledge of the natives and beasts of burden that I intended taking with me when I made my exploring expedition. We had splendid sport, killing six lions, besides many elephants, rhinoceroses, and other big game. But what I valued most was that I was enabled to form my plans for 2 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. my future expedition through the Galla countries to great advantacre. I perceived that a journey from Berbcra to Lake Rudolf would be a difificult and danoerous undertakino-. The preliminary details would require the most careful study, and no expense should be spared in preparing for every possible contingency. Ever since the days of Sir Richard Burton, who first endeavored to explore the Galla countries, to the time of my expedition, attempts had been made from time to time by Europeans to pass through the country lying between Somaliland and Lake Rudolf, without success. Erom Captain H. G. S. Swayne I received much encourage- ment. Captain Swayne had made many expeditions in Somaliland, and on his last journey had gotten as far as Ime, on the Shebeli River, and had endeavored to go across into the Gallr country. He had an escort of only forty armed men, but the Gallas would not let him enter their country because the only white m.en who had ever crossed their borders, Prince Ruspoli and Captain Bottego, had attacked them continually. These two Italians had gone far up the Ganana, or river Jub, taking with them large armed forces, and the Gallas had resolved to unite to prevent any other Europeans from coming among them. The greater part of the country west of the Shebeli River to Lake Rudolf was therefore a terra incognita to Europeans, except in a few instances, where very indefi- nite native reports had been conveyed to residents on the coast, and to the two explorers, M. Borelli and M. D'Abadie, who had endeavored to penetrate the country from the north. Dr. \V. L. Smith and I got a little beyond Milmil on our sporting trip; and on inquiries from Somalis I judged INTRODUCTORY. 3 that, with a well-equipped expedition travelling through the Galla countries, there would be very reasonable hopes of success, especially if patience were exercised, and every- thing done to conciliate the natives. It would be neces- sary to provide against little acts of treachery by taking a ELEPHANT KILLED BY THE AUTHOR IN 1 893. substantial armed escort ; but as I hoped to succeed by conciliating the natives, and not by fighting my way, I resolved upon taking onl}^ about seventy rifles, — a number altogether inadequate to resist the natives, had they united to attack us. 4 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. Returning to the coast on the ist of February, 1S94, I left orders with Mohammed Hindi, a merchant of Berbera, to buy me the best camels he could find. I also engaged many of the Somalis we had had with us in our sporting trip. Mr. Malcome Jones, English Resident at Bulbar, and Mr. Charles McConkey, Agent of Messrs. Brown, Shipley, & Co., at Aden, very kindly offered to aid me in every way, so that when I came back in the summer I should not be obliged to delay long on the coast. On my return to England I set to work to prepare my- self for doing as much work as possible from a geographi- cal and natural-history standpoint. My expedition would be successful from a popular point of view if I could reach Lake Rudolf from the east, and join Count Teleki's line of march which he had made from the south ; but I valued the results I might obtain by their accuracy and scientific usefulness. A course of instruction given me by Mr. John Coles, Map Curator of the Royal Geographical Society, taught me the various methods of laying down my positions accurately, and many valuable hints given me by the staff of the British Museum showed me how I should obtain the best results in collecting natural-history speci- mens. I was determined to spare no expense to make my expedition as complete as possible, so I determined to en- gage the services of Mr. Edward Dodson, a young English taxidermist, with the idea of his being useful in helping me to collect specimens, as well as in skinning birds. When my preparations were nearly completed, I agreed to the request of my friend, Mr. Fred Gillett, that he might accompany me, with twelve men and twenty camels, as he wished to shoot big game, and I was desirous of his com- pany. The only material assistance I received was from the Royal Geographical Society in the shape of a loan of valuable instruments. These consisted of a six-inch INTRODUCTORY. 5 theodolite, sextant, and artificial horizon, boiling-point ther- mometers, aneroids, and prismatic compasses. Much interest was expressed in London in my expe- dition, and my friends endeavored to give me their encour- agement in every way; but at the same time it was the universal opinion, both in London and Aden, that it would be impossible to enter the Galla countries, let alone to reach Lake Rudolf, with less than two or three hundred well-drilled followers. The expression of such opinions served, however, only to increase the zeal I felt in the enterprise. CHAPTER II. Arrival at Aden — Haji Hassan — His Discreet Character — Making CONTR-ACTS WITH MY MeN VOYAGE TO BeRBERA ThE StART Description of the Somalis — An Odd Marriage Custom — Tribal Divisions — The Habr-Awal. TTTE set sail from London on the ist of June, 1894, V V and in eighteen days were at Aden. Ahnost the first boat that approached the steamer as she came to anchor contained my good friend Mr. Charles McConkey, and behind him was a o^rinnino^ face I reco2:nized at once. This peculiar, black, ugly, though amusing countenance, tliat seemed to be bursting with joy, belonged to a good old follower of mine named Hassan. As he had been to Mecca he was called Haji Hassan. The last time I had seen Haji Hassan was when I was leaving the wharf at Aden upon my departure for London. I could not restrain a smile at that time, for instead of the graceful folds of flowing white cloth the Somalis usually wear, Haji was ar- rayed in two flannel shirts I had given him, the tails waving one above the other, while below there was nothing to cover his nakedness except a pair of thick boots. His last words had been, " Hof^cer must come back soon; I wait for hofficer." He had picked up considerable cock- ney English in Aden. It was with no slight feeling of pleasure that I saw this curious specimen of humanity once more. I had no regular head man on my previous trip, as I attended to everything in camp myself ; but Haji Hassan was so quick in noticing if anything went HAJI HASSAN. 7 wrong, and in reporting this to me, that I gave him the title of head man to please him, and he has been my friend for life ever since. Like all Somahs, he is very fond of collecting every cent and loose rag he can scrape together, but he is very careful not to make his master angry. One night when we were camped at Milmil, Haji came to my tent and tried to wake me ; he did so, however, in such a gentle fashion that I did not think that anything could be the matter, and went to sleep again. An hour later I heard Hassan's voice in my tent once more. " Hother boy he kill him one." — "What do you mean, Haji?" I said, as I heard the word " kill." "Yes, sahib, he kill him. one." And as I rose, Haji opened the tent, and showed me one of my boys lying apparently lifeless upon the ground. The poor fellow had lain there for an hour insensible in the cold, without a stitch of clothing on him, and neither Hassan nor any of the other boys had thought the affair of sufficient importance to disturb me, or to attend themselves to their fellow-countryman. My boy had been knocked down by a native as he was fetch- ing water from a well, and was severely injured. I engaged Hassan as soon as he jumped on the steamer, telling him his work would be confined to looking after the boxes of natural-history specimens, and assisting Dodson. We were scarcely landed before many of my old boys were about me, with hosts of other friends, clam- oring for positions. We spent ten days hard at work at Aden, engaging men, buying cloth, brass wire, and beads for trading purposes. Provisions for the Europeans of the party, and the fancy articles for trading, ammunition, and all the rest of the impedimenta, I had shipped ahead from London. I had an agreement drawn up binding my men, in as strong a 8 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. manner as I was able, to go with me where I wished and to obey my commands, — I agreeing to pay for one month's wages in advance, and no further sum until the return of the expedition to the coast (except in certain cases where the men had famiHes, and I arranged to pay these a small sum monthly). In case of a man's death, his heirs were to receive the money due up to the time of his death, but no more ; and any deserter would lose all claim to wages. Lieutenant-Colonel Sealy, Political Agent for the Somali Coast at Aden, kindly had the agreements properly wit- nessed, and it was impressed upon the men that any case of desertion would be severely dealt with. I bought two strong mules, as well as two ponies, Mr. Fred Gillett also securing a pony and mule for himself; and when we left Aden, on the 29th of June, we nearly filled the miserable little steamer that was to convey us to Ber- bera. Besides our fifty-five Somalis, our ponies, mules, and boxes, there were some fifty other natives with their loads of cloth, who were going back to Somaliland. I was afraid the vessel would be swamped in crossing the Gulf of Aden. It did not go directly to Berbera, but stopped first at Zeila, an old town that used to be in the possession of the Turks, and afterwards made a second stop at Bulbar; but at neither of these places could the vessel land, and we were obliQ:ed to 2:0 ashore in a chair carried on the backs of the natives through the breakers. On the ist of July we arrived at Berbera, all of us feel- ing in a most depressed state from the unspeakable voyage we had had, — my poor Somali boys having been pent up like so many sheep for nearly three days. I was disappointed that more camels had not been pro- cured for me ; but I found that there had been such a severe drought that caravans came rarely to Berbera, as they could procure no food for their camels. About seventy camels BERBERA — THE START. 9 were ready for me, and these were in a half-starved con- dition, and were getting poorer every day they remained near the coast. It was intensely hot; the thermometer in the day-time registered iio^ in tlie shade, while at night it would range from 95" to 100° Fahr. Great wind storms were raging at the same time, and the blasts of hot air, carrying with them clouds of dust and sand, seemed to emanate from a fiery furnace. All the same we were obliged to stop ten days, as we had much work to do here, buying supplies of dates and rice and ghee for my men, and dividing up the camel loads. I determined to take with me one hundred and fifty days' supply of food for my boys, in addition to my enormous stock of trading goods. The regular daily rations I allowed my boys were one pound of rice, one half-pound of dates, and two ounces of ghee, or clarified butter, per man. Forty-three camels were required to carry the native food. There were in all one hundred boxes containing copper vessels full of spirit for collecting reptiles, fishes, and batrachia ; cases for collect- ing birds, insects, etc. ; instruments, cartridges, a collapsi- ble Berthon boat, and countless other things. It was hard work dividing up the loads and getting every man accus- tomed to the various positions to which he was appointed, although Capt. L. Z. Cox — Acting Resident at Berbera — and Mrs. Cox did what they could to make our stay as agreeable as possible. I engaged twenty-seven other men at Berbera, making a total number of eighty-two followers, including Gillett's escort of twelve riflemen. On the loth of July we resolved to make a start, although we did not have nearly the requisite number of camels, and the number that I already had were gradually becoming weaker and weaker from the lack of proper food. I had managed to buy only eighty-four camels up to the time of starting, including the twenty that belonged to my lo THROUGH Ux\ KNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. friend, so that many of the animals were obHged to carry burdens weighing from two hundred and fifty to four hun- dred pounds, whereas they should not have averaged two hundred pounds, considering there was such a long journey ahead of us. I depended upon securing camels as I went inland to replace the number that were sure to become exhausted, and to continue buying until the total number amounted to one hundred and ten strong animals. To have made a long march across the broad maritime plain by day, with the pitiless, scorching rays of the sun beating down upon the over-burdened camels, would have been disastrous ; so I arranged to start in the afternoon, and march throughout the night, forcing the camels ahead until we had gotten well up the first mountain ranges, and into a country where they could get a little food and a more refreshing climate. Somaliland may be roughly divided into three parts as regards elevation and climate. F"irst the maritime plain, the evils of which it would be impossible to exaggerate ; then a broad plateau extending inland some thirty miles, at an elevation of 3,500 feet, where the atmosphere is dry and not uncomfortably hot ; and after this the highlands, or second plateau, embracing all the central part of Somali- land, where the aneroid will register from 4,000 to 6,000 feet above the sea level. Our object was, therefore, to reach the first plateau before the morning sun's rays should strike us too heavily. By four o'clock in the afternoon the last camel load was ad- justed, and off the caravan started. In six hours we had reached the bottom of the first ascent. The boys, as well as the camels, were in a ridicu- lous state of exhaustion, being enervated by the long stay on the coast. Four of them were too sick to walk. The three Europeans, however, had an easy time of it, can- DESCRIPTION OF THE SOMALIS. ii tering up and down the length of the caravan upon strong, spirited ponies. How often we thought of those ponies months afterwards, and of our gallops along clear stretches of road in friendly Somaliland. Early in the morning we ascended to Dere-godle, a spot on the first plateau where there are some water-holes. The country was absolutely barren, hilly, and uninhabited, — nothing but stones and rocks to be seen on all sides ; and, excepting the numerous foxes and hyenas and a few bot- tle-nosed gazelles, there were no signs of life about. Here one fellow sent for me in great haste, saying he had been bitten by some venomous snake on his toe. I found the man groaning, and acting as if he were in his last agonies, but there was not the slightest inflammation in his toe. He had merely been pricked by a thorn ; so I gave him a good punching to get him on his feet, and proved to him that he was all rio^ht. This is a characteristic of the race, — to make much of small injuries. The Somalis are of a com- paratively recent origin. The}^ are a mixture of the negro and Arab : light in color, with wavy or curly hair and in- tellio^ent, bris^ht features, slioht and srraceful in stature, but with poor muscular development. They are unaccus- tomed to work of any kind, but they are unexcelled as camel-men, causing one to gaze with astonishment at the rapidity and dexterity with which they fasten the most difficult loads imaginable to the camels. They will work amazingly well in spurts, when their enthusiasm is aroused, but they are not steady at manual labor of any kind. They are described by Gobat as " constant in nothing but inconstancy ; soft, merry, affectionate souls, they pass, without any apparent transition, into a state of fury, when they are capable of terrible atrocities." To this statement 1 make one exception : I would never apply the term ferocious to a Somali. In all my experi- 12 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. ence with them, I found that when two of them fight with eacli oth.er tlicy will throw away rities or spears, or any other weapon, before getting to close quarters, so that little damage can be done to either of them. They are very careful to be on the safe side ; although, when they must fight, they are steady, and show considerable moral courage. The Somalis are not the noble warriors in their native land that reports have made them out, for in their constant fights against their neighbors the attacking party invariably see to it that they have the greatest odds in their favor. A fight in which hundreds of men may take part rarely terminates in more than four or five deaths. The men attend to the camels and flocks of sheep and goats, but they let the women do all the hard part of the work in their villages. The women are regarded merely as goods and chattels. In a conversation with one of my boys he told me that he only owned five camels, but that he had a sister from whom he expected to get much money when he sold her in marriage. The women are very carefully guarded ; in consequence of which they have no sense of morality of their own, taking every opportunity in their power to flirt. Sir Richard Burton says, " As a general rule, Somali women prefer amorettes with strangers, following the well- known Arab proverb, 'The newcomer filleth the eye.'" The first thing the native bridegroom does on marry- ing her is to give the Somali maiden a thoroughly good thrashing, so that she may never be " cheeky," as one of my boys put it. The Somali women can scarcely be called handsome, except for their large, expressive brown eyes, and their beautiful white teeth, which, like all natives of Africa, they are continually scrubbing. Their tooth-brush is made of a twio^ of a tree called the Athei, which they THREE OF THE AUTHOR S ESCORT, WITH OSTRICH WHICH HAD BEExX CAPTURED AND PLUCKED BY MIDGANS. TRIBAL DIVISIONS. 