Journeying Slowly Over The Skirt Of The Plain, When Rejoined By The
Truants, We Met A Party Of Travellers, Who, As Usual, Stopped To Inquire
The News.
Their chief, mounted upon an old mule, proved to be Madar Farih,
a Somali well known at Aden.
He consented to accompany us as far as the
halting place, expressed astonishment at our escaping Harar, and gave us
intelligence which my companions judged grave. The Gerad Hirsi of the
Berteri, amongst whom Madar had been living, was incensed with us for
leaving the direct road. Report informed him, moreover, that we had given
600 dollars and various valuables to the Gerad Adan,--Why then had he been
neglected? Madar sensibly advised us to push forward that night, and to
'ware the bush, whence Midgans might use their poisoned arrows.
We alighted at the village formerly beneath Gurays, now shifted to a short
distance from those hills. Presently appeared Deenarzade, hung round with
gourds and swelling with hurt feelings: she was accompanied by Dahabo,
sister of the valiant Beuh, who, having for ever parted from her graceless
husband, the Gerad, was returning under our escort to the Gurgi of her
family. Then came Yusuf Dera with a smiling countenance and smooth
manners, bringing the stolen dagger and many excuses for the mistake; he
was accompanied by a knot of kinsmen deputed by the Gerad as usual for no
good purpose. That worthy had been informed that his Berteri rival offered
a hundred cows for our persons, dead or alive:
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