An ancient crone of surpa.s.sing ugliness, attired in a leathern petticoat flounced with cowrie sh.e.l.ls, was busily engaged by the way-side in transferring muddy water to her scrip, and looking up, was perfectly horrified at the appearance of a white face on the opposite border of the puddle. For a few seconds her old yellow teeth chattered audibly, and then, satisfied that there was no deception, she called loudly upon the G.o.ddess Ateti, threw herself back upon the ground, and became a prey to abject despair.
Resuming a southerly course from the foot of the crater, our path led at right angles over a tract where broken abysses, lava d.y.k.es, and brilliant belts of verdure, were jumbled together in strange confusion.
At an early hour in the afternoon we reached Inkoftoo, the princ.i.p.al Karaiyo kraal in the district of Kadecha Dima. Standing beside an extensive pool, screened on all sides by luxuriant trees, it was strongly fortified by stiff thorn-branches against the inroads of the lion; formidable troops of which, roaming almost unmolested, commit great havoc among the cattle, and had only the night before carried off a youth belonging to the village.
It wanted still some miles of the spot in which Habti Mariam had resolved to encamp, near the borders of the Muttahara lake, whose placid surface, not less than two miles across, extended almost to the base of Fantali. The chief of Inkoftoo had seen a rhinoceros in the morning, among the dense thicket of hook-thorns covering the declivity of a hill on the way; but although one of the governor"s braves, elevating his sheep-skin mantle upon the point of his lance, charged the a.s.sembled mult.i.tude in the king"s name to abstain from clamour and from interference with the arrangements made for beating up the quarters of the "_ouraris_," the clattering hoofs of the advancing cavalcade presently put the animal to flight towards the Hawash. It were difficult to determine whether the fear of the Aroosi or of wild beasts now predominated in the minds of our Amhara escort. In spite of a heavy fall of rain, large watch-fires were kindled in various parts of the lone bivouac, and not a single eye was closed until the day had fairly dawned.
Volume 3, Chapter x.x.x.
THE WILDERNESS OF TABOO.
Extensive mora.s.ses, environing the sedge-grown borders of the Muttahara water, proved it to be far below its wonted boundaries, and precluded all access to Fantali, even had the timidity of the guides been sufficiently overcome to induce them to acquiesce in a visit; but the non-existence of any active volcano for more than thirty years was confirmed by all. The Kobedemtoo and the Gobakoobee districts form the limit of His Majesty"s Karaiyo possessions, within a few miles of the Hawash, and thither we proceeded in the morning. Arriving near the mountain Sadeka, one of the outposts of the Aroosi, whence the wooded line of the river could be traced for miles through the naked plains, I took the bearings of the conical peak of Serie, and of other conspicuous landmarks. But the appearance of a small party of armed savages in the distance soon induced precipitate retreat on the part of our escort, who by no means relished the delay. A band of treacherous barbarians had only a few weeks previously made a descent upon the Karaiyo cattle, and after putting all the herdsmen to the spear, were hurrying off with the booty, when they were pursued in force, and put to flight with the loss of twelve of their number. Another predatory visit was daily antic.i.p.ated; and the caution was in every mouth, "If two warriors be perceived upon the same horse, ask no questions, but shoot them without mercy."
Sahela Sela.s.sie has never yet attempted an expedition in person against these war-hawks, nestled in the lap of the mountains, who fight stark naked, and are besmeared with lard from head to foot. Merciless, and of predatory habits, they are represented as extremely powerful in battle, and are the terror of every surrounding tribe--two warriors usually bestriding the same steed, and aiding each other with barbed lances jagged like the teeth of a saw, and with bucklers manufactured to imitate the sh.e.l.l of the tortoise. Subsisting entirely by plunder, the cultivation of their high cold hills is but little attended to; salt, which forms the princ.i.p.al article of barter with Gurague, and other inland bordering countries, being obtainable in unlimited quant.i.ties from the lake Laghi, two days" journey from Serie, one of the princ.i.p.al market towns. Noora Hoossain is the capital of the Aroosi Galla, who are all followers of the Prophet; and the princ.i.p.al towns of their adjacent neighbours the Ittoo, a race of mixed Mohammadans and Pagans, are Chercha and Metokoma.