15 keep constantly by them. The SomaHs have many songs, most of which are based on love themes, and many of them have great ability in extemporizing as they sing, keeping always to the same melodious chant, about a bar or two in length, which they constantly repeat. In some of their songs there is a leader, who is followed by a chorus. They keep themselves usually well clothed in long gar- ments of white American sheeting ; but at the wells you will see both sexes bathing together, with little regard for decency. In no sense of the word are they hardy, being very susceptible to fevers and rheumatism ; but they are won- derfully good in marching: they seem to think nothing of marching thirty-five to forty miles to the day. Though they are able to go without drink or food for long periods, they are a most voracious people when food is put before them ; three men will easily eat up an entire sheep during a nio^ht, I will not go into a lengthy description of the Somalis, as there has been so much written on this subject already. They claim their descent from Ali Bindale, cousin of the Prophet. The three great divisions of the Somalis are the Habr-Awal, Habr-Girhagis, and Habr-Toljala, which are descended from Husein, eldest son of Ali Bindale; and after them come the Dolbahanta, and many other tribes, who are descended from Hassan, the second son of the same man. Three tribes exist among the Somalis called the Midgans, Tomals, and Yebirs, who are regarded as low-caste people. The Midgans use bows and poisoned arrows, hunt and act as butchers for their rulers, and are employed by different chiefs to aid them in fights against their neigh- bors. They are very cunning and treacherous, and are i6 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. never permitted to intermarry with the Somalis of better blood. The Tomals, or blacksmiths, are also regarded as low- caste, and believed by many o^ the Somalis to be gifted with magical powers. They go from village to village, being regularly paid by the Somalis for the work tliey do. The Yebirs are like the Tomals, excepting that they work in leather. As we progressed in our journey south we passed two water-holes lying in a " tug," or sandy bed of a stream,^ the waters flowing freely for a hundred yards or so on the surface, and then disappearing again, leaving a delicious frinsfe of screen orrass about. There were also a few cocoa- o o o nut-trees about the tug, that relieved the oppressive monotony of the otherwise dry and desolate country ; but most of the trees and bushes scattered around looked dead and only half flourishing. Some half-dozen of the camels I had started with were left behind before the second march, as they were too ex- hausted to endure the journey ; we passed, however, several native caravans, from each of which I managed to buy three or four camels, the usual price being forty-two rupees each ; and when we came to Lafarug, I bought eleven fresh, fine camels, besides many goats and sheep. Here four camels were stolen by IMidgans. The boys whom I sent to capture them succeeded late in the night in finding the camels, and in catching one of the thieves. The camels made poor time, having to cross great cuts and furrows in the stony ground ; but the country became much more fertile, and to our great joy we began to have showers of rain. ' Tlie sandv beds of streams or wadies are called by tlie Somalis " tugs," a name which I shall in the future use to desi^-nate them. THE HABR-AWAL. 17 It was my plan in Africa to drink only boiled water, and I had two water-barrels especially made in London to contain the boiled water for the three Europeans. One of my mules now caused us much uneasiness by trying to break these two barrels ; but although he suc- ceeded in kicking them off, they were fortunately not injured. There were a few gazelle and Oryx beisa about, but we did not shoot them, as the country called Habr-Awal, which extends from Berbera south to Hargesa, a distance of ninety-five miles by road, is reserved for the Indian gar- rison at Aden. We lived very well, however, on lesser bustards, and a variety of other game-birds, which Gillett and 1 shot; and I succeeded in adding many natural-history specimens to my collection, including a curious lizard with a very short tail which spread out like a fan {Agaiua batillifcra). CHAPTER III. Arrival at Hargesa — Cruelty to Ponies — Across the Desert to MiLMiL — The Ogaden Somalis — Lion-Shooting — A Curious Hair- less Mole — At Sessabane — Raids of the Abvssinians — Trees AND Fruit — Beautiful Birds — Cruel Treatment of Old Women — Drilling the Boys — We leave Lafkei — An Annoying Plant — Meeting with Capt. C. J. Percival — Unknown Country ahead. ON the 17th of July we arrived at Hargesa, — a large, important settlement of Somalis, governed by a very intelligent and friendly old chief. The caravans going to and fro from Berbera to this point are provided with an armed escort by the English Government. Beyond Hargesa is a tract of country called the " Haud," extending south to Milmil one hundred miles, in which there is not a drop of water to be found, except in the rainy season. During the spring and fall rains this country affords fine orrazinsf, and the Somalis from the north and south send their flocks in thousands to the Haud for pas- turage. It is then a scene of many battles between the Habr-Awal and other tribes from the north, and the Gga- den Somalis on the south. But during the dry season it is onlva resort of lions, and great herds of antelopes and other wild beasts. On our arrival at Hargesa the old chief treated us to a tamasho, or equestrian exhibition. About a dozen So- malis, mounted on gayly caparisoned ponies, dashed up and down before us, throwing their spears, and giving many imitations of their accustomed mode of fighting. It was a ACROSS THE DESERT TO MILMIL. 19 cruel show, as they use hard ring-bits for their ponies that cause the blood to stream from their mouths. The Somalis seem to be utterly careless of the ponies' suffer- ing, riding them frequently when their backs are a mass of sores. We spent four days at Hargesa to rest our camels and buy fresh ones, and I discharged here two of my boys for bad conduct, replacing them by two strapping fellows pro- vided by the chief of Hargesa. One of these, named Goolaed Farrah, was reported as a great fortune-teller, and indeed it was marvellous how accurate his predictions were. He said that a certain boy in the camp named Dualla Farrah would not be with us very long, but that he would be the first one to meet with a violent death ; and it turned out this boy was drowned in the first river we crossed. Not far from here I shot a fine specimen of a wild dog. Fred went to the Hand for a three days' shooting trip, and came back with his camels loaded with game, after which we filled our water-barrels and started on our five days' march across the desert. At first the path ascends rapidly from Hargesa to the height of 5,500 feet, and then passes straight across the almost level Hand until it nearly reaches the Tug Milmil. We were obliged to make long marches of nine hours daily, accomplishing in this time about twenty-four statute miles by road. Soon after leaving Hargesa we crossed an open, grassy plain, seven miles wide, called the " Bunn Sella," and extending about forty miles east and west, according to native report. But with this exception the Hand is covered with thorny acacias, and with mimosa bushes and trees. Occasionally, when a distant view is afforded on the Hand, it seems to you that you are ap- proaching a range of hills ; but as you progress you find 20 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. that these are only optical illusions, quite characteristic of flat countries in Africa. It was very pleasant travelling across the plateau, as the climate was dry and cool, the average temperature for twenty-four hours being 73° Fahr. On the 27th of July we found ourselves at Gagaap, on the Tug Milmil. We were now in the Ogaden country, the land of fat camels and good-looking men and women, the people having lighter complexions and more refined features than in other parts of Somaliland. The camels were formerly raised in large droves, but with- in the last three or four years their numbers have been greatly diminished by raiding parties of Abyssinians. Most of the men understand Arabic; and you scarcely ever see a boy without his little flat board, on which are written verses from the Koran. The natives flocked to us froni the many villages about two miles distant, and treated us to another tamasho. Trading went on briskly ; and I managed to secure, in the few days we were at Milmil, many fresh camels, so that the caravan included over a hundred good strong animals. Not far from here I was fortunate in shooting the best specimen of male lion that I have seen in Somaliland. The natives sent a delegation to beg me to come to one of their villages to shoot a lion which they said had eaten many of their people, and which was accustomed to jump into their zareba every few nights. I hastened to the place immediately, and had my boys build a small zareba, or bushy enclosure, just big enough for myself and another man ; and in this pen I made myself as comfortable as pos- sible, with one of my boys beside me to watch. Just before sundown a few hyenas came out and seemed as if they wanted to attack a donkey I had tethered in front as a bait. I had to keep throwing stones every now and then to frighten away these pests ; but just as it got dark a LION-SHOOTING. 21 great stampede took place on the part of the hyenas, and they could be seen fleeing in all directions. I waited breathlessly, as I thought they must have been frightened by the lion. Although I gazed intently to see if I could make out the form of the great beast, nothing could be seen for some moments. Suddenly there was a mighty thud, and down went my donkey, all of a heap, to the ground. I raised my rifle, and just as the dust cleared away, I perceived the huge form of a lion stretched over the body of the prostrate donkey. He was only ten feet away from me, so I took aim as nearly as possible at the centre of his shoulder. There was a loud report from my eight-bore express, followed by such a terrific roar as only a lion in his native haunts will emit. I have heard it said that outside of menageries the lion's roar is not so thrilling as one might suppose, but this is not the case. I have never in my life heard anything more magnificent or awe-inspiring than the roar of a maddened lion. It makes every fibre in your body tingle, especially 22 'IHROUCIH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. when you hear it at such close quarters as I was at this time. The beast uiade one mighty bound for the zareba, evidently maddened by pain. He apparently did not know that we were inside, as he did not try to break through the enclosure; but as his body touched it, the fore part of the zareba colla]:)sed. He lay for some mon-ients against the outside, roaring, and you can imagine my feelings, as I dared scarcely breathe for fear he should find us out. At last he picked himself up, and walked a little way to some bushes. The roars continued for at least ten minutes, and then the sounds gradually died away in low moans. I waited some time, until I heard the barking of a fox, and knew my beast was dead, and that I must save him from being eaten by the foxes; whereupon I crawled out with my gun-bearer, and built a large fire. During the night I kept continually firing to frighten away the hyenas, killing one that approached too near, and at the first break of dawn 1 walked over to where the lion had last been heard. Sure enough, there was the great man-eater stretched at full length on the grass, dead. He had a fine black mane, which is a rare thing for lions in Northeastern Africa to possess, and measured, from tip to tip, nine feet eight inches, before he was skinned. There was great rejoicing in the villages, and crowds of natives stooped over him, clapping their hands and dan- cing to show the relief they felt at being rid of him. After leaving Milmil, it was my desire to keep as nearly west as possible; but I was obliged to go a little south at first, to Sessabane. to avoid natural obstacles. I managed to catch, in this countrv, one of the extraor- dinary hairless moles, named Heterocephalus, which are distributed throughout Somaliland wherever there are long stretches of soft, loamv soil. Their runs are a foot under- ground, and at frequent intervals they make holes to the AT SESSABANE. 23 exterior, through which you may see the earth being kicked out in little jets, that cause one to look on in astonishment, if one does not know the origin of these little volcanoes. When we reached Sessabane, on the ist of August, I was astonished to find there great herds of fine cattle. I had never seen half so many cattle together before in Somaliland. The natives were most civil, and anxious to trade with me. You can imagine my chagrin when 1 heard, a few days afterward, that they had been raided by HETEROCEPHALUS GLARER. the Abyssinians, under Ras MacKonnen, their cattle driven off, the young girls taken as slaves, and the older people killed and mutilated. There is much water about Sessabane in pools, and a luxurious vegetation. You find many superb sycamore or "durre" trees, as they are called by the Somalis, which bear a fruit resembling figs, but lacking in flavor. The " durre " trees are found pretty much all over Somaliland, in valleys where there is water. There is also a " gub," or "jujube" tree, which bears a fruit the size of a cherry, 24 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. having rather a pleasant flavor, but which is unsatisfactory to eat on account of the large stone it contains. There is no fruit in Somaliland, properly speaking, though there are many mere apologies for berries, which are eaten by the natives. Up to the present time, with Dodson's assistance, I had collected about seventy different species of birds, many of them of most beautiful plumage. It was my purpose not only to collect specimens which might be new to science, but to get a complete series of all the birds in the different countries through which I passed, and I endeavored to do the same in all the other branches of natural history. There were many beautiful specimens of doves, some of them very tiny, and also starlings with yellow breasts, and beautiful metallic blue backs and wings. Already at Hargesa I had succeeded in shooting a night jhar, that proved to be new to science, and from that time scarcely a week passed without my having secured two or three new birds. From Sessabane I was obliged to describe a great curve, going at first south, and then far up north again to Lafkei. There was one tract of country to cross where water was not obtainable for three long marches. It was a hilly, stony country, covered with mimosa brush and a sprinkling of larger mimosa-trees. The Somalis call this tract of country Sibbe ; another name they give it is Habr-i-erde, which means " bad for old women." This name impressed me very much, as I had too often seen the sad state in which old women roamed throusfhout Somaliland. The Somalis are the best savaoes in Africa, but they have their little ways ; and one is not to trouble about a woman after she gets old, whether she be mother or sister. So many of the poor old wretches are doomed to wander about, DRILLING THE BOYS. 25 picking berries, or begging, until they die of grad- ual starvation, or are caught by lions or hyenas. Almost continually there would be some of these old women following along the caravan, doing what work they could, bringing wood or water, for the sake of a few bones our boys would throw them. These were not the only females that accompanied the caravan. Frequently younger and better-looking girls would ask me to allow them the protection of the caravan, in order to travel from village to village, and usually they contrived to make them- selves useful in doing various little errands for the men. The march into Lafkei was one of twenty-five miles. This was the last settlement of Somalis we expected to find as we journeyed west, so I determined to remain here a few days to buy all the animals possible. I previously had been paying for animals in coin, having taken along several thousand rupees for that purpose; but at Lafkei the natives did not know the value of money, and insisted upon being paid in cloth. One of the natives was caught in the act of stealing some of my sheep; and, as I had been much annoyed by repeated thefts, I ordered the man to be 2:iven a o:ood flosfo-inor. I had been making several stops up to this time, not only to rest the camels and to trade, but to get the camp better organized and to rate my chronometers. I divided up the men into companies of ten each, appointing a head man in each company. There were, besides these ten head men, my first head man, Haji Idris, and two second head men, splendid fellows, both of them, named Salan Mohammed and Ahamed Aden. The majority of the boys had never been on an expedition before, and knew nothing of the use of the rifle, so 1 had to be drilling them contin- ually. The Somalis were very fond of being drilled, and it was not long before they learned to obey quickly the 26 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. various orders given. In case of an alarm, each compan}'^ knew the position it was to take at once, and also where to find the boxes of ammunition assigned to it. In ordinary cases there would be eight sentries on duty all night, one to each company. But in dangerous countries the number of sentries would be doubled. The fifteen Winchester rifles were given to the most intelligent of the men, while the remainder of the boys were supplied with Snyders, which they were obliged to carry continually. I also supplied them with thirty rounds of ammunition apiece for their belts. Each European was usually accompanied by four boys, Fred's bovs escortino- him when shootino;, while the bovs I gave Dodson, and reserved for myself, I trained to assist in the work of collecting natural-history specimens. They soon became very keen in their quest for insects and butterflies and anything they thought might be of interest to me. Our two cooks, Mireh and Abdulla, had been with Dr. W. L. Smith and myself upon our shooting trip, and it was wonderful what good meals they could provide from scanty resources. Often we would fare very badly on account of a lack of firewood, or being obliged to march all day ; but usuallv they contrived to give us some soup and Q:ame-birds that we had shot, and excellent bread. They managed to bake the bread between two sheets of tin, which they rested on stones over the fire, using Eno's Fruit Salts to raise the bread. Abdulla, whose proper name is Aden Arralla, had been a cook on a man-of-war. He was one of the most faithful followers of my expe- dition, and exerted an excellent influence in camp. Two expeditions, that of Captain Swayne, and the one led by Counts Hojes and Cudenhove, had passed south from Lafkei, on their way to the Shebeli River, above Ime; but towards the west nothing was known of the countrv, AN ANNOYING PLANT. 27 and I had to trust entirely to native guides. As usual, I could not travel in a straight line, the guides informing me that it would be impossible to get water if I did so; so I had to march down the Tug Sillul, on which Lafkei is situated, some distance, and then travel northwest once more. In many places there was absolutely no path, and the guides led us through a very densely wooded country. The underbrush was thick ; and often there would be long stretches of orround covered v^ith aloes, and also a cruel plant known in Mexico and Texas as the " Spanish bayonet." It resembles the aloe closely, but the leaves are narrower, and the tips are armed with strong, sharp needles which make it difBcult to wind in and out among them without getting injured. They are constantly pier- cing the animals, inflicting severe wounds. The Somalis call this plant "hig;" the Arabic name is " salab." Both these and the aloes are distributed all over Somaliland. There was also a tree called the " kedi," which is simply a mass of spikes, and a species of acacia called " hura," bearing a reddish pod about the size of a pea, of which the Somalis are very fond ; but the only satisfaction one has in eating them is to get a slight sweet flavor out of a pound of pod. It rained almost every day for a short time, and the sky was almost continually overcast. This made marching pleasanter, but it was very difficult for me to rate my chronometers. Ever since leaving Hargesa I had not been able to get a meridian altitude of the sun, owing to the clouds, and it was only occasionally that I could take stellar observations. On the loth of August we had a troublesome march, having to cross several tugs with steep banks, and finally to ascend a very rough path made by game, over a range of hills. The next day we were to have the pleasure of seeing a 28 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. European once more. Capt. C. J. Percival, R. A., crossed our line of march on his way north. He was the only white man, except ourselves, who had penetrated so far into this country. He told me, when I saw him afterwards in Aden, that after he had left us in the jungle, he had been called to a village to attend to one or two natives who had been wounded by a lion. This lion had been the pest of the natives for some weeks, and they had resolved to end his life. Having gathered together in force to wait for him, they attacked him from all sides as he leaped into their village, armed, as usual, only with their spears. In the fight one of them had been killed, and two others badly cut up, but the plucky natives had killed their animal. We now made a double march, stopping at midday on the Tug Lummo, where there is excellent water all the year round in pools. I was at the mercy of the most ignorant guides, who did not seem to know their way at all. They had led us over the worst country imaginable, where we had to chop, dig, and roll stones aside at frequent intervals. CHAPTER IV. TuRFA Tug — Shooting Rhinoceroses — A Side-trip to the River Erer — Narrow Escape from a Rhinoceros — We are obliged to lift the Camels over Rocks — A Beautiful Valley — Impos- sible to cross the Erer with Camels — Return to the Caravan — Mr. Fred Gillett's Lion and Leopard Hunt — We march South to the Shebeli River — The River flooded — Dhum Palms — Great Difficulty in crossing the Webi Shebeli — Mule caught BY A Crocodile — Man drowned — A Mule and Two Ponies lost — First Footsteps in the Country of the Arusa Gallas — We CAPTURE Two Natives — News of a Town built of Stone — I discover a Small River — The Gallas are friendly. ON the 14th of August we arrived at Bodele on Tug Turfa, where there was abundance of water, and where I was surprised to find a few Somalis. These natives said it would be impossible to take the caravan west, that the country was very mountainous, and that a river which I judged must be the Erer, which flows past Harar and empties into the Shebeli River, made its way through a deep gorge in this mountain ; and they also said that a man empty-handed could not reach the waters of this stream, owing to the precipitous walls on either side. As it was wise to sfive the camels a grood rest, I resolved to make the trip with Dodson and a few boys to the Erer, to see myself whether it would be possible to take the caravan across. Leaving Gillett in charge of the caravan at Bodele, I started on the morning of August 15 for the Erer River, with Dodson and twenty boys. I took along only five 30 THROUCrH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. camels, as I was afraid of their being injured. We wound our wav for nine and a half miles northwest, through thick thorn-bushes, along paths made by rhinoceroses, and reached a broad, grassy plateau called Gardubbela, where we camped for the night. Starting before daybreak the next morning, we made a long march west across this grassy plain, passing large herds of oryx, zebra, and many ostriches in groups of twos or threes. I was far ahead of the cara\'an with my gun-bearer Hersi, and had just shot a zebra, when I noticed a rhinoceros coming straight for me. I turned to Hersi for my cartridge-bag, only to .see the man's face fall as he remembered he had given the cartridges to another boy to carry for a short time, and had forgotten to get them again. The rifle I had with me was a .577 express, and I had only a single cartridge for this. I had two hundred yards the start of the rhinoceros, and now ran for the caravan as fast as my legs could take me; fortunately, just as I reached the camels, the rhinoceros stopped a few moments. The boy who had my cartridge-bag ran forward to meet me, and I grabbed the cartridge with not a second to spare, for the rhinoceros now started ahead once more. When he was about twenty yards from the camels, he swerved aside, as his attention was drawn off by some of Dodson's boys, who were not with the caravan. This afforded me a good side-shot, and as the first report rang out, down went the huge beast on his knees. He never got up, as the second shot rolled him over on his side. The third morninor found us travellino^ bv the side of a tug running southwest, hoping that this would lead us to a point where we might cross the river. The country swarmed with rhinoceroses, one of which came very near giving me a good mauling. I was going along a path NARROW ESCAPE FROM A RHINOCEROS. 