P RN

I TED BY L . SE E L E Y ,
T HA ME S DIT T ON , SU RR EY .
 JOU R NAL S
OF THE

R EV . ME SSRS . I SE NBE R G AND KR APF,

M I S S I ON A R I E S OF

T HE C H U R C H MI S S I ONAR Y S OC I E T Y ,

D ETA I L I N G T H E I R PR OC EED I N G S I N T H E K I N G D O M O F S H O A ,

A ND J O U RNE Y S I N O T H E R PA RT S O F A B Y SSI N I A ,

I N T H E Y EA R S 1 8 3 9 1 8 40 A ND 1 8 4 2
, , .

T O WHICH IS P I
R E F XE D,

A G E O G RAP H I C A L M E M OI R O F A B Y SSI N I A AN D SO U T H EA S T ERN -

A F R I C A B Y J A M E S M Q U E E N E S Q G R O U N D ED O N T H E
,
‘
, .

M I SSI O NA R I E S J O U RNA L S A N D T H E EXP ED I T I O N

’
,

O F T H E PA C H A OF E G YPT U P T H E N I L E
’
.
.

T HE W O H LE ILL U S T R AT E D BY T W O M A PS , E N G AV
R E D
BY A R R OVV S MI T H .

SEE LE Y R N SI DE
, BU ,
A ND SE E LE Y ,

FL E ET ST R E E T ,
L ON D O N .

MD CC C X L I I I .
 PR E FA C E .

THE Operations of the C hurc h M issionary S oc i e ty in

A byssinia commenced in the y ear 1 8 2 9 T h e R ev . .

S am u el Gobat and the R ev Christian Kugler the first.

,

P rotestant Missionaries who entered that co untr y landed ,

a t Massowah in D ec 1 8 2 9 T h ey were favo urably r e

. .

c e iv e d by S eb a g a di s
,
the th e n R a s of T igre Mr Ku . .

g l e r was removed by death j ust one y ear after his land

ing at Massowah : he di ed i n the expression of livel y
faith in th e R edeemer and of a g o o d [t ap e th ro ug h g r a c e
, ,

’
on D e c 2 9 1 8 30 Mr Ku gl er s place in th e Mission
.
,
. .

was supplied b y th e R ev Charles William Ise n ber g

.
,

who reached A do w ah in T i gre in A pril 1 8 3 5

, He
, , .

was followed by th e R e v Charles H enry Blumhardt in

.

th e beginning of 1 8 3 7 and b y th e R ev John L u d wig

, .

Krapf at th e close of that y ear .

In the beginning of 1 8 3 0 Mr Gobat proceeded to .

Gondar the capital of Amhara where he w as kindly

, ,

received and protected by Oubea then exercising chief ,

a
 vi R
P E FAC E .

a uthority in that part of In 1 8 36 Mr Go .

bat was compelled b y ill health to quit the Mission .

E arl y in 1 8 38 opposition to the Mission w as excited

by the priesthood of the Ab y ssinian Church fomented ,

by certain members of the Church of R ome who had

entered the country T h e result w as that the Mission
.
,

aries w ere obliged to quit Ab y ssinia Oub ea declaring ,

that he w as not able to resist their enemies any

longer .

O n quitting Abyssinia Messrs I sen berg and Blum,

.

hardt proceeded to Cairo Mr Krap f being unwilling . .

to relinquish the hop e of re entering Abyssinia from -

another quarter determined to make the attempt to do

,

so by Z eila which lies withou t the Straits of Babel

,
’
mandeb in lat 1 1 2 0 north long 4 3 5 0 east H e
,
.
°
,
.
° ’
.

was led to contemplate this att empt in consequence of

the Missionaries while at A do w ah havi ng been invited
, ,

by the King of Shoa t o visit his countr y Mr Krapf . .

accor dingl y proceeded to Mocha where he arrived on ,

the 2 8 th of May 1 8 38 H ere he met wi th a servan t

,
.

of the King of Shoa who encouraged him to prosecute

,

the design which he had formed and gave him much ,

inform ation as to the best method of procee di ng from

Z eila to the capital of the King of Shoa From Mr . .

N aylor the British Consul at Mocha Mr Krapf met

, ,
.

with a friendl y reception an d the promise o f every ,

b
T h e re sul t o fMr G o at s r e si d en c e i n A b y s si n a w a s ub sh e i n
.
’
i p li d
v l l T
1 8 34 , i n a o l um e en ti t e d J o ur n a o fa h re e Y e a rs R e si en c e i n A y s
’
d b
i
s n ia , i n f j
ur th eran c e o fth e o b ec t s o fth e C h urch M i s s on a ry o c e ty i S i .
 PR E F A C E . vfi

assistance in hi s po w er While he w as employ ed in .

coll ecting inform ation at Mocha he w as attacked by ,

d y sentery ; whi ch reduced him so l o w that he w as ,

compelled to retur n t o Cairo w here he arrived on the ,

2 7th of S eptember 1 8 38 ,
.

Mr Isenberg and Mr Krapf no w seriousl y d elib e

. .

rated o n their futur e cour se ; and came to the concl u

sion j ointly to engage in an attem pt to reach Shoa b y
w ay of Zeila and H urrur Should the y fail in their .

obj ect with regard to Shoa it w as their purpose to ,

make their w ay if possible to the tribes of H eathen

, ,

Gallas which are spread over the countr y t o the south

,

w ard and eastward of Shoa .

Colonel Campbell then British Consul General at

,
-

C airo procur ed for the Missionaries a fi rm an from the

,

P acha o f E gypt H e al so gave them letters to the

.

Cons ul at Mocha and to the King of Shoa strongly

, ,

recommendi ng the Missionaries to their protection and

f
’
avour Mr G liddon the U nited States Consul Gene
. .
,
-

ral at Cairo gave them a letter recommending them to

, ,

the friendl y of fices of all captains of U nited Sta t e s ’

vessels with w hom they might meet .

T hus aided and encourage d the y started on their ,

arduous underta k ing Mr Krapf th u s concluded a . .

letter from Cair o to the Secretaries of the Ch urch Mis

“
s i o n ar
y Socie t y Jan 2,
0 1 8 39 May.the L ord of,
S a

b ao th be o ur guide o ur preserver o ur strength o ur

, , ,

”
light and o ur life 1
,

F rom Mocha the y crossed to the Opposite coast ,

a2
v fii R
P E FAC E .

pas s ed the straits of Bab el m an deb and on the 4 th of ,

A pr il arrived at T a dj urr a which they found preferable

,

to Zeila as a point of departure to the interior After .

encountering the many di fficulties which embarrass

travellers in these unfrequented regions they reached ,

t he frontier of the kingdom of Shoa on the 3 l s t of

May the j our ne y havin g occupied thirty fiv e days
,
-
.

T hey had an interview with the King on the 7 th o f

June w h o gave them a favourable reception
,
.

T h e Missionaries remained together in the kingdom

of Shoa until N ovember 6 1 8 39 5 when Mr Isenber g
,
.

departed to return for a season to this country D uring

,
.

these five months they were dili g entl y occupied in con

v e r s a ti o n al preaching an d discussion and in obtaining ,

a great variety of information Mr I senberg had made

. .

considerable progre s s in translations into the A mharic

L anguage both while in T i g re and after his arrival in
, ,

Shoa A lea di ng o b j ect of his vi s it to E ngland w as to

.

print the works which he had prepared for the future ,

use of the Mission wherever the A mharic L anguage is

vernacular H e arrived in L ondon on the 30th of April
.
,

1 8 40 . H ere he completed w orks already commenced ,

and prepared several others H e eventuall y carried

.

through the P ress

A n A mharic Spelling Book 8 vo . .

Gram mar R oy al 8 vo
. .

D ictionary 4 to
. .

Catechism 8 vo
. .

Chur ch History 8 vo . .
 P RE FA C E . ix
Amharic General History 8 vo . .

Mr Isenberg had prepared a V ocabulary of the

.

D an kali L anguage which was lik ewi se printed,

.

T h e obj ect of the Miss i on was not only the Chris

tian pop ul ation o f Shoa but the Gall a T ribe s exten ,

s iv el
y spread over the south eastern parts of Africa
-
.

T o the Galla language therefore hitherto un w ritten , ,

Mr Kr apfs attention w as much g iven D uring Mr

.
’
. .

I s en b erg s stay in L ondon th e following Galla works

’
,

prepared by Mr Krapf w ere printed .

,

V ocab ul ary 1 2 mo . .

E lements of the Galla L ang uage 1 2 mo . .

’
St Matthew s Gospel 1 2 mo
. . .

St John s Gospel 1 2 mo
.
’
. .

T h e Comm i ttee have since received from Mr Krapf .

a translation into Gall a of the Book of Genesis and of ,

t he E pi stl e to th e R omans .

While Mr Isenberg w as absent in E ngland Mr

.
, .

Kr apf though alone and painful ly feeling the dif

, , fi
c ul ti es an d disadvantages of his solitariness occupied ,

himself dil igentl y and zealou s ly in his arduou s duties .

A midst much to tr y and discourage h im he w as gra ,

c i o u sl
y sustained in his work and n o t left withou t ,

to k ens of the D ivine blessing upon it T h e nature of .

that work and the di f

,
fic ul ties and trial s incident to the
prosecution of it are fully detailed in the Journals of
,

t he Missionarie s contained in this V olume .

D uring the period that Messr s Isenberg and Kra p f .

w ere toge t her in th e Mission their comm unications w ere ,

X R
P E FACE .

sometimes addressed to the Committee j ointl y and

“

sometimes independentl y In placing those c o m m u .

n i c at i o n s before the reader the chronological order ,

has been follo w ed H ence sometimes one speaks and

.
,

s ometimes the other T h e tenour o f the remarks

.

w ill ho w ever generally indicate the indi vidual who

, ,

makes them F rom the period when Mr I s enberg

. .

quitted Shoa in the beginning of N ovember 1 8 3 931 it

,
<

is of course Mr Krapf alone that speaks . .

Mr K rapfs private af
. fair s havin g called h i m t o E gypt
’
,

he left Ankobar on the l 0 th of March 1 8 4 2 H e de ,

.

t e rm i n e d to go b y Gondar and Masso w ah O ne obj ect .

w as personal communication w ith the new Ab un a the ,

ecclesiastical head of the Abyssinian Church In this o b .

j ec t he was disappointed Just before he reached

. D aunt ,

in the province of B el i s s en his progress w as stopped in ,

consequ ence of the countr y having been thro w n into a

state of confusion b y ho s tili t ies betw een t w o of the Chiefs
of that part of Aby ssinia H ence he w as obliged to .

retrace his steps to Gatira the capital of a Chief named ,

A dara Bille T hi s m an on Mr Kr apfs advance had

’
. .

treated hi m w ith kin dn ess and gained hi s confidence , .

H e no w ho w ever determined to plunder him By a

, ,
.

series of artful proceedings he e ffected his purpose ,

and stripped Mr Krapf of the w hole of his property

. .

His life itself w as seriousl y endangered A graciou s .

P rovidence rescued him from the perils of his situa

tion H aving obtained leave to depart from Gatira he
.
,

p 1 60
. .
 P RE FA C E . xi

determi ned to attempt reaching Masso w ah b y a ro ute

directed to the north east T hroughout this j ourney
- .

he encountered great har dships privations and dan , ,

gers ; but un d e r th e d efe n c e of th e M o s t H ig h in ,

whom he tru sted he w as brough t to Masso w ah in

,

safet y on the 1 st of Ma y 1 8 42 T his j ourne y le d

, ,
.

Mr Krapf through parts of Abyssinia not previously

.

traversed by E ur opeans T his portion of his Journal

.

is therefore of much interest for th e geographical in fo r

mation which it contains as w ell as fo r the insight ,

w hich it gives into the state of the p e 0 p 1e .

In E gypt Mr Krapf met his fello w labo urer Mr

. .

Isenberg ret urning to Abyssinia Mr Blumhardt . .

,

their former associate in T igre had been transferred by ,

the Committee to the N orth India Mission H e had .

been rep l aced in the Ab y ssinian Mission by the R e v .

John Mii hl ei sen who reached Cairo in company w ith

,

Mr Isenberg
. . T h e three Missionaries and Mrs .

Krapf to w hom Mr Krapf had been united in E gypt

, .
,

l e ft Cairo on the 1 7 th O ct T he y reached A den on

.

the 2 n d of N ov O n the 1 8 th of D ec they sailed

. .

for T adj urra and reached that place on the 20th Here
, .

the y fo un d a series of ob stacles opposed to their re

entrance into Ab y ssinia Having in vain employed .

every means i n their po w er to surmount those obstacles ,

they w ere compelled to relinquish the attempt an d

return to A den O f the precise nat ure of the causes
.

which operated to close the door against the return of

t he Missionaries to Shoa we are not at present fully i n
x fi P R E FA C E .

formed F rom what has transpired how ever it is pro

.
, ,

bable that they are o f the same description as those

which led to the expul sion of the Missionaries from
T igre—the j ealousy of the P riesthood and poli tico
popish intrigue .

R e ference w ill be seen in the Jo urnals to a F rench

traveller M R ochet H e arrived in Shoa in Oct 1 8 39
,
. . . .

After so m e stay there he ret urned to F rance and in ,

“
1 8 4 1 published at P aris a volume entitled V o y age ,

dans la c6te orientale de la Mer R ouge dans la pay s ,

”
d A del e t la R o y aume de Choa (Shoa ) In the
’
. .
,

course of his work he gives an account of the eccle

s i a s ti cal af
fair s of Ab y ssinia H e closes this account
.

w ith the followi n g remarks w hich instructivel y w arn

,

P rotestants —if w arning were needed —o f the polic y

and plans of R ome .

T h e critical state o f Christianit y in the kingdom of

Shoa should call for the efforts of a C atholic Mission to
t hat country I should desire that Missionaries of this
.

c ommunion mi ght succeed in ra llying the A m h arr a s

round it but I think there is not a mo r e delicate task

that there is not a w ork w hich demands more pru dence
an ardent inconsiderate zeal w ould endanger all O ur .

Missionaries should not forget that the heat of the

P ortu g uese Jesuits lost all the advantages which C ath o
lic i sm had previously obtained an d ended by causi n g
,

the m to b e driven out of A byssinia in the sixteenth

century T h e A byssinian s still remember the violent
.

dissensions w hich the vehemence o f the Jes uit s had

xiv R
P E FACE .

Isenberg and Krapf T h e R eaders of the ir Journals

.

wi ll ho w ever not fail to remark that the y pursued a

, ,

course widel y di fferent from that advocated b y M R o .

chet for R ome T hey uniform l y avo w ed their ch a

.

r ac te r as P rotestant Missionaries ; whose onl y obj ect

w as t he L ord blessing their labour s to di f

,
f
u se Scrip ,

tural light in a region of spir itual darkness .

Whether a r e entrance into A b y ssini a may be p rae

-

t icabl e to the Missionaries at a fut ur e period it w o ul d ,

be vain to specul ate T hat a meas ure of script ural

.

light has been dif fu sed b y their instrumentality cannot

be doubted Man y copies of the N e w T estament in
.

A mharic supplied by the liberalit y o f the British and

,

F oreign Bible Societ y have b een w idely dis persed ,

.

T he y w ere received w ith avidit y wherever the Mission

aries had an Opportunity of circ ulatin g them and in ,

Mr Krapfs j ourney ings copies w ere found in remote

.
’

places far distant from an y spot previously visited by a

,

Missionary We may therefore w arrant abl y hope that

.

a portion at least of the g o o d s ee d w ill take root an d ,

br i ngf f o r th r ui t to p e rfec ti o n .

A s it appears that rivers of considerable magnit ude

fall into the Indian O cean from those parts of E astern
A frica inhabited by the H eathen G alla T ribes Mr Krapf ,
.

h ad it in contemplation to make an at tempt to r e esta -

blish the Mis s ion in that di rection so soon a s circ um ,

stanc es w ould permit .

D uri n g th e period of Mr Kr apfs residence at A n .

’

kobar a communication w as opened bet w een the King

,
 PR E F A C E . XV

of Shoa and the Briti sh A uthorities in India An .

E mbassy under the direction of Captain Harri s was

, ,

sent to Shoa b y the Governor General o f Indi a Cap -

.

tain Harris reache d his destination in Jul y 1 8 4 1 A .

T reat y w as concluded bet w een Captain H arris and th e

King of Shoa o n N ov 1 2 1 8 4 1 establishing a c o m
.
, ,

m er c i al intercour se bet w een the t w o countries an d g ua ,

r an teei n
g the safety of British subj ects in Shoa and ,

the security of their prope rty At the solicitation of .

Captain H arris Mr Krapf acted as his Interpreter i n

,
.

negotiating the T reat y ; and in a despatch to the Bo m bay

Government Captain H arris th u s recorded his sense of
,

the value of Mr Krapfs servi ces

.
’

Mr Krapf has s ubmitted wi th the utmost good

.

wi ll to continu al interruption in his more immediate

qui et avocations and has never re q uir ed even the inti
,

mation of a w ish to render himsel f of the greatest

utilit y to the E mbassy ; not only in the more delicate

forms of inte rpretation which he so w ell understands

, ,

but also in those minor points of anno y ance w hich are

c ert ain in the first instance to arise in a stra n ge co untry .

F rom the first day of o ur arrival he has in utter c o n ,

tempt of all weather been engaged w henever the inte

,

rests o fthe service requi red his presence ; and without

his most able assistance and perfect know ledge of Ab ys
,

sinian life o ur situation w o uld have become perplexing

, ,

and our prospect of success removed to a far distant

”
p erio d
.
 P RE F AC E .

T hrou gho ut Captain Harris s stay in the country he ’

,

sho w ed Mr Krapf much kindness and rendered t O

.

.
,

him an d the Mission many services T h e E mbassy .

having been recalled Captain H arris has j ust arrived

,

in E ngland We understand he is ab o u t immediately

.

to lay before the p ublic the inform ation collected b y

him duri ng eighteen months residence in Shoa T h e .

character which Captain Harris has already established

a s a T raveller in So uth Af rica w arrant s the anticipa
, ,

tion that his w ork on Abyssinia wi ll prove both

interesting and important .

R ef
erence has already been made to the g eo gr aphi
c a l information comprised in the Journals n o w laid

before the public O f a portion Of this information

.

Mr M Que en availed himself w ith the permission

.
‘
,

“
of the Comm ittee in his Geographical S ur ve y of
,

A frica,
p ublishe d in 1 8 4 0 O n being she w n the sub.

sequent Journals o fthe Missionarie s he w as so much ,

stru ck with the extent and value of the geographical

information contained in them that he very kindl y ,

offered to draw a Map of A bys s inia to accompany the ,

publication of the Jo urnals exhibiting the information ,

thus acquired T his of f

.er the Co m m ittee gratefully
accepted and the Map engraved by Arrowsmith is
, , ,

prefixed t o the Journals .

While Mr M Qu e en w as thus employ ed tidings

.
‘
,

reached this co untry of the result of certain E xpe di tions

sent up the White N ile b y that remarkable man ,
 R
P E F ACE . xvi i

Mahomed Ali P acha of E gypt T h e information thu s

, .

obtained having an i m portant bearing on so uth W es t er n -

A byssinia as well as on the co u ntr y sou th of N ubia

, ,

almost to the L ine Mr M Qu e en had the goodness

,
.
‘

to dra w another Map exhibiting that information , ,

which he presented to the Committee T his Map in .

eludes the coun t ries fr om 5 South to 1 8 N orth L ati ° °

tude and from 5 to 4 4 E ast L ongitu de

,
° °
.

In constructing these Maps Mr M Qu e en has availed .

‘

hi m self with great labour of the information bearing

, ,

on the geography of the countries to which they refer ,

which was accessible to him in the w ritin gs of authors

ancient and modern A mong these Bruce merit s par
.
,

t i cul ar notice the statements contained in his T ravels

,

relative to the geography of Ab ys sinia and the sur ,

roun ding co untries havin g in its general character

, , ,

been very remarkabl y corroborated by later travellers .

T o the service s j ust referred to Mr M Qu e en has ,

.
‘

added ano t her— a G E O G R A P H I C A L ME M O I R to ill us ,

trate the Map s O n thi s Memoir Mr M Que en has

. .
‘

besto w ed much research and it forms a valuable addi

,

tio n to the service s already rendered to A frica by ,

this able geo g rapher T h e Map of Africa is prefixed

.

to the Geographical Memoir .

T o Captain Haines the C om mandant at A den the

, ,

Committee o w e the expression of their cordial thanks

for his un iform kindne s s to the Society s Missionaries ’

and for the val uable assistance which he has at all times
xviii P RE FAC E .

show n himsel f ready promptly and cordially to render

, ,

them in the pros ec ution of their labo urs .

CH U CH M ISSIO NA Y HO U S
R R E ,

S A IS B U Y Q U A
L R S RE ,

A ug us t 2 1 , 1 8 4 3 .
 C ONT E NT S .

PAR T I .

J OU RNE Y F R OM ZE I L A T O A N K OB A R .

C H AP TER I .

D E SC R I PT I O N O F Z E I LA —C OS T U M E A ND F OO D O F T H E I N H A
B I T A N T S —M E SS A G E F R O M T H E G O V ERN O R —D EPA R

T URE F R O M Z E I LA —A RR I VA L AT T A D J U R R A —I NT ER
V I E W WI T H T H E S U LTA N —D E SC R I PT I O N O F TA D
J U RRA —D I FFI C U LT I E S I N P R OC U R I N G C A M E L S AND
M U L E S—V I SI T F R O M T H E S U LTA N —D ET ENT I O N A T
T A D J U R R A —I NT EN S E H EA T O F T H E W EAT H ER — NO
T I C E S RE S P E C T I N G E N A R E A S I D A MA A ND G URA G U E
—D ISC U SSI O N WI T H A T I G RE M ER CH A NT RE S P E C T
, ,

I N G I S LA M I S M
.

C H A PT E R I I .

PREPARAT I O N S FO R D EP A RT I N G F R O M T A D J U R R A —S E L
F I SH N E SS O F M A H O M ED A L I —D EPART U R E F R O M
T A D J U R R A— N O T I C E S O F A M B A B O D U L L U L S U K TA
AND S A G G A L L O—P E C U L I A R I T I E S O F T H E DA N K A L I
, , ,
XX C ON T E N T S .

