Surrounded by the myrmidons who collect the royal dues, Ayto Kálama Work was every Friday morning to be seen seated beneath the scanty1 shelter of an ancient acacia, which throws its withered2 arms over the centre of the market-place. On this day alone are purchases to be made, and the inhabitants of the adjacent villages pouring from all quarters to lay in their weekly supplies, a scene of unusual bustle3 and confusion animates4 this otherwise most quiet and uninteresting location.
Shortly after daybreak, wares6 of every description are displayed under the canopy7 of heaven, and crowds of both sexes flocking to the stall of the vendor8, the din9 of human voices is presently at its height. Honey, cotton, grain, and other articles of consumption, the produce of the estate of the Amhára farmer, are exposed for sale or barter10. The Dankáli merchant exhibits his gay assortment11 of beads12, metals, coloured thread, and glass ware5. The wild Galla squats13 beside the produce of his flocks, and the Moslem14 trader from the interior displays ostrich15 feathers, or some other article of curiosity from the distant tribe. Bales of cotton cloth, and bags of coffee from Cáffa and Enárea, are strewed16 in every direction. Horses and mules17 in numbers are shown off among the crowd to increase the turmoil19; nor is even the wandering Hebrew wanting to complete the scene of traffic, haggling20, and barter, which continues, without intermission, until a late hour in the afternoon, when the village relapses again into its wonted six days of quiet and repose21.
Swathed and folded in dirty cotton cloth, behold22 in the cultivator of the soil the original of the Egyptian mummy. Greasy23 and offensive in person and in habits, he moves cringingly to pay his tax to the governor of the fair, who sits in conscious dignity upon a stone; and prostrating24 himself with shoulders bared among the mud, the serf hands forth25 the measure of grain from the leathern scrip, or scoops26 out the prescribed meed of butter from the jar—the vassal27 token of permission enjoyed to earn his bread by the unceasing hand of labour. No spark of intelligence illumines his dull features; not a trace of independence can be discovered in his slouching gait; and the cumbrous robe with which he is invested would indeed seem far better adapted for the quiet resting-place in the tomb, than for the bustling28 avocations29 of stirring life.
Here swaggers a valiant30 gun-man of the king’s matchlock guard. The jealousy31 of the monarch32 forbids the removal of the primitive33 weapon from the royal presence, but the white herkoom feather floats in all the pride of blood over clotted34 tufts moist with the beloved grease; and the dark scowl35 and the lowering brow betoken36 the reckless cruelty which stains the character of the band. But the man is a poor slave, and his degraded state has entirely37 destroyed the few traits of humanity which might have smiled upon his nativity.
The surly Ada?el brushes past in insolent38 indifference39 to examine the female slaves in the wicker hut of the rover from the south. His murderous creese ensures from the bystanders a high respect, which frequent disasters in the low country has riveted40 on the heart of the Amhára; and men turn in wonder to gaze upon the mortal who entertaineth not a slavish adoration41 for the great monarch of Shoa.
Squatted42 beside his foreign wares and glittering beads, see the wily huckster of Hurrur, with his turban and blue-checked kilt. His dealings, it is true, are of no very extensive amount, and salt, not silver, is the medium of exchange; but there is still room for the exercise of his knavery43. The countenance44 both of buyer and seller exhibits an anxious and business-like expression, and the same noise and confusion prevails regarding an extra twopence-halfpenny, as if the transaction involved a shower of golden guineas.
The Christian45 women flit through the busy fair with eggs and poultry46, and other produce of the farm. Their ill-favoured features are not improved either by the eradication47 of the eyebrow48, or by the bare shaven crown dripping with rancid butter; and the dirty persons of all are invariably shrouded49 in yet dirtier habiliments, from the tall masculine damsel of sixteen summers, to the decrepit50 and wrinkled hag who in cracked notes proclaims ever and anon, “amole alliche bir,” “salt to sell for silver.”
The free and stately mien51 of the oriental female, and the light graceful52 garment of the east, are alike wanting. The heavy load is tied as upon the back of the pack-horse, and the bent53 and broken figure of the Amhára dame54 is debarred by the severe law of the despot from the decoration of finery or costly55 ornament56. A huge bee-hive-shaped wig57, elaborately curled and frosted, and massive pewter buttons thrust through the lobe58 of the ear, constitute her only pride; and nature, alas59! has too often withheld60 even the smallest portion of those feminine attractions which in other climes form the charm of her sex.
The inhabitants of Argóbba or Efát, under the control of the sinister61 eye of the Wulásma, are followers62 of the false Prophet, and speak a distinct language. Little difference, however, is observable in the external appearance of the males from that of the Amhára subject of the empire; and it is not until the removal of the muffling63 cloth that the rosary of bright-spotted beads is displayed in lieu of the dark blue emblem64 of Christianity worn throughout Ethiopia. The women, on the other hand, are at once recognisable, no less by their Arab gypsy features, than by their long braided tresses streaming ever the shoulder, the ample smock of red cloth, dyed purple with accumulated lard, and the nunlike65 hood66 of the same material, buttoned close under the chin.
