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.
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