P E O P LE —D EPA RT U RE F R O M S A G G A L L O— N O T I C E S O F
T H E S A LT LA K E A SS A L —CO NVER S AT I O N WI T H A L I
A RA B R E S P E C T I N G T H E DA N K A L I TR I B E S—I N S TAN C E
O F T H E S U LTA N O F T A D J U R R A S W EA K N E SS —ARR I
’

VA L AT G A G D E —I NT EN S E H EAT —D EPART U RE F R O M
A

G AGAD E A ND A RR I VA L AT D A L I B U I A DA NA K I L
, ,

S ETT LE M ENT —PR O C EED T H R O U G H T H E VA L E O F

K U RR I S G G A D E R E A ND A RR I VE AT L I TTL E M AR H A
A

—D EP ARTU RE F R O M L I TT LE M A R H A PA SSI N G G
, ,

,
A

LA M O A D A I T A A N EN C A M P I N T H E VA L E OF RA M U
D

D E L I —D E PART U RE F R O M R A M U D E L I —A P P R E H E N
, ,

SI O N OF R O BB ER S —DEPA RTUR E F R OM B A R U D E G A

A LA R M E D B Y H Y ZE N A S —D EPA RT U RE F R O M G I E L A

A ND E N C A M P AT A L I B E K E L E —C H A RA C T ER O F T H E
,

I SS A SO M AL S —D EPA RT UR E F R O M A L I B E K E L E AND ,

A RR I V E AT M U LLU .

C H A P T ER I I I .

TA K E LEAVE OF M A H O M ED A L I — D EPART U RE F R O M
M U LL U —N O T I C E O F A S K I R M IS H B ET W EE N T H E D E
B E N I K W E E M A S A ND T H E M U D A I T U S—ARR I V E AT
’

M ETTA —LEAVE M ETTA A ND E N C A M P AT H M U I S S A A

—ARR I VE AT L I TT LE M U LL U —E LEP H ANT H U NT I N G
,

—D EPA RT U RE F R O M L I T T LE M U LL U A ND E N C A M P
A T B E R D U D A —N O T I C E OF T H E DA N K AL I TR I B E S I N
,

H A B I T I N G T H E S E R E G I O N S —LEAVE B E R D U D AN D A

C R OSS T H E P LA I N H A L A K D I G G I —A B U NDA N C E O F
,

G A M E —A RR I VE A T T H E R I VE R H A W A SH —N O T I C E S
O F I T —V I SI T T O A LA K E W E S T O F T H E H A A SH R ’

D EPA RT URE F R O M M E L K U K U Y U A N D A RR I VE AT T H E
V I LLA G E OF F A RR I —D EPA RTU RE F R O M F A RR I A ND
,

A RR I VE AT A L U I A M B A —I NTERV I E W WI T H T H E
,

G O VERN O R —D EPA RT U RE F R O M M T A T I T —ARR I VA L

.

A T I S LA M A M B A —V I S I T T O T H E K I N G AND K I ND
R E C EPT I O N B Y H I M —A RR I VA L A T A N G OL L L A — N
,

A I

T E R V I E W S WI T H T H E K I N G— H I S DE SI RE FO R M E
xxii C ON T E N T S .

O F S T M I C H A E L —A B Y SSI N I A N S N E W Y EA R —G A LLA
’

TR I B E S I N T H E S O UT H OF G URA G U E —CO NVER S A

.

T I O N WI T H A P R I E S T O N C H R O N O L OG Y—S TRAN G E -

S T O RY—V ISI T T O D E B RA B ER H A N —I NT ERV I E W

e

WI T H T H E K I N G —V I SI T T O T E G U LET T H E AN C I ENT
,

C A P I TA L OF SH O A

C H AP TE R I I .

RET URN T O A N K O B AR —A CC O U NT O F A S UP ER S T I T I O U S
C ERE M O N Y—RE M AR K S —S LAVE S I N T H E S ERV I C E
O F T H E K I N G —CO NV ER S AT I O N S O N VA R I O U S S U B
J E CT S— N O T I C E S O F T H E G O VE RN M ENT D I SCI P L I N E
A ND U S A G E S OF T H E A B Y SS I N I A N C H U R C H —V ISI T
, ,

T O T H E K I N G AT A N G O L L A L A —D I S C U SSI O N V I T H
,

D E B T ERA S AN D J A R O N D OC T R I NA L P OI NT S —M R
\

I S E N B E R G S I NTERV I E W WI T H T H E K I N G P REV I O U S
’

T O H I S D EPA RT U RE F R O M S H O A —MR K RAP F R E

T U RN S T O A N K O B A R—V I SI T T O A LA C A W O L D H AN NA
.

—CO NVER S AT I O N WI T H PR I E S T T S E D D OO O N B AP
T I SM -
V ISI T T O T H E A LA C A OF A F E R B E I N I — C U S
T O M S O F T H E G A LLA S A B Y SSI N I A N M O D E O F I N
'

S T R U C T I N G Y O UT H S — C E RE M O N Y A T B APT I SM —N O
T I C E S O F VAR I O U S T R I B E S

C H A P T ER HI .

D EPA RT U RE O F M R IS EN B ER G F R O M A N K O B A R —N O T I C E S
RE S P E C T I N G SO M E A N C I E N T S A I NT S—REVER EN C E FO R
.

T H E S A B B AT H B Y T H E G A L LA S —D ISC U SSI O N WI T H
A D E B T E RA O N O R IGI NA L SI N —CO NVE R S AT I O N S O N
VA R I O U S S U B J E C T S —A B Y SSI N I A N RE M ED Y FO R T H E
S M A LL P O X —SC R I PT URE I N TERPRETAT I O N —D I SC U S
-

SI O N O N T H E T H RE E B I RT H S O F C H R I S T —A TTA C K ED
B Y F EVER — T H E F A S T O F T S OM A L E DA T —CO P I E S O F
T H E A M H AR I C S C R I PT UR E S D I S TR I B U T ED —N O T I C E S
 C ON T E N T S . xxiii
O F T H E G A LLA S D W EL L I N G I N T H E EA S T O F G U RA G U E
V I SI TE D B Y P R I E S T S F R O M G U RA G U E —B A PT IS M A L
C ERE M O N Y

C H A PT ER IV .

M R K RAP F A C CO M PA N I E S T H E K I N G O N A N E XP ED I T I O N
.

A G A I N S T T H E G AL LA T R I B E S —T H E K I N G S AR M Y ’

C O NVER S AT I O N WI T H A PR I E S T O N F A S T I N G AN D
O T H ER S U B J E C T S —RE L I G I O U S C ERE M O N I E S O F T H E
G A LLA S —V ISI T T O A V I LLA G E —A G ALLA G RAVE
N O T I C E S OF VA R I O U S G A L LA T R I B E S ( T H R O U G H O U T
T H E C H A PT ER ) —CO NVER S A T I O N WI T H PE O P LE F R O M
T H E N OR T H O F SH O A A ND O T H E R P LA C E S—I NTE R
,

V I E W WI T H T SH A B A SO N O F T H E Q U EE N O F M U L O
,

F A LADA F AV O UR A B LE RE C EPT I O N M A J E S T I C
M O U NTA I N S O F M A I T S H A —SO U R C E S O F T H E H A W A S H
—RET URN T O A N G O L L A L A —H O T W ELL S I N T H E
T ERR I T O R Y O F F I N I F I N I —A RR I VE A T A N G OL L A L A
RE C EPT I O N O F T H E K I N G —RE M A R K S O N T H E A D V A N
TA G E S G A I N ED B Y T H E EXP ED I T I O N

C H A PT ER V .

CO NVER S A T I O N W I T H D E B T E R A S —P REPA RAT I O N S FO R

T H E FO RT Y DA Y S F A S T O F T H E A B Y SSI N I A N S
S UP ER S T I T I O U S O P I N I O N —A B Y SSI N I A N L I T E RAT U R E
— V I SI TE D B Y A P R I E S T O F B U L G A —M O D E O F E X '

P LA I N I N G SC R I PT U RE —DE M AN D F O R E T H I O P I C
S C R I PT U RE S —S UPP OS ED O R I G I N O F T H E G A LLA S “

N O T I C E S O F A G A L LA T R I B E C A LL E D W A T O—V I SI T
T O T H E M O NA S T ER Y OF T H E T A B I B A N M R K RA P F
‘
.

A C CO M PA N I E S T H E K I N G T O D E B RA L I B AN O S
A RR I VE AT S E NA M A R K OS A H O L Y P L A C E O F T H E
A B Y SSI N I A N S —A RR I VE AT D E B RA L I B A N OS —V I S I T
,

T O T H E W EL L O F T E C LA H A I MA N OT —MI RA C U L O U S
xxiv C ON T E N T S .

P OW ER S ATTR I B UT ED T O T H E W AT ER —S U P E R S T I
T I O U S PRA C T I C E —RET U RN T O A N K O B A R —N O T I C E S
O F G A M B AT —LETT ER F R O M T H E K I N G T O T H E
G O VERN O R O F B O M B A Y F U RT H ER N O T I C E S OF T H E
-“

C U S T O M S OF T H E G A L LA S —N O T I C E S OF W O L A M O
C A FF A A N D S E N T S H E R O
, .

PAR T I I I .

J OU RNE Y F R OM A N K O B A R T O M A S S OW A H .

C H A P T ER I .

M O T I VE S FO R U ND ERTA K I N G T H E J OU R N E Y flD E P A R '

T U RE F R O M AN K O B A R—G OO D F EE L I N G M AN I F E S TED
B Y T H E PE O PL E T OW A RD M R K RAP F —ARR I VE AT
A N G OL L A L A —I NT ERV I E W WI T H T H E K I N G—B I S TR I
.

B U T I ON OF SC R I PT URE S —F AR E W EL L V I SI T T O T H E
K I N G —LE AV E N G O L L A L A A ND A RR I VE AT D E B RA
A

B E R H A N —T RAD I T I O N S R E S P E C T I N G I T —P O P U L A
,

T I O N —ARR I VE A T B O LL O W OR K I E —C ELE B RAT ED

M AR K ET H E LD H E RE —A RT I C LE S OF TRADE —O R I G I N
O F T H E NA M E B O LL O W O R K I E —S UP ER S T I T I O U S
O P I N I O N S O F T H E A B Y SSI N I A N S —A RR I VE AT T H E
V I LLA G E OF L OG H E I T A —W ELL RE C E I VED B Y T H E
G O VERN O R —M O N A S TE RY OF S A I NT A B B O —LEAV E
L OG H E I T A —CO NVER S A T I O N WI T H A PR I E S T —E N
Q U I R I E S RE S P E C T I N G T H E O R I G I N OF T H E G A LLA S
—G E O G RAP H I C A L D I V ISI O N O F T H E D I FF E RENT
P R O V I N C E S O F S H O A —A RR I V E A T Z ALLA D EN G A I
—H OS P I TA B L E R E C EPT I O N B Y Z E N A M A WO R K T H E
,
 C ON T E N T S .

M O T H ER O F T H E K I N G O F S H O A —O R IGI N O F T H E
NA M E Z AL LA D E N G A I —D EPA RT UR E F R O M Z AL LA
D EN G A I —C R OSS T H E R I VER MOF E R —ENT ER T H E
PR O V I N C E O F M AN S —N O T I C E S O F I T S FO R M ER
RU L ER S —C H A RA C T ER O F T H E M A N S I A N S —SOI L A ND
P R O D U C T I O N S O F M AN S —LE AVE W O K A N A ND ENTE R
T H E D I S T R I C T O F LA L O —TRAD I T IO N R E S PE C T I N G
,
y

T H E LA K E A L OB A R —ARR I VE A T T H E V I L LA G E O F
A M A D W A SH A—D I S TR I B U T IO N O F A M H A R I C SC R I P
-

T U R E S L EAVE A M AD W A SH A —S UP ER S T I T I O N O F
- -

T H E P E O PLE —ARR I VE AT DA I R T H E F R O NT I E R O F
,

S H O A — V ISI T T H E GO VERN O R .

C H AP TE R I I .

D EPA RT URE F R O M DA I R —V I LLA G E O F G O LTA —E NT ER

T H E C O U NT RY O F T H E WO LL O G A L LA S —T H E I R C H A
B A C T ER — M O UN TA I N S O F T H E WO LL O C O U NTRY
—A RR I VE AT G A T I R A fl I N T E R V I E W WI T H ADA RA
B I LL E — F R I ENDLY RE C EPT I O N —LEAVE G AT I RA —N O
T I C E S O F B E R R OO L OOB O T H E C H I E F O F WO RRA
K A LL O —A RR I VE A T N E G A SS I D AT C H —V ISI T T H E
,

G O VERN O R SI D I M U S I E —H I S S U S P I CI O U S B E H A
V I O U R —L EAVE
,

N E G A SSI DA T CH A ND E NTE R T H E
T ERR I T O RY O F C H A R S O—P ER I L O U S SI T U A T I O N
,

A RR I VE A T TANTA T H E C A P I TA L O F WO RRA B I M A N O
,

—K I NDLY R E C E I VED B Y T H E C H I E F I M AN L I B A N
— P O P U LAT I O N OF TA NTA —EXT ENT OF T H E T ERR I
,

T O RY OF I M A N L I B A N —D EPA RT U RE F R O M TA NTA ,

A N D A RR I VE A T T H E R I V ER B A S H I L O B E R R OO fi

AL I G AS GO VERN O R OF W A D E LA A TTA C K S T H E
T ERR I T O R Y OF I M A N L I B A N —M R K RA P F I N C O N
, ,

S E Q U EN C E R E L I N Q U I SH E S H I S I NT ENT I O N O F PR O
G EED I N G T O G O NDAR A ND R ET REAT S T O W ARD G A
T I RA —REA SO N S FO R PRE F ERR I N G T H E T A D J U R R A
,

R O A D T O T H AT O F M S S O W A I I —M AR K ET O F T O T O LA
A

— R ETU RN T O G AT I RA —I NT ERV I E W V I T H A D ARA \

xxvi C ON T E N T S .

B I LL E —H I S H Y P OC R I T I C A L PR O F E SSI O N S OF
F R I E ND SH I P —H IS T REA CH ER O U S A ND C OW A RDLY
TR EAT M E NT O F M R K RAP F W H O M H E R O B S A N D
I M PR ISO N S —
.
,

PR O V I D ENT I A L D E L I VE RA N C E O F M R
.

K RAP F .

C H A PT ER I II .

A RR I VE A T T H E LA K E H A I K —DE SC R I PT IO N O F T H E
LA K E—V IS I T T o A C O N VENT O N A N IS LAND I N T H E
L A K E —N O T I C E S O F T H E E A RLY H IS T O RY O F T H E
I S LA ND —P O P U LAT I O N —A CCO U NT O F T H E M O N K S
St d —D EPART U R E F R O M LA K E H A I K —
,

ARR I VE A T
T H E V I LLA G E O F B O RA —H I G H M O U NTA I N S I N T H E
V I CI N I T Y OF B O RA —O R I GI N OF T H E N A M E T E H O O
L AD E R E LE A V E B O RA A ND C R OSS T H E R I VE R
M I LL E —T H E M O U NT A I N A M B A S S E L —A RR I VE AT
-
,

T H E D IS T R I C T O F WO RRA K A L L O A ND H A LT A T
T H E V I L LA G E O F L E E B S O—K I ND RE C EPT I O N —D E
,

PA RT UR E F R O M L E E B S O—C R OSS T H E R I VE R
E R G E B B O— F ER OCI O U S C H A RA C T ER O F T H E RA I A
G AL LA S —C OFF E E T REE O N T H E B AN K S OF T H E
R I VE R E R G E R B O—CH A RA C T ER O F T H E Y E C H OO
P E O P L E —RE M A R K S O N A B Y SSI N I A N H O S P I TA L I T Y
S I N G U LA R C U S T O M O F T H E Y E C H OO WO M E N —I M
M EN S E PLA I N S I N T H E Y E C H OO CO U NTRY —CR OSS
T H E R I VER M ER S A —M A NN ER O F P LAN T I N G PEPP ER
— A RR I VE A T T H E V I L LA G E O F M ER S A —H OS P I T A
BL E RE C EPT I O N —CO NVER S AT I O N WI T H M A H OM E
DA N S —D EPA RT UR E F R O M M ER S A —S U PE R S T I T I O U S
C U ST O M S —A RR I VE AT T H E V I L LA G E O F S H E L T E
D I FFI C U LT I E S I N P R OC U R I N G A CCO M MO DA T I O N
M AR K ET O F W OL D A I A—V I LLA G E O F G o o D D o —A P
PE A R A NC E O F T H E C O U NT R Y —ARR I V E AT T H E
V I L LA G E O F SH AL —CO NV E R S A T I O N WI T H A WO M A N
- L EA VE S E A L—A F T E R SOM E D ELA Y R EA C H T H E
P R O V I N C E O F AN G O T —C L I M AT E O F A N GO T —A RR I V E
~

AT T H E V I LLA G E O F S A R A G A D E L —LEAV E S A RA G A
,

DE L AN D REA C H T H E V I LLA G E OF B E L B E I
, . 403
 C ON T E N T S . x xvii

C H A PT ER IV .

DE PART UR E F R O M D E L D E I — CO NVENT O F S H A M A D O M A
R I A M —D E S T I T UT E A PP EA RA N C E O F T H E C O U NTRY
A RR I VE A T T H E V I LLA G E O F E N A L K A —CO NVE R
S AT I O N WI T H A PR I E S T —K I ND RE C EPT I O N B Y T H E
G O VERN O R O F E N A L K A —LA N G U A G E A ND C H ARA C
T E R O F T H E A G A U s—D EPA RTU RE F R O M E N A L K A
—N O T I C E S O F L A K E A S H A N G H E —ARR I VE A T T H E
V I LLA G E O F LAT —APP RE H EN SI O N O F A N A TTA C K
F R O M T H E T R OO P S O F OL D A M E D H E N —I NT ERV I E W
W

WI T H H I M —U N EXPE C T ED K I ND RE C EPT I O N —A R
R I VE AT T H E D I S TR IC T O F B O RA —CO N VE R S A T I O N
WI T H T H E G O VERN O R O F A V I L LA G E —PA SS T H E
'

R I VE R S H E M S H E H o — A B U NDA N C E O F FI SH —ARR I VE
O N T H E F R O NT I ER O F T H E W A G C O U NT RY —K I N D
N E SS O F T H E G O VERN O R—A RR I VE A T T H E R I VE R
T Z A NA —R E C E I V E U N F A V O U RA B L E N E WS RE S P E C T
I N G T H E S TAT E OF T H I N G S I N T I G RE —A F T ER C ON
S I D E R AB L E D I FFI C U LT Y A RR I V E AT T H E V I LLA G E
OF M A W O I N I —K I ND LY R E C E I V ED B Y A M O N K
,

A RR I VE A T ANTA L O —C H U R C H O F S T G E O R G E.

CO NVER S AT I O N WI T H A PR I E S T O N RE L I G I O U S S U B
J E C T S — N O T I C E S RE S P E C T I N G T H E T OW N O F A N TA L O

—D EPART UR E F R O M A N T A L o —I M M EN S E F L OC K O F
B A B OO N S — S I T U AT I O N OF C H E L I C A T — A RR I VE A T
AD I GR AT E — V I SI T T H E C H U R C H O F S T C H I R K OS
SI T U A T I O N O F A D I G RA T —V I L LA G E O F M A M B E R OT
.

I N H OS P I TA L I T Y O F T H E T I G R I A N s— L EAV E M A M B E
R O T A ND A RR I VE A T B E H AT —C H ARA C TER O F T H E
PE O PLE O F S ENA F E —V I LLA G E OF S H E M A S A N U
,

V ISI T T H E A LA C A O F T H E C H UR CH O F S T G E O R G E
—CO NVER S AT I O N W I T H H I M O N F A S T I N G —L EAVE
.

M E S H A I K H —D IS PU T E WI T H T H E G O VERN O R O F S E
NA F E —A RR I VE AT T E K U N D A —W EL L R E C E I V ED B Y
T H E GO V ERN O R—D EPA RT U R E F R O M T E K U N D A A ND
ARR I VE AT A R K E E K O—ARR I VA L A T M A S S O W A I I
,

4 62
 A GE OGR APHI CAL ME MOI R

E A S T E R N A N D C E N T RA L AFR I C A .

'

W IT HIN th e la st fe w year s th e g eo g raphic al fe ature s o f

,

A fr i ca h ave b e g un t o a ss um e s o m e thi n g lik e a nat ural an d

a rati onal S h ap e E v ery d ay b ring s u s s o m e i m p or t an t
.

g e o g ra phic a l i nfor m a ti o n re g ar di n g i n t ere sting p or ti o n s of

th a t va st C on tinen t S o m e of this is en tirel y n e w a n d
. ,

o th er p or ti on s of it c on fi rm at ory of th e accoun ts c o l
l e c te d an d t ran s m itt e d t o u s b y th e anc i en ts b u t ,

w hich m o d e rn wi s d om would ne ith er a ll ow t o b e p o ssibl e

nor correc t T h e att en ti on of th e wor ld is now h ow
.
,

ever s o cl o s el y di re ct e d t o th a t fin e b u t hith er t o m uch

, ,

ne gl e ct e d quar t er of th e G l ob e th a t its i n t er i or an d l ea st
,

k nown p arts h a v e al rea d y b een w id e l y e x pl ore d a n d w ill it

, , ,

i s c o n fid en tl y p re di c t e d i n a few year s m ore b e e x pl o re d

, ,

t o th e i r d ee p e s t rece ss e s an d corre ctl y d e li n ea t e d

, .

b
[ 2] G E OG RAP HIC A L M E M OI R .

Am on g th o s e t o w h o m Afr ic a n G eo g raph y a n d th e
fr i ends of A fric a a r e a t this m o m en t d e e pl y i n d e bt e d ,

-
M e ss r s I s e n b erg a n d K rap f th e wor th y M issi onar i e s
.
,

s e n t out s o m e ye ar s a g o b y th e C hur ch M i ssi on ary S o ci e t y ,

t o p re a ch t h e G o sp e l i n th e E a st ern a n d i n t er i or p ar ts o f

A fr ic a ,
-cl ai m t h e fi r st pl a c e T h e t ra v e ls an d th e l ab our s
.

of th e s e ex c ell en t m en h ave b een th e fi r st t o b r i n g b efo re

,

t h e B r itish Public c orre ct i n for m a ti on re g a r di n g th a t i n

t e re s ti n g an d o n c e c e l e b r a t e d p or ti on of A fr ic a l y i n g t o
, ,

t h e s outh of th e S t r a its of B ab e l m a n d eb t o t h e s ou th ,

e a st a n d s outh Of A b y ssi n i a a n d t h e u pp er a n d ear l y

,

c o urs e Of th e B ah r el a z re e k o r th e Blue N il e T h e
- -
, .

J ourn als of th e se m en for m t h e p r in cip al Obj e ct an d c on

t e n ts o f th e p re s en t p ublic ati on a n d a r e s o i n t ere st ,

i n g fro m
, l ay ing b efore u s a s th ey d o t h e hi g hl an ds
, ,

w hich g iv e bi r th t o a n d w hich s e p arat e th e wat er s o f

,

s o m e of th e l arg e st an d m o st i m p or t an t R iv er s in Afric a ,

th a t th e wr it e r Of this c on sid e re d it b u t j ustic e t o th e s e

i n dividua ls an d of i m p or t an c e t o a r i g ht un d er st an din g
,

o f th e s ubj e ct t o arran g e an d d eli n eat e in a m ap th e i r

,

t ravels an d all th e o th er i m p or t an t i n for m ati on which

h e h a s l a t e l y c oll e ct e d a n d Obt a i n e d re g ar di ng t h e E a st er n
a n d C e n t r a l p or ti o n s Of Afr ic a m ore i m m e di a t e l y c o n
,

n e c t e d w ith th e j our n ey s an d i nfor m a ti o n g i ven b y t h e

M issi on ar i e s allud e d t o .

