The Horse, Aggahr, Must Have Found His Way Without Difficulty, As
He Had Arrived A Little Before Sunset.
This curious instinct,
that enables a horse to find the direction to its last
halting-place in a wild
And pathless country, was thoroughly
appreciated by the Arabs, who had comforted me with the
assurance, that no Abyssinian horse would lose his way to the
spot where he had last passed the night, if separated from his
rider.
CHAPTER XIX.
SEND A PARTY TO RECONNOITRE.
I HAD thoroughly explored the beautiful country of the Salaam and
Angrab; it was the 11th of April, and I intended to push on to
Gallabat, the frontier market-town of Abyssinia. We had no guide,
as the fellow that had been supplied by Mek Nimmur had absconded
the day after our arrival at the Salaam, but during the march he
had pointed out a blue outline of a distant mountain in the
south, that was called Nahoot Guddabi, or the Saddle of Guddabi.
This was an unmistakeable landmark, as it exactly resembled an
Arab saddle; at the foot of this mountain was the Tokroori
village of Guddabi, the first habitation, at a distance of about
fifty miles from the Bahr Salaam. Although, from the experience
I had had in this neighbourhood, I had little doubt of the supply
of water on the road, I sent three of my Tokrooris upon as many
camels with water-skins, to reconnoitre before I should move the
camp.
On the second day they returned, and reported the existence of
several small streams, all of which produced excellent water.
We started on the following afternoon, and, with Hassan as our
guide, and Taher Noor upon a camel, my wife and I cantered ahead
of the main body, over a high ridge of stony, and accordingly
firm ground. Upon arrival at the summit, we had a lovely view of
the surrounding country, and we commenced a gentle descent into
a vast plain sparsely covered with small trees. In the extensive
prospect before us, the dark green veins of foliage in the
otherwise yellow surface of withered grass marked out distinctly
the course of small rivulets. We hurried on, sometimes over
blackened ashes, where the fire had swept all before it, at other
times through withered grass, that had been saved from
destruction through the intervention of some ravine. At 7.30 P.M.
we arrived at an excellent halting place, by a beautiful but
small stream of water, shaded by a fringe of dome palms; this was
by dead reckoning seventeen miles from our last camp. It had been
pleasant travelling, as the moon was full; we had ridden fast,
therefore it was useless to expect the camels for some hours; we
accordingly spread the carpet on the ground, and lay down to
sleep, with the stocks of the rifles for pillows, as we had
frequently done on former occasions.
On the following morning I sent a couple of men on camels to
reconnoitre the country in advance, towards Guddabi, and to
return with the report of the supply of water. This country
abounded with large game, especially with the beautiful antelope
already described, the maarif; they were as usual extremely wild,
but I succeeded in breaking the hip of a fine bull at a long
range; and, separating him from the herd, I ran the wounded
antelope until I was thoroughly exhausted in the intense heat of
the sun, but I lost it in the thick bush not far from our camp.
That night we heard a lion roaring close to us, and, upon
searching at daybreak I found the remains of a maarif, which I
imagine must have been my wounded bull.
I mounted my horse Tetel, and, with Taher Noor and two of my
Tokrooris, Hadji Ali and Hassan, I rode towards a pyramidical
hill about three miles distant, which I intended to ascend in
order to obtain a panoramic view of the country. This hill was
about three hundred feet high, and, as the fire had swept away a
portion of the grass for several miles around, I should obtain a
clear view of all living animals that might be in the
neighbourhood. Upon arrival at the base of the hill I dismounted,
and led my horse up the steep inclination of broken basalt that
had fallen from the summit. From the top of the peak I had a
superb panorama of the country, the mountain Nahoot Guddabi
bearing S.W. about thirty miles distant. I had a complete
bird's-eye view of great extent, and I immediately distinguished,
in various positions, giraffes, buffaloes, tetel, and boars. At
this season the trees were leafless, thus any animal upon the low
ground would be at once discovered from this elevated point. I
extract from my journal the account of this day's hunt, as it was
written immediately upon my return to camp.
"I had been observing the country for some time from my high
station, when I suddenly perceived two rhinoceros emerge from a
ravine; they walked slowly through a patch of high grass, and
skirted the base of the hill upon which we were standing:
presently they winded something, and they trotted back and stood
concealed in the patch of grass. Although I had a good view of
them from my present position, I knew that I should not be able
to see them in their covert, if on the same level; I therefore
determined to send to the tent for my other horses, and to ride
them down, if I could not shoot them on foot; accordingly, I sent
a man off, directing him to lead Tetel from the peak, and to
secure him to a tree at the foot of the hill, as I was afraid the
rhinoceros might observe the horse upon the sky line. This he
did, and we saw him tie the horse by the bridle to the branch of
a tree below us, while he ran quickly towards the camp.
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