Fairer, more slender, and better favoured than their coarse Christian sisters of the more alpine67 regions, they are still scarcely less greasy and unattractive. Loaded with amulets68 and beads, their belief is proclaimed by the oft-repeated exclamation69, “Hamdu-lillah!” “Praise be unto Allah!”—the courteous70 interrogatories of every passer-by, anent health, rest, and welfare, being by the burly and masculine ladies of Shoa, responded by the words “Egzia behere maskin!” “Thanks be unto God!” Unrestricted by harem law they fidget about in every direction, their great sparkling eyes peering through a mass of coal-black hair, half concealed71 by the crimson72 cowl, and the large shining necklace of amber73 reaching nearly to the waist. But the hideous74 sack chemise veils every feature of figure and personal beauty, and the naked hands and feet are alone exhibited, both rather misshapen from hard work and undue75 exposure to the climate.
The crowd makes way for a great Christian governor, probably from some distant province near the Nile. He is surrounded by a boisterous76 host of armed attendants, and, like them, paddles with unshod feet through the stiff black mire77. The capacious stomach, and the bright silver sword with tulip scabbard, betoken high honour and command. An ambling78 mule18 tricked out in brass79 jingles80 and chains follows in his path; a long taper81 wand towers above his shoulder; and his portly figure is completely shrouded in the folds of a cotton robe, bedecked from end to end with broad crimson stripes. The garment might be improved by ablution; but repose upon the hide of a bullock is no aid to purity of apparel, and it is white in comparison with those of his unwashed retinue82.
The arrangement of his hair has occupied the entire morning, and the steam of the fetid butter, which glistens83 among the minute curls, pervades84 the entire atmosphere. Muffled85 high above the chin, the eyes and nose of the functionary86 are alone submitted to the vulgar gaze, and as he halts for a moment to wonder at the unwonted sight of the Gyptzi strangers, the bloodshot eye betrays the midnight debauch87, and the wrinkles of his turned-up nose, the scorn of the savage88 at the difference of costume and complexion89. Approaching the acacia his shoulders are temporarily bared to the pompous90 dignitary presiding over the fair, who rising to receive him, returns the compliment, and there ensues a tissue of inquiries91 unknown even to the code of Chesterfield. Cantering over the tiny plain—a scanty level of an hundred yards—the wild Galla enters the scene of confusion, his long tresses streaming in the wind, and his garment blue with the grease of ages. A jar of honey, or a basket of butter, is lashed92 to the crupper of his high-peaked saddle; the steed is lean and shaggy as the rider, and the snort and the start from either proclaim undefined terror and amazement93 at the strange sights, and the rugged94 rocks and precipices95, unknown to the boundless96 meadows of their own green land.
Dandies there are none, in aught of outward appearance, for the arrangement of the hair is the only latitude97 allowed to the invention of the would-be fop. The cotton cloth in every degree of impurity98, floats over the swart shoulder both of noble and of serf. Bare heads and naked feet are the property of all, and the possession of the spear and shield alone marks the difference of rank. The chief scorns to carry a weapon except during the foray or the fight, whereas his followers never leave the threshold of their rude dwellings99, without the lance in their hand, and buckler on their arm.
The terror and abhorrence100 in which the low country and its attendant dangers are held by the Abyssinian population, have placed nearly the entire trade of Alio Amba in the hands of the Danákil, who are treated by the monarch of Shoa with all deference101 and respect. Caravans102 arrive every month during the fair season from Aussa and Tajúra, and the traffic, considering the manifold drawbacks, may be said to be brisk and profitable. Numbers of foreign merchants, those of Hurrur especially, whilst disposing of their goods, hold their temporary residence at the market-town, the climate of which, many degrees warmer than the cold summit of the range which towers two thousand feet above, proves far more congenial to their taste and habits.
With the proceeds of foreign imported merchandise, human beings kidnapped in the interior countries of Africa are purchased in the adjacent slave mart of Abd el Russool. These wretched victims are then taken through the Amhára province of Giddem to the Wollo and Argóbba frontiers, some five days’ journey to the north, and resold at a profit of fifty per cent,—the sums realised being there invested in amoles, or blocks of black salt, the size of a mower’s whetstone. Obtained between Agámê and the country of the Dankáli, from a salt plain which not only supplies all the Abyssinian markets, but many also far in the interior of Africa, they pass as a currency, and, being bought on the frontier at the rate of twenty-five for a German crown, are retailed103 in Alio Amba at a profitable exchange. A large investment of slaves is finally purchased with the wealth thus laboriously104 amassed105, and the merchant returns to his native country to traffic in human flesh at the sea-ports of Zeyla and Berbera, or on the opposite coast of Arabia—anon to revisit Shoa with a fresh invoice106 of marketable wares.