W i th g rea t l ab o ur a n d w ith m u ch c are this h a s a c c o r

, ,

di n g l y b e en d one T h e p re s en t m e m oi r n arra t e s in a for m

.
,

a s c on d en s e d a s p o ssibl e th e g eneral h e a ds of th e s ubj e ct

, ,

t o g e th er w ith t h e auth or iti e s fro m w hich t h e i n fo r m a ti on

h a s b een d raw n a n d t h e rea d er w ill b e abl e t o t ra c e th e
,

d e sc r ipti o n s a n d j ourn ey s o n t h e a cc om p any in g m a ps .

F ro m th e s e h e W ill p er c e i ve t h e i m p or t an c e of th e in f or
 G E OG RAP HIC AL M E MOI R .
[ 3]
m ati on w hich h a s b een Obt a in e d a n d c o ll e ct e d a n d t h e ,

re m ark abl e e rr o r s w hich h a ve hith er t o p re v ail e d in th e

G e o g raph y of this p o r ti on o f Afr ic a ar isi n g i n m an y i n ,

stan c e s n o t s o m u ch from th e wan t of i n form a ti on a s fr o m

, ,

t h e c a r e l e ss n e ss w ith w hich th a t h a s b ee n ex a m i n e d a n d a s ,

ifit were fro m a d e t e r m i n a ti o n t o re sist th e t ru th .

T h e i nfo r m ati o n w hich our C oun t rym an B ru c e c o ll e ct e d

a n d re c e iv e d re g a r di n g t h e p or ti o n of Afr ic a m ore e sp e
,

c iall
y u n d e r c o n sid erati o n wa s n o t o n l y ex t en si ve
, b u t ac ,

curat e an d i m p or t an t I f h e h a d b e en for tunat e e n oug h

.

t o h ave h a d an A rrow s m ith o r a Vlfy l d a t his e lb ow t o d e ,

lineat e o n a m ap t h e info r m ati on w hich h e h a d c o ll e ct e d ,

th e g re a t fe a t ure s of a ll t h e m o st i m p or t an t p or ti o n s o ft h e

G eog r aph y of A fr ic a t o th e N or th o f th e E qu at or would ,

h av e b een pl a c e d b efore th e eye s of E ur o p e si x ty ye a r s a g o .

H i s a cc oun t o f Ab y ss in i a an d s evera l pl a c e s a dj a c en t t o
,

it is th e b e st th a t h a s y e t c om e i n t h e wr it er s way A s
,
’
.

w e p r o c ee d this fact W ill b e cl e arl y e st ablish e d T h e

, ;

g en er a l c orre ct n e ss o fth e fe a ture s o fthis p o r ti o n of A fr ic a

a s d r a wn b y Pt o l e m y w ill als o b e sh ew n a n d a sc er t a i n e d
, .

T h e tra v e ll er s a n d auth or iti e s fro m w hich th e wr it er h a s

d raw n i n form a ti o n w ill b e c are full y an d faithfull y p o i n t e d
ou t B ut h e w o uld b e a cti ng unj ustl y if h e did n o t t ak e this
.

Opp o r t un it y o f re t u rn i n g h is c or di a l th a n ks to M Jo .

m ar d o f Par is
, we ll k n ow n for his g re a t att en ti o n t o
,

e v ery p ar t o f Afr ic an G eo g r a ph y fo r th e g rea t ki n dne ss

,

sh ewn b y th a t g en tl e m an in t ran s m itti n g h i m b y t h e ,

earli e st p o ssibl e Opp o rtun it y t h e o f fi ci a l a bst r a ct Of th e

,

v oya g e Of dis c o v er v di re ct e d b y t h e p re s e n t V ic er o y o f
E gy pt ab out th ree ye ar s a g o t o e x pl o re th e B a h r e l a bi a d
, ,
- -
,

or Whit e R iv er T his h a s b e e n d o ne i n a re m a rk bl e
. a

m ann e r an d , is o n e o f th e m o st i n t er e sti n g a n d i m

b O
[4 ] G E O G RAP H IC AL M E M OI R .

p ortan t voya g e s of d isc overy w hich h a s b een m ad e in

m o d ern ti m e s .

On e of th e g reat e st di f fi culti e s en c oun t ere d i n unrav e llin g

Afr ic an G e o g raph y is th e di ver sit y of nam e s th a t a r e g i ve n
t o th e s am e C oun t ry T ow n M oun t ain or R i ve r a cc or di n g
, , , ,

a s th e s e m a
y h a ve b een Obt ai n e d or c oll e ct e d b y di f feren t
t rav e ll e r s fro m di ffere n t nati ve s ; a n d th e s e ag a i n di ffer i n g
a cc or ding a s th ey ar e o bt ai n e d from N e g ro or Arab T rib e s .

T h e di f feren t m o d e of wr iti ng a n d p ronoun ci n g th e s am e

n a m e even am on
g E uro p ean s is oft en e x t re m e l y p u zzli n g .

T his di ver sit y o fnam e s for th e s a m e thi n g is s o g rea t an d s o

fl
fre quen t th at it re qu ire s no or dinary p ati en c e a n d stre tch Of
,

m e m ory t o d e t e ct th e m a n d t o h o ld th e p ar tic u l ar p la c e

st eadily i n v i ew .

Ano th er g rea t d i i c ul ty p ro c ee ds fro m th e narrat or s

’

rever si n g th e b e ar in g s o fo n e pl ac e from ano th er : p uttin g

We st for E a st an d N or th for S outh an d s o on T hu s
, , .

h e w ill s ay Wara is n or th ea st fro m D ar R um a ; w h ere

,
-

a s i t is D ar Rum a th a t is nor th ea st fro m Wara T h e

-
.

narra t or w h o h a d b e en a t b o th pl a cing him s el f w hil e g iv

, ,

i n g i n for m a ti o n a t D a r R u m a i n st ea d of re m e m b er i n g th a t
,

h e wa s l ooki n g fro m Wara t o D a r R u m a T his kin d of

.

m ist ak e is very fre quen t a m o n

g N e g ro a n d Arab t rav e l
ler s an d n arra t or s T h us w h ere th ere is n o ch e ck from
. ,

a n Opp o sit e di re cti on or a p o in t m ore b eyon d it is so m e,

t i m e s i m p o ssibl e t o fi n d ou t th e t ru th .

I n lik e m an ner g rea t e rror s are fre quen tl y c o m m itt e d

w ith r e g ar d t o th e c ours e s o fr iv er s th e Arabs e sp e ci all y
,

p utting th e g eog raphic al b ear ing of th e b e d of th e r i ver for

t h e c our s e o fth e c urre n t of th e st ream T hu s th ey s ay of
.

t h e N il e it g oe s fro m E g y pt t o A b y ssin i a ; w h er e a s th e r i ver

c o m e s a s E uro p ean s ex p re s s it from Ab y s sin i a t o E g y pt
, ,
.
 G E OG RAP H I C A L M E MO I R .
[5 ]
S uch ist ak e s w ith reg ar d t o b eari ng s a s th o s e ab ove
m ,

a dv er t e d t o a re very fre quen tly c o m m itt e d i n E urop e an

,

A u th ors T hu s i n B ruc e s works his e dit or h as m a d e th e

’
. .

b earing s o fpl a c e s b oun di n g ea ch o th er th e rever s e of w h at

th ey re al l y a re F or i n st an c e T i g re is st a t e d t o b e b oun d
.
,

e d ou th e nor th ea st b y B e g em d e r ; w h erea s it is B e e m d e r
g
-

th a t is b oun d e d o n th e nor th ea st b y T i g re A si m il ar error

- .

h a s b een c o m m itt e d w ith m o st of th e Ab y ssin i an p rov i n c e s ,

a n d th e s e error s h a v e b e en c o pi e d i n t o a l m o st every wor k

th at I h ave s een M urray s Afr ic a th e E n c yc l o pm dia B r i ’

t an n i c a & c w hich h ave c o pi e d fro m B ru c e T h e s e error s

, . .

c a n h owe v er b e d e t e ct e d w ith a littl e c are ; b u t n o t s o th o s e

, ,

W h ere s ou th ea st is p u t for s ou th we st a s is s o m e ti m e s th e
- -
,

c as e T h e s e re qui re inv i n cibl e p ati en c e an d re s ear ch t o

.

un ravel I n M r K rapfs fi r st j ourn ey h e st a t e s th a t fro m

. .
’
, ,

D ob r a B er h an t o T e g ul e t h e wen t ea st W h ere a s it sh ould

h ave b een we st ; a n d in st ea d of L ak e Z a w a sh e m pty i n g
its elf t o th e s outh a s h e th en i n dic at e d we n o w fi n d th a t ,

it e m pti e s its elf i n t o th e H awa sh a n d i n a n Opp o sit e d ire c ,

ti on Pag e s m i g ht b e fill e d i n p o i n t i n g ou t si m il ar error s

.

c o m m itt e d b y t ravell er s .

I n e sti m at in g th e dist ance a n d p o siti on s of p la c e s fro m

d ay s j ourney th e g reat e st c are is ne c e ss ary t o asc er t ai n
’

w h e th er s uch j ou rn ey s a re p erfo rm e d b y sin g l e t rav e ll er s ,

t rave lli n g ex p e diti ousl y for onl y t wo or th ree d ay s a n d for ,

p lea s ure or b y a sp ec i al m e ss e n g er or b y th e st ead y re g

ul ar j ourney of th e m er c antile C aravan T h e dist an c e g one .

ove r b y each i f ex c ee ding t wo or th ree d ay s sc ar c e l y ever

, ,

var i e s e sp e ci all y of th e l a tt er an d a re on l y le ss ene d or e x

,

t end e d a cc or din g t o th e n ature of th e c oun t ry m oun ,

t a i n o us ro ck y woo d y cl ear o r l e v el
, , th a t th ey m a y h a v e
, ,

t o t r averse I n a j ourn ey of t wo or th ree d ay s th ere m a y

.
[ 6] G E O G RAP H I C AL M E M OI R .

be s om e littl e disc re p an c y a s t o th e d a il y dist an c e m ad e

g oo d e sp e ci all y i f th ere is n o ti m e g i ven t o ch e ck it
, b ut
w h e n t h e j ourney c o m e s t o ex t en d t o s ev eral d ay s or fo r ,

a c on sid erabl e p er i o d of ti m e it is a st on ishin g w ith w h a t

,

a ccurac y t h e p o siti on s Of pl a c e s c an b e a sc er t a ine d an d

d e t erm in e d b y this m o d e of m e as ure m en t I h ave fo un d .

it no t t o v ary m ore th an 1 5 m il e s i n 1 0 0 0 a n d this w h e n ,

ch e cke d b y j ourn ey s of a n e qua l l en g th t o a g iv en pl ac e ,

m ad e fro m th e o pp o sit e or fro m a di fferen t di re cti on .

G re a t c are h a s b een t ak en i n reg ar d t o this m att er in c o n

s tr uc t i n g t h e a cc o m p any i n g m a ps ; a n d t h e re s u lts aft er ,

b e ing ag a i n a n d ag a i n ch e ck e d h av e c o m e o ut very c o n
,

v i n c i n g a n d v ery s a tis fa ct ory .

With th e s e p reli m i n ary re m arks w e p ro c ee d t o c o n sid er

t h e J our n als of th e t r a v e ll e r s a ll u d e d t o a n d th e p o siti o n s ,

an d g e n eral feature s o f th e c oun t r i e s an d dist ricts th roug h

w hich th e y w en t .

T h e j ourney of M r K ra p f a n d M r I s enb erg t o Ank o b a r

. .

c o m e s fi r st i n or d er T h ey l an d e d a t Z e il ah o n th e l st o f
. .

A p r il 1 8 3 9 T his is a d e c ay e d t o wn c on t a i n i n g o n l y e i g ht
.
,

st o n e h o u s e s an d ab ou t o n e h un dre d st raw huts t og e th er ,

o ccupi e d b y ab ou t 8 0 0 i n h abit an ts m ean an d p oor T h ei r , .

fo o d c o n sists o fm aiz e d at e s m ilk a n d r ic e an d o cc a si on

, , , ,

a ll y fi e s h . T h e h a rb our is very b ad h a vi n g m an y s an d ,

b an ks a n d s everal s m a ll isl an ds ne ar it t owar d th e n or th

,
.

T h e t own is s urroun d e d w ith wal ls an d h as o n th e l an d , ,

sid e s e v en pi e c e s o f or dn an c e p o i n t e d t o th e c oun t ry Of
, ,

t h e S o m a ulis w ith w hich p eo pl e d we llin g t o t h e s ou th ea st

,
-

a n d s ou th th e t own h a s a c o n si d erabl e i n t er c our s e b u t

,

feu ds an d j e al ou si e s v ery fre quen tl y p re v ail b e t wee n th e m .

Z e il ah h a s a g o o d d e a l of i n t er c our s e w ith t h e a dj o i n i n g an d
in t er i or c oun tr i e s e sp e ci all y w ith H urrur fro m w hi c h pl a c e
, ,
[8 ] G E OG RAP H I C AL M E M OI R .

di re cti on m enti one d an d th e true p o siti on of this s m al l

,

b u t i m p or t an t t own were all un known till th ey were dis

,

cl o s e d b y th e M issi onar i e s m en ti one d T h e t own is stil l .

s m al l er an d p oorer th an Z iel ah c on t ai n ing onl y ab ou t ,

3 0 0 i n h abit an ts ; b u t it is th e n eare st p o in t fro m w hich t o

p ene trat e i n t o th e m o st i n t ere sti n g p or ti on s of Ab y ssin i a ,

a n d h a s g oo d anc h orag e n ear it a thi n g sc ar c el y foun d

,

o n a n y p or ti o n of th e E a st c oa st of A fr ic a e sp e ci ally ,

w ith ou t th e S t ra its of B ab el m an d eb un til th e E qu ino cti al

line is p a ss e d T h e i n h abit an ts of B erb era s en d t o T a
.

j oura fo r wat er w hich is foun d of ex c ell en t qualit y i n

,

wells an d re s ervo i r s in its v ici n it y T aj o ur a a cc or ding . ,

t o C apt ai n H arr is st an ds i n 1 1 4 6 3 5 N or th L atitud e

,
° ’ "
,

'
an d i n 4 3 00 2 0 E a st L ong itud e an d is b uil t up on
°
"
,

a pl ain a t th e foo t of th e m oun t ain s th e s oi l b e ing c om p o ,

s e d of p ar ticle s wa sh e d d ow n fro m th e hills dur ing th e

rain s L ik e all th at p or ti on of Afr ic a it is s ubj e ct t o
.
,

g rea t h ea t a n d d ro ug ht T o th e n or th an d nor th we st
.
-

th e i n t er i or is very m ount ainou s th e hills an d r id g e s ,

r ising t o a very c on sid erabl e elevati on T h e m o st i m p or .

t an t is M oun t D eb e n i t ab ou t 3 5 m il e s north we st Of
,
-

T aj o ura. T his m oun t a i n is very e l evat e d a n d a c c o r ,

di n g t o M R o ch e t w h o v isit e d it is volc an ic an d c o m
.
, ,

p o s e d o f p r i m iti ve r o ck T h ere is an e x ti n ct c rat er o n

.

its s um m it F ox e s an d G a z ell e s ar e num erou s b o th g rea t

.
,

an d s m all ; an d th ere is als o foun d a t ree from w hich is

e x t ra ct e d a very d ea dl y p o is on w hich th e inh abit an ts use
,

o n th e i r arrow s . T h e roa d fro m T aj o ura t o M oun t D e

b en it is ex c ee ding l y rug g e d an d st ee p an d covere d w ith ,

an ci en t volc anoe s quar tz b as alt & c

, , , .

F ro m T aj o ur a M e ss r s K ra p f a n d I s enb erg p ro c ee d e d
, .

i n ab out a s outh we s t b y wes t di re cti on t o Ank ob ar th e

-
,
 G E O G RAP H IC AL M E M OI R . 9
[ ]
p re s en t c apit al of S h oa a st at e n o w in d e p en d en t of th e
,

e m pire of A b y ssi n i a T h e j ourn ey wa s un d er t ak en i n th e

.

h e i g ht of th e d ry s ea s o n an d th e rout e is disti n ctl y m ark e d

,

o n th e m a p A n E m b a ss y fro m th e E a st I n di a C o m p a n y
.

t o th e Ki ng of S h o a un d er C apt ain H arr is an d s en t in c o n

, ,

s e quen c e o f th e i nfor m a ti on w hich th e M issi onar i e s h a d

g i ven t,rave ll e d over near l y th e s a m e g rou n d in 1 8 4 1 ,

an d al s o a Fre n ch t ravell er M R oc h e t a few m on ths .

,

aft er M e ss r s I s enb erg an d K rap f T h e j ourn ey s of H ar

. .

r is an d R o ch e t were acc o m plish e d in th e w e t s eas on an d ,

c on s e quen tl y th e c oun try wore a di f feren t a sp e ct Nu .

m e ro us an d c on sid erabl e r i ver s w hich were d ry w h e n th e ,

M issi o n ar i e s p a ss e d t raver s e d th e c oun t ry a n d fl owe d t o

, ,

th e H awa sh or th e L ak e s A m ong th e s e is o n e nam e d

.

b y M R o ch e t th e Kill al o u w hich run s from s outh t o

.
,

nor th ea st a dist an c e Of for t y m il e s a n d falls i n t o th e

-
,

N a tron L a k e I n th e ra iny s ea s on it is si x t y fee t b road

. ,

a n d fro m fi ve t o si x fee t d ee p A t G o n b a d e th ere is a n o

.

th er w hich r un s fro m e a st nor th e ast t o n o r th nor th we st

,
- - - - .

T h e c urr e n t is rapid a n d th e b r ea dth 1 0 0 m e t re s ( 2 5 0

,

fee t) an d d epth fort y c en ti m e tre s T h ere are num erou s .

h o t sp r ing s i n th e ne i g hb ourh oo d of Om arg al o uf ab ou t ,

th ree l eag ue s e ast of L ak e A uss a a n d als o in th e ne i g h ,

b o urh o o d of K ill al o u L ak e A u ss a is Ofc on sid erabl e ex t e n t

.
,

it overfl ow s d ur in g th e rainy s ea s on a n d w h en it re c e d e s ,

l eave s a fi n e d e p o sit lik e th at whi ch is l eft b y th e E g ypti an

,

N il e . D uri ng t h e over fl ow th e s up erab u n d an t wa t er s r un

,

of f i n t o t h e N a t ro n L ak e ab ou t n i n e m il e s dist a n t nor th
,

e a st
. M r I s enb erg wa s t old th a t t h e wa t er s Of A uss a
.

were bitt er ; b ut M R o ch e t s ay s th ey a re s wee t A uss a

. . ,

s om e c e n tur i e s a g o w a s t h e c apit al of th e ki n g d o m o f
,

A d el a n d a pl a c e of g rea t i m p or t an c e
,
b ut it is n o w m uc h
b 5
 [ 1 0] G E O G RAP H I C AL M E M OI R .

d e c aye d li e s d ue w e st fro m K ar an ta an d is sit uat e d

. It ,

a cc or di n
g t o B ru c e on a b ank o f th e r iv er H awa sh
, .

I t is t h e c apit a l of th e t r ib e of D a n k ali c all e d M u d a i t e s ,

t h e m o st p o werful a t this ti m e i n this p or ti o n of A fr ic a .

S ever a l U l em a s an d o th er l earne d M a h o m e d a n s y et r e
sid e in th e pl a c e I t c o n t a i n s fro m 1 4 00 t o 1 600 h o u s e s
.
,

a n d fr o m 5 00 0 t o 60 0 0 i n h a bit a n ts T h e s o il is v er y f er .

til e a n d suppli e s D o urah fo r th e c on sum pti on o f all t h e

,

a dj o i n i n g p arts o f A d e l I t w a s a t this pl a c e th e n c all e d

. ,

A ux a n o t a t Z e il ah w h ere th e t wo Por tug ue s e M issi onari e s

, , ,

w h o fo r m e d p a r t o f th e M issi o n of J e ro m e L o b o a n d w h o ,

a tt e m pt e d t o p ene t ra t e i n t o A b y ssi n i a b y l an di n
g a t Z e il a h , ,

w e re m ur d ere d .

T h e S ult an Of T aj o ura th ou g h of s m all p ow e r is re pre

, ,

s en t e d t o b e a b rav e m an wi th a v ery l arg e fam il y A t , .

s o m e dist an c e from this pl a c e in th e in t er i or Mr I s enb er g , , .

w a s t o ld th a t c o als r e s e m bli n g th o s e i m p or t e d i n t o A d e n
, , ,

w e r e foun d A ll th e c oun try fro m T aj oura t o An k ob ar is

.

v olc an ic everywh e re e x hibiting v o lc an ic r id g e s anc i en t

, ,

v o lc an o e s a n d pl a c e s c ove re d w ith volc an ic r e m ain s T his

, .

is e sp e ci all y t h e c a s e t o th e we st war d an d n or th war d o f

f rI ull o o . S e veral Of th e s e pl a i n s a re v e ry fe r til e an d o n ,

t h e hill s a n d r id g e s t h e a i r is c o o l a n d pl e a s a n t t h e c oun ,

t ry r isin g g ra d ual l y fro m t h e s e a T h e l ak e of A ss a l o r . .

,

t h e S a lt L ak e is o fc on sid erabl e ex t en t a n d th e s alt t ak e n

,

fro m it for m s a c on sid erabl e b ran ch o f c om m er c e w ith t h e

c o un t ri e s in th e i n t er i or t o th e s ou th t o th e we st a n d t o
, , ,

t h e n or th I t is st a t e d t o b e 5 7 0 fee t b e l ow t h e l e v e l o f
.

t h e s ea a n d i s a f
, e w m il e s dist an t from th e s e c on d B ay o f
”
T aj o ura c all e d
, G h o o but Ghr a b its e l f C l earl y o fv o lc an ic ,

o r i in V ery hi g h ra n es
g of b ill s b ou n d th e h or iz o n t o
g .

V o l i ii
. . p . 347 .
 G E O G RAP HIC AL M E M OI R .
[ 1 1]
th e s outh an d s o uth ea st of th e rout e l a id d ow n T h e
-
.

t e rrit ory of t h e C hi ef of T aj o ura b eg i n s at M ur z a D o o an ,

a n d ex t e n ds s ou th t o t h e S a lt L ak e I ts ex t e n t we st w ar d
.

is un d e fi n ed b ut it is p rob abl y no t g rea t

, .

