Part 11 of 16: Yejju - At the Court of Ras Woly

We went about a mile further than the market-place and camped just outside a small hamlet, on one of the greenest lawns, surrounded by irrigation channels about six feet broad by three feet deep, full of the most lovely clear water.

On coming down from the highlands I had discarded my overcoat, then my thick tweed jacket, and arrived in camp in my shirt sleeves. The Somalis were delighted with the change, as the last few days had been most trying and they suffered a great deal from the snow, sleet, and hail. The two former they had never seen in their own country.

THE BOUNTIFUL VILLAGE
The village produced everything that man wants in this world: tobacco of excellent quality, bananas, limes, oranges, cotton, coffee, sugar cane, potatoes, vegetables of all sorts, red peppers, onions, garlic, wheat, barley, indian corn, dhurra, tef and other grains, beans, peas, shipti plant for soap, plenty of milk and butter, oxen, sheep, chickens, and everything in abundance, and at absurdly cheap prices, also the most delicious white honey for which the district is famed.

What a peaceful, nice country Yejju seems to be, with a splendid climate, splendid scenery, splendid vegetation, and a bountiful supply of everything that man can want...

MERTA
After leaving our camp near Geshobar Abo church, our march was down the valley. Waldea, the chief town of Yejju, is about three miles off the road to the east, which we did not go into and pushed on to Mokareet, so as to make a short march into Merta next morning, where Ras Woly had his headquarters.

Just before arriving at Merta we saw a crowd of soldiers at a church on the top of a hill, and found out that the Ras was at a church saying his prayers, as it was a saint's day, I believe St. Deny's, but why he should be celebrated in this country I could not learn, and what he was famous for I have no idea.

I waited at the foot of the hill until the Ras came down, and went forward to meet him, when the fine mule on which he was riding, turned round and would not face me. The Ras dismounted and we shook hands, and he laughingly said that neither his mule nor he had seen an Englishman before, but he hoped that they would both know more of them in the future.

FORTIFIED POSITIONS
We encamped on a nice green about two hundred yards from the gates of the fortified hill on which the Ras has his dwelling and store houses. A small isolated hill is generally chosen to build on, as they are easier defended. A thorn zareba is generally placed all round, strengthened with a stout upright palisade, and to each pole is attached another projecting at about an angle of 30 degrees. The under part is protected by thorns, so the fence is perfectly unclimbable.

The interior of the palisade is supported by a wall of turf about five feet thick and four feet high, so that two rows of soldiers with rifles can defend it. A second line of palisades strengthened by a ditch is constructed halfway up the hill, and the top of the hill is crowned by houses belonging to the Ras.

These fortified positions are quite strong enough to repel any attack made by the people from the low country or any attack against soldiers armed only with rifles, but being so exposed, they could not stand up against artillery. There are many of these posts all through Yejju...

RAS WULIE
Ras Woly told me that Yejju was entirely self-supporting, and required nothing from any other country but firearms and cartridges. They grew their own cotton, dyed it, and manufactured it, they tanned the hides and skins that they required; they smelted their own iron for making spears, swords, knives, and agricultural instruments, they made their own pottery, and they had every grain and oil seed that was required.

They had never suffered from starvation, and they grew more food than they knew what to do with, and raised more cattle than required for local consumption.

The Ras seems to be very popular, and governs the country very well, the taxation being a trifle over ten per cent in kind, which compares very favourably to the much higher taxation in the north. The consequence is that a great many northern Christians have come to settle in the province, and spare land is always being taken up. Everyone is obliged to put a certain amount of ground under coffee, so no doubt in a few years, the revenue will be greatly increased. He was very interested in coffee cultivation.

His interest in everything English was unbounded, and Schimper had to sit up late at night with him explaining Whitaker's Almanac; the figures it contains as to banking, revenue, and commercial statistics seem to them to be perfectly fabulous. They all seem to be highly indignant that so little notice is taken of Abyssinia, but they were nearly all delighted that they were mentioned amongst the Christians of the world.

ELEPHANTS
Elephants from the low country sometimes visit Yejju, and the Ras showed me a pair of very fine tusks from one that he had killed within a few miles of Waldea about two months before.

I was quite sorry to leave lovely Merta with its charming ruler, he had been so kind to me and given me everything I could want. We got away from Merta on Sunday, the 25th of October. The Ras rode past on his way to church, and asked me to send my luggage on and have breakfast with him on his return from praying.

He gave us a first rate breakfast and asked if I wanted any quinine, and gave me half an ounce out of his stock. He had every English sort of medicine that was any good, and also a great many Italian ones that he had procured at the battle of Adowa, but he did not know the use of them. Schimper had to write their names in Abyssinian on the labels and what they were for, and the dose for an adult. The Ras laughingly said it would be a good thing as there was now less chance of his poisoning some one or perhaps himself...

The road from Aleka Egsow to Meli valley alters considerably as an intervening ridge of high hills separates the waters of the Golima from that of the Meli. About halfway, a very large forest of sycamore fig trees is reached; this collection of giant trees is most superb. In many places no vestige of sun ever penetrates through the foliage and the undergrowth is thick and nearly impossible to penetrate.

After this forest is passed, Ras Woly's territory ceases, and the district of Witchali- Melaki is entered, belonging to Ras Michael, whom I saw a great deal of at Adowa in 1884. He was an adopted son of King Johannes, and commanded the Oromo troops at that time, who formed the King's escort.

