Deenarzade Declared Herself Too Ill
To Move; Shehrazade Swore That She Would Not Work:
Briefly, that night was
by no means pleasantly spent.
At dawn, on the 24th, we started across the Marar Prairie with a caravan
of about twenty men and thirty women, driving camels, carrying grain,
asses, and a few sheep. The long straggling line gave a "wide berth" to
the doughty Hirsi and his Berteris, whose camp-fires were clearly visible
in the morning grey. The air was raw; piles of purple cloud settled upon
the hills, whence cold and damp gusts swept the plain; sometimes we had a
shower, at others a Scotch mist, which did not fail to penetrate our thin
raiment. My people trembled, and their teeth chattered as though they were
walking upon ice. In our slow course we passed herds of quagga and
gazelles, but the animals were wild, and both men and mules were unequal
to the task of stalking them. About midday we closed up, for our path
wound through the valley wooded with Acacia,--fittest place for an
ambuscade of archers. We dined in the saddle on huge lumps of sun-dried
beef, and bits of gum gathered from the trees.
Having at length crossed the prairie without accident, the caravan people
shook our hands, congratulated one another, and declared that they owed
their lives to us. About an hour after sunset we arrived at Abtidon's
home, a large kraal at the foot of the Konti cone: fear of lions drove my
people into the enclosure, where we passed a night of scratching. I was
now haunted by the dread of a certain complaint for which sulphur is said
to be a specific. This is the pest of the inner parts of Somali-land; the
people declare it to arise from flies and fleas: the European would derive
it from the deficiency, or rather the impossibility, of ablutions.
"Allah help the Goer, but the Return is Rolling:" this adage was ever upon
the End of Time's tongue, yet my fate was apparently an exception to the
general rule. On the 25th January, we were delayed by the weakness of the
camels, which had been half starved in the Girhi mountains. And as we were
about to enter the lands of the Habr Awal [5], then at blood feud with my
men, all Habr Gerhajis, probably a week would elapse before we could
provide ourselves with a fit and proper protector. Already I had been
delayed ten days after the appointed time, my comrades at Berberah would
be apprehensive of accidents, and although starting from Wilensi we had
resolved to reach the coast within the fortnight, a month's march was in
clear prospect.
Whilst thus chewing the cud of bitter thought where thought was of scant
avail, suddenly appeared the valiant Beuh, sent to visit us by Dahabo his
gay sister. He informed us that a guide was in the neighbourhood, and the
news gave me an idea. I proposed that he should escort the women, camels,
and baggage under command of the Kalendar to Zayla, whilst we, mounting
our mules and carrying only our arms and provisions for four days, might
push through the lands of the Habr Awal.
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