W h en I s en b erg a n d K rap f cro ss e d th e H awa sh o n

t h e 2 9 th M ay n ear th e e n d o f th e d ry s ea s on th e y
, ,

foun d th e st re am ab ou t si x t y fe e t b road a n d fro m t w o t o ,

fou r fe e t d ee p with b anks from fi ft een t o t w e n t y fe e t

,

hi g h W h en t h e E m b a ss y Of C apt ai n H arr is c ro ss e d it
.

i n t h e w e t s ea s o n a n d a t t h e s am e p o i n t th ey fo un d t h e
, ,

stream fro m fo r t y t o fi ft y yar ds b roa d a n d fro m t e n t o ,

t we l ve fee t d e e p th e b anks c overe d w ith fi n e t ree s a n d th e

, ,

sc enery very b eauti ful T h e i r en c am p m en t near th e r iv e r

.

w a s 2 2 2 3 fee t ab ove t h e l e v e l of th e s ea M R o ch e t . .
,

w h en h e c ro ss e d th e s t ream foun d it from fi fty t o fi ft y fi e

,
- v

m e t re s b roa d a n d t w e l ve a n d a h a lf t o four t ee n d e e p its

, ,

c our s e from th e p o i n t w h ere th e roa d c ro ss e s it b e i n g ,

n or th , a n d aft erwar d nor th ea st t o L a k e Au ss a -

w hich ,

l ak e M R o ch e t st a t e s is e i g ht y m e tre s ( 2 00 fee t ) d e e p
.
, .

T h e b an ks o f th e r iv e r a r e c ov e r e d w ith fi n e ver dur e a n d

fi n e tree s T h ere a r e ab un d an c e of hipp o p o t am i i n t h e
.

st ream ; an d l eo p ards z eb ras ti g e r s li o n s an d an t e l o p e s

, , , ,

a r e nu m erou s o n its b an ks w hich ab o ve L ak e A u ss a a r e

,

i n h abit e d b y th e p owerful t rib e Mud a ite or H a s s e n d e r a

a l re a d y m e n ti o n e d I n fa ct this g rea t t r ib e st re tch nor th
.
,

w ard a s far a s th e p arall el Of T aj o ura .

N um erou s o th er t r ib e s o f D ank ali sp rea d o v er this po r

ti on o f A fric a till th ey c o m e in c ont a ct w ith th e S o m a ul i
t o t h e s outh an d s outh ea st Of Z e ilah an d t h e G all-
, a

t owar d H urrur th e king d om of S h o a t o th e s outh w e st

,
-

a n d we st a n d a a i n t h e G all a o n t h e we st n or th w e st a d - n
, g , ,

n or th . T h e n a m e s o ft h e p r i n cip a l o fth e s e a r e m en ti o n e d
[ 12 ] G E OG R AP H I C AL M E MOI R .

b y M r I s en b erg an d d e s erve sc ar c e l y a n y o th er no tic e

.
, .

A m ong th e t rib e s m enti one d b y C a pt a i n H arris we fi n d ,

th e R ah e it a i n h abiti n g th e c oun t ry cl o s e t o th e d ee p
b ay s of T a
j u a T his t r ib e w e l earn from B ruc e
o r .
,
*
,

form e d an i m p or t an t p or ti on o f th e ki n g d o m of Ad el ,

an d re m aine d att ach e d t o it w h en stripp e d Ofnearl y all th e

re st of its d om in i on s I n th e d ay s of its S pl en d our thi s
. ,

t rib e ex t e n d e d its el f t o th e ne i g hb ourh oo d of A ss ab w h ere ,

we ye t fi n d th e r i ver of R ah e it a fro m w hich th ey p rob abl y ,

h a d th e i r nam e F ro m
. th e H awa sh t o An k o b ar th e
co unt ry is very b eau tiful fi n el y div e r sifi e d an d wat ere d b y
, ,

n um erou s st rea m s t r ib u t ar i e s t o th e H awa sh

, T his dist r ict .

for m s p ar t of th e king d om Of S h oa an d is c om p reh en de d ,

i n or rath er form s th e dist rict or p rov in c e Of L ower

,

E fa t Ank o b ar is fine l y situa t e d o n th e e a st er n ex t rem it y

.

of M oun t C h akk a a n d is 8 1 9 8 fee t ab ove th e l e v e l of th e

,

s e a a n d i n l a tit u d e n i ne d e ree s thi r t y four m i n u t e s thi r

g
-
,

t y th ree s e c on ds nor th an d lon g itu d e thi r t y n i n e d e g ree s

-
,
-

thi rt y fi v e m inut e s ea st a cc or di n g t o th e m o st re c en t a o
-
,

c oun ts an d w hich p o siti on is a fe w m il e s di f

, fere n t fro m
th e p ro t ra cti on of M r I s en b er g s fi r st j ourney M r I s en
’
. . .

b e rg an d his c oll eag ue were enrapture d w ith th e cli m a t e of

A nk ob ar On th e 4 th of J un e th e y foun d th e b arl ey
.

re ad y for th e h arv e st a n d th e th er m o m e t er no t m ore th an

,

4 0 d ur i n g t h e n i g ht
°
T h e r ich ve g e t ati o n th e situa ti on
.
,

i n a c oo l vernal or al m o st au t um na l a t m o sph ere

, , s ay s
”
M r I s enb er g
. al m o st p u t u s in an e cst a s y
,
“
th ey .

”
b reath e d Alpi n e ai r a n d d rank Alpi n e wat er
,
An g o ll all a .

is 2 00 fee t hi g h er th an An k ob ar an d th e m oun t ain s t o ,

th e s outh of th a t pl ac e ab ou t th e s our c e s of th e B ere s a a n d

th e T sh al sh a r is e t o a still g reat er h e i g ht .

V ol i i i
. . p: 347 .
 G E O G RAP HIC AL M E M OI R .
[ ]
1 3

B e t we en K uda ite an d th e m oun t ai n s of th e All a G all a

th ere is a larg e pl a in or vall ey w hich it is s aid ex t en ds , ,

fro m th e H awa sh ea st war d t o B erb era A r id g e of hills .

r ising t o a c on sid erab le h e i g ht st re tch e s along th e east

b an k of th e H awa sh I n c ro ssi ng th e pl ai n of litt le M ul
.

10 0 t h e g ra ss wa s foun d s o hi g h a s t o r is e ab ove th e h ea d
,

of a m an o n h or s eb a ck T o th e s outh we st of this a t
.
-
,

s om e dist an c e M R o ch e t st at e s th at th ere is a vol c ano i n a

, .

st at e of a cti v it y A b ou t All eule in th e t err it ory o fth e t rib e

.
,

D o l o n e th ere a r e fi n e p al m t ree s fro m w hich th e n a ti ve s

, ,

e x t ra ct a j u ic e w hich th ey m anufa ct ure in t o a S pi r ituou s

liquor w hich re s em bl e s ch am p ag ne B e t w i x t th e m oun .

t ai n s of H a s s en d e ra an d th e M ud aite s o n th e nor th an d , ,

th e All a G all a s o n th e s outh th ere is a larg e pl ain w h ere

, ,

c offee C itron an d s ug ar c ane s are cul ti vat e d ; an d w h ere

, ,
-

b o th z eb ra s an d e l eph an ts a re foun d in c on sid erabl e num b er s .

T h e D a n n akil p o p ul a ti o n of this p or ti o n of Afr ic a are e s

ti m a t e d a t s ouls B e t w i x t th e H a wa sh an d F ar i
.

a re s e ver al l ak e s o n e of th e m
, th e m o st we st erl y of c o n
, ,

s i d e r abl e m ag n it u d e is c all e d L a A d u or
, tlze f a r dis ta nt
,

w a ter . We st war d of L ak e Au ss a an d th e l ower H awa sh ,

th e t errit ory o f a C hi ef n am e d I m a m F ar is e x t en ds fro m ,

e ast t o we st four d ay s j o urney till it t ouch e s u p on th e

’

W o o ll a G all a .

T h e M ud ai tes are th e m o st war lik e of all th e D a n n akil

t r ib e s T h ey a re n o t v ery in t elli g en t b ut h ave g oo d c o n
. ,

s t it ut i o n s a n d th e i r wo m en are g oo d l ookin g
,
T h e in h ab .

i tan ts o f Ad el sp eak a l ang uag e diff ere n t from th e Arabic ,

th e f E th i o pi c th e Am h ar ic or th e G all a
, , Perh aps th e .

anc i en t B erb er L an guag e st a t e d t o b e an ori g i n al l an g uag e

, ,

or of g rea t an tiqu it y T h ey s ay th a t th e i r ance st or s c am e

.
 [ 14 ] G E O G RAP H IC AL M E MOI R .

ori g inally from Arabi a an d Asi a Of th e D an n akil s M r .

, .

I s enb erg s ay s
A chi ef o ccup a ti on of th e D an n akil s p ar tic ul arl y th e ,

wom en e sp e ci all y w h en th e y t rav e l is th e pl a iting o fm ats

, ,

a n d b a sk e ts for s alt a n d c orn fro m

, th e b ran ch e s of th e ,

p al m t re e T h e wo m en ar e th e m o st i n du st r i ous T h e v
- . .

d re ss v ery sl ovenl y a n d fre quen tl y wear no thing b u t a

,

pi e c e o f cl o th Of a g rey blue or var i eg at e d c ol our s ti e d

, , , ,

r o un d th e i r hips a n d rea chi ng d own t o th e k nee s s o m e ti m e s

, ,

b oun d roun d w ith a fan ci full y wroug ht l eath ern b e lt N o t - .

~

w ithst an ding th ey a re v a in a n d fo n d of wear in g b rac e l e ts

, ,

a n d fo o t or n am en ts e a r a n d no s e r i n s c oral st r in s o n
g g
-
, ,

th e i r n e cks ,

T h e s e j ourney s m a d e fro m T aj o ura h ave i n th e fi r st pl a c e

re ctifi e d th e g eo g raph y reg ar ding th e c our s e of th e H awa sh
an d b efore p ro c ee di n g far th er it m ay b e a d v is abl e t o re c ,

t if t h e g eo g raph y o fthi s p or ti on OfA fr ic a i n w hich s u ch

y ,

g re a t an d un ne c e ss ary er r or s h ave b een c o m m itt e d an d s o

l on g c on ti n u e d T his th e j ourn eys und er c on sid erati on
.
,

a n d a n a tt en ti ve p eru s a l of th e i n for m a ti o n w hich B ru c e

re c e i ve d ab ou t th e m enabl e s u s very cl e arl y t o d o T h e

, .

c on struct or OfB ru c e s m ap an d his o w n narra tiv e i n s ev e

’

r a l pl a c es h a s m a d e p erfe ct h avo c am o n g th e m
, An a tt e n .

ti ve p eru s al o f his p orti on s of Ab y ssini an H ist ory affor ds ,

t h e s afe st a n d a t o l erabl y cl e a r g u id e t o d e t er m ine t h e

p o siti on s Of th e s e c ount r i e s an d p rov in c e s w ith a suffici en t

d eg ree o f a ccura c y T h e a d van c e a n d re treat of th e c o n
.

t en ding ar m i e s t ra c e s t h e p ro vin c e s w ith g reat cl earn e ss ;

a n d h a d t h e narra ti ve s re g ar din g th e s e b een m ore cl o s e l y a t

t en d e d t o or att en d e d t o at all m o st of th e e rror s w hich h a v e

, ,

c rept in t o t h e g eog raph y of this p or ti on of Afr ic a would ,

ne v e r h a v e b een c om m itt e d o r e ls e l o n g ag o cl eare d up

, .
[ 1 6] G E OG R A PH I C AL M E MO I R .

th e B ay of R a re Aft er a m ar ch of s o m e d ay s alon g
or b y th e b e d of th e r i ver th ey c am e t o an o p en ing in th e
,

m oun t a i n w hich is th e on l y p a ss b e t wee n th e D an k ali an d

Ab y ssi n i a a n d th rou g h w hich th ey p a ss e d w h en th ey i m

, ,

me d i at el y c am e t o a fi n e c oun t ry ab oun ding w ith sp ring s

an d s t ream s t ree s an d ver dure T h ey nex t c r o ss e d th e
, .

s al t p lai n a n d aft er a j ourney Of si x or s e v en d ay s th ey

,

c am e t o Frem o n a fi T h e s alt pl ai n is s urroun d e d wi th

‘

very hi g h m oun t a in s ; it was c ro ss e d in one n i g ht s m arc h ’

.

On th e c on fi n e s of D an k al i an d A b y ssin i a th ere is a m ix ,

e d rac e o f C hr isti an s a n d M ah o m e d an s c all e d T alt al T .

T his is th e na m e of a p eo pl e an d n o t o f a pl a c e T he .

p eopl e of D ank ali are s om e ti m e s c all e d G hib er tis w hich ,

m e an s p eo pl e w h o a r e fi r m in t h e fa ith D an k ali is als o .

som e ti m e s c all e d S am b ar w hich wor d is in fa ct u s e d t o

,

d e si g n at e all th e s ea c oast b o th w ithi n an d with ou t th e

S traits of B ab el m an d eb .

A ng o t c o m e s nex t i n or d er T his wa s on c e a n i m p or .

t an t an d c el eb rat e d Pro vin c e of A b y ssi n i a w h en th at c oun

t ry was i n th e z en ith of its p ower ; b u t it is now m u ch
ci r c um s cr ib e d a n d re du c e d h av ing b een overrun an d d e ,
s

s ol at e d b y th e B es tum a G all a un d er G uan g o ul I t is .

b oun d e d ea st b y th e T alt al p o pul ati on b e l ong in g t o th e ,

st at e of D ank ali a n d th e D ob as a nati o n of S h e ph erds in

, ,

h abitin g th e m oun t ai n ou s p ar ts of th e coun t ry t o th e

sou th we st o fD ank ali on c e Pag an s b u t aft erwar d M a
-
, ,

h o m e d an s On th e s outh an d s ou th ea st
. An g o t is -
,

b oun d e d b y th e Prov ince Of D o w aro ; o n th e we st b y

A m h arai an d o n th e nor th we st b y th a t p ar t of B eg e m d er -

c all e d L a st a an d o n th e nor th ea st b y p ar t of T i g re
,
-
.

T his p rov in c e form erl y ex t en d e d b o th t o th e nor th an d

L b s V y g s P u h C ll ti
o o
’
o a e , rc as 1 B u v l ii i p 1 13
’
o ec on .
‘
r ce , o .
, . .
 G E O G RAP H I C AL M E MOI R .
[ 1 7]
th e s outh Of th e div idi n g ran g e o f m ount ai n s an d t o th e
s outh we st a s far a s L ak e H aik
-
T his wa s its b oun d ary
.

w h en Al v ara ez v isit e d it b u t n o w a c cor ding t o M r K rap f

, .
,

all th e p or ti on situat e d t o th e s outh we st of th e di v iding -

rang e is s ep arat e d fro m it an d b el ong s t o th e p ro vi n c e of

,

G e s h e n or Y e s h e n ; A n g o t p ro p er in its s ou th w e st e x -

t r em i ty c o m m en cing a t th e p o i n t of th e hi g h l an ds nor th ,

o f th e R i ver Al a an d w h ere th e roa d s ep ar at e s t o g o

,

nor th we st t o L alib al a a n d nor th ea st t o S ok o t a T his

-
,
-
.

p rov in c e wa s on c e th e pl ac e of th e R oyal r e sid e n c e an d ,

wa s a d orne d w ith m an y fi n e ch ur ch e s w hich h ave b een ,

dil apid at e d a n d d e stroy e d b y th e M ah o m e d an an d G all a ‘

c on queror s Ang o t is very e l evat e d an d very m oun t ainou s

.
,

ab oun ding w ith sp r ing s r ivul e ts an d s m all r i ver s T h e

, , .

s oil in th e vall ey s is g oo d a n d p ro du cti ve —culti vati on an d

h arve st g o o n t og e th er th roug h ou t th e year T h e c oun .

t ry h a s larg e fl o cks o f sh ee p a n d h erds Of very fine cattl e .

Al v ar a ez s ay s h e m e t w ith s o m e Of th e fi n e st w h eat i n
An g o t th a t h e ever s aw i n a n y c oun t ry T h e cli m at e in .

th e vall ey s is d e lici ou s b ut o n th e m ount a in s it is ex c ee d

i n g l y c o ld Pe ar c e i n t h e m on th o f Oct o b er foun d h oar
.
,

fro st i n th e m orn ing o n th e s u m m its of s om e t o th e s outh

, ,

of L ak e A s s an g h e ; an d w h ere M r K rap f c ro ss e d th e di .

v i d in g ran g e b e e sti m a t e d t h e h e i g ht a t
, fee t th e ,

a ir k een a n d co ld i n M ar ch a n d th e c oun t ry bl eak an d

,

b arren w ith th e sc ant y ve g e t ati on of ex t re m e n or th ern

,

re g i on s T h e r i ver S ab al ette a cc or ding t o A l vara ez th en

. , ,

s ep arat e d T i g re fro m A n g o t th e c apit a l of w hich wa s

,

c all e d An g e teraz S it uat e d o n a d ry r i ver w hich sh ews

, ,

th at its cour s e wa s sh or t fro m th e m oun t ain s th e dry s ea ,

s o n h av in g th en j u st b e g un .

A t th e r i ver Ancon a d e sc r ib e d b y Al var aez a s a c o n

,
[18 ] G E O G RAP HIC AL M E M OI R .

s i d e r ab l er i ver c o m m e n c e s th e p rov in c e or dist ri c t of B ug

,

na or B ug an a th e Por tug ue s e n am e for L a st a

, I t is .

ex tre m e l y m oun t ai n ous s ix d ay s j ourney fro m e ast t o

,
’

we st a n d three fro m north t o s outh th e cli m a t e c o ld

, , .

I t p ro du c e s h e m p fi n e w h ea t a n d ab un d an c e of c a ttl e
, , .

T his a cc oun t g i ve n b y Al v a ra e z is c o n fi r m e d b y M r K ra p f .

a nd o th e r s i n every re sp e ct I n c on tinuing his rout e.

s outh we st Al v a rae z d e sc r ib e s th e ro a d a s drea dful

, ,

”
“
c rawli n g over stup en d ou s r i dg e s a n d t raver si ng d e e p
v all ey s hill aft e r hill an d vall ey aft er v all ey e xactl y a s M r
, , , .

K rap f a n d o th er s foun d in p ar ts i m m e di a t el y a dj o in i n g .

T h e D ob a s were i n th e d ay s Of A l v ar a e z M ah o m e d an s ,

an d th e i r c oun t ry which wa s divid e d i n t o t we n t y four

,

c apt ain ci e s fre quen tl y a t war w ith each o th er ex t en d e d

, ,

fr o m th e b ord er s Of An g o t fi ft e e n d ay s j ourney t o th e S e a ’
.

T h e l an g uag e Of A n g o t b e g an a t D efarfo w hich t ow n wa s ,

c all e d An g o tin a N ear it Al va ra e z s aw

.
, ox en ,

b e sid e s w h eat Ang o t p ro duc e s b arl e y m ill e t b ean s & c

.
, , , .

A dist r ict of B ug ana or L a st a wa s k now n i n th e d ay s of ,

A l va rae z ( 1 5 2 0) un d e r th e na m e of A c at e m o st p rob abl y ,

th e m o d ern S ok o t a i n w hich were m any fi n e ch ur ch e s a n d

, ,

th e c oun t ry p ro d u c e d fi n e w h ea t B ru c e st at e s th a t E u .
,

g an a B ug na or L a st a m a y b e s a id t o b e l on g t o An g o t ; b ut
, ,

h e j u st r e v er s e s its p o siti o n m aki n g it t o t h e ea st OfA n g o t

, .

T h e nam e C or c ora h a s g iv en r is e t o g rea t c o n fu si o n i n

t h e G eo g raph y of this p or ti o n of A fr ic a T h ere a r e t wo .

pl ac e s of th a t nam e o n e C or c ora a r i ver t o th e n or th ea st

, ,
-

of An tal o w ; an d th e o th e r C or c ora Of A n g o t a pl ac e si x ,

m il e s t o th e ea st of th e r i ver S ab al e tt e B y no t a tt en d .

i n g t o this distin cti on m uch c onfu si o n h a s b een c reat e d

, ,

a n d o n e error l e d t o ano th er .

k
~
V o l iii
. . p . 7 .
 G E O G RAP HIC AL M E M OI R .
[ 1 9]
T he po siti on s Of th e s e pl ac e s ar e al s o well e st ablish e d b y
th e fo ll o w i n g refer e n c e s A cc o r di n g t o B ru c e
. G in n a ,
*

m ora wa s a s m al l dist r ict of Ab y ssi n i a o r T i re g b or d e r i n

g
on t h e D o b a s an d t h e p eo pl e o f w hich King D av id a p
,

p o in t e d t o s ubd ue th e latt er Ano th er p roof of th e i r p o si

.
-

ti on s in th e s outh of Ab y ssi ni a is foun d in Bruc e fir w h ere

h e sp eaks Of th e s av ag e p e o pl e c a ll e d A z e b a w h o d we ll a t ,

A z ab an d of th e i r ne i g hb o ur s th e D o b a
,
m ore s avag e ,

th an th ey Ki n g Y ab ou s o f Ab y ssini a w h o wen t t o s ub
. ,

d ue b o th m a r ch e d st rai g ht fro m E n d er t a t o th e l ow c oun

,

t ry ab out A z ub ; a n d from th en c e t urni n g t o th e r i g ht , -

up o n th e D o b a s h e s ucc e ssiv e l y i n v a d e d d e s ol at e d a n d
, , ,

c on quere d b o th ; a n d h avi n g d one s o re turn e d t o E n d ert a , .

N ex t i n or d er c o m e s th e Prov i n c e of D o w ar o th e t rue ,
.

p o siti on of w hich h a s b een still l e ss att en d e d t o T his .

n e l e ct h a s p ro d u c e d m o st s er i ou s error s i n th e G eo ra ph y
g g
of this on c e i m p or t an t p or ti on Of Afric a D o w ar o wa s .

nex t to A n g o t o n th e s outh ea st I t wa s b oun d e d o n th e -

.

nor th b y p ar t of th e Ki n g d o m of D an k ali ; it wa s s e p a
rat e d from An g o t a n d D ank a li b y th e r i v e r H a wa sh an d ,

b o r d ere d t o t h e s o uth u p o n Ad el T h e c apit a l Of A d e l .

wa s n o t far fro m t h e c apit al o f D o w aro c all e d G a z a ,

.

W e st o fD o w aro wa s G e d e m a hill y c oun t ry D o w a r o wa s

,
.

t h e m o st ea st ern p or ti o n o fA b y ssin i a a n d b oun d e d b y t h e ,

4 4 th d e g ree of E a st L on g itu d e 1 T h rou g h this p ro vin c e t h e , ,

A b y ssi n i an ar m i e s fro m An g o t T i g re & C p ene t r a t e d i n t o , .