31 made by the beasts, with my httle caravan behind me, through an open space, when suddenly and without provo- cation a rhinoceros dashed out of the o-rass, and charoed directly at us. I stepped aside from the path to get a side shot, thinking that the beast would keep to a straight course ; but he suddenly turned on me when only five yards away, and charged with lowered head, pufifing and snorting as only a rhinoceros can. Luckily I was carrying my eight-bore, and I had just time to give him a shot in the head, when he was within three feet of me, and drop him to his knees. But it was for a second only. The next instant he was on his legs, and at me again. This time he got a second shot in the head that dropped him long enough for me to spring a few feet to one side and run. But the beast jumped up again, and commenced to prance around in a wild, dazed fashion. My boys ran in all directions, while the camels stam- peded, tossing their loads about in confusion. As it turned out, the rhinoceros was blinded by my last shot, and soon came to a dead halt. I loaded my rifle, took a steady aim just behind his shoulder from a distance of about thirty yards, and was fortunate in dropping him stone dead with a bullet through his heart. I found on examination that the first two bullets had struck his head a little too far forward. I had to be on my guard constantly after this, as there was no slight danger of being run down at any moment by these African bullies. We soon came to a beautiful stream of clear water, which was a orreat deliHit to us all, as we had not seen such a thing as a babbling brook in all our previous marches. We followed the stream for two miles ; but what a time we had of it ! The valley grew narrower, and the great bowl- ders filling it up increased in size. After having to lift the five camels bodily over rocks several times, we were 32 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. obliged to camp. In the morning I divided my boys into three parties, which 1 started off in different direc- tions, leaving the tired camels to look after themselves, as I wished to find how far off the Erer River was, and to explore the country about it. Five boys and myself kept on down the brook, which, to give it a descriptive title, I have named Stony Brook, and, after two miles' hard scram- bling over rocks, arrived at the banks of the beautiful, swift-flowino^ Erer.^ It would be hard to exaggerate the beauties of the valley through which this river runs. The high, rocky walls on either side of the rapidly flowing stream were covered with countless varieties of flowering plants and vines; while the rugged, barren tops of the mountains, as they towered three thousand feet above the bed of the river, contrasted beau- tifully with the yellow reeds along the banks of the stream, and the lovely, light-green color of the shrubs. The valley was alive with animal life : countless birds chirped and sang among the trees ; while among the rocks armies of conies, monkeys, and squirrels caroused, and made war upon each other. I was greatly disappointed to find the natives' report true, and that it would be impossible to get the caravan through this country; but I was well repaid for my trip, as I succeeded in collecting a large variety of birds, but- terflies, fish, mammals, and beetles, besides locating this important river. After spending two days by the Erer, we marched back to the caravan, which we reached on the afternoon of the second day. I was delighted to find that Gillett had killed a fine lion, Fred's account of his encounter with the beast running as follows : — 1 The Erer was ei,a;bty feet broad at this point, with a depth of onl\' one to three feet, and a current of four miles an hour. THE ERER. MR. FRED GILLETT'S LION AND LEOPARD HUNT. 35 " Whilst Dr. Smith was absent, I had a camel tied in a large patch of very thick bush, in which I found the fresh tracks of lions, but it was some days before one acknowledged the bait. In the mean time, however, I was busy following up fresh tracks, but all to no purpose.- I got closer than 1 wanted, though, one night: I was following a wounded zebra, and the tracks led into a dense country so full of small thorn-bushes that it was with the Greatest LIOX SHOT I!V F. GII.LETT. Photograph by F. Gilhtt. difficulty my shikari and I pushed our way through it. It had become quite dark, and I was just about to turn back, when I heard a growl in the bushes to my right, not twenty yards distant. It was an impossible place to tackle a lion. ' Shall I carry the rifle for you } ' said my boy ; but under the circumstances it did not seem at all heavy, and we made the best of our way back to camp without another word. "At last luck changed; and one morning my boys 36 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. rushed into my tent to say the camel had been killed. I was off to the spot as soon as I had had some breakfast ; and as the camel had not long been dead, I sent back to the camp for some of the camel-men to come and drive the beast out of the bushes to me. The drive only took a few minutes. I stationed myself in a clearing, sent a boy back to show the beaters which way to come, and then waited; a twig cracked in front of m.e, then all was still. Shortly afterwards there was a yell from the men, as they caught a glimpse of the yellow skin of the lion amongst the bushes, and the next second he stood before me not thirty yards off. He saw me at once, and turned to charge back through the men, but a lucky shot through the neck ended his days. " The real danger of the performance then began : the men were as pleased as I was at the result, and, placing me by the lion, danced round us, waving their rifles in all directions ; and as these were still at full cock, I began to wonder what a bullet at close quarters would feel like. Fortunately, however, there were no mishaps, and a present of some sheep made the camp the cheeriest place in the world." There was nothing to do now but to march the cara- van south along the Tug Turfa to its junction with the Shebeli River, and then endeavor to cross that stream. The tug made many twists and curves, but our direction was, in the main, south. We found many ammonites and pieces of fossil coral along the bed of the stream. The mountains were principally of the coarsest granite. I will give Gillett's description of a leopard drive we enjoyed on this tug : — " We had been marching all the afternoon down the dry bed of the tug, and I was some distance ahead of the cara- van, when on the opposite bank I saw a leopard listening WE MARCH SOUTH TO THE SHEBELI RIVER. 37 to the noise of the approaching caravan. He disappeared ahnost at once in a thick clump of bushes. Calling to my boys, I ran across to cut him off. We surrounded the clump of bushes just as the first camel came in sight. When Dr. Donaldson Smith came up, he ordered the camp to be pitched, and some camel-men to beat the bushes, while he and' I took up positions on the further side of the clump. " It was so thick that the men would not venture into the bushes to drive the animal out; and as they were unable to move him, they set fire to the bushes. A few minutes after this he came out opposite me, only a few yards off. He saw me at once, and gave a snarl before I could fire, and then darted away to my left, making for a small hedge. As he crossed the open space about forty yards off, I fired a snap-shot at him for luck, and to my surprise found him quite dead about one hundred yards further off." After the first two marches from Bodele we came to the junction of the Tugs Sillul, Dacheto, Lummo, Bourgha, and Turfa. These tugs are here merged into a flowing stream of water, which continues for about eleven miles as the Bourgha River, until this empties itself into the Webi Shebeli.^ Camping at this spot, called Bieusora, which means in Somali "junction of waters," I sent men ahead to recon- noitre, the guides I took from Bodele being absolutely use- less. I was much afraid of a block in the Bourgha valley, such as I had encountered in trying to reach the Erer River ; but my scouts returned in the afternoon with the good news that they had seen the big river, and that we could march there easily. On the 24th of August, after a morning's march of ten 1 "Webi " is the Somali name for any river. 38 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. miles, we found ourselves on the banks of the Webi She- beli. But, alas ! to our disappointment, we found the stream flooded. It was over eighty yards wide, deep, and flowing at the rate of over five miles an hour; so I resolved to camp, and explore the shores to find a better crossing, and if possible to secure guides. I had looked in vain as yet for Gallas ; the only signs I had seen of them were on my journey to the Erer River. There were a few deserted Galla huts on the banks of that river; but now that I had reached the Shebeli, I could see no trace of human beings ever having been here, although I had expected to find a large Galla population about the river. Mountains containing much iron ore rose precipitously from the nar- row valley of the river, the presence of this iron ore causing many errors in my compass bearings. The river is fringed with groves of dhum palms, those well-known trees which furnish both food and drink to so many natives of Africa. The fruit of the dhum palm is about the size of a potato, hard and pithy, and tasting like dried ginger-bread. We had considerable sport fishing, catching one species of fish resembling a mullet, which was very gamy, rising readily to a spoon bait, and which weighed from three to five pounds apiece. To show what a hard time we had crossing the river, I will quote from my diary for a few days : — ''August 25. We have been at work all day at a point a little below our camp, where the river broadens out to a width of a hundred yards, and where it is from two to seven feet deep. My head man, Idris, and Abdi Segard (Fred's gun- bearer) made an attempt to get a rope across from my boat. Abdi rowed, and a hard time he had to get over the swift current, just managing to reach the bushes on the other side, and grab them. Idris pulled in several coils of rope and then made a spring for the shore ; but the strain on the MULE CAUGHT BY A CROCODILE. 39 rope was too great for him, and he had to let go the end. This was the first faihire. Afterwards we landed several men on the opposite shore, and this time Idris and Abdi managed to row across with a rope, and give them the end, which they made fast to a tree ; but we were bound to be disappointed again, — the rope broke. " The afternoon was now spent in making a raft, and in braiding a rope to triple its original size, so that there would be no danger of its breaking. When returning to camp, I was surprised by hearing a number of shots fired in quick succession at the waters edge. I could only imagine that the Gallas were attacking us, and rushed hastily to the spot, to find that Fred's mule had been caught by a crocodile and dragged some distance into the water, before some of my boys had rescued him by their shots. Fred and Dodson came rushing in from different directions, as they too thought the camp had been attacked. One of the mule's fore-legs was terribly lacerated, and there seemed to be scarcely a hope of saving him. We debated for a long time as to whether we should shoot the mule or not, but Fred finally determined to give the poor beast a chance for life.^ Owing to this incident, we dubbed the spot ' Crocodile Camp,' '' August 26. The boys spent the day trying to get a rope across, and the new raft floated. They worked like Trojans, but the raft they made with so much patience was a failure. We all feel very blue. The river fell six inches the last twenty-four hours, so that the men could wade almost across the stream in the afternoon. There are many hippopotami about, but we have been unable to get a shot as yet. " August 27. Fred s mule seems to be recovering from ^ And glad he was afterwards of his decision, as a more serviceable animal he could not have had. 40 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. his wounds. The men worked hard all day, and succeeded by afternoon in building an excellent raft, out of four eight- gallon wooden water-barrels, splicing them to logs. They also got the heavy three-stranded rope across, and made it taut ; but, alas ! they could not hold their raft at all by the rope when they reached the middle of the stream, on account of the terrific force of the current. We all re- turned disappointed, and I made up my mind that we must find some other crossing. '' AugtLst 28. We tried a place still further south of our camp, where the stream is narrower. The boys cut down a steep bank to gain access to the water's edge, but towards afternoon the stream rose a foot, and we could do nothing, I still have hopes of crossing in this neighbor- hood, but it will be a hard struggle. My boys deserve the greatest praise for the manner in which they have gone to work and for their patience. My gun-bearer, Karsha, who is an excellent shot, brought in a water-buck. " August 29. I let some of the men continue their work where they left off last night, while some of us explored the banks of the river in both directions, Fred and mv head man making a journey to the north, while I explored the bank of the stream ten miles lower down. I found a place six miles south of our camp, where the stream was very deep and rapid, and only forty yards wide. I thought it might be managed to pull the camels across here, so I returned to camp to prepare for the move to-morrow, and to hear Fred's report. Fred said he had gone a long way up the river, and that it would be impossible to cross. " August 30. We marched down to the narrow part of the river I discovered yesterday, and after tiffin started the work of crossing once more in earnest. A huge rope was stretched across the stream, and from this another was sus- pended by a loop. A camel was brought down, a barrel MAN DROWNED. 41 tied under his throat to prevent his head from going under, and the free end of the second rope tied to his neck. A third rope which was attached to the animal was dragged by an army of boys from the opposite bank. As soon as the camel was lifted into the swift current, the boys on the opposite side pulled as fast as they could. The camel held his head up as he sped down the current ; but as the rope tightened, and the men commenced to haul the ani- mal up-stream, his head disappeared under water for some fifteen seconds ; but now there was a splash and a bit of floundering, and the camel was safely landed in spite of his ducking. A chorus of cheers went up, as, after all our trouble, we had at last found a plan for crossing. We landed eleven camels before dark. '' August 2)^. The work of transporting went on merrily. Sixty-five camels were taken across, and four companies landed the stores in their charo-e. There was much sins:- ing and shouting, but the amount of work my boys accom- plished was prodigious. On occasions of this kind the Somalis are often excellent workers, but they must do everything after their own fashion. They must be kept merry and cheerful. In the afternoon, one of my poor camel-boys, Dualla Farrah, who was a bad swimmer, lost his grip on the rope while he was attempting to cross, and was swept away and drowned before help could reach him. I was surprised at the cool way his companions regarded this catastrophe. They said it was simply the will of Allah, and that they were not going to think more about it. This Dualla Farrah was the same man the fortune- teller, Goolaed Farrah, had predicted would not be with us 111 ong. The rest of the camels, forty-five in number, and the goods, were taken over the next morning, and then came the turn for the ponies and mules. Fred's pony was landed 42 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. dead on the other side, and one of my ponies did not sur- vive the ordeal long. One of my mules got so much water in his lungs that he died two days afterwards. We were at last across, and should have been thankful, but the drown- ing of the camel-man, and the loss of two ponies and a mule, cast rather a gloom over our otherwise exulting spirits. We had had no rain now since we left Lafkei, and the river valley was very hot, the mean temperature for each twenty-four hours averaging 88' Fahr. After a nights rest I sent men in all directions to see if they could find traces of natives, while I ascended the range of hills immediately to the west of the camp, from the top of which I could see far inland, the country appear- ing like a vast undulating plain, covered with the usual dried-up brush one sees in Somaliland. But a short time was allowed me, however, to take compass bearings, as I soon heard a shot in the valley below me, not far off, and, on hastening to the spot, found that some of my boys had captured a youthful Galla. They had fired in the air to frighten him, so that they might stop his flight. It was most necessary to find some native who could tell us a little of the country ahead ; otherwise, if we left the river, we could not know when we might find water, or what sort of obstacles we might encounter, so I had ordered my bo3'S to capture any native they might see, provided they did him no bodily harm. The young pris- oner was too much frightened at first to give us any infor- mation, but I took him back to camp, hoping soon to gain his confidence. Here I found that some more of my boys had caught another native, who proved to be more intelli- gent and communicative than the first. One party of eight of my boys remained out all night, returning late the next morning. They said they had found a sniall river flowing into the Shebeli, about twenty NEWS OF A TOWN BUILT OF STONE. 