The rhinoceros was said to abound in the Karaiyo neighbourhood; but Habti Mariam would consent to no further sojourn on this dangerous border with so limited an escort, and at noon retraced his steps to the village of Inkoftoo. Here all the braves and princ.i.p.al men of the tribe were gathered to recount their recent exploits with the predatory Aroosi, as well as the particulars attending the slaughter of an elephant"s calf that had fallen under their united lances a few weeks previously. A spear wound having stupified the beast, hundreds of warriors rushed in and overwhelmed it. Every partic.i.p.ator in this notable achievement, which is one of extremely rare occurrence, now displayed on his person some distinguishing ornament or feather, whilst the doughty hero who claimed first blood, strutted about under a perfect load of sable and green plumes, bra.s.s chains, and ma.s.sive ivory armlets, precisely similar to those worn by the ancient Egyptians. Not quite satisfied as to the object of the visit, the Karaiyo had collected the whole of their great droves of cattle in the precincts of the hamlet.
Amongst them were many splendid _sanga_, with wide-spreading horns upwards of six feet in length; under which they moved as majestically as the stag "proud of his twelve tynes."
A heavy storm of dust obscured the entire face of the landscape in the direction of Saboo; arriving near to which, a path struck off to the westward to the encamping ground on the side of the Kozi mountain, above a snug Karaiyo hamlet, whence provisions were obtained. The Amhara followers, although still restricted by the fast of Hodadi from partic.i.p.ation in animal food, were fain to encase their naked and blistered feet in portions of the hide of an ox slaughtered for the entertainment of the more fortunate Mohammadans; the fields of lava lately traversed, like the "iron stones" celebrated in the travels of the Jesuit fathers of old, being "like the dross that cometh from the furnace, and so sharp-pointed withal, that they spoiled a pair of new shoes in a day."
The next object was to visit the far-famed volcanic well of Boorchutta, on the frontier of Mentshar, bordering upon the wilderness of Taboo, which was to form the limit of our wanderings. Shortly after gaining the summit of the Kozi mountain, the road wound along the very brink of the crater of Winzegoor, from whose monstrous chasm the entire adjacent country has been recently overflowed; and three miles beyond it we halted preparatory to the pa.s.sage of a dangerous defile, said to teem with the execrated Aroosi hordes, and to form their favourite ambuscade.
A council of war was held. The troops being formed into a dense body, a _woho_ was appointed to prevent straggling, and to command the rear-guard. Scouts proceeded in advance to reconnoitre, and the strictest silence having been enjoined, the order was for once obeyed.
Dismounted men and grazing horses descried on the impending heights of b.o.o.bisa soon caused dire alarm; and consternation reached the climax when, on gaining the gorge of the hills overlooking the wilderness of Taboo, the scouts ran in breathless, with intelligence that a large body of cavalry occupied a rising ground not two miles from the van. The jingling bells around the necks of the mules having been m.u.f.fled, the party, drawn up in battle array, advanced with the utmost caution, until the gleaming of the white garments and cross-emblazoned shields of the fancied foes proved them to be none other than the Mentshar detachment of horse under Ayto Nigdoo, who had been expressly called out to reinforce the Amhara in event of the Aroosi being abroad on a foray.
Having joined the allies, who had in their turn been equally disconcerted at the appearance of the forces of Habti Mariam, we proceeded to cross the valley of Jiggra Mulkinia, "the place where the guinea fowls feed." This fine level plain, hemmed in by high hills, presented a perfect garden of wild flowers blossoming amid a most luxuriant second crop of gra.s.s, the result of a late conflagration.
Many hundreds of the white-rumped _mhorr_ browsed on it undisturbed, and the pintado and the partridge seemed to be without end. A belt of dog-rose bushes, camel-thorns, and a highly aromatic undergrowth which bordered the base of the range styled Jujjuba Kulla, harboured a small herd of elephants, and they were soon perceived luxuriating among the young juicy reeds. But the retinue contrived as usual to put the whole to flight; and under a furious thunder-storm, which in ten minutes covered the plain with pools of water, the cavalcade, drenched to the skin, arrived at a late hour on the skirts of the Boorchutta water, where the night was to be pa.s.sed.