Ever ravaged107 by war and violence, the unexplored regions of the interior pour forth a continual supply of ill-starred victims of all ages to feed the demand, and the hebdomadal parade in the market-place under the ruthless Moslem monsters by whom they are imported, is sufficiently108 harrowing to those unaccustomed to such revolting spectacles. Examined like cattle by the purchaser, the sullen109 Shankala fetches a price proportioned to the muscular appearance of his giant frame; and the child of tender years is valued according to the promise of future development. Even the shamefaced and slenderly-clad maiden110 is subjected to every indignity111, whilst the price of her charms is estimated according to the regularity112 of her features, the symmetry of her budding form, and the luxuriance of her braided locks; and when the silver has rung in confirmation113 of the bargain, the last tie is dissolved which could hold in any restraint the appetite of her savage possessor.
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1
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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2
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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3
bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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animates
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| v.使有生气( animate的第三人称单数 )；驱动；使栩栩如生地动作；赋予…以生命 | |
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ware
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| n.(常用复数)商品，货物 | |
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wares
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| n. 货物, 商品 | |
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canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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vendor
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| n.卖主；小贩 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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barter
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| n.物物交换，以货易货，实物交易 | |
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assortment
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| n.分类，各色俱备之物，聚集 | |
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12
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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13
squats
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| n.蹲坐，蹲姿( squat的名词复数 )；被擅自占用的建筑物v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的第三人称单数 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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14
Moslem
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| n.回教徒，穆罕默德信徒；adj.回教徒的，回教的 | |
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ostrich
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| n.鸵鸟 | |
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strewed
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| v.撒在…上( strew的过去式和过去分词 )；散落于；点缀；撒满 | |
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mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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20
haggling
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| v.讨价还价( haggle的现在分词 ) | |
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21
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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greasy
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| adj. 多脂的，油脂的 | |
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24
prostrating
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| v.使俯伏，使拜倒( prostrate的现在分词 )；（指疾病、天气等）使某人无能为力 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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26
scoops
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| n.小铲( scoop的名词复数 )；小勺；一勺[铲]之量；（抢先刊载、播出的）独家新闻v.抢先报道( scoop的第三人称单数 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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vassal
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| n.附庸的；属下；adj.奴仆的 | |
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bustling
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| adj.喧闹的 | |
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29
avocations
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| n.业余爱好，嗜好( avocation的名词复数 )；职业 | |
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30
valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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32
monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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33
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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34
clotted
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| adj.凝结的v.凝固( clot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35
scowl
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| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
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36
betoken
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| v.预示 | |
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37
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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38
insolent
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| adj.傲慢的，无理的 | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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40
riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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41
adoration
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| n.爱慕，崇拜 | |
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42
squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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43
knavery
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| n.恶行，欺诈的行为 | |
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44
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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45
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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46
poultry
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| n.家禽，禽肉 | |
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47
eradication
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| n.根除 | |
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48
eyebrow
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| n.眉毛，眉 | |
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49
shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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50
decrepit
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| adj.衰老的，破旧的 | |
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51
mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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52
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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53
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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54
dame
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| n.女士 | |
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55
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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56
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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57
wig
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| n.假发 | |
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58
lobe
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| n.耳垂，（肺，肝等的）叶 | |
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59
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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60
withheld
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| withhold过去式及过去分词 | |
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61
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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62
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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63
muffling
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| v.压抑，捂住( muffle的现在分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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64
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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65
nunlike
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| adj.太阳似的，非常明亮的，辉煌的 | |
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66
hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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67
alpine
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| adj.高山的；n.高山植物 | |
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68
amulets
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| n.护身符( amulet的名词复数 ) | |
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69
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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70
courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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71
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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72
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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73
amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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74
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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75
undue
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| adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的 | |
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boisterous
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| adj.喧闹的，欢闹的 | |
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77
mire
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| n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境 | |
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78
ambling
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| v.（马）缓行( amble的现在分词 )；从容地走，漫步 | |
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79
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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80
jingles
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| 叮当声( jingle的名词复数 )； 节拍十分规则的简单诗歌 | |
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81
taper
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| n.小蜡烛，尖细，渐弱；adj.尖细的；v.逐渐变小 | |
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82
retinue
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| n.侍从；随员 | |
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83
glistens
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的第三人称单数 ) | |
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84
pervades
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的第三人称单数 ) | |
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85
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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86
functionary
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| n.官员；公职人员 | |
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87
debauch
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| v.使堕落，放纵 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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pompous
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的 | |
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91
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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92
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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93
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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94
rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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96
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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impurity
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| n.不洁，不纯，杂质 | |
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99
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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100
abhorrence
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| n.憎恶；可憎恶的事 | |
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101
deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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102
caravans
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| （可供居住的）拖车（通常由机动车拖行）( caravan的名词复数 )； 篷车； （穿过沙漠地带的）旅行队（如商队） | |
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103
retailed
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| vt.零售（retail的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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laboriously
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| adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地 | |
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amassed
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| v.积累，积聚( amass的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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invoice
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| vt.开发票；n.发票，装货清单 | |
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107
ravaged
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| 毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫 | |
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108
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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109
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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110
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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111
indignity
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| n.侮辱，伤害尊严，轻蔑 | |
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112
regularity
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| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
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113
confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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