43 miles above our camp. The two Galla captives told me that this stream, which is called the Darde, came from a high, mountainous country lying far to the northwest, where it was cold and wet, and that in this country the people raised cereals, wove cloth, and lived in a town where there were stone houses. They said the name of this town was Sheikh Husein. This was most interesting news. Stone houses in this part of Africa ! I made up my mind to visit this Sheikh Husein if possible. The Gallas told us of great atrocities perpetrated by the Abyssinians. The Abyssinians had completely subjugated them four years previously, carrying off their boys and girls as slaves, and capturing all their cattle and sheep. After several hours' hard work in the afternoon, we managed to get the caravan up the steep ascent and on to the level, bushy plateau, and camped near some salt springs I discovered in a river-bed, the waters of these springs tasting like magnesia sulphate, and having the same effect. Continuing north, we passed many villages from which all the people had fled, but w^e had made good enough friends of the two youthful Gallas now to trust one of them to run ahead and tell their people that friends were coming, — not Abyssinians, but white people from a far-off country, who wished to travel peacefully and make friends with every one; when we wanted food, we told them, we would pay for it, as we were rich in cloth and many things the natives would find useful. Wishing to explore the Darde, I started off with twenty of my boys and Hari Berrois, the other captive, who was now free to do as he pleased, to where my boys had reported the stream empty- ing; into the Webi Shebeli. After marchino^ a short time northwest, we found ourselves suddenly on the edge of a rugged and picturesque canyon a thousand feet deep, 44 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. throueh the middle of which the small stream, the Darde, wound its way into the Shebeli. We were not long in climbing down the precipitous walls of the canyon and in reaching the Darde, which we followed for half a mile to its junction with the greater river. We found many footprints of natives here, but none of the Gallas themselves; so after passing a restless night by the side of the stream, without a tent, and being nearly devoured by mosquitoes, I journeyed back to the caravan. Noticing, on our way, a man and two women far off in the valley tending sheep, I sent Hari Berrois, and some of my boys, to try to bring the three natives to our camp. They came to us willingly, and told us they were the last natives left in the neighborhood, all the rest of their countrymen having fled, thinking we were Abyssinians. I persuaded them to accompany me to the camp, and then, after loading them with presents, sent them ahead to quell the fears of their people. Marching on, we came to some water-holes, called Feji, where many natives joined us. CHAPTER V. The Arusa Gallas — Galla Chiefs tell me of Abyssinlan Depreda- tions — The Country of the Arusa Gallas — A Delightful Change — Excellent Farming Lands — We meet an Abyssinian — Amusing the Inhabitants of Luku — Arrival at Sheikh Husein — Remarkable Discoveries — The Tomb of Sheikh Husein — An In- teresting Reception — We find ourselves in an Abyssinian Stronghold — Mt. Abougasin — The Height of Hospitality on THE Part of an Abyssinian Officer — My Boys revolt — Cold and Rainy — Mr. Fred Gillett's Elephant Hunt — Miracles WROUGHT by Sheikh Husein — Natives — A Kudu Drive — Sum- mons FROM THE Abyssinian General — Gillett starts for Ginea — A Curious Animal — Guinea-Fowl — Journey to the Abyssinian Town — My Friend's Account. THE natives near the Shebeli River are much poorer than those living farther to the west, but I was much struck by their refined features. They are very like the Somalis in their bronze color and curly wavy hair, and their voices are most musical and soft. The large round shields they carry, made of the hide of oxen, are usually handsomely decorated, and their single long thrusting spears are well made, though very heavy. The short javelin, or throwing spear, is only occasionally found among them. I was surprised also at the excellent man- ner in which many of their ornaments were made, — tiny needles of iron, wood, and horn, wooden combs, and little forceps for plucking out thorns, huge leaden brace- lets, very prettily ornamented, and bracelets of ivory, being among the various things of native manufacture that attracted our attention at once. I found that they made 46 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. also very good earthenware, and wooden pots and jars, prettily shaped and usually having two handles to them. The men wore a loin-cloth, while the women's only clothing consisted of a short skirt made of sheepskin. The natives, finding we were not Abyssinians, implored our protection against these marauders. They showed me ovens in their villages, in which they formerly used to make bread, buying their grain from the natives living in the agricultural districts about Sheikh Husein. Now, they said, they were too poor to buy anything, the Abyssinians having left them scarcely enough sheep and goats for them to keep body and soul together. Their rulers demanded as taxes more than half the increase of their flocks yearly. Hari Berrois now left us, delighted with the many fancy brass ornaments I gave him. He was the first, but not the last, man that came to us as a captive and a beggar, and went away great and rich, according to native ideas. Our next march was a very short one, as I wished to interview a Galla chief, who was the first man of impor- tance that had yet appeared. The old man welcomed us most heartily, and brought us a present of some milk and a fat sheep. He was a tall, handsome man, and conducted himself in a very dignified fashion ; the only thing that marred his stately bearing being the fact that he insisted upon tying about his neck an empty chutney bottle and the lid of a biscuit tin I gave him. He told me that neither he nor any of his people believed we had crossed the flooded webi, but that we must have dropped from the clouds, to rid the country of the Abyssinians. We crossed, on September 9, the little river Darde, and camped at Berbadch, where the river forms a small waterfall. The country of the Gallas we had gone through so far was very thinly populated, though, from THE ARUSA GALLAS. 47 the number of deserted villages we had passed, there must have been formerly many inhabitants. Until you get well up into the mountainous region, it is dry, like Somaliland, and suitable only for grazing purposes. Towards the north it appeared to consist of a series of high plateaus and mountain peaks, rising one above the other, while to GROUP OF ARUSA GALLAS. From a Photograph by F. Gillett. the south a great extent of low-lying, bushy country, con- taining only a few isolated, outstanding eminences, rising to varying heights of from one to three thousand feet, spread out far below us. We now commenced to rise rapidly, reaching, at the end of the next day's march, an elevation of three thousand eight hundred feet. The weather was cloudy and cool, and we began to feel a few rain-drops. 48 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. On reachino^ some water-holes called Roko, a chief of a villaee near bv, named lilo Nubonna, rushed out to meet us, and implored us to recover a lot of sheep and cattle the Abyssinians had just carried off, and which, he said, had belonged to his dead brother. I, of course, told him it would not do for us to interfere, as we w^ished to be friends with evcr3'body. Fortunately, we were able to get plenty of water at the end of nearly every march, but the country was very rough for the camels. We marched about six hours daily, but only made nine or ten geograph- ical miles in a straight line northwest. On September 12 we arrived at a place called Furza, where two chiefs, Oushe Burde and Dardi Hari, of the Wachalli tribes, who formerly lived near our crossing-place on the Shebeli River, came to us, bringing two fine eating camels, besides spears and native ornaments, which I had expressed a desire to collect. They told the same sad tale we had heard from every Galla. They were very fine-looking men, and it was pathetic to the last degree to see them break into tears as they described how the Abyssinians were reducing them to poverty. Oushe Burde was stationed at present in this country by the /\byssinians, to collect taxes, as it is the custom of the Abyssinians to enlist many natives in government service. Our next march, of thirteen miles, took us through a very different sort of country from that to which we had been accustomed. Here and there would be open plains covered with fine green grass up to one's knees, and dotted with trees resembling our apple-trees. But we experienced the oreatest chano^e when we descended into a broad and lovely \'alley, and camped by some springs of good clear water, called Gorgora. Here the vegeta- tion was most luxurious, and the variety of trees and shrubs infinite. What a delightful transformation in A DELIGHTFUL CHANGE. 49 nature it was for us ! The light, beautiful green of the foliage, and the balmy and moist atmosphere, reminded me forcibly of spring-time in my own country, only the variety of the flora and fauna was distinctly African. Giant sycamores, pine-trees, and euphorbias spread out their limbs .over veritable flower-beds. Fuchsias, sweet-peas, and countless other plants seemed to be trying to crush each other out. Gayly plumaged birds sang away lustily, or flitted hither or thither, seeking to devour some passing butterfly. All about were fresh elephant-tracks, as well as spoor of a few leopards and lions. We had not seen much game since leaving the Shebeli, excepting zebra grevii and oryx in small herds, and Waller's gazelle. As much, however, as we had longed for rain before this, we were now to have too much of it; for during the next two months scarcely a day passed that we did not have a shower of some kind. The next march brought us in sight of two striking mountain groups about fifty miles to the west. One of these was called Daro by the natives, while the other I have named the Gillett Mountains, in honor of my friend. Little did I think that we should not get out of sight of these moun- tains for over two months. The country became more open, and every now and then we passed some little brook flowing south into the Darde. We began to hear much of Sheikh Husein, and at a village where we camped on September 15, called Darrar, we met some of the inhabitants of this place. They told us they were going to hold a religious festival at Sheikh Husein in a short time, and that we should cer- tainly be there. These people were Mohammedans, as I shall explain later. On our next march we passed many 4 50 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. cultivated fields; there were hundreds of acres planted in Indian corn and durrha, in all stages of growth, as well as fields of beans and pumpkins ; and it was not uncommon to see oxen yoked to a rude wooden plough. This country would delight the heart of a European farmer ; for, besides the fertility of the soil, the climate is most agreeable and equable. The mean temperature for the twenty-four hours was only 70" Fahr. On the 17th of September we met an Abyssinian who was stationed at a large settlement a short distance ahead to watch over the grain and live-stock. He was the first Abyssinian I had seen, and he impressed me most favor- ably : Six feet in height, and of a massive, powerful build, he was a finer specimen than the majority of the Abyssinians, although I found them generally to be large sized. The man, whose name was Gabr Amaria, told me his people belonged to Curague, which is a country to the southwest of Abyssinia, and that he had been captured by the Abyssinians when a boy, and taken to Harar as a slave. After this he had been sent to Luku as an inspec- tor. He said that the general of this country, and his army, were far to the south, waging war on the natives, and that we would have no difficulty in making friends with the few petty Abyssinians who were left about Sheikh Husein. Accordingly we marched on, under the guid- ance of Gabr Amaria, to Luku, and camped. Here we found quite a little settlement of agricultural people, governed by a most intelligent chief called Sheikh Ali. They were all Mohammedans, and were far superior to the Gallas I had previouslv met, being a branch of the Sheikh Husein people. We remained at Luku the next day to talk to the natives and to give Gillett a chance to hunt elephants, of which there were many in the neighborhood. Sheikh Ali and crowds of natives were in the camp all AMUSING THE INHABITANTS OF LUKU. 51 day, and were intensely amused at some toys I showed them, setting up shrieks of laughter when I produced some little white porcelain dolls. We were pointed out where Sheikh Husein lay, about thirty miles to the southwest. We could never have gone in a straight line to Sheikh Husein from the Shebeli River, owins: to the roueh character of the country ; and as it was, we had had a most difficult time of it going far north to Luku. The natives of Luku told us that it would be very difficult to reach Sheikh Husein, but that crowds of their people would accompany us, and aid us in every way, as they intended taking part in the festival. We did not reach Sheikh Husein till September 21, or three days after leaving Luku, although all hands were working hard to clear the road. I was astonished at the beauty of the scenery. Deep canyons twisting in all manner of curves split up the country towards the Shebeli River on the north, while to the south rose the great group of mountains I have before mentioned. All of my boys, who were fanatical Mohammedans, were delighted at the prospect of showing themselves off in their advanced ideas before the simple natives, and as it was advisable to make friends with the natives, I did not inter- fere at all with my boys in these proceedings, although they made the nights hideous by their chants and prayers. My boys told me they were going to show much in the way of religious forms when they reached Sheikh Husein. The condition of the natives improved steadily as we progressed toward the holy village. Some of their houses were very large, thirty or forty feet in diameter, with thatched roofs resting on a wall of posts five feet high, and passing to a peak in the centre, which rose to fifteen feet. They raise many cereals, beans, and pump- 52 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. kins, and are well supplied with honey, besides owning donkeys, cattle, goats, and sheep. The few camels they possess are raised for eating, or for their milk, but are never used as beasts of burden in this rough country. The natives, as usual, believed we had come with our large caravan only through divine dispensation. The first view of Sheikh Husein was from a valley a little to the southeast. As we emerged from between two hisfh mountains we came suddenly in full \'iew of the town, a long line of thatched houses, with the five white tombs and some stone mosques, high above us on a broad-topped hill with sloping sides. One of the white, honeycombed buildings was different from the rest, — the tomb of Sheikh Husein, that illustrious traveller and priest of whom I had heard so much lately. It was a huge square stone building, forty feet across, the walls being projected above the roof at the four corners so as to form parapets, while from the centre rose a handsome dome thirty feet high. The tomb was surrounded by a high stone wall, and this again, together with two other stone buildings, was within a square a hundred and fifty feet across, sur- rounded by a wall ten feet high, and having a large, hand- some gateway. Everywhere the stone was covered with white plaster, so that the buildings shone resplendent against the dark green of the giant euphorbias and syca- mores that grew about the hilltop ; and, moreover, there was a considerable attempt at ornamentation and archi- tecture in the various structures. The body of the saint lies in a crypt surrounded by four stone columns. As we ascended the hill slowly and in excellent order, my boys presented a most picturesque appearance. After the little party of Europeans, with the tent boys and gun- bearers, walked Idris, in gorgeous Arab costume, very solemnly, with measured tread and head bowed low, a: rs c ^ AN INTERESTING RECEPTION. 55 and followed by about sixty of my boys, clad in clean white tobes, or cloaks, with turbans on their heads, and their bodies well smeared with ghee. After them came the long train of camels, sheep, and goats, and a motley crowd of natives bringing up the rear. By the gateway before described there were grouped some three hundred natives, with their chiefs, ready to receive us. The whole affair WOMEN OF SHEIKH HUSEIN. Photograph by F. Gillett. had a touch of religious mystery about it that made it odd and amusing to the Europeans. It was now the time for our hosts to show themselves highly appreciative of the holy anvi tremendous event of our coming. Led by an old man with long gray hair, they went through such con- tortions as I never believed human beings capable of. All were provided with long sticks in lieu of spears, which they crossed with one another, making a deafening sound, 56 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. at the same time singing and shouting to the accompani- ment of a huge bass drum. They clapped their hands, danced, and twisted themselves into all manner of mad shapes. After this had gone on for some time, Sheikh Ali came forward and conducted us to the camping-place that had been prepared a couple of hundred yards further on, and here again we were surrounded by a dancing, singing mob. Later in the afternoon great feasts w^ere prepared by the natives, as well as by my boys, to whom I gave a fat camel and an extra portion of ghee. The women w^re not allowed to take part in these fes- tivities, having to content themselves by looking on a long distance off. Luckily there was only a small shower through the day, but during the night and almost the whole of the next day there was a steady downpour, and we felt the cold keenly. Several Abyssinians came to the camp ; but, from the continual tales they offered of the difficulties and dangers of the road ahead, I was afraid they w^ere secretly doing all they could to prevent our progress. I told them I was very anxious to visit the chain of lakes that extends south from Demble, and thence pass southwest to Lake Rudolf.^ The Abyssinians had been very polite, bringing us grain and animals for sale at reasonable prices. One young officer brought his wife, a girl of about fifteen, and told me he would relinquish all claim to her as long as I remained 1 To the west of Sheikli Husein. twelve miles distant, there is a high, rocky, barren mountain called Abougasin, towering to the height of nearly nine thou- sand feet. It is quite isolated in a broad valley, and acts as a landmark in this country. After we left this neighborhood the Abyssinians informed me that at the foot of Mount Abougasin there were some curious stone figures of horsemen. Just around the southern base of this mountain curves the Webi Shebeli. I was glad of this discovery, as it had been believed by some that the Webi Shebeli arose from a chain of small lakes not far from the Erer River, but here it was coming from the high mountains about Demble, and passing at the very foot of Sheikh Husein. MY BOYS REYOLT. 57 in the neighborhood, if I wished to have her stop with me in camp. I had to use considerable diplomacy in this case to avoid accepting the man's offer and at the same time not hurt his feelings. After we had been two days at Sheikh Husein, all but fifteen of our boys rebelled, saying they could not stand the ^\ ^S^2SS= cold, and were going home at once. We managed to get the rifles away from the leaders of the rebellion, and then I told the boys that if they wished to return home they would receive no pay, food, or rifles. One by one they gradually returned to their work. The ringleaders were given extra hard work, and their rifles were kept from them for several days. On the 25th of September some thirty Abyssinians visited the camp, to whom I gave a few fancy beads and looking-glasses. They and the Gall as are very fond of 58 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. small beads, brass chains, looking-glasses, needles, pocket- knives, and razors. The costly and really pretty orna- ments I had with me were not liked as much as the most ordinary chains. There was a great demand for cloth. A shilling's worth of coarse American sheeting would buy a sword or knife, a bushel of durrha meal, or anything they possessed. The rain had made the road ahead impassable, so there was nothing for me to do but wait for a while in the town. I spent the time however to advantage, as there was a great variety of natural-history specimens to be collected that I had not seen before. Fred left for the North for a two days' elephant hunt, but he was not as successful in this trip as he usually was, and it was principally owing to my theodolite. They used to watch me in wonderment when I took observa- tions with this instrument, and it appears that my boys had told them that when I looked through the glass I could MR. frp:d gillp:tt's elephant hunt. 59 see anything in the country. Fred told me briefly of his journey as follows : — He journeyed for twenty-five miles, and on the follow- ing day his guide took him out to show him the track of an elephant two days old, and told him to look at it with his instrument, and see where the animal was. " At first I felt inclined to annihilate him ; but seeing from his face that he was in earnest, and there was no humbug, I told him it was no use my looking at it. He said 'The other man looks into his instrument, and afterwards he says, " What do you call a place a hundred miles in that direction ? How many days does it take to reach a large lake in that direction? "' Not wishino^ to lose the man's respect, I set up my camera, and turning to him, said very gravely, ' This elephant has bad tusks, — one is broken ; and as he is very far away, I will return to camp.' " As it continued raining, and it was impossible to move, I managed to get considerable information from the natives concerning the man Sheikh Husein. Sheikh Husein came from Bagdad to this country two hundred years ago, with his lieutenant, Sheikh Mohammed, in order to convert the natives to Mohammedanism. He chose this lovely spot for his abode, while Sheikh Mohammed set- tled on a plateau thirty miles to the southwest. When the 6o THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. two saints arrived at Harar they are supposed to have seated themselves on a rug, and to have prayed to Mo- hammed to transport them to some spot where they could work to the best advantage. Allah heard their prayers, and, raising them on a cloud, wafted them gently west- ward until they alighted on a hill in the Arusa Galla country, where they were commanded to sow their seed and create a wondrous town in the name of the Prophet. They were given a sword of Akhbar, which would slay all their enemies and protect their own holy persons from injury. And unto them was given the power of calling forth the rocks from the mountains and causing noble edifices to appear strong enough to resist the attacks of elephants, and with walls high enough to keep out the hungry lions. The tomb of Sheikh Husein was erected in one night, after the death of the saint, by superhuman force. No one dares venture into the enclosure at night, as the ghost of Sheikh Husein is supposed to haunt the place. The birds are regarded as more or less sacred, and Dodson and I were warned that some calamity would befall us if we per- sisted in collecting them. Sheikh Husein and Sheikh Mohammed had many children by Galla wives, and their descendants form the greater part of the population of the NATIVES. 