the galla nation.

abyssinia had long maintained her glory unsullied under an ancient line of emperors, until, in the sixteenth century, the ambitious and formidable graan, at the head of a whole nation of moslem barbarians, burst over the frontier, and dashed into atoms the structure of two thousand five hundred years. defended by hireling swords, which, in a series of sanguinary conflicts, wrested the victorious wreath from the brow of the invader, and since supported rather by the memory of departed greatness than by actual strength, small portions of the once vast empire have struggled on, the shadow only of imperial dignity. but the glory had departed from the house of ethiop, her power had been prostrated before the mighty conqueror, and his wild band; and the galla hordes, pouring into the richest provinces, from southern central africa, re-erected heathen shrines during the reign of anarchy, and rose and flourished on her ruins.

the history of these african tartars is, however, veiled in the deepest obscurity. under the title of oroma, they trace their origin to three sisters, daughters of jerusalem, to whom are applied traditions similar to the scriptural chronicle of the descendants of lot. in their own language, the word “galla” signifies ingressi; and of themselves they affirm that wolláboo, their father, came from beyond bargámo, “the great water;” and that his children were nine—aroosi, karaiyo, jillé, abitchu, ghelán, wóberi, metta, gumbitchu, and betcho-fugook—from whose loins have sprung the innumerable clans or houses which now people the greater portion of intra-tropical africa. but by the moslem bigots, who form the chief curse of ethiopia, it is said that the term by which the nation is recognised was applied to the ilma oroma, or seed of oroma, by the prophet himself, who, on sending to summon wolláboo to become a proselyte to the true faith, received a direct refusal. “gal la,” “he said no,” reported the unsuccessful messenger on his return. “let this then be the denomination of the infidels in future,” exclaimed the arch impostor, “since they will not receive the celestial revelations made to me through the angel gabriel.”

but whatever may be the origin of the heathen invaders, it is certain that, as a martial people, they have greatly degenerated from their ancestors. under one head, they overran the fairest provinces of ethiopia; and had they remained united, they might, with equal ease, have completed the conquest of the greater portion of the african continent. relaxing, however, in their common cause against the christians, the tribes soon began to contest among each other for the possession of the newly-acquired territory. intestine feuds and dissensions neutralised their giant power; and the weakness and disorganisation by which the majority are now characterised is to be ascribed to the fact of there being no paramount chief.

roving in his native pastures, where his manners are unadulterated by the semi-civilisation of abyssinia, the equestrian galla is an object worthy the pencil of carle vernet or pinelli. tall and athletic, his manly figure is enveloped in a toga, such as graced the sons of ancient rome, and his savage, wild, and fiery features, are rendered still more ferocious by thick bushy hair arranged either in large lotus-leaved compartments, or streaming over the shoulders in long raven plaits. but grease and filth form his delight; and he sparkles under a liberal coat of the much-loved butter, which is unsparingly applied when proceeding to the perpetration of the most dastardly and inhuman deeds. accoutred with spear, sword, and buckler, and wedded to the rude saddle, whereof he would seem to form a part, the pagan scours fearlessly over the grassy savannas which he has usurped from the christian, and is engaged in perpetual desultory strife with all his border neighbours.

possessing the finest breed of horses in ethiopia, and wealthy both in flocks and herds, which roam over boundless meadows smiling with clover, trefoil, and buttercups, this pastoral people devote their time equally to agricultural pursuits, and herein they are aided by a delightful climate, and by a luxuriant, well-watered soil. whilst the women tend the sheep and oxen in the field, and manage the hives of bees, the men plough, sow, and reap, presenting in this respect a striking contrast to their indolent lowland neighbours, the ada?el, whom they rival in barbarous ferocity, in treachery, and in savage propensities. rich and verdant valleys, the glory of the mountains, and the pride of the proprietors, flourish with the most luxuriant crops, which are but too frequently swept from off the land by the sudden burst of war. often is the cup of hope dashed from the lips when the enjoyment of the contents is deemed most certain; and the mangled corse of the husbandman is left on the borders of the very field of which he was garnering in the ripe corn.

nor are the female portion of the galla population less eminent in the equestrian art than their warlike lords, whose steeds it is their business to tend and saddle for the foray. distinguished for their beauty among the dark daughters of africa, their fine figures are slenderly attired in a short leathern petticoat, embroidered with a flounce of white cowrie shells, and clasped around the waist by a zone of coloured beads. a flowing cotton robe completes the toilet of the wealthy; and the time of all is equally devoted to the braiding an infinity of minute tresses, which fall over the shoulders after the manner of the ancient egyptians. but their garments and their persons are unsparingly anointed with lard and butter; and the romance that might otherwise attach to their native charms cannot fail to be dispelled on near approach.