A d el. On t h e b an ks of a r iv er c all e d Wol e th e Ab y s ,

sin i an e m p eror A m d a S i on foug ht a m o st d e cisiv e b a ttl e

, ,

w ith th e s o v erei g n of Ad e l H e p a ss e d th e Wo l e a n d
. ,

c ut th e m Offfro m Ad e l a n d th e h o st of th e l att er att e m pt

i n g t o re t r ea t b y p a ssi n g th e r iv er l ower d own were a t ,

V l ii i p 17 3
o . . .
1 V l i p 1 36
.
‘ ‘
o Bu
. v, . l i i i pp 2 7 5 7 . r ce , v o . . .
, ,
[ 2 0] G E OG RA P H I C A L M E M OI R .

t a ck e d b y th e Ab y ssin i an s th en on th e r i g ht b an k an d ,

e ith er sl aught ere d or d r i ven i n t o th e r i ve r a t th a t p o in t of

,

con sid erabl e d e pth T his r i ve r W ol e of B ru c e is d oubt

.
,

le ss th e r iv er Al a m enti one d b y M r K rap f ( S ee M ap ) . .

Adj o i n i n g D o w ar o wa s th e king d o m of A d e l an d th e
, ,

p ar tic ul ar p rov in c e of th at nam e A d e l or Ad ai al wa s .

,

a g en e ral nam e g i ven t o th e w h ol e M ah o m e d am po pul a

ti on of th e e a st ern H o rn of Afr ic a I n th e early p er i o ds .

of th e i r hist ory it wa s sp e ci all y c on fine d t o th e c oun t ry

,

e x te n d in g f ro m th e S traits OfB ab el m an d eb t o th e c on fi ne s

fl
of B erb era on th e s ea c oa st an d li m its of th e A b y ssi n i an
E m pi re i n lan d ; b u t w h en this ki n g d om of A d e l p ro p er wa s
al m o st ann ihil at e d b y th e con que sts of Am d a S i on b e ,

t ween 1 3 1 2 an d 1 34 2 th e M ah o m e dan s e d t o th e
,

s outh war d an d th e st at e s subs e quentl y c om p o sing th e i r

,

E m pi re wen t un d er th e nam e Of A d e l an d w hich ex t en d ,

e d s ou th t o M ag ad o sh o an d ea st t o C ap e Gu ard afu i un til

overw h el m e d an d b rok en b y th e S o m aul i an d G all a B u t .

b e sid e s th e g eneral E m pi re of Ad el th ere wa s a p ar tic ul ar,

p or ti on of it which wen t b y th a t nam e T h e ki n g d o m s of .

A d el an d M ara e x t en d e d we are t o ld b y B ru c e t o th e sh ore s

, , ,

of th e S e a M ara is call e d th e d e s er t Ki n g d o m of M ara d

.
*

an d of w hich Z e il ah s ee m s t o h a v e b een th e p or t a n d at o n e
ti m e th e c apit al A d e l wa s b oun d e d b y th e D an k al i o n th e
.

nor th an d ex t en d e d t o A ss ab T o th e nor th an d nor t h

, .

we st wa s D o w ar o t o t h e ea st th e S ea from A ss ab t o th e
b ay s of T aj o ur a ; an d t o th e s outh an d ea st M ara 1 T h e .
‘

c apit al wa s A u ss a situa t e d o n a ro ck b y th e sid e of th e

,

r i ver H awa sh an d n o t far from th e L ak e of th at nam e

, .

On th e we st an d s ou th we st A d e l wa s b oun d e d b y th e
-
,

E m pi re of A b y ssi n i a i n th a t p or ti on of it w hich is n o w
,

V l iii p 5 0
o . . . . I bid p 7 1 . .
 G E O G RAP HIC AL M E MOI R .
[ 2 1]
k nown un d er th e nam e of th e king d o m Of S h oa Auss a .

d urin g th e h e i g ht Of th e p ower of A d e l wa s a pl ac e of ,

c on sid erabl e i m p ort an c e T h e p o siti on of th e p rov in c e

.

of A d e l is als o we ll m ark e d b y th e fact th at b efore o n e ,

o fhis st rugg l e s w ith th e S overe i g n of A b y ssi n i a a n d w h e n

th at Prin c e wa s ab ou t t o a tt ack fi rst th e D ob a s th e King ,

of A d e l a d v is e d th e m t o s en d th e i r w i ve s an d ch ild ren in t o
A del f o r s afe t y w hich , t wel ve cl an s of th em a c cording l y
did ; w hil e th e Ki n g of A b y ssin i a m a d e his subj ec t s of
W a dj e ( W a a g ) a n d G an z cul ti va t e th e g roun ds w hich th ey
h a d l eft *
.

M ara T his p rov i n c e wa s b oun d e d b y Ad e l o n th e nor th

.

a n d nor th we st b y th e s e a o n th e ea st a n d b y th e H awa sh
-
, , ,

G a n a n d B ali a n d t h e S t at e of H arrar o n th e we st s ou th ,

we st s outh an d b y s o m e p e tt y st at e s t o th e s outh of Z ei
, ,

l ah o n t h e s ou th e a st I t wa s c o m p arati ve l y a d ry coun t ry
- .
,

a s w e fi n d a ll th at c ount ry fro m th e H awa sh t o Z eil ah

now is b ut it wa s in for m er d ay s p owe rful an d r ich th e ,

c o m m er c e fro m I n di a t o t h e Pe r si an Gulf an d A b y ssini a ,

a n d o th e r p ar ts o f Afr ic a a dj a c e n t p a ssi n g th roug h it

, .

T h e c apit al o fH a d e a ( H ur rur ) w a s S it u a t e d t o th e s ou th
war d an d s o uth we st war d of M ara ; W o g la an d Pag am a
-
, ,

s m a ll p r in cip aliti e s d e p en d en t u p on A d e l b e i n g u p on th e ,

s e a coa s t ] T h e c en t re o fM ara wa s app roa ch e d fro m D O

~
-

waro an d from D o w aro th e King OfAb y ssin i a cro ss e d th e

,

”
H awa sh i n or d er t o e n t er th e d e s er t ki n g d o m of M ara i
, .

T h a t th e king d o m Of M ara is al s o a ppli e d t o all or a

p orti on o fth e ki n g d o m of A d e l near th e s ea is I think o h , ,

v i o us fro m
, th e a cc ount o fth e Kin g of Ab y ssin i a in o n e of
his ex cursi on s p assi n g th e g reat r i ver Y a ss w hich r i ver is ,

st at e d t o b e i n th e king d o m of M ara A d vancing b eyo n d . ,

Bu l iii p 1 15
r c e , vo . . .
T I h p 47
. . .
I I h p 66 &
. . .
, c .
[ 2 2] G E O G RAP HI C AL M E M O I R .

he c am e t o th e st rong for t re ss of D a ssi w h ere th ere wa s ,

n o w a t er ex c ept w h a t wa s foun d b y di g g i n g i n t h e ear th

,

an d s an d fi “ N o w Y a ss o or Y a ss m u st b e t h e r iv er w hich is
form e d b y th e un it e d st rea m s Oft h e Al a th e An c on a an d , ,

S ab al e tt e c all e d als o H a n a z o ; f
,
o r e x c e pt t h e H a wa sh th ere ,

is n o o th er r i ver in th e s e quar t er s w hich d e s er v e s th e na m e

o f rea t 1
g . S a
'
lt s ay s e x p re ssl y th a t th e r i ver Y a ss w a s t o th e
,

n or th of Z e il ah B e i n g i n t h e r a iny s e a s on h oweve r w h en
.
, ,

t h e ki n g e n t ere d this c oun t ry it m a y h ave b een th e r iv er ,

m e n ti o n e d b y M R o ch e t a s r isi n g i n K ill a l o u
. Wh en j o ine d .

b y its t r ibut ar i e s t o th e north it would a t th a t s ea s on b e ,

a l arg e stream T h e i n h abit an ts o f Au ss a a n d Ad e l ar e

.

t a wny n o t bl a ck a n d h ave l o n g h ai r T h ey ar e s o m e
, , .

ti m e s c all e d G hiber ti es w hich m ean s st ron g i n th e fa ith

, ,
.

T h e c oun t ry aroun d th e H aw a sh an d i n t h e vall e y s is c a ll e d , ,

K o l la o r K lzul l a th e l ow c oun t ry t o disti n g u ish it fro m

, , ,

t h e hi g h m oun t a i n o u s dist ricts of Ab y ssi n i a an d S h o a .

I t is v ery fer til e b u t h o t an d i n th e rai n y s ea s o n sickl y

, , .

T h e nam e is appli e d g e n e rall y th rou g h ou t A fr ic a t o d e s ig ,

nat e th e l o w fro m t h e m o un t a i n ou s dist r icts B eyon d th e .

K o l l a o r l ow c o un t ry m e n ti o ne d is th e c oun t ry n a m e d S a m
, ,

h ar w hich is a g e n eral wor d u s e d t o d e si g nat e th e s e a

,

c o a st in a c o un t r y d ry a n d b arren .

H a vin g thu s it is hum bl y c on c e i v e d r e ctifi e d th e g e o

, ,

g raphic al p o siti on s o f th e s e an d m ore i m p or t an t p rov in c e s

OfM a h o m e d an d o m i n i o n i n E a st ern Afr ic a t h e p o siti on s ,

o f o th er pl a c e s d e s erve l e ss n o tic e an d onl y re qui re t o b e ,

enum erat e d t o b e s een a n d un d e r st oo d o n th e m aps .

A dj o i n i n g t o an d s ou th ea st war d of E fa t is th e dist r ict

-

of G an an d a dj o ini n g an d e a st war d o f it ag ain is B ali a

, ,

s m all ki ng d o m throug h w hich th e G all a s fir st ru sh e d i n t o

,

Bu r l i i i p 48
c e , vo . . . . S lt p 1 02 a , . .
[ 24 ] G E OGRAP H I C AL M E M OI R .

t an c e an d c arr i e s
, a c on sid erabl e t raffic w ith B erb era
on

a n d Z e il ah . T h e dist an c e t o B erb era is t w e n ty j o ur n e ys ,

t o Ank ob ar s even t een an d t o Z e il ah a cc or din g t o H arr is

, , ,

four t een B ruc e a n d Alva ra ez st at e th e l att er dist an c e t o

.

b e e ig ht d ay s j ourney ; b ut this m ay b e th e dist an c e w h e n

’

t rave ll e d b y a sp e ci al m e ss en g e r F r o m Au ss a t o H arrar .

fl
.

th e dist an c e g iv en b y B ruc e wa s s eve n d a y s of a m e ss en

g e r an d H arr is g i ve s it th e s am e
, A cc or ding t o th e ao .

c oun ts re c e iv e d b y H arr is H arrar ex p or ts t o Z eil ah an d

,

'
B erb era year l y 2 0 00 b al e s of c o e e b e sid e s w h ea t T h e , .

p op ulati on is ag r icultur al u s e th e Arabic l ang uag e an d are

, ,

s ubj ec t t o th e E ss a S o m aul i T h e i r l ang uag e h a s a n a ffi n

.

i ty t o th e A m h ar ic T h e cli m at e is warm er th an th a t o f
.

S h oa F ro m E rrur t o H arrar th e roa d is st ony b u t s ufh

.
,

c i en tl
y l eve l t o a d m it t h e t ran sp or t of g un s or c arr i ag e s :

T h e walls of th e t own a re t we lv e fe e t hi g h th re e fe e t thick , ,

a n d t wo h our s t ra v e l i n ci r c u m feren c e I t is sit uat e d i n a

’
.

ver d an t v all ey a n d is well suppli e d w ith wat er fro m S p r ing s

,

i n th e n e i g hb ourh oo d T h e c oun t ry t o t h e s ou thwar d is

.

m oun t a i n ou s b ut fer til e a n d fi n e

, even s outh war d t owar d ,

M ag a d o x o . S o Al v ar a e z r e l at e s o n t h e auth or ity of a king

of A b y ssi n i a w h o duri n g his re sid e n c e a t th a t c our t wen t
, , ,

w ith an ar m y t o re st ore th e au th or it y of t h e queen w h o ,

h a d b een th reat ene d w ith e x pulsi on from t h e th ron e b v

s om e of h er warlik e nei g hb our s T h e king d efeat e d th e m .
,

p ur s ue d th em s outh war d a g reat d ist an c e a dding th a t h e , ,

m i g ht h ave m ar ch e d t o M a g a d o x o .

R e g ar din g t h e r i ver s i n this p or ti on of A fr ic a o ur a c ,

c oun ts ar e i m p erfec t Wh en th e King of A b y ssin i a h a d

.

c on quere d Z e il ah h e m ar ch e d sou th war d s ubd uing th e

, ,

d if feren t s m all st at e s an d in th e earl y p ar t of his rou t e

, , ,

p a s s e d th e g reat r i ver A c co T his i s mo st p rob abl y th e .

 G E OG RAP HI C AL M E M OI R .
[2 5 ]
V Vo c h an e of m o d ern m aps S alt s ay s th at it wa s a t n o g re a t
.

dist an c e fro m Z e il ah in a n o pp o sit e di re cti o n from t h e

,

Y a ss w hich is t o th e nor th
, T h e kin g n ex t c ro ss e d t h e
.

g rea t r i ver Z o ra t w hich is a n earl y b ran ch of t h e r iv er

,

th a t e n t er s th e s e a no t far from M a g ad o x o T h e Z ora t

, .

is i n th e c oun try Ofa p eo pl e th e n c al l e d Orit ii S alt s ay s i f .

,

th a t th e ex t en t of th e King Of A b y ssi n i a s c on que sts i n this ’

c oun try wa s ab o ut 2 0 0 m il e s s ou th we st of Z e il ah T his

,
-
.

r iv e r w hich e n t er s th e s e a n e ar Ma g a d o x o a cc or ding t o
, ,

acc o un ts re c e iv e d b y th e E m b a ss y of C apt ai n H arr is T ,

e n t er s th e s e a in l a titud e 2 n or th an d am on g o th er n am e s
°
,

w hich it h a s is als o c all e d B ar g a m a T his e n abl e s u s t o

, .

t ra c e th e earl y s our c e s Of its p r in cip al st ream i n th e c oun

t ry o f B arg a m a o r B ah ar G am a a s B r uc e als o c alls it 1
,
-
, .

F ro m H urru r or H arar we st war d t h e di f fere n t st a t e s S O , ,

far a s th ey ar e c orre ctl y know n t o u s a r e l aid d o wn in th e i r ,

or d er an d a s near th e i r p rop er p o siti on s (s ee m a p) a s th e in

,

fo rm ati on hith er t o re c e i ve d w ill ena bl e u s S o m e of th e m .

w ill r e qui re t o b e m ore p ar ticul arl y allu d e d t o h e reaft er .

Ofth e m ag n itu d e p ower an d p o p ul a ti o n o fall t h e st a t e s

, ,

a n d p r o v i n c e s w hich c o m p o s e d t h e ki n g d o m of A d e l in its
b e st d ay s we m a y j ud g e from th e fa ct m enti o n e d i n A b y s
,

sin i an hist ory a s re c ord e d b y B ruc e § th a t w h en th e i

, , r

e x ist e n c e a s a p e o pl e wa s a t st ak e on th e a dv ance of ,

A m d a Zi o n ag a i n st th e m th ey c ould o n ly b ri n g i n t o th e
,
x

fi eld un d er th e i r si x t een chi efs or l e ad er s m en .

A ft er all A rabi a h a d e m b ra c e d th e R e li g i o n of M ah o m
m ed , h e r rov i n g s o n s qu ickl y foun d th e i r way i n t o A fr ic a ,

w hich th ey fi r st en t ere d ac ro ss th e S t raits of B ab el m an d eb .

T h e y s oo n sp rea d th e m s e l ve s al o n g th e sh ore s of th e
R ed S e a w ithi n a n d w ith ou t t h e S t r a its F or a ti m e .

p 1 02 1 B b y Ti J ul y 1 8 42 I V l iii p 7 71 °

m e s, o
‘
. . om a ,
. . . . .
[ 2 6] G E O G RAP HIC AL M E M OI R .

th ey were subj e ct t o A b y ssi n i a th en a p owerful st at e bu t

,

th ey g raduall y a ssum e d an in d ep en d en t a n d a g g re ssi ve

a ttit ud e C o m m an din g th e e x t ernal t ra d e o f this p or ti on
.

of A fr ic a w ith all th e E a st ern world th ey b e c am e r ich an d ,

p o werful a n d fro m th e spi rit of th e i r R el ig i o n were m ak

, ,

i n g c on ti n ua l i n roa ds i n t o th e A b y ssi n i a t e rr it o r i e s
n T his .

p rov ok e d Am d a Zi on w h o i n th e e ar l y p ar t o f th e 1 3 th
, ,

c en t ury near l y —a s h a s b een al rea d y st at e d—d e stroye d

,

th e m an d c o m pl e t el y an nihil a t e d t h e king d om of Ad el On
,
.

t h e d e cli ne of th e i r p ower th e A rabs were s u cc ee d e d b y t h e

,

T urks w h o sp rea d th e m s e lv e s i n th e s e p arts a n d b y t h e

, ,

a ssist an c e o far till e ry an d th e n ew m o d e of warfare w hich

it o cc a si one d a g ai n re c ru it e d th e Mah o m e d an p ower i n
,

this p ar t o f A fr ic a D ur i n g th e rei g n o fth e unfortunat e

.
'

A b y ssi n i an Pr i n c e D av id 1 5 2 5 t o 1 5 4 0 t h e M ah o m e d an s
, ,

overran an d d e s ol at e d th e w h ol e of Ab y ssi n i a till th e y were ,

o v er thrown b y th e a ssist an c e of th e Po r tu g ue s e an d s ub s e
qu en tl y th e c on queror s an d th e c on qu er e d e sp e ci all y th e ,

l att e r w e re ov e r p owere d b y th e b arb arous G all a s T his

, .

s avag e p eo pl e c o m pl e t e l y d e st ro y e d th e M ah o m e d a n
p ower th roug h ou t th e w h ol e E a st ern H orn of Afric a an d ,

t h e on c e g rea t A b y ssin i an E m pi re h a s b een s h o cking l y

m u til a t e d a n d c ur t a il e d of its t err it or i e s b y th e m .

B ut t o re turn t o th e j ourn e y s of th e t rave ll er s i m m e

d i a tel y u n d er c o n sid era ti o n B e t ween A n k ob ar an d Ang ol
.

l al a a fav our it e re sid en c e of th e Ki n g M r I s enb erg

, , .

a n d his c o m p an i on m et S ah e l a S al a s s i e h th e Ki n g of S h oa
, ,

t h e C h r isti an s overe i g n of a C h r isti an p e 0 p 1e B y h im .

th ey were c or di all y re c e i ve d an d welc om e d t o S h oa an d ,

und er th e p rot e cti on Ofs u ch a S overe i g n g reat is th e g oo d ,

th a t s u ch wor th y m en m ay d o i n A fr ic a T h e Ki n g o f .

S h o a is d e sp o tic . Per s o n an d p ro p er t y are alik e a t his

 G E OG RAP HI C AL M E MOI R .
[2 7]
disp o s a l th roug h ou t his d o m i n i on s T h e C h risti an it y Of.

S h o a is t h e t ene ts o f th e A l exan d r i an G ree k C h ur ch b u t ,

s a dl y d eb as e d a n d c orrupt e d fro m its ori g inal p ur it y .

S til l am idst th e d arkn e ss w hich h a s over sp rea d th e l a n d

, ,

s everal o fth e m o st i m p or t an t a n d fun d am en t al t ruths of th e

G o sp e l a re kn own a cknow l e d g e d a n d un d er st oo d th oug h
, , ,

g reatl y dis r e g ar d e d .G reatl y c orrupt e d an d d eb a s e d ,

h owever a s it is still c on sid er ing every cir cu m st an c e th e

, , , ,

rev o l uti on s an d d e s ol ati on w hich h ave c o m e up on th e m ,

an d w ith w hich th e y h a v e b ee n v isit e d during a p er i o d o f

m an y c e n t ur i e s, it is surp r isin g t o fi n d m att er s a s reg ar ds ,

th e C h risti an R e li g i on in th o s e re m o t e p ar ts Of Afric a i n ,

t h e st at e th a t th ey ar e T h e s e pl a c e b e fore u s th e in v in c i
.

bl e p roof b y th e fa ct w itne ss e d in Afri c a a s it h a s b efor e

, , _

ti m e b ee n w itn e ss e d an d e st ablish e d in b o th E uro p e an d

A si a th a t C h r isti an it y on c e pl an t e d i n a n y c o un t ry c an
,

never b e era dic at e d ; an d th at th oug h fo r a ti m e it m ay

, ,

from th e t ran s g re ssi on s of p rofe ss or s th ere of b e s ubj e ct e d ,

t o s evere m is for tu n e s an d s evere ch a stis e m en ts ye t it will

, ,

fi n all y rais e its e l f ab o v e t h e rui n s o f a g e s a n d Of E m pi re s ,

a n d i n t he be a uty of h o l i n ess r is e sup e ri or t o a ll its e n e

,

m ie s a n d g o o n c o n quer i n a n d to c o n uer
, g q .

T h e j ournals of M e ss r s K r a p f a n d I s e n b erg w ill s uf

. fic i
e n tl y ex pl ai n t o t h e rea d er th e i r rece pti on a n d th ei r p ro s
p e e ts i n S h oa th e st at e o f R e li g i on a n d th e m an n er s an d
, ,

t h e m or al s of th e p e o pl e of th a t kin g d o m a s als o th o s e ,

of s o m e Of th e n e i g hb our i n g p eopl e L e av i n g this w e .

,

p ro c e e d t o th e g eo g r aphic al n arrati ve .

On t h e 2 8 th J anuary 1 8 4 0 M r K ra p f ( Mr I s enb e rg
, . .

h avi n g p rev i ousl y re t urne d t o E n g l an d ) a cc o m p an i e d th e

Ki n g of S h o a w ith a c on sid erabl e a rm y o n a h o stil e e x pe
diti on t o th e we st ward in or d er t o p un ish s om e o f h is
,

0 2
[2 8 ] G E OG RAP H I C AL M E MOI R .

refra ct ory G all a s ubj e cts M R o ch e t t h e Fren ch g e n tl e

. .
,

m a n al re a d y all u d e d t o a cc om p an i e d th e m
, T h e arm y .

m ar ch e d i n ab o ut a t rue we st s outh we st di re cti o n I n th e - -

rou t e a s l aid d ow n o n th e m ap T h ey fi r st c ro ss e d th e .

r iv er T s h al s h a th en th e B e l a t th en th e S an a R obi th en t h e
, , ,

R o s e t a a n d D ek am a th e h ea d st rea m s Oft h e Zi e g a W o d i a m
, ,

a n d ne x t t h e R o bi t h e p a re n t st r ea m o ft h e re a t I n d o re s
, g .

