first came upon the nullah it was deep and broad, with
such steep perpendicular sides that camels could not
cross it. We therefore turned suddenly northward,
and followed up its left bank till we turned its head,
which begins abruptly, and marched five miles to the
Yubbe Kraals. Had this valley been blessed with a
moderate quantity of rain, there is no doubt it would
have been available for agricultural purposes; and as
it was, there were more trees growing in the hollow
here than in any other place I had seen, and several
flocks and herds were congregated in it. Whilst travelling
to-day the interpreter narrated the circumstances
of a fight which the Warsingali had with the
Dulbahantas about ten years ago in this valley, in
which it appeared the Dulbahantas were the aggressing
party, having sent a foraging-party over their frontier
to lift some cattle. The Warsingali, seeing this, mustered
their forces and repelled the enemy; but would
not follow them up, preferring rather to tease them
into submission than to engender a bloody contest.
This they effected by exposing all their flocks and
herds to the view of the Dulbahantas on the bank of
the impassable nullah, whilst they guarded its head
and protected their flank by stationing a strong party
of warriors there. The Dulbahantas, tantalised at
this tempting yet aggravating sight, for they had not
strength enough to cope with the Warsingali in full
force, waited covetously gazing across the nullah for
some time, and then retired in such great disgust, they
have never attempted to steal again.
When once ensconced in the new camp, the Abban
came to me with an air of high importance, to
announce that we were now on the Dulbahanta frontier,
and that, if I wished to see their land, I must
allow him to precede me, and pave the way, taking
the young prince Abdullah with him to magnify the
purport of his mission, as the Dulbahantas were a terrible
and savage nation, governed, not like the War-
singalis, by an old and revered chief, but by a young
sultan whom nobody listened to. Moreover, the Dulbahantas
had sent word to say they had heard of my
marking the Warsingali country out with paper, and
would not admit me on any consideration. Besides
which, it was a custom in, the country that strangers
should ask permission to enter through the medium of
an abban, and as I had acted on that custom in the
Warsingali country, so also must I do it here.
I was kept at this station eight days, sometimes
hearing ominous announcements of the terrible Dulbahantas,
sent to frighten me by the Abban, and sometimes
amus ing myself in other and various ways. The
Dulbahantas could not conceive my motive for wishing
to travel in their land; no peddling Arab, even,
had ever ventured there, so why should I desire to
go ? Fortunately I had a good deal of employment
with my gun; for, besides gazelles, antelopes, a lynx,
florikans, and partridges, I shot many very beautiful
little honey-birds, as well as other small birds. Of
these former the most beautiful was the Nectarinia
Habessinica. It has an exceedingly gaudy plumage,