Like nearly all places within the tropics, beyond the
equatorial rainy zone, this country is visited by regular
monsoons, or seasons in which the winds prevail constantly
in one direction; consequently vessels can only
come into the harbours of the northern coast when the
sun is in the south, or during five months of the year,
from the 15th November to the 15th April, to trade
with the people; and then the Somali bring the products
of their country, such as sheep, cows, ghee, mats made
by the women from certain grasses and the Daum
palm, ostrich feathers, and hides, and settle on the coast
to exchange them in barter with the outer merchants,
such as Arabs and men from Cutch, who bring thither
cloths, dates, rice, beads, and iron for that purpose.
Of all the trading places on the coast, the most important
is Berbera; it is, in fact, the great emporium
of Somali land, and we must call the reader’s particular
attention to it, since it forms the chief point of
interest in these pages. I t is on the same meridian as
Aden, and only divided from it by the gulf of that
name. Although it is of such great importance, it is
only inhabited during the five months of the favourable
monsoon, when great caravans come up from the
rich provinces which lie to its south and south-west,
the principal ones being those from Ugahden and
Harar.
Having now given a general sketch of the country,
we shall enter upon the objects of the expedition. I t
was obvious, by the lay of the land, that the richest
and most interesting part of the country must be that
which lies between the Jub and Webbe Shebdli rivers,
and it was the most accessible to inspection, as large
and powerful caravans, travelling southwards through
Ugahden, much frequent it. Seeing this, Lieutenant
Burton conceived the idea of waiting until the breaking
up of the Berbera fair, when the caravans disperse
to their homes, to travel by the ordinary caravan route,
through the Ugahden country to the Webbe Shebbli,
and on to G-ananah, and then to proceed further by
any favourable opportunity to the Zanzibar coast.
It was now, however, early October, and fully five
months must elapse ere we could finally enter on our
march. In the mean time, Lieutenant Burton, desirous
of becoming acquainted as far as possible with the
habits of the people we were destined to travel amongst,
as well as the nature of the country and the modes
of travelling in this terra incognita, determined on
making an experimental tour to Harar, a place which
had never been entered by any European, and was
said to be inaccessible to them. Harar, as I have said
before, sends caravans annually to the Berbera fair,
and therefore comes within the influence of British
power. Taking advantage of this, Lieutenant Burton
ordered Heme to go to Berbera whilst he was on this
expedition, to keep up a diversion in his favour, arming
him with instructions, that in case he was detained
in Harar by the Amir of that place, Herne might detain
their caravan as a ransom for the release of his
party.
Further, to obtain more accurate knowledge con