This Grievance Appears To Be Based On Solid
Grounds.
Secondly, they complained of the corruption of their brethren by
intercourse with a civilised people, especially by visiting Aden:
The
remedy for this evil lies in their own hands, but desire of gain would
doubtless defeat any moral sanitary measure which their Elders could
devise. They instanced the state of depravity into which the Somal about
Berberah had fallen, and prided themselves highly upon their respect for
the rights of _meum_ and _tuum_, so completely disregarded by the Western
States. But this virtue may arise from the severity of their
chastisements; mutilation of the hand being the usual award to theft.
Moreover Lieutenant Speke's Journal does not impress the reader highly
with their honesty. And lastly, I have found the Habr Awal at Berberah, on
the whole, a more respectable race than the Warsingali.
Lieutenant Speke's delay at Kurayat was caused by want of carriage. He
justly remarks that "every one in this country appeals to precedent"; the
traveller, therefore, should carefully ascertain the price of everything,
and adhere to it, as those who follow him twenty years afterwards will be
charged the same. One of the principal obstacles to Lieutenant Speke's
progress was the large sum given to the natives by an officer who visited
this coast some years ago. Future travellers should send before them a
trusty Warsingali to the Sultan, with a letter specifying the necessary
arrangements, a measure which would save trouble and annoyance to both
parties.
On the 10th of November the Sultan came early to Lieutenant Speke's house.
He received a present of cloth worth about forty rupees. After comparing
his forearm with every other man's and ascertaining the mean, he measured
and re-measured each piece, an operation which lasted several hours. A
flint gun was presented to him, evidently the first he had ever handled;
he could scarcely bring it up to his shoulder, and persisted in shutting
the wrong eye. Then he began as usual to beg for more cloth, powder, and
lead. By his assistance Lieutenant Speke bought eight camels, inferior
animals, at rather a high price, from 10 to 16-1/2 cloths (equivalent to
dollars) per head. It is the custom for the Sultan, or in his absence, for
an Agil to receive a tithe of the price; and it is his part to see that
the traveller is not overcharged. He appears to have discharged his duty
very inefficiently, a dollar a day being charged for the hire of a single
donkey. Lieutenant Speke regrets that he did not bring dollars or rupees,
cloth on the coast being now at a discount.
After the usual troubles and vexations of a first move in Africa, on the
16th of November, 1854, Lieutenant Speke marched about three miles along
the coast, and pitched at a well close to Las Kuray. He was obliged to
leave about a quarter of his baggage behind, finding it impossible with
his means to hire donkeys, the best conveyance across the mountains, where
camels must be very lightly laden.
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