The Highlands of EthiopiaHarris, William Cornwallis, Sir
History
The Highlands of Ethiopia
Harris, William Cornwallis, Sir
Ethiopia -- Description and travel
The operation of greasing this wig without the aid of the barber is
original. A lump of raw fat, cut from the overgrown tail of the Berbera
sheep, having been some time masticated and mumbled, is expelled into
the hands, betwixt the palms of which it is reduced by rubbing to a
suitable consistency, and then transferred _en masse_ to the crown.
Exposure to the fierce rays of a tropical sun soon conveys the desired
nourishment to the roots of the hair. A number of jets and brilliants,
which first adorn the periwig, are presently fried into oily shreds, and
the liquid tallow, adulterated with dirt, trickling in streams adown the
swarthy visage and over the neck, exhales the most sickening of odours.
All, however, cannot afford this luxury of the toilet, nor is it every
one who can resist the temptation of swallowing the dainty morsel when
once consigned to the mouth; and hence is seen many a poll of sun-burnt
hair, in colour and consistency resembling the housemaid's cobweb broom
which is quaintly denominated "the Pope's head."
The simple costume of the Bedouin consists of a piece of checked cloth
wrapped loosely about the loins, and descending to the knees so as to
resemble a kilt or short petticoat; whilst a cotton robe is thrown over
the shoulder after the manner of the Roman toga. Miserly in
disposition, few outward ornaments grace his person, save an occasional
necklace of fat, and a few armlets and bracelets composed of potent
passages from the Koran either stitched in leather, or enveloped in
coloured thread. A thong adorned with a metal button girds to the right
hip of old and young a creese two feet in length, the wooden hilt of
which is decorated with a pewter stud, whilst the scabbard is ornamented
with an aromatic sprig, employed as a tooth-brush, and masticated for
hours together.
Three inches broad in the blade, and possessing a truly murderous crook
in the centre, the creese is doubtless a most formidable weapon at close
quarters. With it the Danakil builds his house; with it he slays the
animal, and flays the carcase. It is his sword in battle, his knife at
the table, his razor at the toilet, his hatchet, and his nail-parer. A
savage desirous of illustrating the most approved exercise, after
whetting the blade upon a stone, capers about describing a series of
flourishes and cuts, both under and over the shield, stabbing and
parrying to the right and to the left, until at length comes the last
grand touch of disembowelment, when a ripping motion is accompanied by a
bound into the air, and a howl of perfect satisfaction such as might be
conjectured to issue from the jaws of the glutted vampire.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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