6i two settlements that have been named after them. The people are very unlike any Africans I met during my journey, as they are much more intelligent and more highly civilized. They are light in color, with slender bodies, and do not average in height over five feet four inches, their features showing strongly their Asiatic origin. They are well clothed in cloth of their own manufacture, and their necks and arms are loaded down with heavy necklaces and bracelets, made of lead, brass, ivory, or beads. The women wear a brass ornament resembling a double cylinder over their foreheads, while suspended from their heads, over their ears, are two enor- mous brass rings. The boys are all obliged to learn Arabic, and countless are the in- scriptions from the Ko- ran, bound in the form of books, which are to be found in the tombs. Besides the five shin- ing white tombs, there were several stone mosques in the town. There was also a large artificial pond, from which a stone aqueduct led into the fields for purposes of irrigation. About ten years ago there was a 'great epidemic of cholera at Sheikh Husein, which had swept away four-fifths of the inhabitants, leaving only about five hundred permanent dwellers. The poor natives knew so little about sanitary conditions that they buried their dead around the edge of the pond from which they drank. In great contrast to their so-called Christian rulers, the Abyssinians, I found these people to be very moral in 62 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. regard to the relation of the two sexes. The}^ were very honest and trustworthy, and seemed to be desirous of doing anything they could to help a stranger. There were many lesser kudu in the country, — a bit of thick jungle three-quarters of a mile from camp being a fav- orite resort for these beautiful antelope. On the 30th of September we resolved to try to drive them, sending about forty men to beat the bushes. Fred was fortunate in securing his animal, which was a magnificent specimen, and he gives his story as follows : — " It was a very hot day, and as I rested my hands over the barrels of my rifle, a gorgeous butterfly came and settled on them, then Hew away to a flower, and hovered around it, and came back. Birds were flying from bush to bush, making little flashes of color over the green foliage. " The men approached in a long line, making as little noise as possible. Happening to look behind me, I saw what I took to be an old dry branch of a tree. It seemed to move, however ; so I watched closely, and soon made out the horn of a buck feeding behind a bush. It had passed me without my having noticed it, but now it was at my mercy, and the rifle rang out its death note." On the ist of October two Abyssinians appeared as envoys from General Wal-da-Gubbra. They said that Emperor Menelek had appointed Wal-da-Gubbra king of this part of the country. He had returned from a war down South, and was now in his town of Ginea, within two marches of our camp. He was angry at our not having given him notice before we entered his country, and as he could not understand what we wanted, he wished that I should visit him. I asked the messengers why their mas- ter would not come to us. They replied, " Never ; " but if we would visit him, and let him see that we meant noth- ing wrong, he would do all he could to assist us on our FRED STARTS FOR GINEA. 63 journey. As I intended going for a long time through Abyssinian territory (the country ahead being governed by Ras Dargue, a brother of the Emperor Menelek), it was indeed best to make friends with these people. I spent the next day deliberating what I should do. It would have been impossible to move the caravan across the high, rough mountain range, to the Abyssinian town, and I did not like the idea of leaving the camp in the rather unsettled state in which it was. Fred insisted that he should go instead of me. I finally agreed to accept his kind otfer. We felt it was rather a dangerous undertaking, but at the same time Fred did not think the Abyssinians would attempt to use foul play towards him while I re- mained behind with almost the whole force of Somalis. Gillett started off on the 3d of October, with my head man and eight boys. As soon as he had gone, a hor- rible feeling of anxiety came over me for his safety, although my judgment told me that no harm would come to him. I knew he would not return for a week, and this long period of suspense I must undergo would be most unpleasant. The agreement was that if I did not hear in a week from my friend, I should rush to attack the Abyssinians, leaving the camp in charge of the natives of Sheikh Husein. My Somalis were suffering much from the cold, and were very impatient at the long de- lay, knowing the while that Lake Rudolf was still far away. The rain seemed to be increasing rather than diminish- ing, and the camp was two or three inches under water, or else a mass of mud, continually. I tried to keep my boys cheerful by instituting games of all sorts, and by drilling them night and morning, giving them also much target practice. As there was a possibility of the Abys- sinians attacking the camp, these drills were a most 64 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. necessary precaution, I also offered a rupee to any of my boys who would bring me in any new natural-history specimens ; consequently dozens of snakes, lizards, mam- mals, and curious kinds of bugs were being continually brought to my tent. My boy Karsha captured for me, in a dense bush where we had had the kudu drive, an animal fourteen inches long, and covered with long, silvery white fur, resembling the Lophiomys imhaitsi. This was the only one of these animals seen on the trip. LOPHIOMYS SMITHII, Rhoades, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. On the 5th of October, when I awoke at daybreak, I could see nothing beyond a few feet from me, on account of the fog. It was very cold, and one of my tent boys, Abdi Kereen, looked like a lost soul going to the infernal regions as he brought me my tub. My other servant, Abdi Farrah, who was the most cheerful and pleasant boy in the camp, however, came to me as usual, with a hearty "Salem sahib," and started at his work cheerfully. And so it was with my men all around, — some dreadfully GUINEA-FOWL. 65 depressed and grumbling, others doing what they could to keep the camp in good spirits. The climate seemed to be doing Dodson good, for he was getting fat, in spite of his being continually at work. He proved a first-rate fellow, skinning nine or ten birds daily, besides doing much to assist me in collecting. I had a false alarm sounded during the night, and found that the men fell into their places admirably. They had been quick to learn, and by this time were in fine order. The next day I was delighted to get a letter from Fred, dated October 4. Dear Donald, — Bad road. Hope to arrive at Ginea to-mor- row. Cannot be back in seven days. Will try to let you know by another note. Have crossed the Gillett range, sleeping on top last night. V^ery wet. Ground in swamp. Aneroids marked six thousand nine hundred feet, the highest peak being, I should think, nine thousand feet. We looked across plain, and saw the Daro and Hawatu hills. We must cross the river Darde to- morrow. Abyssinians are sending three oxen ; one of them was brought to me to-day, very fat. Yours ever, Fred. So we were still to spend many more days here. The situation began to look serious, and it seemed that the General Wal-da-Gubbra had much larger forces with him than I had at first expected. About the only sport that I indulged in was shooting vulturine guinea-fowl, of which there were large flocks in the neighborhood. These birds were the greatest boon to us on our journey, and were found almost everywhere where there was water. There are three species of guinea- fowl in Africa, the vulturine guinea-fowl being extremely handsome. It is much larger than the ordinary domesti- 5 66 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. cated guinea-fowl, and the primary feathers on its wings, as well as the feathers on its breast, are of a rich purple color. The rain stopped for a few days, so that I could have proceeded on my journey ; but on the iith of October Haji Idris returned from Ginea without Fred, but bringing a note from him in which he said : — " W'al-da-Gubbra a good old chap, but he insists upon seeing you personally. Has treated me as well as he could. Promises a great present if you come, in the way of camels and mules, and also a safe journey all the way to KafTa, to which point the Abyssinians rule. I am off for an elephant hunt." It seemed as if the only course open to me was to visit Wal-da-Gubbra ; so I started at once on my journey to Ginea, after sending Dodson with the caravan around the Gillett range to Sheikh Mohammed, a distance of thirty- five miles. The scenery was very beautiful, and reminded me much of Norway, or mountainous parts of my own country. It was most enjoyable as we wound our way along the sides of the mountains, through dense forests of spruce and pine trees, covered with moss reaching to the ground, and crossed little brooks of clear, rushing water, about which mvriads of butterflies were hoverinc: in the moist air. We caught here and there glimpses of the valley far below us, and of the Shebeli River pursuing its tortuous course through a deep crevasse about the base of Mount Abougasin. As we approached a small Abys- sinian village the officer in charge and ten of his soldiers came to meet us on their mules, and escorted us on our way. The captain and his men, seeing me catching butterflies in a net, started to collect the insects by striking them with their riding-whips. Of course they would break the insects' wings, so I had to tell them that it would MY FRIEND'S ACCOUNT. 67 be useless to try to help me in collecting. " Why," they said, " do you only eat the wings ? " On the 15th of October, when I had nearly reached Ginea, I met Fred and his boys in the road. He had won- dered why I had not come the day before, and had started back to Sheikh Husein ; but he now decided he would go with me to Ginea. We were delighted to see each other, as when we parted the last time we did not know what might come of our dealings with the Abyssinians. Sitting down at once to tifHn, we had a good long talk, the following being my friend's story of his journey to Ginea : — "We started from the camp at Sheikh Husein at 1 1 a.m. It presented a most touching scene, — we might have been o^oino: to certain death, such were the tender farewells that were taken of us ; tlie men formed a group and offered up prayers for our safety, and then one by one shook us by the hand in the most solemn manner. Our road, which led in a southerly direction, was at least eight yards across, and quite the best I had seen in Africa, being the main road to Sheikh Mohammed, made in Sheikh Husein's time, and leading through a dense jungle of bush that would otherwise have defied a passage. The two Shoans rode on ahead in great spirits at having successfully accomplished their mission. " After a little over an hour we followed a path that branched off from the main road and led to the mountains. From this time we began to ascend. The bushes changed into trees, and they in turn increased in size till we met with some it would have taken two men to have spanned. I noticed a parasite on the trees that was an exact vegetable representation of red coral. In places we had to use the axe to make a way for the camel, cutting down large trees that barred the path. When the aneroid marked six thou- 68 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. sand eight hundred feet we came to a large field of durrha and one of pumpkins ; it was much damper, moss growing on most of the trees. Up the steepest path we proceeded, great chasms of red earth yawning on either side, or else the mountain going sheer down from the feet of the mule. " From the top of the pass we descended three hundred feet to where we camped. This spot, heavy with mois- ture and reeking with wet, is another farm worked by Galla hands for Shoan mouths, durrha, wheat, and pumpkins growing in large patches, — the houses of the Shoans being surrounded by a high stockade, and the huts of the Gallas being made with wooden posts and thatched roofs. The best place we could select for our camp was a perfect sw^amp ; and from it we could see into the plain on the other side of the range, and in the distance, about thirty- five miles off, the Daro and Hawatu hills, the latter being formed of upright columns of rock, which give it a curious appearance. Hearing that our camel was unable to bring up its load, the Shoans despatched Gallas to carry up our things, and whilst waiting for them the boys held evening prayers, and I shot a dove for my supper. We were very well treated, the Gallas being made to bring us wood, honey, milk, and durrha meal, — the honey being chiefly wax, and the milk having a peculiar flavor, caused, I fancy, by the animal having eaten some spruce, which I found growing here. " Owino; to several showers of rain, we did not fret off the following morning till 7 a. m., when, the road being said to be too bad for our camel to go loaded, eight Gallas were pressed into carrying our things, much to their disgust (but on the first sign of rebellion the Shoans clouted them over the head and forced them to pick up their loads). Our ))ath, leading in a southeast direction, took us down into the plain, where we came to a village, and found a MY FRIEND'S ACCOUNT. 69 beautiful black ox tied to a tree, — a present from Wal-da- Gubbra. After leaving this village, our road led through a forest of giant euphorbias, exceedingly dense, but, wher- ever it was at all open, full of elephant tracks. This forest led down to the river Darde, flowing east. It was full of water, but we managed to wade across, and halted for a short time to allow the boys to bathe and pray. After this the country changed, becoming more open, the euphorbias still large, but growing several yards apart. " We camped at 4 p. m. at a large village in a flat, grassy country, dry, and swarming with guinea-fowl, of which I shot three, at the same time scaring a large wildcat. The following morning we again started at seven o'clock, and as we did so one of the Shoans presented me with his whip, saying, ' A great man needs one for his mule and his slave.' The Shoans mount from the off-side of their mules, and ride with only the big toe in the stirrup. We had not gone far when it began to rain ; we were at once enveloped in a thick mist, and the water poured down on us until I was drenched. After an hour and a half we came to a hut and took refuge, squatting over a fire and eating chuko, a mixture of durrha meal, salt, and chilli-pepper, which was given to us in dirty wooden bowls, but was very comforting in our chilled, wet state. I now found it would be impossible for my camel to get to the Shoan camp before night, and as there was no food at the hut for my men, I determined to push on and do without my tent. " The rain had cleared off by the time we started, and the country soon showed signs of old cultivation. The soil was exceedingly black, and ridges marked the boundaries of the crops. I asked the Shoans if it had not been so, and they replied, ' Yes ; four years ago we came here and found the crops just ripe; the people fought and killed 70 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. some of us, and we exterminated most of them, and what were left died of hunger.' And men s skulls lying in all directions showed there was some truth in what they said. The rain did not hold up long, and, cold and miserable, we ambled along on our mules till far away in the distance our guides pointed out to us a hill, on the top of which they told us lay the Shoan fort. The rain cleared away just before we got to the foot of the hill, leaving me without a dry rag on my body ; at the same time Haji Idris, riding up alongside of me, said, ' Are we to give up our rifles if they ask for them ? ' ' No,' I replied. ' Then we shall have to fight,' he answered, as he dropped behind again. One of the Shoans rode on ahead to announce our approach, and with doubtful feelings we ascended the steep slope, on the top of which stood the village, surrounded by a high wooden stockade. " Before the door a crowd of men were assembled, and pouring through it herds of cattle. Trying to appear as dignified as circumstances would permit, I entered, and proceeded up a steep path till I reached the top. I was here requested to dismount, and, passing through another door, found an enclosure with a large circular tent in it, and a group of Shoans waiting for me, who bowed to the ground and made signs to me to enter; I did so, and was nearly suffocated by the smoke, having to throw myself down flat to be able to breathe. By doing so I discovered two Persian rugs for me, and, as soon as I could see, found the tent was made of brown blankets, and in the centre of it a larfje fire burnino-. Wal-da-Gubbra sent me a tobe, and I was quickly stripped of my dripping gar- ments, and gathering warmth from the bright blaze with- out and from some darde (an Abyssinian drink) within. To my joy and surprise the Shoans were almost servile. They brought us a sheep, whose throat my men cut just MY FRIEND'S ACCOUNT. 