The Highlands of EthiopiaHarris, William Cornwallis, Sir
History
The Highlands of Ethiopia
Harris, William Cornwallis, Sir
Ethiopia -- Description and travel
Education, to the extent of spelling the Koran, is general, and all
speak Arabic as well as Dankali; the lore of the most learned being
however restricted to a smattering of the holy book, with a very
confused idea of numerals, and ability to endite a scraggy Arabic
letter, which, when completed with infinite labour, the writer is often
puzzled to decipher. To the immortal honour of the Sultan be it here
recorded, that although the oldest male inhabitant of Tajura, he is a
solitary instance of non-acquaintance with the alphabet. The swarthy
cheek of every urchin who distinguishes himself by diligence or
quickness, receives in token thereof, a dash of white chalk, a black
streak in like manner disgracing the idle and stupid; but the pedagogue
would appear to omit the residue of this oriental custom--the stuffing
the mouths of the well-behaved with sugar-candy, which would doubtless
prove a source of much greater enjoyment.
In the evening the ingenuous youth of the town, each armed with a creese
in case of quarrel, convene in numbers on the common, to play a game
which combines hockey and football; the residue of their time being
spent in angling, when the juvenile Walton stands up to the chin in the
salt sea, and employing his head as a substitute for the reel, spins out
a dozen yards of line in a truly fisherman-like manner. Numbers spent
the period of their relaxation from study in gaping with the adults at
the door of the pavilion, whilst the magic effect of the magnet was
exhibited, or fire produced from the human mouth by means of a
promethean, here emphatically denominated "the devil."
The softer sex of Tajura, whilst young, possess a tolerable share of
comeliness, and a pleasing expression withal; but they are speedily past
the meridian of beauty. A close blue chemise, a plain leathern
petticoat, or a cloth reaching to the ankles, and a liberal coat of lard
over extravagantly braided ringlets, which are knotted with white beads,
form the toilet of maid, wife, and widow. An occasional necklace of
coloured beads falling over the sable bosom, a pendant of brass or
silver wire of no ordinary dimensions in the ear, and large ivory
bracelets or anklets, proclaim the besetting foible of the sex: but
ornaments are by no means general. Mohammadan jealousy tends to the
seclusion of the better order of females to a certain extent; but a
marriage in high life, when the procession passed close to the
encampment, afforded an opportunity not always enjoyed, of beholding the
beauty and fashion of the place. The matrimonial shackles are here
easily loosed; and the greater portion of the population being deeply
engaged in the slave trade with the interior, have their rude houses
filled with temporary wives, who are from time to time unceremoniously
shipped for the Arabian market, in order that the funds accruing from
the sale of their persons may be invested in new purchases.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account