Thus the abrey supplies both meat and drink.
The finest quality of sweet abrey is a very delicate affair;
The
flour of dhurra must be well sifted; it is then mixed with milk
instead of water, and, without fermenting, it is formed into thin
wafers similar to those eaten with ice-creams in this country,
but extremely large; these are dried in the sun, and crushed like
the sour abrey; they will keep for months if kept dry in a
leathern bag. A handful of sweet abrey steeped in a bowl of hot
milk, with a little honey, is a luxurious breakfast; nothing can
be more delicious, and it can be prepared in a few minutes during
the short halt upon a journey. With a good supply of abrey and
dried meat, the commissariat arrangements are wonderfully
simplified, and a party can march a great distance without much
heavy baggage to impede their movements.
The flesh that is the least adapted for drying is that of the
buffalo (Bos Caffer), which is exceedingly tough and coarse.
There are two species of the Bos Caffer in Abyssinia and Central
Africa, which, similar in general appearance, differ in the
horns; that which resembles the true Bos Caffer of South Africa
has very massive convex horns that unite in front, and completely
cover the forehead as with a shield; the other variety has
massive, but perfectly flat horns of great breadth, that do not
quite unite over the os frontis, although nearly so; the flatness
of the horns continues in a rough surface, somewhat resembling
the bark of a tree, for about twelve inches; the horns then
become round, and curve gracefully inwards, like those of the
convex species.
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