This singular well, which wears the semblance of the crater of a gigantic mine, is situated in the bosom of the almost perpendicular mountain of Jujjuba Kulla. One narrow pa.s.sage, of barely sufficient width for an elephant, leads to the water, which lies at the bottom of a deep narrow gully with inaccessible banks. Rising to the height of two hundred feet, they are crossed by vermilion bands of lava, honeycombed with a thousand cavities and fissures, and overgrown in parts with the most brilliant vegetation. Enormous blocks of black rock, which choke this channel for the last hundred yards, form a sort of parapet to the front of the pool, which measures sixty feet in diameter, and gives "no bottom." The still, brimstone-coloured waters were gla.s.sy smooth, and not a breath stirred within the deep suffocating crater, where the fall of a pin produced an echo like that of a whispering gallery. Black martins wheeled over-head--pigeons cooed amid the clefts and crannies-- and hairy baboons grimaced and chattered on the impending cliffs, from which trailed numberless fantastic roots, laid bare by the torrent that at certain seasons pours into the well from the ravine above.
There being no other water for many miles around this reservoir, it forms the resort of all the numerous wild animals in the neighbourhood; and the narrow pa.s.sage bore ample testimony to the nocturnal visits of the elephant and rhinoceros. The inhabitants of all the adjacent hamlets deriving their supply hence, the Aroosi frequently lay in ambush to cut off their watering parties. Boorchutta is, in fact, the arena of constant conflicts; and not a month had elapsed since the ruthless barbarians slaughtered thirty-three Moslems, losing four of their own number in the skirmish. Bowers of green boughs were constructed for the accommodation of the two governors; and the whole of the retainers, standing to their arms with loins girt, danced and sang throughout the night around blazing watch-fires, which threw great ma.s.ses of light into the shadowy abyss, and imparted the wildest effect to the scene of blood.
The night pa.s.sed without any alarm, whether from a.s.sa.s.sin or wild beast; and in order to complete the tour of the eastern frontier, an excursion was made at early dawn through the wilderness of Taboo to the Bosut hills; the rich meadows which intervene, being tenanted by the Gamoo Galla, a pastoral tribe, beyond whom are the rebel Loomi. On terms of friendship with Sahela Sela.s.sie, and even acknowledging a sort of nominal fealty to Shoa, we did not antic.i.p.ate that our appearance would have caused alarm; but the natives believing the party of five hundred horse and foot to denote an irruption of the Aroosi, drove off their cattle with all expedition to the summits of the fastnesses, and abandoning their villages, were to be seen cl.u.s.tering on the heights in momentary expectation of attack. Nothing could exceed the luxuriance of the shady forests of Taboo, which bore evidences throughout of the presence of the elephant, and abounded in the pie-bald oryx, the agazin, the hartebeest, and the mhorr--clamourous troops of guinea fowl, which covered every open glade, completing the contrast to the silent regions of Shoa, so generally dest.i.tute of animal life.
Several splendid antelope had fallen to Graham"s rifle and my own, before the impatient entreaties of the governor compelled us to set out on our return. We arrived before sunset at the village of Adelada, which occupies the summit of a steep saddle-backed hill, and is under the control of Ayto Nigdoo. Near it is the well of Wulawula, which, although smaller, is not very dissimilar from that of Boorchutta, a sleepy, funnel-shaped hollow, likewise owing its existence to igneous agency. Crossing the Koorkuru, the Gubraiyo Sagur, and the Cosso rivulets, which are severally dissipated in the plain of the Karaiyo, we re-ascended to Wolagur, and returned the following day to Dummakoo, laden with numerous valuable accessions to natural history, and in possession of as much information as our opportunities enabled us to collect relative to this interesting but unsettled border.
Volume 3, Chapter x.x.xI.
THE KINGDOM OF SHOA.
"Natura beatis Omnibus esse dedit, si quis cognoverit uti."
Although the majestic fabrics, the pillars of porphyry, and the Corinthian domes of early writers, now exist only in the tradition, Ethiopia yet retains the fresh vegetation of a northern soil, the vivifying ardour of a tropical sun, and the cloudless azure of a southern sky. Palaces and fanes, gardens and gushing fountains, have long since departed; but there still remains a fertile country possessing vast capabilities, a salubrious and delightful climate, and a race of beings whose existence under absolute and complete despotism, presents a striking contrast to that of the idle and improvident Adaiel, whose pride and whose boast is a banner of independence.