71 outside the tent ; also some coffee, milk, bread, and honey. " The Persian rug was too full of animal life to allow me to sleep all night, and early in the morning our guides came and advised us to send Wal-da-Gubbra some little present, — a rifle for instance. We of course pooh-poohed the idea, and put our wet things out to dry ; but these I soon had to put on again, as Wal-da-Gubbra wished to see me. Preceded by his interpreter, Hazach Jarro, and fol- lowed by Idris and Ahamed Noor, I entered an inner enclosure and found Wal-da-Gubbra seated under a canopy, with a row of men at his back. In a stern voice I was asked why I had come to this country, what we wanted, and if we were sent by a king. He then told me there were very bad people ahead of us, and asked if I was not afraid of being killed. To which I replied that when God wanted a life he took it, wherever it was ; whereupon the audience broke up, and after watching the soldiers file out I returned to my tent. " The following morning, dressed in a suit of blue flannel pyjamas, so as not to be outdone by the splendor of yes- terday, I again went to see Wal-da-Gubbra. This time I was shown into his private house, and besides a few boys there was no one present. He received me cordially, and motioned me to a rug at his side. He opened the ball by telling me that, being a stranger, I needed everything from him ; whereupon I made him a present of a colored blanket and a bottle of wine. He then said that we could go where we liked and do what we liked, and that we must write a letter to Menelek, King of Abyssinia ; upon which Idris and Ahamed Noor kissed his feet, and I, not feeling up to such an ordeal, shook him warmly by the hand. I find that if a Shoan kills an elephant it counts the same as if he had killed forty men ; a lion equals ten, a leopard five, and a 72 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. rhinoceros four. Five days after leaving Ginea I went to meet Donald, and spent the night at the village, where I expected to find him ; but he did not turn up. I had no one with me who could speak Galla, and had run out of food, and the natives, for what reason I could not under- stand, had turned nasty and refused to give us anything, whilst only a few days before when I had camped there they had showered eatables into the camp. With the few words of Galla at our disposal we tried to find out if Don- ald had passed, and we gathered that he had gone another way. "The following morning we started towards Sheikh Hu- sein, when the natives barred the way and pointed to Ginea. We marched on, however, and at first I thought we were in for a row, so persistently did the natives try to stop us. At last they brought a sheep, honey, milk, and durrha, and begged us to stop; but, not knowing what had become of Donald, I marched on. About the middle of the day I found the path cleared, then large trees cut down, then in a bad place the path had been turned to the side and a way cut fresh through the jungle, so as to allow a camel to pass easily along. " What did it all mean ? At first I could not make out, and thought that perhaps the Shoan army had marched on Sheikh Husein ; soon, however, I met a native, and asking him what it meant, he said, ' Feringi ' (European), and not long after I met Donald. All this work had been done to allow him to come easily to Ginea, and was the greatest honor old Gubbra could pay him. To say it was joyful meetinor asfain does not describe it; and when the table was set under the shade of a large euphorbia and we fell to, life seemed at its pleasantest." CHAPTER VI. The Abyssinians give me a Royal Reception — The Town of Ginea — Offers of Wives — General Wal-da-Gubbra and his Family — The Abyssinians — French Influence — I write to Emperor Menelek — An Elephant Hunt — A Great Discovery — A very Beautiful and Curious Subterranean Passage ; the Caves of Wyndlawn — Meeting the Caravan again at Sheikh Mohammed — Long Delays — An Extinct Crater — Beautiful New Bird — We can wait no longer — March to the Budda. I WAS astonished at the preparations made for my reception by Wal-da-Gubbra. A broad road was cut for us through the thick bush, more than a hundred Galla slaves having been engaged in this work. These natives were standing in groups as. we passed, and, to show their respect, bowed down to the ground before us. It seemed, indeed, as if I were to be given a royal reception. When we got to within half a mile of Ginea we were met by a troop of Abyssinians, led by Hazach Jarro, Wal-da- Gubbra's interpreter. Next to the old general, this man, who was a eunuch, was the most powerful commander in Ginea. The town of Ginea is situated on an isolated hill rising from an undulating, grassy plateau to the south of the Gillett Mountains. A high, thick wooden stockade surrounds about a hundred and fifty large thatched huts, while outside of this stockade are scattered twice that number of native dwellings. A dozen large tents scat- tered among the huts give the place rather a military appearance. 74 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. Fred and I dismounted from our mules as we reached the gate, and, marching through a double line of soldiers, with our fifteen Somali boys, were escorted to a spot where we were to camp. A fat ox w^as presented to us, and large quantities of honey, darde, spiced cakes, and various Abyssinian dishes composed of meal. Certainly the Abyssinians endeavored to entertain us in every way in their power. As soon as our tents were up, the natives heaped about them loads of sweet-smelling grass, showinga refinement in their tastes that took me quite by surprise. Hazach Jarro inquired almost at once why we had not brought our wives along. Upon our telling him that, although we were willing to risk our own lives, we did not wish to endanger those of women by taking them through a country we knew nothing of, the old interpreter asked us if he could not provide us with some of the fair sex from his own village. He seemed much aston- ished when we told him we were c|uite content with the good things which had already been lavished upon us. Many slaves were appointed to do our bidding, causing great delight among our Somali bo3^s, as they had no work to do except to sleep and eat. I did not see Wal-da- Gubbra until the next morning, when he sent for us before Fred and I had finished breakfast. We determined, however, not to leave our meal, but delayed a quarter of an hour, after which we were escorted, with the Somali inter- preter, Ahamed Noor, who spoke Galla as well as Somali, into the principal courtyard of the tow^n, where Wal-da- Gubbra had his audience tent. Here was much display. Over two hundred soldiers, with their rifles, lined the enclosure. At one end was a large circular tent of black cloth, with the side and front curtains raised to form wings. In and about this were throngs of Abyssinian officers, in their beautiful red-and-white cloaks and with long curved GENERAL WAL-DA-GUBBRA AND HIS FAMILY. 75 swords, seated cross-legged, in Eastern fashion, while in the centre was the old governor, reclining on a lounge placed upon a raised platform. This apology for a throne was covered with many Persian rugs and very gaudy silk coverlets. The old man held out a long, thin hand, concealing his face at the same time by a red-silk handkerchief, so that I GENERAL WAL-DA-GUBBRA AND ABYSSINIAN ATTENDANTS. Photograph by F. Gillett. could only see his eyes. The first interview was short and formal, and only amounted to the interchange of a few civilities ; but later in the day we paid the regent a long visit in his house, where he received us quite informally, and introduced us to the ladies of his household. The main dwelling, in which he spent the day, was a large, circular building, composed of a series of upright logs, with a high peaked roof. The entrance was high and well made, and was furnished with a door made of planks slung 76 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. on leather hinges. On one side was a raised platform, covered with cushions, for the exclusive use of the old nabob, while next to this was a small alcove occupied by his wife and daughter and their female attendants. There was. a fire burning in the middle of the room, surrounded by a low stone curbing, on which usually rested a handsome brass coffee-pot and some porcelain cups and saucers. About a dozen slave boys stood about their master, or played with two monkeys that frisked around the place. Sometimes these boys, who were only about ten years old, would become too noisy, and cause the old eunuch, Hazach Jarro, to give them all a sound thrashing with his cowhide whip. Wal-da-Gubbra is a tall, thin man, rather blacker than the average Abyssinian, but with expressive, cunning eyes, and a large, forcible mouth. He is very proud, and conducts himself with much dignity, his high forehead and stately bearing giving him quite an intellectual air ; and he is also a wonderfully shrewd diplomatist, exerting a marvellous influence over his people. His oflBcers cringe before him, and seem to delight in holding their cloaks before him that he may use them as spittoons. He carries his weight of seventy- five years wonderfully well, continually taking long jour- neys on mule-back. A small black-silk embroidered cap adorns his head, and a loose gown of the same material reaches to his feet; while these, which like his hands are enormously large, rest in the ordinary Abyssinian sandals, made of leather and laced as far up as the ankle. His wife and daughter, evidently high-caste Abyssinian women, had very light complexions, resembling somewhat the Chinese, and were very stout. They were clothed in loose dresses of soft white Abyssinian cloth, and wore many silver ornaments of Abyssinian workmanship. I was astonished to see how well made some of these orna- THE ABYSSINIANS. 77 ments were, and how pretty and intricate were the designs. They also had a few bracelets and pins of European manufacture, and a handsome Geneva watch which they had procured from a Frenchman in Shoa. Their eyebrows had been removed, and in their place crescents tattooed in blue ink were substituted. It was their custom also to stain their gums a deep indigo blue. Like the men, they did their hair up in a series of puffs, running back- ward from the forehead, and smeared it liberally with butter. The ladies were great flirts, and appeared highly amused at some toys I showed them. When it came to little naked porcelain dolls, tliey behaved indeed most scandalously. The old general would insist upon our drinking much darde, which is a wine made from durrha and honey, — not very intoxicating unless you drink enormous quantities of it, and which, in its white, milky color and rather sour taste, resembles the Mexican pulque. Dishes of chuko, or ground durrha meal, baked in butter and thoroughlv browned, and seasoned with pepper and salt, were also placed before us to be eaten with our fingers. It is the custom of the Abyssinians to hide their faces under their cloaks when they are eating or drinking, so that, when the old general wished to take a drink from his glass bottle containing darde, one of his slave boys held a cloak before his face. Meat is eaten raw, and usually imme- diately after the animal is killed. It is very amusing to see crowds of Abyssinians about the carcass of a freshly killed animal, cutting off huge pieces of the quivering flesh, and then passing away to gorge themselves, far from the view of their comrades. The Abyssinians are a fine-looking race of men, of the average size of Europeans, not burly like the negro, but very strong and wiry. Their color varies all the w\ay from 78 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. a deep mahogany brown to the light yellow color of the Mongolian. Most of them have moustaches, and occa- sionally they have beards. They have a distinctly Jewish cast of features, long and narrow, with rather a hooked nose, and bright, keen, dark-brown eyes, and thin lips. Some of the women are exceedingly handsome, usually small, but with beautiful well-rounded figures, and oval faces. The most attractive part about them is their large, expressive brown eyes — which they use to great advan- tage — and their clean white teeth. Being descendants chiefly of the Copts, they profess to be Christians ; but I found that all they knew of the Bible were a few threatening tales from the Old Testa- ment. The Coptic religion has been taught in Abyssinia for centuries, and of recent years Shoa has been flooded by French Roman Catholic missionaries, who have been very successful in introducing their reforms throughout the country. The shrewd Emperor Menelek has found it a great advantage to introduce a few religious ceremonies among his people, so that they might regard him and his associates as gifted with divine powers. The Abyssinians marry but one wife, but tliey think nothing of having many concubines. Formerly there were two rulers in Abyssinia, one residing to the north, who was by far the more powerful of the two, and demanded a yearly tribute from his neighbor in the south. The chiefs in the various countries under these rulers would frequently be stirring up rebellions ; but Menelek, by his wonderful ability, has fused all the countries, north and south, into one strong, formidable empire. The regents whom he appoints over different countries are given complete power of life and death over their subjects, but they are not allowed to gain too much strength, as he continually shifts them from one position to another. The men are armed principally with THE ABYSSINIANS. 79 Remington rifles, besides different kinds of French breech- loaders. Excepting a few offlcers who have recently been trained by French and Russian military men, there are no Abys- ABYSSINIAN KNIVES AND MULE COLLAR. sinians devoting their whole lives to military duty. Every Abyssinian is a soldier, and receives a little drilling from time to time, so that he may quickly obey orders when called upon to do duty in times of war. They go about with a rifle hung over the shoulder, superintending their So THROUCIH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. slaves working on the plantations, and indulge frequently on their own account in target practice. They are very fond of elephant hunting, and shooting any game they can find. They have thus learned the use of the rifle, and many of them are excellent marksmen. Most of them fire with a rest, consisting of a stick forked at one end, while the other end is pointed to plant in the ground. These rests, which are quite short, they carry about with them, using them as walking-sticks. Though they are impetuous and daring warriors, they are careful to obey the commands of their officers, — the smallest want of discipline in this respect being punished by death or the cutting off an arm. When going to war they ride mule-back, leading also a few ponies, which they mount only when they wish to make a charge upon their enemy. They are quick in seizing advantageous positions, attack- ing their enemy in the dark or from ambush, or luring them on to some point where they may have them at a disadvantage. A hardier, more energetic lot of men could not be found. I made up my mind then and there that any nation attacking them would hav^e its hands full. Various cloths are manufactured in Abyssinia. A coarse cotton cloth, made into loose short trousers and cloaks, is worn by the poorer people, while the richer classes clothe themselves in beautiful and striking woollen cloaks of the finest texture, and wonderfully soft. These cloaks are eight feet long and doubled, so that they will cover the whole person; and, being pure white, with a scarlet band running down the middle a foot and a half wide, they make a brilliant display. The women's dress consists of a short skirt, with a loose blouse attached. The voices of both the men and women are pitched in a most unpleasantly high key, and their sentences are short I WRITE TO THE EMPEROR MENELEK. 8r and jerky, the voice being raised to almost a screech at the end of each sentence. They claim their descent from Menelek, son of Solomon by the Queen of Sheba, while the Gallas, they claim, are descended from an Abyssinian princess who was given in marriage to a slave from a country south of Curague. According to Sir Richard Burton, the Gallas derive their name from the river Galla in Curague, where they gained a decisive victory over their kinsmen the Abyssinians. Wal-da-Gubbra said it would be impossible for him to let me pass through his country without first receiving orders from Emperor Menelek. He said that if I would write to the Emperor, in nine days I could have a reply, as the journey to New Antoto, or Abdis Ababa, which is now the capital of Abyssinia, only took four days on mules; and he promised also that Menelek would surely do all he could to aid us on our journey. Accordingl}^ on October 17 I despatched a letter to the Emperor by some Abys- sinians on mule-back, and determined to wait the nine days, at any rate, for a reply. In my letter I stated to the Emperor Menelek that I had found myself, quite unex- pectedly, in his country; that I was journeying simply for the purpose of collecting natural-history specim.ens, and to have interesting tales to relate of a country that had never before been visited by a white man; that when we left Berbera we had no idea that the country about Sheikh Husein was owned by Abyssinians, or, in fact, that such a town existed. I begged his Majesty that he would allow us to proceed on our course, as we should interfere in no way with his people. Crowds of Abyssinians continually came to me with various complaints, and begging for medicine. What from the questioning, gazing crowd in the daytime, and the fleas and other vermin at night, Fred and I had 6 82 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. no peace whatever while in the Abyssinian town. There were a thousand permanent inhabitants in Ginea, mostly slaves, except a body of four hundred and fifty men, armed with rifles ; l)ut many hundreds of natives from all parts of the country came to the town daily, driving their flocks, or bringing salt from the south, and various mar- ketable articles. There was a large market held twice a week in Ginea, where durrha, Indian corn, oats, beans, pumpkins, tobacco, coffee, chilli-peppers, sour oranges (introduced into Abyssinia by Frenchmen), salt, cloth, ornaments, and various utensils, besides slaves, were sold. I could buy two sacks of ground durrha meal for two tobes of American sheeting, costing at Aden less than an American dollar, — enough to last eighty men for four days. Wal-da-Gubbra's daughter came to my tent one day and requested that I should bring about an interesting event that she had been expecting for three years! Poor woman ! was she deceiving herself, or me ? We were ob- liged to go frequently to Wal-da-Gubbra's house ; but as it was always so full of fleas, monkeys, and slaves, and as carrying on a conversation through the medium of three languages was not very amusing, we made our visits as short as possible. Wal-da-Gubbra tried to put every impediment in our way if we wanted to make any long journey ; but we had heard of some curious caves some thirty miles to the south of Ginea, so Fred and I determined to evade the Abyssin- ians for a few days, on the excuse of elephant-hunting, and visit them. We started off on October 22, with a guide provided by Wal-da-Gubbra to take us to the elephant country and to see that food was provided for us. We made a short curve about the hill of Ginea, and then descended precipitously AN ELEPHANT HUNT. 83 to a broad plain lying to the south. As far as we could see in that direction the land continued to slope down- wards, .and the hills diminished in size. After a seven- mile tramp we crossed a small river called the Denneck, a swift running-brook containing a species of chromis, as well as a kind of catfish a foot long ; but here, being told by some natives that elephants had just passed, we camped, and started after these animals at once. Fred and I saw three elephants, but they were in a very dense jungle, and it was difficult to get a shot. I succeeded in bringing down one beast, after running a great deal of risk ; but as we could only see a few yards ahead of us, we concluded not to continue the sport very long. Fred had very nearly lost his life in just such a thick place, a week before, by an elephant's charging at him at close quarters. After tramping about in the morning to see if we could find elephants in a more open country, we started again on our journey to Loke, — which is the, name of the country in which the caves are situated, — and marched seven miles south to a village called Illahni, where the natives provided Fred and myself and our fifteen boys with plenty of mutton, durrha, milk, and honey. The next morning, while we were at breakfast, a boy came running to us with the news that he had just seen an elephant walking through the forest below our camp. We were quick in following the boy to the spot, but after tracking for a mile, we lost the spoor in a mesh-work of other fresh tracks. We hunted for a long time, but did not succeed in find- ing any of the beasts. On October the 25th we made a march of four hours south to the caves, describing many curves, and pitching towards the last part down a steep and rocky donkey path, very rough for the five camels to descend. What had appeared to me to be a level country now presented a most broken and rugged 84 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. appearance; for far below us was a deep canyon circling in a southerly direction, and connected with this were several smaller valleys. The view was superb. The pass was very rocky, but there was an absence of the thick, tangling thorn-bush so prevalent in Africa, this being replaced by rows of bushes resembling the English yew in shape, size, and beautiful deep shiny green color of its leaves, while forming picturesque groups at every turn were palm-trees, and many succulent shrubs, covered with beautiful flowering vines. Below us we could see the deep cut in the bottom of the valley, but the water was not visible until we found ourselves immediately above it. After nearly a mile of twisting and turning in our descent, we reached the edge of the precipice, at the bot- tom of which were the clear rushing waters of the river Web two hundred feet below us. A little farther on, and we were at the water's edge, where marvel after marvel presented itself. Balustrades and peristyles, huge columns and arches, looking as though they had been cut and carved by the Cyclops from mountains of pure white marble, broke the water's course and lined its shores. The manner in which the water had carved the rocks into such marvellous shapes was bewildering. There was a method about the whole scheme of columns, with their very ornate capitals, round symmetrical bodies, and splen- did bases, that seemed to have emanated from the divine inspiration of a wonderful sculptor. We stood for a while contemplating the scene, and then passed under an arch and through a natural temple composed of a little group of columns of white translucent rock, supporting a roof of solid granite (see illustration, page 85).