The camel's milk is all drunk, the cow's and
goat's reserved for butter and ghee, which the women prepare; the numbers
are once more counted, and the animals are carefully penned up for the
night. This simple life is varied by an occasional birth and marriage,
dance and foray, disease and murder. Their maladies are few and simple
[53]; death generally comes by the spear, and the Bedouin is naturally
long-lived. I have seen Macrobians hale and strong, preserving their
powers and faculties in spite of eighty and ninety years.
FOOTNOTES
[1] By this route the Mukattib or courier travels on foot from Zayla to
Harar in five days at the most. The Somal reckon their journeys by the
Gedi or march, the Arab "Hamleh," which varies from four to five hours.
They begin before dawn and halt at about 11 A.M., the time of the morning
meal. When a second march is made they load at 3 P.M. and advance till
dark; thus fifteen miles would be the average of fast travelling. In
places of danger they will cover twenty-six or twenty-seven miles of
ground without halting to eat or rest: nothing less, however, than regard
for "dear life" can engender such activity. Generally two or three hours'
work per diem is considered sufficient; and, where provisions abound,
halts are long and frequent.
[2] The Mikahil is a clan of the Habr Awal tribe living near Berberah, and
celebrated for their bloodthirsty and butchering propensities. Many of the
Midgan or serviles (a term explained in Chap. II.) are domesticated
amongst them.
[3] So the Abyssinian chief informed M. Krapf that he loved the French,
but could not endure us--simply the effect of manner.
[4] The first is the name of the individual; the second is that of her
father.
[5] This delicate operation is called by the Arabs Daasah (whence the
"Dosch ceremony" at Cairo). It is used over most parts of the Eastern
world as a remedy for sickness and fatigue, and is generally preferred to
Takbis or Dugmo, the common style of shampooing, which, say many Easterns,
loosens the skin.
[6] The Somal, from habit, enjoy no other variety; they even showed
disgust at my Latakia. Tobacco is grown in some places by the Gudabirsi
and other tribes; bat it is rare and bad. Without this article it would be
impossible to progress in East Africa; every man asks for a handful, and
many will not return milk for what they expect to receive as a gift. Their
importunity reminds the traveller of the Galloway beggars some generations
ago:--"They are for the most part great chewers of tobacco, and are so
addicted to it, that they will ask for a piece thereof from a stranger as
he is riding on his way; and therefore let not a traveller want an ounce
or two of roll tobacco in his pocket, and for an inch or two thereof he
need not fear the want of a guide by day or night."
[7] Flesh boiled in large slices, sun-dried, broken to pieces and fried in
ghee.