S o m e o th e r s m a ll er st r e am s were p a ss e d i n th e rout e all ,

b en di n g th e i r c o ur s e s t o th e Dj i m m a T h e c oun t ry a s .

th ey a d v an c e d fro m An g o ll al a b e c am e m ore b e au tiful an d

fru i tful e v ery hill an d v all ey b e i n g it m ay b e s aid i n h a
, , ,

bit e d b y a distin ct G a ll a t rib e T h e i r n am e s a r e par tic u .

l a rl y e n u m er a t e d b y M r K r a p f T h e h u ts an d v ill a g e s o f
. .

th e s e p e o pl e a re of th e rud e st a n d S i m pl e st kin d ; a n d i n
t h e p er p e tu a l feu ds th a t e n s ue fro m th e i r r e fu s al t o pa y ,

t h e t r ib ut e s ex a ct e d th e s e a r e g enera ll y s we pt a way b y
,

fi re b u t a r e s oon a g a in ere ct e d
, F ro m a hi g h m oun t a i n .
,

o n e o ft h e W o idi r a n e t o th e nor th of t h e en c am p m e n t
g g ,

b y th e R obi th e y s aw t h e m oun t a i n s o f G oj ain an d th e

,

Blue R iv e r or A baw i w i n di n g a l on g am on g th e m
, T he .

m arc h wa s c o n tinue d fro m t h e R o bi still fur th er w e st s ou th

we st till th e i r l ast c am p wa s fi x e d w ithi n a fe w m il e s Of

,

t h e s o ur c e s of th e H aw a sh p ro c e e di n g fr o m a s m a ll l ak e
,

w ith hi g h m oun t a i n s t o t h e s o uth a n d s o u th w e st A t - .

this p o i n t th e y were onl y o n e d ay s ( S h oa ) j o urn ey from ’

t h e A h aw i o r ab ou t t wen t y fi ve m il e s w hich sh ew s th a t
,
-
,

t h e N il e g oe s a littl e fur th er s ou th ab o u t t we n t y m il e s , ,

th an it h a s hith er t o b e en l aid d ow n o n th e b e st m aps .

F ro m th e p o i n t m e n ti one d th e ar m y m ar ch e d e a st s ou th
,

e a st a t ab out a d ay s j ourn ey fro m t h e H a wa sh run n i n g

,
’

a l on
g t h e vall ey o n th e i r r i g ht o n e d ay s j ourney b eyon d
’
:

it w a s th e fi r st v ill ag e of Gura gue th e hi g h hills Of w hi c h ,

 G E O G RAP HIC AL M E M OI R .
[ 2 9]
w ere distin ctl y v isibl e i n th e s outh east I n th e i r rout e -
.

th ey p a ss e d t o th e s ou th of th e hi g h m oun t ai n of I n d o tt o ,

t h e s our c e Ofth e R i v e r R o bi a n d fa m ou s i n Ab y ssi n i an

,

hist ory a s t h e re sid en c e an d pl a c e o fin t erm en t o f s o m e o f

th e i r ki n g s Fro m th e e x t re m e s ou th ea st p o in t o n th e i r
.
-

rou t e a s m ark e d in th e m ap th e ar m y re t urn e d in a nor th

, ,

ea st di re cti o n o v er th e hi g h l an ds t o An g o ll al a l e av i n g ,

F a t tig ar o n th e r i g ht B e y o n d In d o tt o th ey p a ss e d s o m e
.

h o t S p r i n g s Fat tig a r i n t h e d ay s Of Al var ae z wa s a c

.

c oun t e d th e e x t re m e s outh we st p o i n t Of th e king d o m of

A d el . I t is h e s a id a l ow C h a m p a g n e c oun t ry th a t is
, , , ,

c om p o s e d of l ow hills we ll cultiv at e d an d ab o un di n g w ith

, ,

c attl e sh ee p g o ats oxen m are s an d m ul e s M oun t I n d o tt o

, , , , , .

wa s c overe d w ith t ree s an d num erou s r i vul e ts p our d own

,

from its st ee p sid e s o n its sum m it is a c on sid erabl e l ak e .

S uch a re th e a cc o un ts w hich Al vara e z g iv e s of th e s e

pl ac e s w h en h e v isit e d th e m a n d th e a cc oun ts re c e i ve d b y
,

M r K r a p f ar e ne ar l y t o th e s am e e f
. fe ct .

T h e H awa sh n ear its s our c e m ean d er s ea st war d th ro ug h

t h e pl ain b e i n g th ere ab ou t e i g ht fe e t d e e p a d t we n t y fi v e
, , n -

b roa d I t s ep a rat e s th e p r o v i n c e s of S o uai e Gurag ue a n d

.
, ,

t h e S e dd a G all a s fro m th e M e t a V o c h i a G all a s B e l c h e o A u ,

r ipp e an d p ar t o fth e Pro vi n c e OfZ am i e tt a T h e m oun t ai n s

, .

o fZ a m i e tt a a r e c overe d w ith b eau ti fu l c e d ar s M r K rap f . .

enu m erat e s th e di f f eren t G all a t r ib e s from th e s our c e s of th e

H awa sh t o G o o d e ro o w hich pl a c e it is pl ai n is a t n o g rea t
,

dist an c e T h e v ill ag e of R o g ie is a fam ou s m ark e t for S l av e s

. ,

b r o ug ht fro m th e c ou n t r i e s of G i n g ir o Gurag ue E n are a , , ,

a n d o th e r pl a c e s T h e p r ic e o f a sl ave is fi v e T al ar i
. .

A cc or di n g t o B ru c e Gum ar is s ou th w e st o f Fa ttig a r -
,

a n d e a st o f B a h ar G am a B u t this is di fferen t fro m th e

.

V o l iii
. . p . 7 .
[ 3 0] G E OG RA P HIC A L M E M OI R .

p o siti on hith er t o g i ve n i n th e b e st m aps T h e c apit al of .

G in g i ro is s eve n d ay s j ourn ey d ue ea st fro m S akk a th e

’
,

chi ef m ar k e t of E n ar ea C a m b at is e i g ht d ay s j ourn ey
.
’

d ue e a st fro m G in g iro th e roa d t o G in g ir o c ro ssi ng th e

,

Z eb e c o n e d ay s j ourney from th e c apit al a n d th e ro a d t o

’

[
,

C a m b at c ro ss e s th e Z eb e e t wo d ay s j our n ey fro m G in g i ro
’
.
,

T his l att er pl a c e wa s o n c e a p owerfu l st a t e h avi n g fo ur ,

t ee n st at e s subj e ct t o it ; b ut it is n o w m u ch re duc e d .

T h e c a pit al of C a m b at is c all e d S an g ara A cc or di n g t o .

B ru c e Gurag ue wa s t en d ay s j our n ey dist an t from C am b a t

,
’
,

a n d o n th e l eft h an d g o i n g ea st war d G in g i ro wa s r e .

p or t e d t o M r K rap f t o b e onl y e i g ht d ay s j ourn ey fro m

.
’

G urag ue N or th of G in g ir o is th e c oun t ry of M ug ar or
.

M a g ar a p ower ful a n d p op ul ous c oun try i n h abit e d b y

,

C h r isti an s an d nex t t o E n a rea o n th e ea st

, I t is th e .

s am e a s S id am a a nam e g ene rall y appli e d in th e s e p ar ts t o

,

d e si g n at e a distr ict inh abit e d b y C hr isti an s T h e A r o o s se ,

.

G all a s a re e a st of Gurag ue a n d s o als o is th e S ierm e a n d

,

Lub an . A ll ab a is a ki ng d om o n th e roa d from C am b a t t o

B ali S ou th we st b y we st of Z e ilah is a c oun t ry c all e d
.
-

Og g e i n h abit e d b y C h r isti an s
, S outh of Gurag ue is a .

G all a t r ib e c all e d D am o d we llin g aroun d th e R iv e r Wis e r

, .

T h e re are a g rea t m any C h r isti an s i n Gurag ue an d m an y ,

m ona st er i e s M u ch c o ffe e w ine a n d fi n e h oney are p ro

.
, ,

d uc e d i n G ur a g ue ; a n d c o fi ee is als o ab un d an t i n th e
c oun t r i e s aroun d th e s our c e s of th e H awa sh an d i n fa ct ,

it is foun d pl en tiful in all th e c oun t ri e s fro m th e N il e

s ou th war d t o E n ar ea an d C affa i n clu si ve I t g row s w ild .

i n all th e s e pl a c e s .

A g r e a t m any of th e G a ll a s h ave sin c e th e i r i nva si on of

'

A b y ssi n i a b e e n c o n v e r t e d t o C h r isti an it y an d m ak e ,

b e tt er C h r isti an s th a n e ith er th e p o p ul a ti on of S h o a o r
[ ]
3 2 G E O G R AP H I C AL M E M OI R .

th ey know no t w h ere b u t th ey are t o b e in a st at e of b o d y

,

i n fin it el y m ore p e rfe ct th an th e p re s en t an d are t o d ie n o ,

”
m ore n o r s uf
, fe r g r i ef sick ne ss or t roubl e of a n y ki n d
, , .

I n 1 8 4 1 M r K ra p f a cc om p an i e d b y D r B ek e now
.
, .
,

en g ag e d in en d ea v o uri n g t o p e n e t ra t e i n t o th e i n t e r i or o f
A fr ic a fro m S h oa we st war d w e n t o n an ex c ur si on t o
,

t h e n or th war d . T h e y rea ch e d K o k F ara a pl a c e ab ou t ,

fl
fort y g e o g ra phic a l m il e s n or th of An k ob ar a n d t wo d ay s ,
’

j ourn ey s o uth of th e B e rko n a I n th e i r rout e n or th war ds

.

th e y p a ss e d th e s our c e s of t h e R i ver s Aw i ddi R obi an d , ,

o th e r s w hich o w in t o t h e H a w a sh ; a n d o n th e i r re turn
, ,

th ey c ro ss e d o n th e i r i m m e di a t e s our c e s a fe w of th e r iv er s
w hich j o i n t o for m var i ou s r i v e r s th a t fl ow t o fill th e
R iv e r Dj m m a a c o n sid erabl e b r a n ch of th e N il e
i , or ,

Ah aw i T h e p rov i n c e of G h e dd e m or G e d e m l ay t o th e
.

e a st a n d s ou th e a st of K o k F ara a n d in th e l a tt er di r e c
-
,

ti on th ere is a w ild erne ss m u ch fre quent e d b y el e ph an ts .

T h e c oun t ry th roug h ou t th e i r sh or t rou t e wa s ru g g e d a n d

m ou n t a i n ou s i n t h e e x t re m e —ab ru pt hills d e e p vall ey s
, , ,

a n d num e rou s r iv ul e ts a n d s m a ll r i ver s ( s e e m a p) a t e v e ry

st e p E ph ra t a o n e d ay s j ourney n o r th of R o k Fara is th e
.
,
’

l a st t ow n i n th a t di re cti o n b el on g i n g t o th e king d o m o f
S h o a T h e c oun try b e yon d is un d e r th e d o m in i o n o fB ora
.
,

t h e rul e r Of A r g obb a On a b e ar i n g o fN or th 3 8 we st °
.

from th e vall e y o fW e ek Wa sh a is a l ak e c all e d Ali B aks ,

c o ur w hich is of volc anic ori g i n

, .

T h e n e x t j our n ey w hi ch r e qui r e s t o b e no tic e d h ere is ,

th a t p erfo r m e d b y D r B ek e from An g o llal a we st war d

. ,

a c ro ss t h e Ab a w i or N il e t o D i m a i n G oj am w h ere t h e ,

l a st a cc oun ts l eft th a t trav e ll er T his j ourney wa s un d er .

t a k en in th e au tum n Of 1 8 4 1 D r B ek e l e ft A n g o ll al a . .

B ruce , V ol iii . . p . 2 44 .
 G E O G RAP H IC AL M E M OI R .
[ 3 3]

on th e n i n th of Oct ob er H e p ur sue d th e rou t e as l a id .

d own in th e m ap th ro ug h a c oun t ry e x c e e d ing l y picture sque

a n d i n t er e s t in T h e r i ver s r an i n d ee p v al l ey s w ith st e e p
g .

hills o n e ith er sid e s a s th e i r b anks T h e B ers en a T s h al sh a .

, ,

a n d C h a kk a j o in a n d for m th e A d e b ai
, T h e st ron g t ow n .

a n d p o siti o n Of D e y is fro m S ix h un d re d t o s even h u n d re d fe e t

b el ow An g o llal a a n d situat e d a t t h e j un cti on Ofth e Ad eb a i
,

a n d B e rs e n a . T h e c on tin ua ti o n Ofth e pl a t eau of S h oa is

s even th ou s an d e i g ht hun d re d an d e i g ht y s even fee t ab o v e
t h e l e v e l Of t h e s ea S e v er a l stup en d ou s c a t ara cts a r e
.

foun d in th e ri ve r s nea r A n g o l all a a n d T e gul e t T he .

roa d wa s we st erl y al way s d e sc en di n g a n d th e sc ene ry

, ,

V ery b eaut iful W h ere h e c ro ss e d th e B e r s e n a th e b e d of

.

th e r iv er wa s o n e h un d re d fee t b roa d ; b ut th e st ream

i n it th en On l y t we n t y fee t b roa d th e d ry s ea s o n h av ing ,

c om m en ce d T h e dist rict s outh Ofth e B e rs en a is c all e d

.

fl
E n z a rr o . T o b a cc o c o tt on m aiz e & c, were culti va t e d
, , .
,

aroun d th e r iv er s E n za rro is p o p ul ou s an d fertil e I

. . II

t h e rou t e we st war d h e p a ss e d r i v ul e ts , K ers a an d B o n , ,

w hich un it e d o w nor th w e st t o th e Dj i m m a
, ,
- S oo n .

aft er this h e c a m e t o th e Zi e g a W o d ia m runn in g rapidl y ,

th rou g h d ee p v all ey s o r d al e s t o th e Dj i m m a On each .

sid e were ro ck y bluffs T h e b e d Of th e r i ver wa s ab ou t

.

t wo hun d re d fee t b road ; b u t th e b readth o f th e st rea m

th e n onl y t wen t y fee t a n d e ig ht ee n i n ch e s d ee p T h e
, .

b o tt o m wa s s an d T h e m oun t a i n s a r e p re cipit ou s a n d
.
,

r un i n r i d e s fro m s ou th t o nor th t h s ou th id e of
g o n e S

t h e Dj i m m a an d fro m nor th t o s outh o n t h e nor th sid e

,

of th a t r iv er th e r iv er s run n i n g i n d ee p v all ey s b e twe e n

,

th e m . On th e l eft wa s th e d ee p a n d fi n e v all ey o f t h e
Zi eg a W o d ia m a n d th a t o fS ofa t o th e r i g ht T h e c e l e
, .

b ra te d m ona st ery of D o b ra L ib an o s is ab ou t e i g ht m il e s
 34 ] G E O G RAP H IC A L M E M OI R .

s o u th ea st fro m A n c o rc h a
- I t wa s a t th a t pl a c e th a t
.

A l v ar a e z w ith th e Por tug ue s e E m b a ss y rea ch e d th e c o ur t

of D av id King of Ab v s s in ia T h e vici n it y Of Ang or ch a is
, .

m oun t a i n ou s a n d b arren G old h a s b een foun d near

.

D o b ra or D e b ra L ib ano s .

Pro c ee di n g we st war d D r B ek e c ro ss e d t h e R i ver S ofa

, .

a n d t h e v all e y th rou h w hich it ru n s ex t e n din g i n a s ou th

g ,

we st di re cti o n aft er w hich h e c am e t o hi g h t abl e l an d

,
,

w hich ex t e n ds from th e Ah aw i t o Ank ob ar H e reach e d .

G era t h e p olitic al s eat of Abb a W i al th e G overnor of th e

, ,

distr ict w h o p refer s t o re sid e a t W o g i di T his pl a c e st oo d

, .

i n a pl a i n o n a m oun t a i n fro m th e C hi ef s h ou s e i n w hich

’

th ere wa s a fi n e V i ew o fth e Dj i m m a an d a m o st d e li g htfu l

p ro sp e ct of th e c oun t ry a s far a s th e A h aw i o r N il e an d ,

b eyon d it th e m oun t ai n s OfG oj am Aft e r leav ing W o g i d i .

,

h e c ro ss e d th e l ar g e st r e am c all e d S i el m e th e g enera l nam e ,

fo r th e G all a t r ib e s i n th e nei g hb ou rh oo d ; th e st ream

run n i n g rapidl y o v er st o ne s t o th e Dj i m m a t h e wa t er fr o m
fi ft een t o t we n ty fe e t b road b u t th e b e d th ree ti m e s ,

th a t b rea dth T h e ro a d r an th roug h a b e a uti ful pl ai n to

.

L al i s s a th e c o un t ry b e t ween it an d S i e l m e is stu dd e d w ith

/

v ill ag e s Pur s u i n g th e i r rou t e we st war d th ey c ro ss e d th e

.
,

t orren t H i d all i th e n littl e I n d o re s R i ver a n d n e x t Grea t

, ,

I n d o r e s ( th e s our c e of w hich t o t h e s o uth is t h e R o bi ) ,

th e st re am runn i n g b e t we en st ee p b an ks th en t e n fee t ,

b r o a d Fro m t h e g re a t I n d o r e s th e r id e w a s th roug h a
.
,

l ovel y r ich c oun t ry t o th e vill ag e A dd a ; a ft er w hich t h e

roa d b e c o m e s roug h an d rug g e d t o Ab a d d o t h e re sid en c e ,

of th e G all a C hi ef G i an c h e B eyon d Ab a dd o th ree h our s

.
,

th roug h j ung l e a n d d own a st ee p m ou n t a i n p r in cip all y o n

,

foo t th e R i ver Dj i m m a no t J um m a wa s rea ch e d T h e

, , , .

m oun t a in s o n b o th sid e s dip in t o th e st rea m h ere t w en tv ,

c
 G E O G RAP H I C A L M E MO I R .
[3 5 ]
fi ve t o thi rt y yar ds b road w ith a b ea ch o n ea ch sid e of
,

e qu al ex t en t ,an d th e d e pth th ree fee t w ith a rapid c ur ,

ren t i n th e m iddl e C ro ssi n g th e r i ver th ey p ur s ue d

.

th e i r way i n s om e pl a c e s th roug h r ich m ea d ow s t o S al a

, ,

k ull a a vill ag e c o m p o s e d of ree d h uts an d b uilt up on

, ,

a n e l eva t e d p roj e cti o n of th e m oun t a i n li n i n g th e vall ey,

of t h e Ab aw i a n d t h e re sid en c e Ofth e C hi ef M a ri a th e s o n
, ,

o f S a b as a , wh o app e are d t o b e a s p oor a s a n y Ofhis

”
m is erabl e s ubj e cts S al akull a is 1 0 2 8 N or th L atitud e
0 ’
. .

A ft er s o m e wrang li n g w ith this C hi ef D r B e k e p ro ,

c ee d e d t o th e Ah aw i a fe w m il e s dist an t p a ssin g th e
, ,

vill ag e s of S akk a a n d Fel o p T h e st rea m d e sc e n d e d fro m

.

th e north nor th we st a m idst st e e p b an ks d e sc e n di n g

- -
,

i n t e rra c e s. D r B e k e con sid ere d th e r i ver a s for d abl e ;

.

b ut his g uid e s would no t h ear Of p a ssi ng it in an y o th er

way th an th a t t o w hich th ey w e re a ccu st o m e d na m el y o n , ,

i n fl at e d S kin s b y w hich m ean s th e t rav e ll er s b ag g a g e wa s

,
’

al l we tt e d an d m u ch i nj ure d a n d s ubs e q uen tl y i n d ry in

, g it ,

a c on sid erabl e p or ti o n of it w a s st ol e n H e c ro ss e d th e .

stream at a b en d w h ere it c o m e s fro m ea st no rth east T h e - -

.

b readth th e n wa s t wo hun d re d yards th e c urre n t o n th e ,

ea st sid e t wo m il e s an d o n t h e we st sid e three m il e s pe r

, .

h our —s o rapid a s t o re n de r it di f fi c ult t o re a ch th a t sid e .

A m ul e wa s c arr i e d d ow n an d nearl y d rowne d T his .

p ass a g e wa s e f fe ct e d a t no v e ry g re a t dist an c e ab o v e th e
j un cti on of th e Dj i m m a T h e e l evati on of th e b e d of t h e
.

N il e D r B e k e c alc ul at e d t o b e th ree th ou s an d fee t ab ove

, .

t h e l e v e l Ofth e s ea ; b ut w hich d oe s n o t a g ree w ith th e

h e i g ht o fits s our c e s or th e e l e v ati on of th e Pl a i n o fS en a a r

,

as
g iv e n b y B ru c e o fw hich m o re h ere a ft er
, .

F ro m t h e b a n ks of th e A h aw i D r B ek e we n t o n t
, . o

D i m a i n G oj am c o m m onl y k n own un d er t h e nam e o fD i m a

,
[ 3 6] G E O G RAP H I C AL M E M O I R .

G eorg e s fro m a m ona st ery an d chur ch d e d ic at e d t o S t

, .

G eorg e w hich st an ds i n t h a t pl a c e I t is a c on sid erabl e

, .

pl ac e sp eaking c o m p arativ el y a s re g ar ds o th er t ow n s a n d
,

v ill ag e s i n this quar t er I t st an ds i n 1 0 2 2 N o r th L ati

.
° ’

tu d e T h e t own is s urroun d e d w ith st on e walls an d

.
,

th ere a re als o s e v er a l h ous e s in it b uilt Of st o n e I n his .

way t o D i m a D r B ek e p a ss e d th e v ill ag e s of S h eb al K a s
, . ,

h a m a n d A r i s e t o t t h e fo r m e r of w hich divid e s th e C h r isti an

, ,

fro m th e G a ll a ; th en th e t own Bich an a a c on sid er abl e ,

pl a c e a t w hich a re g ul ar m ark e t is h eld B efore rea ch

, .

i n g D i m a t h e R iv er G a d is c ro ss e d j u st ab ove a p o i n t
,

w h ere it fa lls o v er a p re cipic e s ever al h un dre d fee t hi g h .

Ow i n g t o th e g rea t h e i g ht of t h e fall th e r iv er i n th e d r v ,

s ea s on d e sc en ds i n c om pl e t e sp ray ; b u t durin g th e rai n s

t h e si g ht m u st b e m ag n ific en t T h e c oun t ry fro m S h e b a l
.

t o D i m a wa s g enerall y un dul a ti n g a n d a fi n e g ra ss y pl ain .

F ro m D i m a D r B e k e i n t en d e d t o p ro c ee d t o G o utt a a t th e
, .
,

s our c e s of th e N il e a n d th en c e b y t h e assist an c e Ofth e

, ,

C hi ef of th a t pl a c e w h o m h e m e t a t D i m a a n d th e n
, ,

a b ou t t o b e re st ore d t o his au th or it y t o p ro c e e d t o B ure ,

an d B a ss o i n or d er t o p ro s e c ut e h i s j ourn ey i n t o th e
,

i n t er i or .

I n t h e sp r i n g of 1 8 4 2 M r K rap f r e s o l ve d t o l e av e
, .