^ ' A specimen of the white rock which I brought back has been identified by Professor Heilprun. of the Academy of Natural Sciences, of Philadelphia, as coral limestone. THE CAVES OF WYNDLAWN. 87 When we emerged at the other side, words could not express our astonishment. Our Somali boys, usually abso- lutely indifferent to beautiful scenery, could curb their enthusiasm no longer, but with one accord broke out into a prayer, so thoroughly were they convinced that what they beheld was the work of God, and was intended to impress men with the greatness of his power. The river broke around a little group of rocks, and joining again made a short dash, as it fell a couple of feet, and passed through the most superb archway it can be possible to imagine. The whole mountain appeared to be resting on a series of columns thirty to forty feet high and twenty to eighty feet apart, between which were spacious vaulted chambers, with their domes rising many feet higher; and then again many columns uniting formed long arched tunnels. Along the edge of the river, as it passed through the mountain, the columns occurred in masses, or occasion- ally only a few yards apart, their great bases forming a series of steps down to the water's edge. It was possible to enter the caverns through the large archway, but there was another entrance that could be bet- ter reached by climbing up a steep bank, and then passing between masses of rock to a hole in the mountain-side, like the opening to Rob Roy's cave by Loch Lomond. This is the way the natives were accustomed to enter. You had to let yourself down carefully some twenty feet, until you found yourself in a large gloomy chamber, where natives had offered up sacrifices evidently for generations. There was an enormous fireplace on one side, over and about which were hung various offerings that had been made to Wak, consisting principally of wooden vessels, strings of cowry shells, sheepskins, and leather straps. Lighting candles, we passed a hundred yards through the various archways and chambers, and then found we 88 THROUCiH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. could o-o no farther on account of the mountain s having caved in. The other side of the stream, however, con- tinued quite open, but we could not cross, as the river was too deep and wide. The Abyssinian guide said it would be impossible to o-et anv food here. We had seen no natives since leaving Illahni, where the inhabitants had pretended they were unable to feed us if we went to the caves ; but the truth of the matter was, the Abyssinian was afraid of our going so far away, and ordered the natives not to allow us any food. I had thouo-ht that we mi"ht be able to shoot some game, but Fred and I were only able to bag four guinea-fowl. The next morning, after a hasty glance at the southern extremity of the cavern, we were obliged to start back, in spite of our desire to explore the caves at length ; but we did not leave until I had given them the name of the " Caves of Wyndlawn," in honor of my old summer home near Philadelphia. After sending the camels ahead, Fred and I and a few boys skirted the mountain, which rises six hundred feet above the valley, to find the southern exit of the river. We found the stream rushing forth from its stony bed, after having carved a road for itself a mile long in an almost straight line south.' At this opening there was a more 1 I was informed that the river Web flowed into the Jub or Webi Ga- nana, being joined by tlie Denneck just soutli of the Caves of Wyndlawn. Far to the south another river flows into the Web, formed by two streams called the Mana and the Wabera, each the size of the Denneck (which is twenty-one feet wide, a foot and a half deep, and flows at the rate of three miles an hour). The Web and the Mana and tlie Wabera all arise from the great plateau, eight to nine thousand feet high, called the 15udda, which lies west of Sheikh Mohammed. The Web. arising from a high mountain called War- goma, is thirty yards wide, three to four feet deep, and flows at the rate of five and a half miles an hour as it passes through the Caves of Wyndlawn. I was also informed that the River Jub, which is called simply Canale in this neigh- borhood, comes from a country far to the west, called Jum Jum, beyond the country of the Boran. I afterwards visited a tribe called the Jan Jams, who told me that the Jub rose immediately to the north of their country. THE CAVES OP WYNDLAWJ4, 91 ruQfeed and o^rander series of chambers and arches than at the northern end, but the beautiful outlines were wanting. Just at the mouth of the cavern the river fell a few feet over a mass of broken arches. The mountain had been broken down somewhat, so as to form a semi-circle about the exit of the river; but all around, like radii from the central arch, were to be seen the tunnels, winding in all directions beneath the great arches forty feet high. No one who may in future years visit these caves will ever accuse me of having exaggerated their wonderful beauty. We soon overtook the camels, and continued on fast to Ginea, which we reached at twilight, after marching con- tinually all day. A great reception awaited us. I sent two of my boys ahead to inform Wal-da-Gubbra we were coming, when we were only a mile from his village ; but in the short time allowed him he collected a body of a hundred soldiers under arms, who met us just as we reached the village, and escorted us with great show to our old camping-ground. Besides the soldiers, crowds of natives came to meet us, and we had to undergo much hand-kissing, as we met many old friends. We spent the next day in the village, making ourselves miserable talking to the inquisitive natives, who would not allow us a moment's quiet. I kept continually dispensing medicines and giving medical advice. When I told the interpreter, Hazach Jarro, I could give him no more of my precious quinine, he tried to induce me to part with a few grains only, by offering me a beautiful slave girl as a permanent gift. The people believed they were giving us a royal recep- tion, and we were obliged to look pleased ; but secretly we were annoyed at the idea that Wal-da-Gubbra was trying to induce us to turn back from our journey. We had a 92 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. Ions: interview with the old man and the ladies of his household, in which many jokes and pleasantries were exchanged ; but nothing was accomplished in advancing my plans. However, I reminded the general of his promise of camels, to which he replied that he would have a hand- some present ready for me in the morning. It rained during the night and the following morning, to our great disgust; but during a little break in the clouds I determined to move outside the village and make a start, at least, for Sheikh Mohammed. Fred and I bade good-by to Wal-da-Gubbra, the interview lasting a long time, as I had expected. He was most anxious that we should not move the caravan, and my hints that I should be obliged to push on if we did not get plenty of food given us had considerable effect, as he gave me four milch cows and their calves, and promised to feed all my men while they remained in his country, and also to make me a good present later on. We then left his village, after receiving many demonstrations of respect from the natives on all sides. The following morning we made a march of fifteen and a half miles to Sheikh Mohammed, the road leadiuQ- through a grassy, undulating plain, where there were scarcely any trees. The country bore evidence of having been densely populated, not long since, by a thrifty agri- cultural people, large ponds, having been dug on all sides, and a regular system of drainage carried out. At present nothinor was crrowino- but lono;, coarse s^rass, and not a single permanent dweller was to be seen. On the march I saw a species of antelope resembling a clippspringer, but larger, which was then unknown to me. We were delighted to reach the camp, and find every- thing in excellent order, and Dodson looking as hale and hearty as possible. It had been nearly a fortnight now AN EXTINCT CRATER — BEAUTIFUL NEW BIRD. 93 since we had seen the caravan, — which was like a home to us, — and great appeared to be the dehght of the boys as they gathered around Fred and myself. I told Fred about the new antelope I had seen, and he spent the next day hunting it, while I employed my time arranging stores and taking observations. On boiling a thermometer I found the elevation of Sheikh Mohammed to be 7,200 feet. The Abyssinian commissioned by Wal-da-Gubbra to provide food for us only brought two sacks of unthrashed oats, and upon my upbraiding him for not supplying proper food, he replied that his country was very poor, and that he had brought all he had. After threatening to report him to his master, however, he promised to fetch better food in the morning. Fred came in after a success- ful day's hunt, bearing a fine male specimen of the antelope I had seen, which proved to be an Abyssinian duiker ( Cephaloplnis abyssinictis). We spent a whole week more at Sheikh Mohammed, waiting for a reply to my letter to Emperor Menelek. It was very cold, and there were frequent showers, causing us great discomfort. Many observations taken during the nights and days gave a mean temperature of 59° Fahr., the mercury falling as low as 44° at night. Several of the camels died from the effects of the climate, and many more were sick. There was much iron ore about this region, and also many evidences of volcanic action. Only a mile and a half from the camp was the crater of an extinct volcano, and at the bottom of this was a little marshy lake. I was fortu- nate in shooting in this high country several specimens of a beautiful turacus, which we found only in the dense cedar forests about here. The bird proved to be a new species, and has been named by Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, Turacus 94 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. donaldsoni. A very striking bird it was with its red, green, and blue markings, but its cry was harsh and loud, resembling a parrot s screech. On the 9th of November two bullocks were brought into camp as a present from Wal-da-Gubbra, with a message from the general to the effect that he would send me twenty-six camels in the morning, and a guide to take us west. This news was too good to be true. Nothing was said about Emperor Menelek's answer, and the fact of the two bullocks coming, meant that the Abyssinians were simply w'ishing to detain us. The prospect seemed gloomy indeed. We had waited now a month in this country owing to the Abyssinians. The camels were dying, and my supply of cloth was being gradually used up. It seemed as though the Abyssinians were determined to prevent our going on ; but if they intended stopping us, it was best to bring about the issue at once. Accordingly we started west on the morning of November 1 1 with anything but cheerful forebodings. Following a good road that leads all the way from Ginea to the capital of Abyssinia, we marched over a beautiful grassy and hilly country, where there were but few trees and bushes, and finally up a very steep pass. When we reached the sum- mit we found ourselves on a broad grassy plain, eight thousand feet above the sea, called the Budda. This plain extends west fifty miles, according to native report, and is then broken by the valley of the Shebeli River, while beyond it the country rises higher and higher until New Antoto is reached. TURACUS DOXALDSOXL CHAPTER VII. Surprised by the Abyssinians — The Somalis show their Mettle — A Dangerous Predicament — Emperor Menelek orders us to return the Way we came — Gloomy Prospects — Salan Mohammed — Wal- da-Gubbra not to blame — We bid good-by to the Good Old Abyssinian General — An Amusing Request from Wal-da-Gubbra's Daughter — Marching towards Somaliland again — The Hawatu and Daro Mountains — I receive a Letter from Emperor Menelek saying that he did not forbid my going through his Country — We turn south — Hopes dispelled — Wal-da-Gubbra and his Army STOP us ON the Laga Tug — The Expedition a Hard One — At the Shebeli River once more. JUST about daybreak we were surprised by a little body of Abyssinians, who rode up to our camp on the Budda with much bluster. At their head was our old acquaintance Hazach Jarro, and also the son of Wal-da- Gubbra. They had a great deal to say about our march- ing without first notifying the general. Why had we not waited for his present, the King's answer, etc. They asked what we intended doing. If we intended going to the Emperor, everything would be done to facilitate our jour- ney. I told them it would be impossible to go two hun- dred miles out of our way to New Antoto, through such a high, wet country, where our camels would surely die, but that on the contrary I was determined to march directly towards Lake Rudolf. After a tedious conference, in which the old excuses were repeated many times, and my answers were always the same, the envoys pretended to get into a rage, and left my tent, vowing that they would 7 98 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. inform the general that we did not obey his orders, and that we meant to fight. I refused to go to Wal-da-Gubbra, who, they said, was camped very near. They had hardly left before my boys rushed to me with the news that the whole army of Wal- da-Gubbra was riding fast upon us. Fred and I jumped up, and on looking out of our tents were startled to see the formidable looking body of cavalry only a couple of hundred yards off, and trotting toward us at a good pace. There was not a second to delay. I blew the alarm on my whistle, and in a shorter space of time than it takes to describe it every company was in order for defence. We were none too soon, for the Abyssinians, seeing our deter- mination to fight rather than be taken prisoners, came to a halt only eighty yards from our camp. For an engage- ment our position was the worst that could be imagined. Outnumbering us five to one, they could have charged us and cut us to pieces without much doubt, although my boys were as ready and determined to fight, if fight it must be, as ever men were. W^e should certainly have punished the Abyssinians severely, but the odds would have been too heavy against us. I think we all felt that our hour had come; but to our relief, Wal-da-Gubbra dis- mounted, took his seat on a rug that was quickly spread before him, and was soon the centre of a long line of men. I left Fred, Dodson, and the boys, with the understanding that they would immediately fire should the Abyssinians attempt to take me prisoner, and walked over to wdiere the old general was seated, accompanied by my interpreter and my tent boy Abdi Kereen, the only weapon I had being a small revolver, which I held concealed in my pocket. The old man looked as disturbed and angry as possible, and shook hands with me in a vicious sort of manner. He produced a document with a large seal, which he pointed GLOOMY PROSPECTS — SALAN MOHAMMED. 99 to, telling me it was Emperor Menelek's private stamp, and then, rising, proceeded to read the letter. As I had feared, the Emperor refused to allow us to proceed, and ordered us to return the way we had come, I had to accept the situation, bad as it was. As it commenced to rain hard, the old general had his tent pitched, and determined to wait till morning. In the afternoon my head man Haji Idris came to me, saying he was disgusted with the expedition, and wished to be allowed to return home by way of Abyssinia. This was a splendid thing for a head man to do, — just at the critical point to desert his master, when everything seemed going against him ! I told him that if he left me it would only be as a deserter, and he would certainly have to suffer for it when the news reached Aden. I also gave him to understand that even if we should be obliged to go all the way back to the Shebeli River, I should never return to the coast before I had accomplished my object, and that I should hold him to his work to the last. He returned to his duty in a sullen fashion, but I could never trust him after this, and had to keep a sharp lookout for everything that was done in camp. Fortunately for me, my two head men Salan Mohammed and Ahamed Aden were most loyal tow^ards me. This Salan was by far the best man I had in the caravan. Strange to say, not once, during the whole time he was with me, was I obliged to find fault with him. He was always respectful, and a conscientious, hard worker, and exerted a great influence among the boys, which prevented Haji Idris from having his way too much. Idris hated Salan on account of the latter's loyalty to me ; but he was too cunning to attempt to interfere with him, as he knew that if it came to an issue between us I should have Salan and a large number of boys to support me. I do too THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. not think the prospects of ultimate success of any expe- dition ever seemed gloomier than did mine for the next three months. It was one continual wrestle with the desires of most of my Somalis to return home. The next day we proceeded to the foot of the hill on which the town of Ginea is situated. Fred and I visited Wal-da-Gubbra, and were received by him in his house in the most cordial fashion. After a few useless speeches, he came to the point that Menelek's orders were definite as to our returning to Somaliland. I tried many times to get permission to go south, in- forming the old man that it would not be good for the Abyssinians to stop Europeans from travelling peacefully through the country south of here. He replied that the Emperor Menelek owned the coun- try all the way to Mombasa ! All I could do was to get him to assent to our going back to the Shebeli River by a quicker route, instead of going far north again to Luku. The next day, November i6, came a present of twenty excellent camels. This was great luck. The old Abyssinian had indeed kept his word. I took Dodson with me to visit Wal-da-Gubbra, while Fred remained to guard the camp. We were not absolutely certain that Wal-da-Gubbra would not prove treacherous in the end, so never more than two of the three Europeans left the camp at one time. The old man said he would have our road pre- pared for us if we wished to go in the morning, but that he would be delighted if we would pay him a long visit. Cer- tainly nothing could have exceeded the hospitality of the Abyssinians, and I must say that Wal-da-Gubbra acted toward us like a gentleman. It rained early the next morning, but as it cleared up so that we could dry the camel blankets, I decided to make a THE HAWATU AND DARO MOUNTAINS. loi start in the afternoon. Before leaving, however, an inci- dent occurred that made us laugh heartily. Wal-da- Gubbra's daughter sent us a present of some chuko, which she knew we liked much, and she requested us to send in return a pair of long stockings and a pair of boots. Only too glad to please her after the many presents she and her father had made us, I sent her the coveted stock- ings, and Dodson sacrificed a pair of white tennis shoes, amused at the thought of how short her skirts would be the next time she went into the presence of Emperor Menelek. We started the caravan off on Fred's old road leadinor to Soorar Darde, where he had been elephant shooting ; but the camel-men who were ahead did not know their way, and struck off on a trail that passed more to the west. Fred and I had been paying our last visit to Wal-da-Gub- bra, and when we caught up to the caravan it had already gone some distance on the wrong road. Some natives, however, told us that we could make our way by continu- ing on this path. The road was the roughest imaginable, leading up and down the steepest and stoniest donkey trails, and through dense jungles. We worked hard the next day for six hours, but accomplished only five miles. We were at an elevation of 6,800 feet, but now every march took us lower and lower towards the hot, low-lying country about the Shebeli River. Soon we approached the Hawatu and Daro Mountains, a most peculiar-look- ing range, composed principally of red sandstone. The mountains rise boldly out of an undulating plain to the height of nearly six thousand feet, the tops appearing as though they once