Whatever Abyssinia may once have been, it is not to be expected that she should, under a great lapse of time, again take place among those countries which are peculiarly happy, opulent, or abundant. All her prevailing customs and practices are utterly at variance with existing laws for the creation, consumption, and distribution of wealth. A heavy taxation is levied on the produce of the field. Monastic and clerical establishments are fostered to the ruin of the people. The venal judges are paid by fees on the suits which they decide; and popular superst.i.tion and imposture possess the royal sanction for abuse.
Nothing useful is ever taken into consideration; here are no roads or bridges to facilitate traffic, no schools for the instruction of the rising generation. The improvements of life have stopped at the satisfying point "of barren, bare necessity;" and fear and prejudice unite to deter the inhabitants from visiting foreign climes, so as to improve their benighted country, by introducing the discoveries in modern science.
But although thus ignorant of comfort even in their highest enjoyments, the people are yet considerably emerged from that state of society which is denominated barbarian, and practise a species of agriculture which the fertility of the soil has heretofore blessed with an abundant return. Throughout the kingdom the eye is greeted by extensive cultivation; and the art of husbandry in Shoa has far eclipsed the advances made by any nation hitherto visited on the western coast.
Under certain despotic conditions, private property in the land is every where established. There are few forests or wastes, excepting those impracticable for pasture or cultivation. The village and the farm-steading are uniformly secure from predatory bands or hostile neighbours, and although thickly inhabited, the country is unburdened by any over-population.
The processes of preparing the ground are somewhat complex; a primitive plough is in use to the exclusion of the African hoe, and considerable industry is evinced in collecting and distributing the waters for artificial irrigation. The science of husbandry is nevertheless little understood; the implements of culture are few, and of the rudest construction; the various modes of a.s.sisting nature are unknown; and unless some civilised power interferes for good, a great length of time must necessarily elapse before the habits and prejudices of the uncultivated nation can be overcome for its own advantage.
Situated in the middle of the torrid zone, and composed of groups and ranges of lofty mountains overlooking wide plains and deep valleys, equally under the influence of the tropical rains, the climate at different elevations is of the most varied description. The high table-land, which is clothed with moderate vegetation, and dest.i.tute of wood, is at all times cool and healthy, and often extremely cold. Here there is no winter,
"Such as when birds die In the deep forest, and the fishes lie Stiffened in the translucent ice."
The coolness of the mountain breeze is pleasant and refreshing, and the timely cessation of the rain allows a healthful rest to vegetation.
The low wooded valleys, on the other hand, are close, unwholesome, and insufferably hot. During the cold season the thermometer on the summit of the range stands at about 30 degrees, a thin coating of ice covers the pools, and the country is white under a mantle of h.o.a.r frost.
Below, the quicksilver mounts to 90 degrees, and the total absence of ventilation renders the heat still more oppressive. At the termination of the rains, Fever, with all her attendant horrors, spreads her pestilential wings over the most beautiful locations; and during the month of September even the wild birds for a time forsake the poisoned atmosphere, to seek the more congenial breezes of the upper regions.
The amazing fertility of the vales is beyond all conception. Every species of crop attains the most gigantic proportions. The rich soil and the nurturing shelter, the abundant supply of water, and the ardent rays of the sun, all combine to crown the hopes of the husbandman; and these situations would have stood prominent as perfect in the creation, had nature blessed them with a climate corresponding in character to their lovely appearance. On the mountain-side, the vegetation is somewhat inferior in luxuriance--a fact that may be accounted for by the angle at which the sun"s rays meet the ground, their power of imparting heat varying in proportion. As the eastern face of the range rises almost perpendicularly, it can only during half the day receive them at all, and for many hours in the warmest part of the afternoon, it is thus entirely in the shade.
On the elevated plateau, a succession of well-watered undulations of pasture and arable land, extend in endless continuation to the view, undisturbed by a solitary tree, their scattered villages and farm houses proclaiming a country which has long enjoyed the blessings of peace.
From the centre of this table-land, the craggy mountains rise in magnificent ranges, clothed in part with majestic forests, and graced by the wild rose, the myrtle, the eglantine, and the jessamine; whilst at its foot repose the rich and smiling valleys, hid in all the luxuriance of tropical foliage, from the gigantic sycamore, beloved of the heathen Galla, and measuring upwards of forty feet in circ.u.mference, to the light and elegant acacia, which distils the much-prized gum.
