Zanzibar and the East Coast of Africa [pp. 70-87]

1887.1 Zanzibar and the ~ast Coast of Afrt'ca 85
happened to open a work on Natural History entered it he was so amazed and seemingly
that lay on the table, and there to my great stricken with fear at my appearance-I was
surprise I found a delineation on the page the first white man he had ever seen-that
before me, of an animal identical with the his first impulse was to seize his spear, which
one I had shot; which, as it appeared, was was leaning against a corner of the hut, and
killed by a Gem~an not far from the same he would have thrust it through me had he
place. In that work it was called an orang- not been withheld by his Somali companoutang.) Unfortunately, I was deprived of ions, who are somewhat less savage-althe opportunity of securing the skin of the though I question whether any of them were
creature-which at that tirne would have accustomed to the sight of Europeans. We
produced a great sensation in England-for soon, however, became great friends, as I
the wild Galla, hearing the firing, came presented him with some tobacco, which
rushing out of the brush, several hundred in was a great and novel treat to him. He
number, and we were only too glad to get was a splendid young fellow, dressed in the
to our boat in safety, out of reach of their scantiest of costumes; and after some prespears. A fight would, of course, have liminary conversation, carried on first in
ended in the annihilation of our little party, Portuguese with my renegade interpreter,
however many of the savages we might have then in Somali (a language well known all
killed with our guns; for my blacks were along what I may call the Zanzibar portion
not much skilled in the use of fire-arms- of the coast) with the Somali, and lastly by
and although I bought a Colt's repeating the latter in the Galla tongue, he intimated
rifle a year or two afterwards from the Cap- to me that if I would shave his head and
tain of an American vessel, breech4oaders pare his nails he would perform the same
were unknown at that time. operation for me, and we should then be
These Galla are men of splendid physique, sworn brothers, and I could accompany him
somewhat akin to the Abyssinians, copper into his country without any harm befalling
or chocolate-colored, with regular features, me, although no strangers, excepting the
but woolly hair. They have herds of cat- Somali, were allowed to enter it under pentIe, and roam over a vast extent of country alty of death. It may readily be imagined
from a line to the south of the Juba till they that, although closely shaven heads might
meet the Somali, some distance to the unite the Galla in bonds of friendship, it
south of Cape Guardafui. The more south- did not quite suit my purpose to allow mine
erly the tribes, the more savage they are to be divested of its natural covering; nor
said to be; but those that approach the should I in any case have felt very comfortfrontiers of Abyssinia have a certain degree able had I trusted myself within the reach
of quasi-civilization, and many are to be of a razor in the hands of a savage who had
found in that country itself. Like the In- so recently manifested hostile intentions.
dians of this continent, the southern tribes His proposal was therefore declined with
use as ornaments or trophies the human thanks, and met by one on my side that we
spoils of their slain enemies; but instead of should eat and drink together, as this consuspending scalps in their huts, or attach- stituted a bond of fellowship amongst white
ing them to their spears, the Galla wear men. This he accepted, and demolished
dried noses, ears, and so forth as necklaces. some of my provisions in my company. A
I saw only one of these savages at very close place of rendezvous was then fixed with him
quarters. He was in a Somali hut on one and a few of his countrymen, whom he
of the Dundas i~lands, (of which the Somali was to bring with him for the following day,
are the principal inhabitants); and when I at an isolated clump of trees on the plain.