the conically thatched cabins of the galla are grouped in rural clusters, and uniformly surrounded by a stone wall as a precaution against surprise. the hamlet is often concealed by a dark forest of juniper overhanging the deep ravine, whose ever foaming torrent fertilises the adjacent pastures. bees form a portion of the wealth of every family, and the flower-clothed meads, fostered by an italian sky, are covered with them. the same whimsical customs which have been generally practised since the days of virgil are here extant. the same confused clamour is raised to induce the swarm to alight; and the cylindrical hive having been rubbed inside with the leaves of odoriferous herbs to entice the wild insects to remain, it is suspended under the eaves of the hut, and twice during the year robbed of the honey.

to the performance of the religious rites of the pagan, a tree is indispensable, his devotions and his sacrifices being invariably performed under the shadow of its boughs. on the interment of a priest, a sycamore, or a coffee tree, is planted over the grave, and held sacred for ever; whilst on the banks of the háwash stands the venerable woda nuwee, (ficus sycamorus, the wild fig. it is called worka, “the golden,” by the amhára, and attains a vast size) to which the tribes flock from far and wide to make vows and propitiatory offerings, and to recount their exploits in war. paying adoration only to stocks and stones, and bending the knee to none but idols and serpents, they here make oblations of butter and honey to secure the favour of the deity—hang upon the spreading branches the trophies taken from their enemies; and performing incantations to sár, the prince of the demons, bind around their necks the entrails of the slaughtered victim which has yielded auspicious omens.

two great annual sacrifices are made to the deities ogli and atéti, the former between june and july, the latter in the beginning of september. a number of goats having been slain, the lúbah, or priest, wearing a tuft of long hair on his crown, proceeds with a bell in his hand, and his brows encircled by a fillet of copper, to divine from the fat, caul, and entrails, whether or not success will attend the warriors in battle. this point determined, the assembled multitude, howling and screaming like demons, continue to surfeit themselves with raw meat, to swallow beer, and to inhale smoke to intoxication until midnight—invoking wák, the supreme being, to grant numerous progeny, lengthened years, and abundant crops, as well as to cause their spears to prevail over those of their foes; and when sacrificing to atéti, the goddess of fecundity, exclaiming frequently, “lady, we commit ourselves unto thee; stay thou with us always.”

the kalicha is the galla wizard, conjurer, and physician. with the putrefying intestines of a goat hung about his neck, and armed with a bell and a copper whip, his skill in the expulsion of the devil is rarely known to fail. adoration having been paid to a serpent, the patient is rubbed with butter, fumigated with potent herbs, and exorcised with frantic howls, a few strokes of the lash being administered until the cure is perfected. no amhára will slay either a lúbah or a kalicha under any circumstances, from a superstitious dread of his dying curse; and galla sorceresses are frequently called in by the christians of shoa, to transfer sickness, or to rid the house of evil spirits, by cabalistic incantations, performed with the blood of ginger-coloured hens, and red he-goats.

but among the galla sorcerers and soothsayers, the wáto, already mentioned as inhabiting the mountain dalácha, towards the sources of the háwash, are the most universally celebrated. neither pagan nor christian will molest this tribe, from the same superstitious apprehension of their malediction, and still more from a desire to obtain their blessing; whilst he who receives the protection of a wáto may travel with perfect security over every part of the country inhabited by the galla. subsisting entirely by the chase, they wander from lake to lake and from river to river, destroying the hippopotamus, upon the flesh of which animal they chiefly live—whereas no other heathen will touch it. feared and respected, and claiming to themselves to be the original stock of the oromo nation, they deem all other clans unclean from having mixed with mohammadans and christians; and refusing on this account to intermarry, remain to this day a separate and distinct people.

all barbarians are orators; and the euphonical language of the galla, which unfortunately can boast of no written character, is admirably adapted to embellish their eloquent and impressive delivery. cradled in the unexplored heights of ethiopia, many of the customs of these fierce illiterate idolaters are closely and remarkably allied to those of the more civilised nations of antiquity. seeking presages, like the romans and etrurians, in the flight of birds, and in the entrails of slaughtered sacrifices; wearing the hair braided like the ancient egyptians, and, like them, sleeping with the head supported by a wooden crutch—wedding the relict of a deceased brother, according to the mosaic law, and bowing the knee to the old serpent, whom they regard as the father of all mankind—an acquaintance with these wild invaders suggests curious speculations on their origin, when referred to a common parent; and these are rendered still more interesting by the existence of a prophecy, that their hordes are one day to quit the highlands of their usurpation, and march to the east and to the north, “that they may conquer the inheritance of their jewish ancestors.”