marked the level of the surrounding country, which had been washed away, leaving only these giant columns of rock. The dark red color of the clayey soil also corresponded with the color of these great barren, rocky masses. I02 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. On the 20th of November we found ourselves in the broad undulating plain we had seen south of us on our marches to Sheikh Husein. The temperature changed considerably, and there was none of the piercing cold at night that we had felt in the mountains. Two Ab3^ssin- ians accompanied us, and made the natives in the various little villages we passed cut the bushes ahead for us ; but they did not supply us with half enough food, and I was obliged to draw largely on our supply of rice and dates. We continued our journey in an easterly direction, par- allel to the river Daroli, as the Darde is called in this party of the country. The country was poorly populated, and many human bones were lying about the deserted villages, testifying to the raids made by the Abyssinians. The treatment of the natives by the Abyssinians is everywhere the same, — they are whipped about like dogs, and have always the appearance of a whipped dog when their conquerors are about. On November 22, after a twelve-mile march, we camped on the banks of the Daroli, determining to rest the next day, and let the camels recuperate. The caravan con- sisted of a hundred and three camels, twenty sheep and goats, and the four milch cows and their calves that Wal-da- Gubbra had given us. The next day a great surprise was in store for me in the shape of a letter from the Emperor Menelek. The letter was in Abyssinian, but translated by a Frenchman into French and English, and was en- closed in an envelope bearing a gilt crown (see Appendix). As he stated in his letter that he did not forbid my going where I liked, but only advised me, etc., I deter- mined once more to push for Lake Rudolf by going to the southwest. So we started off the next morning in good spirits, hardly imagining that Wal-da-Gubbra would wish to •?H-X»fl^ t, .n 'h. (-• 8. an Mi'}H- 9. *i V •• i 4 •-••n i -j: e ? o ^Vffn^-- •*i u-n + who sprang from behind a bush, too close for him to shoot, and that he had then fled. The Boran, however, caught up to him and speared him ; but before they had given him the finishing blows they were frightened off by my men. Elmi must have been asleep when speared, or else he would have fired or shouted. On looking around for my Boran guide, I found he had disappeared. This guide had told me that he did not know the country ahead, so as soon as we camped I sent two parties of six men each in opposite directions to hunt for natives to guide us. " We were now, consequently, much alarmed for their safety. I sent Karsha, with two other boys, to see if he could find the three natives who had killed Elmi. It was not long before I heard a shot, followed soon after by a triumphant shout from Karsha, as he came along bear- ing poor Elmi's bloody shirts. Karsha had seen three natives crossing an open space among the bushes, and after creeping near, recognized the cloth that one of them was swinorinc: around above his head as one which be- O CD longed to Elmi. He had then fired, dropping his man stone dead. We were all delighted to hear that Elmi was avenged, but were still more pleased to see both parties of six men I had sent out return to camp safe and sound. They had secured two natives at a village called Gorilla, whom they brought to camp. There is war in the air, and we are making all the preparations we can to resist the attack. '■'April']. Plenty of excitement and labor. We marched eight hours (thirteen miles N. N. W.) through a bushy country, till we reached the open plain of a valley fifteen miles wide, and in the middle of which was a curious extinct volcano, with a deep crater in it. We pitched camp as soon as we had emerged from the dense bush, IN DANGER FROM ABOFILATO'S ARMY. 195 but what a stir there was immediately! Bang — bang — went a few rifles that were guarding the camels. There was a rush for defence. Boran all around, — many mounted and many on foot ! Large troops of cavalry were rushing about, and an attack seemed imminent. The natives my men had fired on were trying to drive away the camels, but ran off after the first volley. The afternoon has been one constant strain. Dodson and I did not have time to eat from 6 a. m. to 5 p. m., when we managed to make a cold, hasty meal. Large forces of the enemy have been prowling about continually. This war against Abofilato's forces is a most serious affair for us. There are between two and three thousand men in the field, with more than a thousand ponies. My boys are behaving splendidly, although they have good right to fear that they may never see the light of another day. I have just sent up two rockets. There will be an attack to- night, very probably, so every one of us will remain on guard the whole time. This affair is most disappointing, as I had hoped to make friends with the Boran. " April 8. What a day this has been for us, and how thankful we are that our blood is not being used to dye the spears and shields of King Abofilato's savage war- riors, — except that of poor Moga! " I have had scarcely any rest for three days, and yet I cannot sleep until I have written of the events of this stormy day. Sleep ! not to be thought of while these savage hosts might even now be planning another attack under cover of nio:ht. " A few stars shone in the early part of last night, but later, rain and darkness combined to make our position uncomfortable and dangerous in the extreme. Soaked to the skin, and shivering from the cold, we could never for an instant relinquish our sharp vigil. 196 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. " But what could we have seen to shoot at had the Boran attacked us then ? Bang would go a rifle. What was that — a Boran, a fox, or a hyena — that my sentinel fired at ? Now peace would reign for a few minutes, until another rustling in the grass was heard, followed by the reports of two or three rifles. So it went on all night ; rifles fired at intervals of every ten minutes, either at some spot from which noises proceeded, or else into the air to warn the enemy that we were on guard. At last a dull gray light appeared on the horizon, and what an unspeakable relief it was to be able to see. Yes, now we could make out our enemy, and we should at least be able to make a good fight for our lives, even if we were eventually overwhelmed by numbers. But how small our little body of men appeared in contrast to the great masses of savages the morning light disclosed scattered over valley and hilltops! " We were obliged to march on account of lack of water. But I first had a little breakfast, while my boys prayed to Mohammed ; and although Dodson and I did not follow their example, it is certain that I never in my life felt more in sympathy than I did this morning with the religious feeling that led my boys to get on their knees and chant their long supplications to the Invisible. And now, with everything arranged, we started on our dangerous journev. I led the column, with Dodson and twenty-five boys spread out in line abreast, while Haji Idris, with twenty-five more men, brought up the rear, the camels, oxen, and mules being massed together in the centre and guided by the remaining Somalis. At first the path led across the open plain and past the circle of low peaks that I had at first supposed surrounded a lake. " The plain gradually rose to these peaks, and as we approached, the ground became strewn with lava, but the crater was not filled with water ; on the contrary, we could IN DANGER FROM ABOFILATO'S ARMY. 197 look down its yawning mouth to a depth of seven hundred feet. The exit of the lava stream crossed my line of march, and except at this spot the crater was surrounded by a wall of jagged rock, thrown into peaks two hundred to three hundred feet above the grassy slopes that led up the moun- tain. The opening was three quarters of a mile wide and most symmetrical, the barren rocky walls extending verti- cally to the bottom, in which was a salt-pan, and a small pool of salt water.-^ I was sorry not to have time to exam- ine this mountain more carefully, but the natives were bent on war, and I had to keep a constant watch over my men and caravan. Haji Idris and the old guide captured at Gorilla approached one band of horsemen near enough to call to them, but the natives only laughed at our friendly protestations. Slowly we marched down. It began to rain. Again and again we came to bushy places where there was the greatest difficulty in getting the camels ahead, and at the same time in keeping a proper compactness and guard. It was in these bushy places that we expected an attack, as it was the worst position for us. The rain now fell in torrents and the difficulties increased, as the path became a stream of water with slippery sides. The King's army kept following, and every now and then bands of horsemen approached as near as one hundred yards. " After travelling some distance, we passed a second curious group of rocky peaks, even higher than those of Mt. Sogida, and which I believed marked another crater; and beyond this we managed to hold a parley with a Boran, who came to us bearing a bunch of grass as a sign of peace. The parley resulted in promises of peace on both sides, the Boran receiving a present of a piece of cloth and a goat ^ I afterwards learned that this crater, which the natives called Sogida. afforded the only salt to be found in this part of the country, and that the Boran collected it in great quantities. 198 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. as evidence of our good will, and leaving behind his spear and shield when he rejoined his comrades. The Boran now sent another man to guide us, saying they had given up the idea of war. Only now and then, after this, could we see a Boran on a pony watching us. The guide showed us a place to camp which rather raised my suspicions, as it was in the dense bushes ; but finally, after eight hours on the road, we found a spot which was fairly open for two hundred yards, and in the centre of this we halted. The boys started at once making a zareba, but this was poor defence, as there were no thorn-bushes to be had. " The tents were just up and the zareba about finished when shouts made me aware that a troop of cavalry was approaching. We called to them to stop, whereupon one of them came forward as though to speak to us ; but now a whole force of cavalry was just emerging from the bushes. Hastily the camels were got into the zareba, and then the mules and cattle. We were refraining from shooting as long as possible, but before the last bullock's tail passed into the zareba there were w^arriors on foot rushing from behind every bush on us. The bushes seemed to grow warriors. Then the firing began. There was a stampede of the cattle, and the mules followed out of the zareba and away. There was time now only to fight, and fight hard. The natives were thronging upon us. I fired a few loads of S. S. G. shot upon a body of cavalry, and then took my Winchester, aiming at those who were farthest away, knowing that my men could better attend to the near ones. Several horses fell, and a general rush ensued on the part of the cavalry to get away. " The firing was hot, and down went warriors, one on top of another. They held up their shields to protect them- selves, and thus offered splendid marks for the rifles. On they came for some minutes, and a few got within ten THE BATTLE — MOGA KILLED. 199 yards of the zareba. But the Boran had made a great mistake ; for instead of waiting until their whole force had assembled, and they could make a united attack upon us, those youths who had never before killed a man, and were impatient to get their trophies, rushed recklessly to the front. They were now obliged to retreat to the main body of their comrades, and there was a cessation of hos- tilities for a few minutes. But plucking up their courage again, the whole army of Boran, en masse, soon made a wild rush upon our camp, brandishing their spears, and dancing as they charged. " Fortunately they came from one direction, and I could concentrate my boys to the best advantage at that part of the zareba at which the charge was aimed. The punish- ment the natives received was terrible ; but still they came on, regardless of those that were falling about them, and of the din of the musketry. The smoke soon became so thick we could hardly distinguish our enemy, when suddenly their long thrusting-spears loomed up among us. Several of them were actually pulling up the bushes from our zareba. The crisis had arrived. Was this to be our last moment upon earth, — or was that reinforcement of riflemen I had just ordered from the other side of the camp going to turn the tide against our enemies } But now, — -one more roll of musketry, and the noise ceased. "As the smoke cleared away, only backs were to be seen. Frantic to get away, the poor savages, who had now for the first time realized that a bullet will pierce a shield and kill a horse hundreds of yards away, were taking them- selves off as fast as their legs could carry them. What has happened ? My boy Moga killed ! This is sad news, as Moga was one of the best boys I had. The cattle, mules, and camels gone, probably not to be seen again ! This is also a loss we cannot well bear ; the 200 THROUGH UxXKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. sick men must now walk, and the loss of cattle means short rations. Not a native, however, has been seen after the battle, up to the time of my writing this, although I climbed a tree and looked for them with my glasses, over the bushes and into the plain beyond. I do not believe the natives will dare attack us again, but the oudook is not good. We have no guides, as our two Boran prison- ers swear they know nothing of the country ahead ; and then there is strong probability of Abofilato raising a still larger force, and attacking us in some bad position. But now I must step out of my tent and see poor Moga's body laid in its last resting-place.^ Moga had been for years a servant to an officer on a French man-of-war, and could speak French fluently. He had not learned the vices of civilization, but rather he had developed into an honest, conscientious man, and by his cheerful manner he had endeared himself to me and to every one with whom he came in contact. " April 9. We kept up a noise all night, firing guns every few minutes, not only to warn the natives but to keep the hyenas from coming near and eating the bodies of the slain that lay outside of the zareba. The mornii-ig dawned, and no native had been seen near the camp. I scanned the country closely with my glasses, and there, far off on the distant plain, was a little body of horsemen, waiting, perhaps, until we marched, to come for their dead, or to see if they could find some unguarded camel. One white horse, whose rider had fallen, I found grazing near the camp, and added to the caravan. Glad to get away from the sight of the dead warriors, who were lying about the camp, we set out in a westerly direction, keeping the ^ He left a boy four years old and a pretty young wife in Aden, to whom I gave one iuindred rupees, in addition to the regular wages I owed Moga. She was profuse in her thanks, and said that with the money I had given her she would have another husband within a month. ■■% THE BORAN SUE FOR PEACE. 203 caravan in fighting order. There was no use now going to Abofilato, so I made up my mind to march by the com- pass, in as near a direct Hne as possible, to Lake Rudolf. We made our way slowly at first, over fairly open coun- try, in grass up to our knees ; but later the bushes began to increase in number, and after about an hour and a half we found ourselves upon a perfectly circular, basin-shaped depression, at the bottom of which was a pond. " I believe this to be the top of a broad mountain which once was a volcano ; but the basin is all that is left to mark the crater, which has been nearly filled up. After filling our water-cans, we were just about to march again, when voices were heard behind us callinof, ' Naeeia ! ' 'Nageia!' (Peace! Peace). Stopping the caravan, I or- dered the Boran prisoners to answer that we also would have peace ; and then, after repeated shouting, three horse- men came out of the bush toward us. We pitched camp at once. The principal man of the three told me that he was a brother of Abofilato, and that the other two were powerful chiefs ; and indeed they looked to be very important individuals, from their corpulence, and from the large necklaces, made of the coarse hair of giraffe-tails, that hung in plaits down their backs, as well as from the many brass and copper ornaments that decked their bodies. " They acknowledged that their only object in attacking us had been to loot (' Why, your houses are made of cloth,' they said, pointing to our tents ), and that now, being ex- ceedingly repentant, they would bring back all my cattle, donkeys, and mules, besides giving me guides. They would let the brother of Abofilato go home to arrange matters, while the other two chiefs remained in our camp as hos- tages; but the cattle could not be returned before three days, as they had been driven far away. The question is whether these protestations of peace are a ruse to put us 204 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. off our guard, or, as I hope, a result of fear. The latter is most probable, as the natives lost heavily in the battle, and they believe that we will stay in their country and loot. We have been doing our best to instil into the minds of our two hostages some idea of our power, laying much stress on a bio: ffun we had, and which we refrained from usino- in the last battle. " April lo. The big gun that we boasted of was fired last night in the shape of two rockets. No native was seen until this morning, when about one hundred horse- men appeared half a mile off. They sent two of the num- ber to ask us if they could hold a conference with us, but I replied that I would only allow a few men to approach at once. Several times natives came to the camp swearing peace, but I could not be sure of their intentions, and kept a sharp lookout on all sides." CHAPTER XVI. A Suspicious Char.4Cter — Most of my Animals returned — I deter- mine TO EXPLORE Lake Abaya — The Aseba and Karayu (Boran) — A Cruel Practice — My Present to Abofilato — Through a Rough Country — " Old King Cole " — At Argassa — Abofilato's Son — Shooting Ostriches, Gir.\ffes, and other Game — Lofty Mountains — The Amara — The Death of Prince Ruspoli — I try Amara Hospi- tality — An Unfortunate Night. T HE next mornino- a few old men visited us, brinorino^ us a little milk and two goats as a present, but the goats were very thin, and did not allay my suspicions re- garding the intentions of the Boran. A youth with spear and shield in hand was caught sneaking through the bushes. He pleaded that he was going to his brother, who had been wounded, and that he meant no harm. I threatened for a long time to have him shot, — telling all the Boran present that any one not coming openly along, but found sneaking in the bushes, would be killed ; but after giving him a good scare, and doing him no further injury, I let the youth go. About nine o'clock the welcome news reached me that some of the lost cattle were coming. The natives brought eight bullocks from one direction, saying the rest would soon follow, and later on came the three mules, with Abofi- lato's brother and several chiefs. Here was certainly fair evidence of peace, and we could consider ourselves once more free to take life easier. In the evening the majority of the cattle and all the donkeys were brought into camp, as well as a present of a sheep, and a bowl of honey from King Abofilato's brother. The 2o6 THROUGH UxNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. chiefs remained all night in camp, their spears of course being taken from them. Lake Abaya, they told me, lay far to the north, and it was very difficult to reach ; but they said they would provide guides as far as the Amara, a peo- ple living on a mountain not far from the lake, and from whom the Boran bought cloth and grain. The lake, I thought, was probably the Lake Aballa, that has been marked in so many places on the maps of North- east Africa, and I made up my mind that at least I would make a good endeavor to reach it and settle its position. BORAX '.VHIP. Our road would take us among the Aseba people, and con- sequently three Aseba chiefs were assigned to lead us through their country. These were fine-looking, intelli- gent savages, of a deep mahogany color. The Aseba and the Karayu Boran, in whose country we were now camped, are the richest and most powerful of all the Boran. All of them carry whips of rhinoceros hide, with bits of