On the table-land the best soil is found on the sheltered hill-side, of a rich brown colour, and along the river bank where there is a loamy alluvial deposit. Black earth is occasionally met with on the mountains, where it may probably have originated in the decomposition of those forests to which tradition gives existence in ancient days, but of which no other vestige now remains. In the valleys, those which form the governments of Giddem and Geshe especially, the richest black soil prevails throughout; and blessed with an abundant supply of rain, and with a mild genial climate, they produce all the crops known in Abyssinia, whilst the soil on the surrounding mountain-side, light, loose, and gravelly, would be found well adapted for the growth of coffee and tea.
Abyssinia is happy in a most copious supply of water, the gates of heaven being opened twice during the year to the flooding of every river and streamlet, and to the complete soaking of the earth. The "rain of bounty" commences in February, and lasts for thirty days, and the "rain of covenant" setting in before the termination of June, pours down with extreme violence throughout July, August, and September--at which period is produced that never-failing increase of the Nile to which Egypt is also indebted for her fertility. Immediately after these down-pourings, nature, who had remained bound up in the preceding drought, bursts forth into a thousand interesting forms. Pastures and meadows are clothed in cheering green; the hills and dales are adorned with myriads of beautiful and sweet-scented flowers, and the sides of the mountain ranges become one sheet of the most luxuriant cultivation.
Long after the rains are over, a heavy dew falls during the night; and under its vivifying influence the plants continue to shoot forth, refreshed by the coolness of the morning breeze, and strengthened by the strong heat of the mid-day sun. By the provident husbandman two crops are every year garnered in, without the land being impoverished; and whilst the corn is being reaped in one field, the seed is but just sown in another. The cattle are employed in ploughing up the fertile soil of one estate, whilst in the next the muzzled ox is trampling out its recently yielded treasures; and all the various operations of husbandry, from the breaking up of the ground to the final winnowing of the corn, may be simultaneously witnessed on one and the same farm.
"Hic ver a.s.siduum, atque alienis mensibus aestas, Bis gravidae pecudes, bis pomis utilis arbor."
Forty-three species of grain and other useful products are already cultivated in Abyssinia. After supplying the immediate wants of the working cla.s.ses, and those of a herd of clerical drones who devour the fruits of their honest labour, there remains a considerable surplus, which is bartered to the lazy Adaiel for the produce of his salt lake--a field that without ploughing or sowing yields an inestimable crop. But if only a small portion of European knowledge were to be instilled into the mind of the Christian cultivator, the kingdom of Shoa, possessed of such unbounded natural advantages, might be rapidly raised from its present condition, and made one inexhaustible granary for all the best fruits of the earth.
Volume 3, Chapter x.x.xII.
TERMINATION OF THE FAST OF LENT.
Immediately upon our return from the eastern frontier, the king sent his confidential page with a message of congratulation on my recent success against the much-dreaded buffalo, and requested that we would visit him early the ensuing morning. In accordance with the etiquette invariably observed after a long absence, I laid "pleasing things" on the royal footstool, together with the trophies of the chase, and His Majesty listened with great interest to a detail of our adventures among his Adel subjects. On my returning thanks for the injunctions issued to the governor of Berhut and his subordinates, as well as for the royal permission to visit a portion of the realm hitherto unviewed by Europeans, the most friendly a.s.surances were repeated, that "he could not suffer his children to depart until they should have viewed the entire of his dominions."
During this interview. His Majesty remained seated on a ha.s.sock before the fire, and had laid aside every portion of his usual reserve.
_Akodamas_, or silver coronets, with chain pendants, of the model worn by himself on occasions of triumph, and conferred as the last honour upon those who distinguish themselves in war or in the chase, were now presented to us, together with ma.s.sive silver bracelets, accompanied by many complimentary speeches upon the issue of the expedition:--"You have slain elephants and buffaloes, and are powerful in arms against the wild beasts of which my people are afraid," concluded the despot. "You have overwhelmed me with rifles and other delightful inventions from the countries beyond the great sea, and must receive at my hands those things which my kingdom produces, in order that they may be worn on all proper occasions. You are my brothers."