A nk o b ar a n d p ro c ee d t o E g ypt o n b u sin e ss w ith th e i n t e n

, ,

ti on Ofre turn ing ag a i n t o S h o a ; a n d h e re s ol ve d t o p ro c e e d

b y G on d ar an d M a ss o wah H e a cc or ding l y l eft An k ob ar .

o n th e 1 0 th of M a r ch an d p ro c ee di n g t o A n g o ll al a Ob
,

t a i n e d fro m t h e ki n g p er m issi on t o d e p ar t o n his i n t en d e d

j our n ey F r om A n g o ll al a h e p ro c ee d e d t o D ob ra B e r h an
.
,

or hill of li g ht a fa v our it e re sid e n c e of th e ki n g s t h e

“
, ,

c oun t ry i n th e dist an c e b e ing l eve l w ith s m all hills an d ,

pl a i n s T h e r i ve r B ere s a runs s o uth of th e v ill ag e th e

.
,
 G E O G RAP H I C AL M E M O I R .
[ 3 7]
b an ks hi g h an d woo d e d w ith s ev e ral hi g h c at arac ts i n its
,

b ed . M r K rapfs rout e is disti n ctl y m ark e d o n th e m a p

.
’

until h e r e a ch e d ab out h al f way b e t wee n th e B a c h il o an d

D aun t w h ere h e wa s fo r c e d t o t urn b a ck an d p ro c ee d
,

s outh war d t o G at era fro m w hich pl a c e h e t ra vell e d ea st

,

war d t o L ak e H aik re s o l v ing t o t ak e th e roa d t o M as

,

s o w a h b v A n t al o w T o his j ourna l th e re a d er is referre d

.

for e v ery thin g p ar ticul ar th at o ccurre d o n th e road ; th e

v ari ou s r i ver s a n d pl a c e s th at h e p ass e d are all distin ctl y
l a id d o wn T h e c oun try e v e ryw h ere wa s m oun t ai n ou s
.

a n d ru g e d th e hills p r e cipit o u s a n d t h e ra pid r i ver s a n d

g , ,

r ivul e ts fl ow i n g o v er c a t aracts th roug h d ee p v all ey s th e ,

d e sc en t t o s o m e of w hich wa s i n a very sh o r t dist an c e , ,

30 0 0 fee t T h e r id g e s r un i n th e di re cti o n of nor th nor th

.

ea st t o s outh s o uth we st an d M r K rap f distin ctl y st at e s

-
, .
,

th at all th e st ream s which fl ow we st war d fro m th e di v idi n g

ran g e are abs orb e d in th e Dj i m m a an d th e Ba c h il o T his .

is c uri ou s an d i m p or t an t I t S h ow s th a t th e hi g h l an d of
.

t h e m oun t a i n s o f A m id ex t en ds a c ro ss t h e A b a w i t o t h e

fl
c ul m inatin g p o i n ts i n W o o r a G al l a a n d h en c e th e dist r ict
Of W al aka is e l e v a t e d b u t w e t an d m ar sh y an d c o n s e
, ,

quentl y sickl y a s it is st at e d t o b e ; an d th a t n o r iv e r of
,

a n y i m p or t an ce fl ow s or c a n o w th rou h it w e st war d t o
g ,
,

t h e N il e T h e c oun t ry i n s e v eral pl a c e s is fer t ile an d we ll

.

culti vat e d b u t m u ch distract e d an d i nj ure d b y war s an d

,

strife s b e t wee n th e di f feren t p e tt y t r ib e s a n d rul er s w h o ,

s e t t h e a uth or it y o f th e s o v er e i g n of A b y ssi n i a o n t h e o n e

h an d an d th e Ki n g of S h oa o n th e o th er e quall y a t d e fi
, ,

an c e Aft e r c ro ssi n g th e r i ver G o n ag o n it c a m e t o a tre

.
,

m en d o n s ch a s m th ree fee t w id e an d 2 00 fee t l on g ; b ut of

,

un k n own an d e n orm ou s d e pth I t is c all e d T e g ul e t I V a t .

,

or th e d evourin g d e pth o f T e g ul e t
“
A t Z all a D eng a i
[ 3 8 ] G E O G RAP HI C A L M E M O I R .

th e c o ld was g rea t T h e r i v e r Mo fer s e p arat e s S h oa fro m

.

M an s T his stream re c e i ve s m any tr ib ut ar i e s I t r is e s i n

. .

M oun t T am ab ar an d fl ow s t o th e Dji m m a T h e cli m at e of .

M an s is very c old w hich sh ow s its g reat el eva ti on S h ee p

,
.

i n M an s h ave l o n g bl ack woo l T h e s o il is bl a ck a n d p ro . ,

fl
d uc e s wh eat b arl ey p ea s b e an s h og s an d sh ee p i n ab un
, , , ,

d an c e T h e r i ver Xe tm a t w h ere c ro ss e d wa s th en onl y

. ,

fl
four t een fee t b roa d T h e district of S ala is b oun d e d nor th
.

b y t h e r i ver A am a t an d ea st b y G h e d dem We st of th e , .

rout e wa s a l arg e d ee p b asin i n t o w hich th e r i ver s I g am , ,

A am a t a n d o th er s j o in a n d aft erwar d for m th e K n o w a

, ,

un d er th e g eneral nam e o f G h er id a n d w hich j o in s th e ,

Dj i m m a near K oo m D ang a i i n S h o a M e d a
, I n his rou t e .

h e n c e M r K rap f c ro s se d th e r i ver S h ai w hich g oe s

, .
,

th roug h th e fam ou s L ak e Al eb a i o n th e we st of M an s ,

aft er l eav ing w hich th e r i ver is c all e d S h am m a s an d j o i n s ,

th e Dj i m m a T his l ak e is a d ay s j ourney i n ci r c um feren c e

.
’
.

T h e t raditi on is th a t it wa s for m e d b y a d e st ru cti on or

,

V isit a ti on S i m il ar t o th a t w hich d e st roye d S o d o m an d G o m

m orrah T his is th e l ak e m o st p ro b abl y w hich is a ll u d e d

.
, ,

t o b y D r B ek e an d M r K rap f a s b ear ing n or th 3 8 we st

. .
°

fro m th e vall ey of Wo ch Wa sh a A b ou t th e r i ver G h e .

d oo t t h e c oun try is v o lc anic l arg e ro cks th row n d ow n l a y ,

all aroun d an d a t T ag ab il e s e en a t a dist an c e m inera l

, , ,

wat er s w ere foun d T h e r i ver K a ch en u wa s t wen t y fi v e .

-

fee t b road b ut th e b an ks s e p arat e e i g ht y fee t I t is j o ine d

, .

b e l ow b y th e r i ver s K a ta m e an d W o i a w hich c o m e fro m t h e ,

north of S h oa T h e j un cti on t ak e s pl a c e in th e north

.

we st a t D ai r a fron ti er t ow n a n d s ea t of th e g overnor of
, ,

th e fro n ti e r s T h e r i ver W o ia s e p arat e s W o o ll a G all a fro m

.

S h oa T h e m oun t a i n s i n W o o ll a G all a a re s o m e ti m e s pl ai n
.

a n d leve l T h e h i g h e st in this c oun t ry a r e S ak o o n w hich

.
,
[4 0 ] G E OG RAP H I C AL M E M O I R .

V i ew fro m e m ine n c e t o th e east war d Ofth e p o in t w h ere

an

t h e B ac h i l o wa s fi r st c ro ss e d T h e c our s e of th e B a c h il o
.

is ex c ee ding l y w i n ding an d ci rc uit ou s T h e pl ai n of D a .

t an t a t o th e nor th o f th e B a c h il o wa s r ich i n c attl e an d

g ra ss an d i n dic a t e d c on sid erabl e wealth
, T h e ro a d t o .

M a it sh a wa s i n th e s o uth we st c orner Ofth e pl a in W h e n

- .

a d van c e d ab ou t s ix m il e s b eyo n d th e B a c h il o M r K rap f , .

wa s obli g e d t o turn b a ck an d c ro ssing th e B a c h il o hi g h er

,

u p re turne d t o G at era b y T ar t ar Am b a a n d T o t ol a th e ,

l a tt er o n e of th e g reat e st m ark e ts i n A b y ssi n i a a n d fr e ,

q u en t e d b y m er ch an ts fro m G on d ar T i g re a n d S h oa Be
, , .

roo s p e o pl e t ra d e w ith th e D an n akil s an d T aj o ura L e avi n g .

T o t o l a a n d a d van ci n g t o G a t era th ey h a d a m o st m a g n i fi
,

c en t V i ew of th e t err it or i e s of th e W o o lla G all a R ang e s .

Of m oun t a i n s r un fro m s outh or s ou th ea st t o nor th ea st a n d - -

north ea ch rang e s e p ar a t e d fro m th e o th er b y a pl ai n or a

,

r i ver or a t orren t T h e r iv er s r un chi e fl y t o th e B ac h il o

, . ,

w hich c oll e cts its wat er s fro m 1 00 m il e s roun d t o c arrv

its t rib ut e t o th e N il e W o o rra K all o or W o o ll a G all a is t h e
.
, ,

fl
pl ac e w h ere th e c aravan s g o i n g t o Au ss a an d T aj oura a ss e m
bl e. At G a t er a M r K ra p f wa s ro bb e d a n d very ill t rea t e d
.
-

b y th e C hi ef A d ara Bill e fro m w h om h e e sc ap e d aft er

,

s om e d i i c ul ty .

On t h e 6th of A p r il M r K rap f l eft G a t era an d p a ss

, .
,

i n g b y T o t ol a m ar ch e d th roug h a b eaut i f ul v all ey in t e r s e ct e d

b y th e r i ver G h erad o w hich run s n or th we st t o th e B ac h il o
,
-
,

h e c a m e t o th e B e rko n a w hich d e sc en di n g fro m th e nor th

,

we st s oon aft er turn s t o th e east an d run s t o th e c o un t ry

, ,

of A d el T o t ol a is in W o o r ra K all o T h e district o f T O
. .

t ol a e x t en ds from t en t o fift e e n m il e s T h e pl a in is wa t ere d .

b y a que ducts an d h a s ab un d an c e of c attl e Wh ere c ro ss e d

, .
,

t h e r i ver B erko n a wa s t wen t y fee t w id e an d o n e sp an d ee p ,

 G E OG RAP HI C AL M E M OI R .
[4 1]
its s our c e il e s dist an t in th e hill B o roo B eyon d th e
s ix m , .

B e r kO n a h e c a m e t o m oun t M o fi a th e c apit a l o f A m ana

’

, ,

a n d i n c our s e of a f e w m il e s fur th er c am e t o th e c e l e b ra t e d

l ak e c all e d H aik M o st o f th e wat e r s of W o o rra K allo

.

j o i n th e Be rko n a T h e app r o a ch t o l ak e H aik wa s th roug h

.

a b eautiful fer til e v al l ey th e s oil of w hich w a s a bl a ck

,

m ould . T his c e l e b rat e d l a k e is a cc o rdin g t o M r K rap f

, .
,

ab o u t for t y fi ve m il e s in cir cu m feren c e ; its l en g th fro m

-

e a st t o we st g reat er th an its b rea dth I t h a s s e veral b ay s .

,

a n d w ithi na fe w hun d re d yar ds of th e nor th we st c orne r -

,

is a n isl an d c all e d D eb ra N a yo o d q ua d ( hill o f thun d e r ) ,

dist an t fro m th e m a i n l an d ab ou t 2 60 yards T h e isl an d is .

al m o st squ are w ith a m on a st e r y a n d 1 00 h ous e s T h e

, .

s urroun ding sc enery is fi n e an d t h e cli m at e is ag reeabl e On

, .

th e ea st an d s ou th sid e s th ere a r e st ee p m o un t a in s b ut o n

th e o th er sid e s th e sh ore s a r e l ow A l v a r ae z s ay s th a t it
.
,

overfl ow s a t t wo pl ac e s d uri n g th e rain s w hich m u st Of , ,

c our s e b e o n th e we st sid e a n d th e s up erab un d an t w a t er s

, ,

m u st a cc or di n l y fl ow i n t o th e B e r ko n a H i h m oun t a i n s
g g .

st o o d t o t h e nor th an d nor th we st o n e of w hich wa s m oun t

-
,

S a g o ra t a t th e nor th ern foo t o f which ro s e th e r i ver

,

B a c h ilo no t far fro m th e s o ur c e s Ofth e B e rko n a : e x t re m e

,

hi g h l a n d h owe ver r isin g b e t we e n th e m

, , .

Qu itti n g L ak e H aik M r K rap f s e t ou t o n his ar d uou s

, .

j ourney t o A n tal o w Aft er p a ssi n g th e v ill ag e of B ora

. ,

h e c ro ss e d th e r i ver M ill e th en fi ft een fee t b roa d a n d th ree

, ,

in ch e s d ee p I t sp r i n g s fro m th e foo t of M oun t M ofa an d

. ,

j o i n in g th e B erko n a fl ow s i n t o th e H awa sh T h e ran g e .

o f m ou n t a i n s p re vi o u sl y a ll u d e d t o surrou n ds A b y ssi n i a ,

lik e a g i r dl e t owar d th e e a st an d nor th ea st T h e M ill e - .

fl owe d th ro ug h a b e au ti ful v a ll ey th e s o il Of w hich w a s ,

rich w ith t ree s an d g ra ss b ut w ith littl e culti vati o n B e

,
.
 [4 2 ] G E O G RAP H I C AL M E M OI R .

yo n d th e M il l e is th e c el eb ra t e d mount ai n i n G e sh e n for ,

m erl y th e st a t e p r is on for th e roya l fam il y OfA b y ssin i a .

T h e p ro p er nam e is A m b a I s rael c orrupt e d t o A m b a s s il

, .

I t ex t en ds from n ine t o t we l ve m il e s i n a nor th erl y di re cti on ,

a n d is very hi g h an d st e e p w ith s ever a l c on spic uou s p eaks

, .

I t is s o st e e p a n d s o hi g h th a t M r K ra p f c on c e i ve d a c an
.

n o n b a ll would no t rea ch its s u m m it M oun t G e sh an o .

l ay s t o th e nor th we st o f M oun t A m b a I s rae l T h e .

G overnor of th e m oun t a i n wa s Ali Beroo th e p o pul ati o n

i n d e p e n d en t M ah o m e d an s T h e r i ver M ille run s th roug h
.

th e dist r icts of S c o b a a n d G o o m b es a a n d p a ssin g th e m ,

t raver s e s th e distr ict of W o ch al e N e ar Lubs o th ey eu

.

t er e d t h e c oun t ry or p rov i n c e of Y e s h o o T h e v ill ag e of .

M er s a is fre que n t e d b y m er ch an ts fro m Y e sh o o T he .

c oun t ry ea st t o th e D an n akil s was al m o st a w ild ern e ss .

T h e R i ver E rg ibb a run s t o th e c oun t ry of A d e l a n d o n its ,

b anks ar e m any c offee tree s T h e p eopl e o f Y e sh o o h ave

.

a cur i ou s c ust o m of st an ding still an d turn i n g th e i r b a cks

t o a st ran g er w h om th ey m ay m ee t till th ey re c e iv e a bl e ss
,

in g. S o m e thing Of this ki n d is w it n e ss e d i n G eorg i a a n d ,

i n c oun t r i e s t o th e s o uth Of th e C ac aus us T h e v ill ag e Of .

M er s a is a littl e b eyon d th e r i ver of th a t nam e w hich ,

c o m e s from th e nor th we st war d an d c arr i e s a c on sid erabl e

,

quan tit y Of wat er i n its b e d T h e cli m at e i n th e pl a i n s is

.

b eau tiful an d c o tt on a n d re d p e pp er g row on th e b an ks Of

,

th e r i ver A ft er cro ssing th e M er s a th ey c am e t o W o ld ai a

.
,

th e capita l of D ej a s m a dy th e G overnor of Y e s h o o Pur

, .

s u i n g th e j ourney n or th eas t th ey c ro ss e d th e r i ver Al a

-
, ,

h av i ng p rev i ou sl y c ro ss e d a st rea m c alle d th e bl a ck wat er ,

b o th of w hich r un t o th e ea st war d T h e Al a wa s a
.

c on sid erabl e stream . S t o ppi ng a t th e v i ll ag e of S h al

 G E O G R AP H I C AL M E M O I R .
[ 4 3]
for th e ni g ht th ey nex t d ay a sc en d e d th e hi g h l an d w hich
,

di v id e s Y e sh o o from L a st a an d th e nor th ern A n g o t .

S h al is i n th e distr ict of S ack e I n th e foren oon th e .

,

t ravell e rs aft er p a ssing m any r i vul e ts rea ch e d an

, ,

e l eva t e d S p o t w h ere th e roa d divid e s th e o n e g o i n g nor th ,

we st t o L alib e l a a n d th e o th er nor th ea st t o S ok o t a a n d
,
-

A n t al o w . A n g o t c o m m en c e d i m m e di a t e l y t o t h e ea st .

T h e m oun t a in s r un nor th ea st fro m s ou th an d s outh

-

we st Ang o t is n o w d e p e n d en t u p on Y e sh o o A t s om e .

dist a n c e t o th e east s aw a very hi g h m oun t ai n i n Ang o t

,

i n h abit e d b y t h e R a i a G all a s A r iv er run s th roug h a .

pl ain i n th e p ro vin c e th e m ag n itu d e Of w hich wa s un c e r

,

t ain D ur ing th e n i g ht th ey st o pp e d a t th e v il l ag e o f
.

S arag o d el .

L eaving S ar ag o d e l th ey a sc e n d e d till ab ou t 9 A H —th e . .

roa d a c om pl e t e w il d erne ss T h e hi g hl an d of L a st a a n d.

An g o t is very c ol d a n d qu it e di f feren t from th e cl i m at e Of

,

Y e sh o o . T h ere were no t ree s ; s aw s o m e fox e s no b ir ds , ,

n o r t rave ll e r s no thing b u t d e s ol ati on a n d a c oar s e g ra ss

,

c all e d G o o s s ar th e g row th o f m o st el ev at e d c old pl a c e s

,

t h e h e i g ht h ere s u pp o s e d t o b e fee t ab ove t h e

l eve l o f th e s e a A ft er m id d ay th ey c am e t o a fe w h ou s e s
.
-
,

a n d fro m t wo o cl o ck th ey b e g an t o d e sc en d a n d th e
’

c oun t ry b eg an t o i m p rove a n d wat er b e c am e ab un d an t , .

T h e y foun d m any fi n e bi r ds an d j u n ip er t ree s a n d n u m e , ,

rou s d ee p b e ds Of r i v ul e ts all of w hich h a d th e i r c our s e s

,

t o th e nor th we st T h e b oun d ary m oun t ai n s o f L a st a

- .

a n d W o fil a s en d O f
fst rea m s w hich r un t o A d e l
, A t th e .

vill ag e of D eldie or th e b r id g e th e t ravell er s re st e d for th e

, ,

ni g ht T his p o i n t is a pl ace w h ere th e m er ch an ts g o i n g

.

no rth t o Waag a n d S o k o t a or s outh fro m th e s e pl a c e s ,

a n d VV Of i l a t o W o ld a i a a n d Y e s h o o g e n erall y a ss e m bl e
, , .
[44] G E OG RAP H I C AL M E M OI R .

Q uitti n g D el d e i , th ey
ar ch e d ea st war d t owar d W o fi la
m ,

an d L ak e A s s an g h e i n or d er th at th e y m i g ht avo id S ok o t a
, ,

t h e G overn or of w hich wa s st a t e d t o b e a ru d e m an ; a n d

c ro ssing th e r i ver T ari r c am e t o E n d alke T his v ill ag e , .

b el on g s t o W o fi l a an d is d e p e n d en t up on th e G o v e rn or of
,

Waag T h e roa d wa s i n t er s e ct e d b y r ills an d b rooks A t

. .

a h am l e t in T an t ara s aw a m a n pl oug hi n g T he y t ook th e

, .

c our s e m ore n o r th erl y in or d er t o avo id th e R a i a G all a s .

T h e roa d to W o fil a wa s t o th e w e st of th e C on v e n t S h am
m a d o o M ar i a m R oa d t raver s e d hill y b ut n o t ro ck y c oun
.
,

t ry an d fro m th e hills c ould s e e i n th e nor th nor th we st -

,

t h e m oun t a in s of L a st a an d th e t o wer i n g s n owy p eaks of

S am en lik e l ar g e t ower s T h e hill y c oun t ry Of L a st a a n d

, .

Waag a s far a s th e eve c ould rea ch ex a ctl y re s e m bl e d th e

, ,

rag i n g w av e s o f th e s e a in a st orm D eld ei is th e b oun .

d ary b e t ween th e g ov e rnm en t of Waag a n d th at Of Dj e s

m a d y F ar is W aag is i n th e c oun t ry of t h e A g o w s L a st a
. .

is b oun d e d s outh b y Y e sh o o Wa d e l a a n d A n g o t ; w e st b y , ,

B e g e m d er ; nor th b y Waag ; a n d ea st b y A n g o t an d th e
R a i a G all a t r ib e s T h e p r i n cip al t own s of W o fi l a a r e
.

Z e l g a B ora a n d L ak e A s s a n g h e
, , I t is b oun d e d nor th .

ea st b y T i g ré T h e A g o w s a re di fferen t fro m all o th er

.

A b y ssin i an s I n W o fil a th e c oun t ry is b e tt er cul ti va t e d

.
,

th an i n Waag a n d Ang o t .

Pur su i n g th e i r c our s e nor th war d th ey rea ch e d L a t a , ,

c on sid erabl e v ill ag e t o th e ea st ward s ay e a st s ou th e a st ,

-
,

of w hich ab out e i g ht t o n ine m il e s wa s th e L ak e A s s an g h e

a n d v ill ag e W o fi l a near w hich a n d s outh eastwar d of it
,
-

wa s ano th er b ut s m all er l ak e L ak e A s s an g h e is s ur .

round e d b y m oun t a in s I t is n o t s o l ar g e a s L ak e H aik

.
,

a n d h a s no isl an d i n it I n th e v icin it y th ere a r e m an y

.

v ill ag e s Z el g a is d ue e ast of L a t L ea vm g L a t th ey
. .
 G E O G RAP HIC AL M E M OI R .
[4 5 ]

t ra v er s e d for a littl e th e d ry b e d of a r i ver w hich run s t o

t h e T a c a z z e th e n o n l y a f e w d ay s j ourney dist a n t T h ey
’

, .

were still far from A n t al o w S h ortl y aft er th ey c ro ss e d .