THE PEASANT AND THE LITTLE GIRL'S PET GOAT
While riding quietly along with my syce, a peasant armed with a lance came in front of me, stopped my mule and threw himself on the ground and commenced to cry. He asked me why did my servants steal, and why I robbed poor people. I was of course very indignant, and said that neither I nor any of my servants did anything of the sort. On enquiry, I found that our escort had stolen a favourite goat belonging to the man's children and had said it was for me.

The two soldiers that had stolen the goat came up with it dragging it along. I made them undo the string, and on the peasant calling the goat, it immediately ran up to him and put its fore feet on his chest, and began bleating. There could be no doubt of the ownership, and the animal being a pet.

I asked for punishment of the soldiers, which Hailou refused, so I had a letter written to Ras Woly. To the peasant I gave a couple of coloured handkerchiefs for his wife, and he returned as pleased as possible, the goat gamboling round him.

We encamped shortly after this, and in the evening the peasant came back to see me with a big jar of fresh milk and some eggs, and brought his pretty little girl about seven years old to see the Englishman who did not steal her goat.

This man lived about eight miles further back on the road, so he had a sixteen mile walk just to bring me a little offering for returning him his own property, wrongfully taken away. I could give many instances of how grateful the peasantry are when they are treated only fairly...

The quarrels between the peasantry and Hailou were a daily occurrence, but they did not hurt me in the least, and I only laughed when they got the worst of it. Our marches were nearly always off the main road to distant villages in order to get supplies for the escort. The chief towns, however, we had to visit, and we had also to pass the different posts where customs dues are levied, as no one is allowed to take other paths unless provided with a special pass.

GOLVO
Our camping place was at the head waters of the Meli river, not far from a very pretty little lake. The lake takes its name from the village of Golvo, perched on a small isolated table-land. Above the village green is a Mohamedan cemetery, and from one side of it there is a sheer drop to the lake of over 300 feet.

Sitting on this cliff a very pretty view is obtained of the lake and its surroundings; several springs are situated on the side nearest the mountains to the east. These run across the flat for about forty yards and then enter the lake. The lawn that these springs water is a beautiful vivid green, then a small shore of white sand and then a margin of shallow water, and then the dark indigo blue of the deep water.

We had a beautiful morning. As the escort did not turn up from the village, I started without them after writing a letter to Ras Michael to say I was coming and could I visit him. I had an idea I should meet him at Boru Meida, one of the chief towns of his governate.

REUNION
We followed the main road, and came across some soldiers going south to meet some of the wounded. One of them was the brother of the youth with one leg who has been with us since Macalle, and whom I have done all I can for.

As he was just behind me, I waited to see the meeting, and I thought they would never have done kissing each other. The elder brother was crying at seeing his younger brother with only one leg...

BORU MEIDA
Boru Meida market is held every Saturday, and it is a very large one and there are several resident Moslem and Christian merchants who buy up the small parcels of coffee and beeswax brought in by the peasants from the surrounding country, and the ostrich feathers and eggs and sometimes a little ivory brought from the Danakil country.

I here received a letter from Ras Michael saying how sorry he was not to have seen me, and that he had expected me a week before, but as I had not arrived, he had to leave for the Magdala district on business. The establishment belonging to Ras Michael is exactly the same as that belonging to Ras Woly, but the hill on which it is placed is more rugged and better fortified.

OPIUM
At the village of Velan I saw the only garden of poppies that I have come across in Abyssinia. The man whom it belonged to was a bit of a native doctor and used the heads as medicine, but I could get nothing out of him how he originally got the poppy or what he used it for. These were his secrets and he was not inclined to give himself away by being communicative.

ADIS AMBA
At Adis Amba, the district of Dedjatch Imma, the country begins to improve. Dedjatch Imma was away on business, but as soon as I got to his house, his people sent away a messenger to say I had arrived.

At an early hour I sent my luggage on, and waited for Dedjatch Imma, who had sent me a message to say he was returning. While waiting for him, I saw five Italian prisoners, who were all walking arm and arm, and singing, and seemed thoroughly happy. They seemed surprised to see a European, and they had a long chat with me.

They had no complaints to make, except that they had little or nothing to do. They spoke most highly of Dedjatch Imma, who gave them as much to eat and drink as they possibly could want. They were all smoking native grown tobacco, and their clothes were made out of native-made cloth. One had his helmet left, the others had country straw hats covered with long tail feathers from the cocks they had eaten. I took their names and reported them as well.

Soon after, Dedjatch Imma rode up, and he immediately asked me if I thought his prisoners looked well, and he said he intended if he could to make them as fat as he was. The Dedjatch was an immensely stout big man, over six feet four inches and weighs, I should think, considerably over 20 stone. He was about 45 years old, and had a most merry looking face. He said he was hungry and immediately ordered breakfast, inviting Schimper and I to it.

A soon as the food was taken he asked me with a broad smile on his face, whether I considered him too fat to fight, as the king said he was, and would not let him go to the wars. There was no doubt that very few of the horses in the country could carry him, so I tod him he ought to ride an elephant, which pleased him greatly.

He seemed a charming man, and like very big fat giants, very good tempered. He had begged to have some Italian prisoners to take care of, and he had done everything possible for them.

Next:
Part 13: South Wello - Woro Eilu
"What struck me most were the large piles of black wool rugs and tent materials besides the black wool overcoats and capes that are manufactured in the neighborhood... " ”