Striped cotton robes of Abyssinian manufacture followed; and three horses with plated silver bridles were subsequently presented, which, although like other royal gifts in Shoa, of ridiculously inferior quality, were valuable as tokens of favour that are lavished upon those alone who enjoy the most exalted place in His Majesty"s estimation.
They did not fail to produce the desired effect upon popular opinion; and sycophants who had before taxed us with an intention to seize the throne--to extinguish the race of Solomon, and to bring a curse upon the land by the atrocious process of burning the royal bread--now found it convenient to alter their sentiments, and to confer upon the foreign guests the enn.o.bling, but not very enviable, appellation of "the king"s brothers."
The tedious fast of Hodadi, which for forty days had been observed in commemoration of Lent by every individual of the population whose age exceeded thirteen years, was now about to terminate. During the three days which are termed _kenona_, the priests had neither eaten bread nor drunk water, but had remained in the churches singing and praying incessantly both day and night. In accordance with the practice of the primitive Church, the monarch observed total abstinence throughout this period, and on Good Friday sent me a message, "that his people would eat nothing for forty hours, but that as he knew the Gypts did not keep strong fasts, he had commanded the purveyor-general to send to the residency the usual daily supplies of bread, beer, and hydromel."
On Easter even we were invited to the palace to witness their celebration of the royal victories, held according to immemorial custom during Pa.s.sion Week. Sahela Sela.s.sie was clad in the plainest of garments, and appeared much enfeebled and emaciated by rigorous mortification, but was in high spirits at the prospect of speedy release from the irksome penance. On this joyful occasion offerings are invariably made to the throne; and every individual of the crowd present, whether great or small, advancing in turn, contributed a mite according to his means--the wealthier bringing cotton cloths, and the more indigent, logs of wood, earthen jars, or stones of a description fitted for building.
Bands of warriors next entered the carpeted courtyard, howling the war-chorus; and after the lapse of a few seconds, the gigantic Tunkaiye, who had earned new laurels, and been severely wounded during a recent foray against the Gentiles, dashed into the arena on horseback. Richly attired, bedizened with feathers, _saretis_, and silver decorations, and escorted by a troop of fifty mounted retainers, he galloped up and down, recounting his valorous exploits, and pointing to the scars earned in the service of his royal master, shouted defiance to the enemies of the state.
Eighty turbaned priests, in solemn procession, next entered the court, clad in their sacerdotal vestments. Preceded by the great embroidered umbrellas of the church dedicated to Saint George, they filed slowly into the s.p.a.ce vacated by the warriors, the holy ark being supported by antique Egyptian figures, robed in long musty-looking habiliments of chequered hues, crowned with heavy mitres, and bearing in their hands rods of green rushes, bronze bells, crosses, and censers of burning incense, with an image of the Madonna, and a crucifix; for whilst hating the Papists with all their hearts, the Abyssinians nevertheless cherish many of the superst.i.tions and buffooneries of the church of Rome.
Having formed a semicircle before the throne, the priests, although much exhausted by their long abstinence, continued, during half an hour, to dance and chant the words of the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, "Christ was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification." A portion of the Dominical orison followed. Their united harsh voices were accompanied by the music of tambourines and kettle-drums, thumped with excessive violence, and by the jingle of the _tsnasin_, the Abyssinian timbrel. This is the _sistrum_, an instrument supposed to be included under the Hebrew term _tzitzelem_, and being composed of a frame and moveable bars of sonorous metal, it produces sounds which can best be compared to the rattle of the poker upon the tongs.
Seven long years are pa.s.sed in learning to play these instruments, which are ascribed to Saint Yareed, an Abuna under the Emperor Guebra Maskal, [i.e. "Servant of the Cross"] and the reputed inventor of church music in all its various branches. The constant practice of many hours during each day might not unreasonably be expected to lead to greater perfection than is displayed. From four in the morning until nine, in every church in the kingdom, a similar clatter and noise is maintained, for the honour of the Christian religion, not only on the Sabbath, but on all the numerous holydays and festivals throughout the twelve months.
Howling and screaming are the most appropriate terms by which to express the hoa.r.s.e muster of cracked and ill-modulated voices; and the band of stout priests who, by their song, nightly preserve the royal person from the influence of evil demons, must be acknowledged to have selected a right cunning stratagem by which to deter the approach of those spirits, at least, that are gifted with any musical taste.