,

a n o th e r r iv er its c our s e n orth nor th w e s t b e a ri n g d own

,
-
,

i n its b e d a c o n sid erabl e b o d y Of wa t er F ro m this c ro ss .

i n g a m oun t a i n th ey o n th e foll ow i n g d ay c ro ss e d th e
,

r i ver G h ebi a a n o th er t r ib ut ary t o t h e T a c a zz e

, T h ey .

th e n e n t ere d th e dist rict o f B o ra an d p a ss e d th e S h um

sh at o a t ribu t ary t o th e T a c a z z e a n d w ith m u ch wat er i n
, ,

its b e d T h e b an ks o fth e r iv er were a d orne d w ith b eauti

.

f ul tre e s S till i n th e A g o w s c oun try A sc en ding a s

. .

th e y p ro c ee d e d th ey h a d a g o o d vi ew of th e p r o vi n c e o f
,

Waag w hich is m oun t a i n o u s re s em bling in this r e sp e ct

, ,

G e sh em a n d N or th ern S h oa I t is s u sc eptibl e of cultiv a .

ti on a n d c ould m a i n t ai n a m uch l arg er num b er of p eopl e

,

th an it now d oe s I t is e v ery w h ere in t er s e ct e d b y d ee p

.

d al e s st ee p hills an d t o rre n ts S ok o t a is th e p r in cip al

, , .

m ar k e t On t h e t w e n ti e th of A p r il th ey c ro ss e d th e r i ver
.

T yan a I t is a fi n e r i v e r a n d c arr i e s m u ch wa t er i n its

.
,

b e d a n d is a t r ib u t ary t o t h e T a c a z z e
,
I t s e p ara t e s .

NV a a g from t h e p rov i n c e o f E n d er t a for m er l y p ar t o f ,

T i g re E v ery sp o t o n its b anks is we ll c ulti v a t e d

. T he .

cli m at e OfWaa g is b eautiful h ealth y an d h a s a fi n e a i r , , .

E n d er t a is l ow an d ra th e r fl a t Pur s u i n g th e i r j ourney .

o v er a m ount ain a n d th rou g h a th or n y un cultiv at e d c oun

,

t ry,
fi r st n or th ea st a n d th en t urn i n g we st war d an d
-
,

c ro ssi n g th e r ivul e t G um a t o th ey aft er a l ong an d fatig u, ,

i n g j o ur n e y e n t ere d A n t al o w
,
th e c a pit al of E n d er t a ,
.

T his t ow n is m u ch d e c aye d a n d m o st o f t h e h ous e s h a d

,

b een ru i n e d in th e war s w hich h a d t ak e n pl a c e w ith t h e

ne i g hb our i n g c oun t r i e s Wh e n S alt visit e d it in 1 8 0 5 a n d
.

l a st i n 1 8 0 9 it w as th e c apit al Ofth e R as We ll e d S al e ss e
, ,
[ 6]
4 G E OG RAP HIC AL M E M OI R .

an d O f c on s e quen c e a pl ac e of s o m e i m p or t an c e th oug h ,

e v en th e n it wa s n o t v ery l arg e n o r p op ulou s I t s situati o n . ,

h owever wa s c om m an di n g a n d fi n e F ro m An tal o w M r
, . , .

K rapf p ur sue d his j ourn ey b y M oun t T aran t a t o M as

S o w ah a t w hich pl a c e h e e m b ark e d t o p ro c ee d t o E g y pt
, .

H av i ng t ra c e d M r K rap f t o An t al o w a n d i n his j our

. ,

ne
y fro m A n k o b ar t o th a t pl a c e or b y far t h e l ar g er p or
,

ti on o f it th roug h a c oun t ry n ever b e fore t ravell e d over by

,

an
y E uro p ean it b e c o m e s of s o m e c o n s e quen c e t o a sc er t a i n
,

a s near a s p o ssibl e th e p o siti on Of A n tal o w M r K r apfs . .

’

rou t e fro m L ak e H aik is i n p o i n t Of dist an c e m ad e g oo d ,

an d in b e ar ing s l e ss e a st e rl y an d m ore re str ict e d th an it is

c on sid ere d th e y m i g ht a ctuall y h av e b e e n F ro m t h e .

str ict l e tt er Of his narrati ve An t al o w sh ould b e a littl e ,

m ore t o t h e e a st war d an d th e nor th war d th an th e p o in t ,

w h ere it is pl a c e d o n th e m ap H e hi m s el f st at e s p o in t .

e dl
y th a t th e roa d t o A n t al o w b y L ak e A s s an g h e would
h ave b een th e neare st thu s i n dic ati n g a m ore ea st erl y p o si
,

ti o n t o th e pl a c e H i s l a st b ear i n g nam e l y p ro c ee di n g
. , ,

we st t o A n tal o w p u zzl e s m e a s it is s eld o m th e g uid e s s o

, ,

g reatl y over sh oo t th e i r m ark an d it is b y n o m ean s i m pr o

b abl e th at i n this c as e th e b ear i n g h a s b e e n rever s e d an d ,

th a t his l a st j ourn ey t o A n tal o w wa s t o th e east an d no t t o ,

th e we st I fs o it wou ld j u st pl a c e An t al o w in a p o siti on
.
,

w h ere th e roa d c o m i n fro t h e s ou th b y L a k e A s s an h e

g m g
would h av e b een th e neare st t o A n t al o w I n S alt s fi rst .
’

voyag e th e L atit u d e of An tal o w fro m th ree obs ervati on s

is g i ven 1 2 4 8 nor th I n S alt s l a st voyag e it is g i ve n
° ’
.
’

1 3 2 3 a n d t h e L on g it u d e of C h il ec ut b y Obs erva ti on s of
° ’

th e M oon 3 9 3 3 ' c as t b u t w hich h e a ck nowl e d g e s wa s

,

V l ti a en a, vol . ii i .
[4 8 ] G E O G RAP HI C AL M E MOI R .

”
th e pl ac e t o his c apit al . a n d w e fi n d th a t a m e ss en g er

disp atch e d for th e C hi ef Of B ure re turn e d w ith h im t o ,

A n t al o w i n a b ou t t e n d ay s W h e n Pi er c e l eft A n t al o w i n
. ,

or d er t o e sc ap e from th e s erv ic e of th e R a s h e t ra v ell e d d ue ,

s outh an d r e ach e d W o fil a t o t h e e ast Of L ak e A s s an g h e

,

a n d a s h e m ak e s n o p ar tic ul ar m en ti o n Ofc ro ssi n g r iv e r s i n

his rout e s outh s o it is C l ear h e m u st h av e b e en a s h e wa s

, , ,

s om e dist an c e t o th e e a st o fM r K rapfs c our s e g o in g north

.
’
.

T his fur th e r e st ablish e s th e ea st ern or ra th er t h e m ore ea s

,

t er n p o siti o n o fAn t al o w A b out for t y m il e s fro m A n t al o w

. ,

Pi er c e c am e t o th e p rov i n c e of W ojj e ra t si x t ee n m il e s m ore ,

t o a pl ai n i n h abit e d b y a p or ti o n of t h e D ob a s ; four t een

m il e s m ore , t o Iyah a t own b e l on g ing t o th e A s s ub o G all a
, ,

a n d four t e en m il e s m o re ( i n ti m e for t y t wo h our s ) t o M o c ur r a

-
,

o n e m il e a n d a h al f fro m L a k e A s s an g h e t o t h e e a st T his .

dist an c e g i ve s no t on l y th e m ore ea st e rn b ut als o th e l arg e st ,

s upp o s e d n or th ern p o i n t fo r t h e p o si t i on of An t al o w .

Wh e n M r K rap f c ro ss e d th e T yan a a n d o th er r i ver s

.
,

it wa s a t th e cl o s e of t h e d ry s ea s on w h en th ey were ,

ne c e ss aril y a t th e l owe st ; c on s e qu en tl y th e c on sid erabl e ,

quan tit y of wat er w hich wa s foun d i n th e b e ds of th e

T yana an d th e S h um s h a t o sh ew s th a t th e i r s our c e s m u st
,

h av e b een s o m e dist an c e t o th e e a st war d a n d th a t Pi er c e ,

m u st h ave p a ss e d th e m cl o s e t o th e i r s our c e s w h ere th e y ,

were s u ch di m i n utiv e st ream s a s no t t o b e k now n or worth

any p ar ticul ar no tic e T his V i ew o f th e s ubj e ct is no t
.

onl y b orne ou t b y M r K rapfs n arrativ e b ut c orrob orate d

.
’
,

b y th e rout e o f Al v ar a e z in a won d erful d e g ree C or c ora . ,

fro m w hich h e m ar ch e d s ou th ea st al on g - a g oo dl y
,

r iv er for si x h our s this b e ing i n t h e rainy s ea s on is

, ,

o n e d ay s j our n ey fro m th e fa m ou s s a lt pl a in of A b y ssi n i a

’
,

V l ti
a en l iii p p 39 40 &
a, vo . . .
, , c .
 G E O G RAP HI C AL M E M OI R .
[4 9 ]

In his fir st d ay s j ourney from C or c ora h e c ro ss e d a st u

’

p e n d o u s m oun t a in a t t h e, on l y p o i n t w h ere it wa s p a ss abl e ,

for a dist an c e of s i x t y m il e s Aft er this h e reach e d th e .

t own of Man a d el e c er t a in l y th e M an till i o f S alt s ou th

, ,

ea st from An tal o w M an a d el e is situa t e d i n a ch am

.

p agne c oun t ry si x m il e s b y t wo in e x t en t ab oun di n g i n

, ,

g ra in , w hich sh ew s th a t it m u st b e w e l l wa t ere d I t is .

s urro un d e d b y v ery hi g h m oun t ai n s an d wa s th en a ,

pl ac e of g rea t t ra d e b e i n g fre quen t e d b y m erch an ts fro m

,

eve ry p art o f A b y ssin i a E g y pt G re e c e A rabi a Orm uz , , , , ,

I n di a a n d A d e l
,
I t wa s cl o s e t o th e c ount ry of th e
.

D ob a s b u t s ubj e ct t o T i g re
, F ro m M an a d el e Al v ara e z .
,

p urs ue d his c our s e t o D efarfo an d th en c e t rav elling b y th e ,

foo t of th e m oun t a i n of G in n a m o ra from w h enc e issue d ,

m any s m all st ream s h e c am e t o th e r iv er S ab al e tte th e

, ,

b oun d ary o f T i g re in th at quar t er H is rout e b y M oun t .

G in n a m o r a wa s o n its s ou th ea st sid e th e b arr i e r a n d -

,

t h e divisi o n of th e wat er s b e t ween t h e s our c e s of th e

T yana & c fl owi n g nor th we st a n d th e S a b al e tt e a n d o th er s

.
-
,

fl ow i n g s outh e a st T h e p o siti on s of th e s e pl a c e s an d
-
.

r iv er s thu s re p re s e n t e d g iv e th e dist an c e fro m th e w e st er n

,

p o in t of th e D o b a s t o A ss ab fi ft een d ay s j ourney th e ti m e ’

st at e d b y A l v ar aez v e ry c orre ctl y, .

F ro m Lak e A s s an g h e Pear c e p ur s ue d his j ourney ,

we st e rl y p a ssing t o th e ea st Of th e L ak e w hich is th ree

, ,

d ay s j our n ey i n ci r cu it an d c all e d i n t h e l an g uag e Of

’

”
T i g re T s a d a B ah r i
“
or W hi te S ea an d t o th e w e st of
, ,

t h e s m all er l ak e till h e c am e t o th e vill a g e o f D a f

, at on ,

t h e s um m it o fM oun t D a f a t w h ere h e re st e d for th e n i g ht, .

H ere h e foun d th e c o ld very k een a n d h oar fro st o n th e ,

g roun d o n th e m orn i n g Of Oct o b e r 1 s t H e th e n pur .

s ue d his way we st ab ou t thi rt y fi e m il e s a n d c a m e t o t h e

,
- v ,

d
[ 5 0] G E O G R AP HI C A L M E M OI R .

v ill ag e of M arz all a near , th e s our c e s of

c all e d th e T a c azz e ,
”
a in T a c az z e, o r the e es of the T a c a zze
y w hich are h alf ,

a d ay s j ourney ea st of L alib e l a or ra th e r th e pl ac e w h ere

’

L alib e l a on c e st oo d b u t w hich is now o ccu pi e d b y a v il

,

l a g e c all e d B o bb al a b y L e f e v re s i n for m an t F ro m th e
’
.

s o ur c e s o f th e r i v e r h e fo ll owe d t h e w i n di n g s Of th e
,

st ream t o M ukkin e a dist an c e Of ab ou t fi ft e en m il e s

,
,

e i g ht h ours H ere th e r iv er wa s thi r t y fee t b roa d Fro m

. .

this pl a c e h e t ra v el l e d nor th b y ea st t o S ok ot a th e c apit al ,

o fL a st a ab ou t h al f way fro m
, wh i ch a n d we st of his rout e ,

near th e T a c azz e wa s th e hi g h m oun t ai n of S al ah ferre

,
- .

T his pl a c e or m oun t ai n is e i g ht m il e s ea st of th e r i ver ,

an d S o k o t a t en .T h e l ang uag e of th e c oun t ry i s A m h ar ic .

S ok o t a is l arg er th an A n t al o w an d ab out s ix d ay s j ourne y

,
’

dist an t fro m it S oon aft er l eaving S ok o t a M r Pear c e

.
, .

e n t ere d th e c oun t ry of Waa g an d j our n ey i n g th ree d ay s

,

n or th war d a l o n g th e b anks of t h e r iv er th roug h t h e c oun

t ry Of G ual i e u in h abit e d b y t h e A g o w s t o a p o i n t o n th e
, ,

T a c a z z e ab ou t thi r t y m il es s ou th o f th e t own of Ma i s a d a
,

i n th e dist r ict Of A v e r g a l e F ro m Mukkin e t o this p o i n t

. ,

Pe a r c e h a d n o t m e t w ith a n y r i v e r o f i m p or t an c e runni n g
i n t o th e T a c a z z e th oug h h e h a d c ro ss e d in th e n e i ghb our
,

h oo d o f M ukkin e m an y s m al l st ream s a n d r i vul e ts On .

t h e 9 th O ct o b er h e c r o ss e d t h e T a c a z ze an d e n t ere d th e ,

p ro vi n c e Of S am en T h e r iv er w h ere h e cro ss e d it wa s
.
, ,

three hun d re d yar ds b roa d A s th e rai n y s e a s on was. ,

it m a y b e s aid over I c anno t h elp thi n kin g th a t th ere is

, ,

s o m e m ist a k e h ere ab out t h e b readth of th e r iv er an d th a t ,

yar ds h ave b een b y m ist ak e s ubstitut e d for fee t a n d even

a t this l att er b rea dth it is pl a in th a t s o m e p ow e rfu l t r ib u
,

t ar i e s m u st j o i n it fro m th e wes t er n sid e b e tween M ukkin e

a n d this p o in t a dist an c e of ab ou t fi ft y m il e s
, an d th e s e ,
 G E O G RAP HIC AL M E MOI R .
[ 5 1]
m ust b e s til l m ore p owerful i f th e r i ve r i s re all y 900 ,

fee t b roa d B u t this d oe s no t a t all ag ree w ith its b readth

.

near M ai s a da a s g iv en b y M r S alt at fi fty yar ds an d

, .
,

th ree fee t d e e p * an d still fur th er d own by B ru c e 2 00 yar ds

,

i n t h e d ry s ea s on .

T h a t th e r iv er Ar e q ua m e n ti on e d b y S al t is th e b e d of
, ,

all th e p ri n cip al ri ver s cro ss e d b y M r K rap f b e t ween S ara .

g o d e l a n d An t al o w is pl a i n fro m this narra ti ve of Pear c e

an d t h e p o in t w h ere h e c ro ss e d th e T ac az z e ; an d th a t th e i r

j un cti on t ak e s pl a c e nearl y in th e pl a c e s or p o i n ts a s pl ac e d
i n th e m a p is o bvi ou s n o t o n l y fro m t h e di re cti on of th e i r
,

c urren ts w h ere c ro ss e d b ut from th e t e sti m ony o f a n

,

A b y ssi n i an w h o t rav el l e d fro m An tal o w a c ro ss th e c oun

,

t ry s outh we st t o t h e c oun t ry near th e ab o d e s Ofth e E dj o w

-

G all a s T h e fir st r i ver th a t h e c am e t o on th e rout e m en

.

t i o n e d wa s th e Z i m m e ra r a very c on sid erabl e strea m an d

‘
, ,

cl earl y th e T yana o f K rap f I t r is e s in th e p rov i n c e o f .

W o g er at an d e n t er s t h e dist r ict o fB oura an d th e n S al owa

, , .

Pa ssin g th e v ill a g e o f S akk a a n d c ros si n g a m oun t a in t h e

, ,

t r av ell er c am e t o a r iv er c al l e d T s al ar i m o st pro b ab l v t h e ,

r i ver G h ebi a of K rap f an d s om e of its t r ib ut ar i e s B e

, .

yon d S ok o t a is M oun t J a l a th e S al a of Pear c e an d w hich , ,

th e A b y ssi n i an st a t e d wa s a s hi g h a s A m b a H ai an d w ith ,

th e s am e kin d of v e g e t ati o n o n its su m m it B eyon d M oun t .

J al a o r S al a ferre is th e v ill ag e an d r i ver of G uer al i a a

-
, ,

t r ib ut ary t o t h e T a c a zz e —th en t h e r i ver M ary R we st sid e

,

t rib ut ary B eyon d L alib el a or B o bb al a i s th e v ill ag e o fD an

.
, ,

g o b at a n d b eyo n d it a c on sid erabl e r i ver c all e d C ut c hin ab a ,

runn ing a m on g hi g h m oun t a i n s an d p a ssi n g s ev e ral vil

l a g e s G o in g s outh erl y th e c ount ry of th e E dj o w G all a s
.
,

is re a ch ed T he C utch in ab a of th e A b y ssi n i an is no d o ubt

.

S lt p 25 4
a ,
. G g p h i l B ull ti
. P i 1 340 eo ra ca e n, ar s .

(l 2
[5 2] G E O G RAP H I C AL M E M OI R .

t h e T c h e r tz C hic o of K rap f w hich h e st at e s r is e s near th e ,

fam ou s p ass of th at nam e o n th e c on fi n e s of L a st a an d B e ,

g e m d e r an d p ur s u ing a we st erl y c our s e j o i n s t h e N il e b e

, ,

t ween D aun t a n d B e g e m d e r th a t is t o th e s outh of Al at a , ,

a n d is m o st p rob abl y t h e s am e r i v e r th a t b e ar s t h e n am e of

th e A l a t a a t its j un cti on w ith th e N il e B ruc e v o l iii p .

, . . .

3 8 0 inform s u s th a t th e A g o w s of L a st a are c a ll e d T c h er tz
,

A g o w s p ro b abl y fro m livi n g ab ou t th e p a ss m en ti on e d a n d

,

a t v ol v p 5 0 9 w e l ear n th at this p a ss wa s o n th e fronti er s

. . .
,

of Waag or no t far fr om th e s e p erh aps th e ea st ern p a ss a s

, , ,

th ere were t wo of th e m On e wa s o n th e fron ti e r of L a s ta .

f‘

T h e w h ol e Of th e c oun t r i e s un d er i m m e di a t e c on sid era

ti on are ex tre m el y h ill y b ut w ith n u m erou s fertil e v all e y s , ,

th e p rov i n c e of E n d er t a b e i n g chi e fl y l ow an d p ar ticu l ar l y

fer til e . W e h a v e thu s b efore u s th e c el e b ra t e d r iv er

T ac a z z e th e A s tOb a ra s of th e an ci en ts w ith its num erou s
, ,

an d earl y t r ib u t ari e s d e lineat e d in a m anner it h a s ,

ne v er hith er t o b e e n d one B ru c e p oin t e dly st at e d th a t .

th e T a c azz e ro s e 2 0 0 m il e s s outh e a st of G on d ar th a t -
,

its m ai n stream c am e from Ang o t an d its o th er b ran ch ,

c am e from th e fron ti er s of B eg em d er an d L ast a near D am ,

b uc o a n d L alib al a A t th e for d wh ere h e c ro ss e d it t o

.

' ”
t h e s ou th Of S i re i n L a tit u d e 1 3 42 45
,
n or th it w a s 0
,

i n t h e d ry s e a s on 2 0 0 yar ds b roa d an d th ree fe e t d e e p .

W e n o w fi n d its s our c e s t o b e w h e re h e h a d pl a c e d th e m ,

a n d its e ar l y c our s e —th a t is th e c our s e Of t h e we st e rn

b ran ch —Pear c e from a ctual Obs ervati on t ells u s th a t it is

y r al o n g t h e b a s e of t h e S am en rang e
’ U
n o r th w e s te r l .

B ru c e als o st at e d an d Pear c e foun d this t o b e th e c as e th at

, ,

t h e r iv e r b efore re c e ivin g th e A n g o t b ran ch th e Ar e q ua ,

or T yan a or Z im m er a th at it run s b e t ween L a st a G ual ie u ,

.
, ,

B ruce , v ol . iv . p . 87 . S al t p , . 48 4 .
 G E O G RAP H I C A L M E M O I R .
[ 5 3]
an d B el e s s e n B e t ween A n ta l o w an d C h el ic ut S alt
.
,

'“
i nform s u s th ere ar e t wo s m all s tre am s fi T h e p ro s
p e o t fro m A n t al o w t o t h e s outh is very fi n e I n a C l ear .

d ay th ey c ould s ee th e hi g h m oun t a i n s S al o w a a n d B o o r a ,

ab out t we n t y m il e s t o th e s ou th S alt st at e s th a t .

th e r i ver A r e q ua fro m th e w idth o f its b e d a n d th e b o d y

”
Of wa t er w hich it b r in s d ow n is t h e l arg e st r i ver b e
g ,

t ween th e c oa st an d th e T a c a zz e d I t run s th rou g h th e ‘

fi n e c ou n t ry of A v e r g al e an d j o in s th e T a c a z z e i n th e dis
,

t ri e t of T em b en Waag is s o u th of .

fl
N earl y t h e w h o l e s urfa c e Of A b y ssin i a fro m no rt h t o
s outh a n d fro m ea st t o w e st is c overe d w ith va st m oun
, ,

ta in s g reat ran g e s an d hi g h hills s o m e of w hich are o f

, ,

very si n g ul ar form s From th e s e o w i n all dire cti o n s

.

num erou s r ills r i vul e ts stream s an d r i ver s m any of th e

, , ,

l att er o f c on sid erabl e m ag n itud e an d nearl y all of w hich ,

fl ow t o form th e B ah ar el A z rec k o r Blue R i ver or th e N il e

- -
, , .

A ll th e m oun t ai n s are very hi g h a n d s everal of th e m ,

re m ark abl y s o T h e p e a k of S am en c all e d A m b a H ai is

.
, ,

c alcul at e d t o b e fee t ab ove th e l e v e l of th e s ea ;

b ut a s s n ow li e s p er p e tu all y o n its s um m it it m u st b e a t ,

l east 2 000 fee t hi g h er b efore t h e s n ow c a n l ay p er p e tuall y

i n th a t l o w l a tit u d e 1 3 fro m th e E quat o r T aran t a c o n
°
.

s id e r ab l
y ex c ee ds fee t T h e m oun t a in s in L a st a .
,

An g o t a n d N or th er n S h oa w h ere fro st b a il an d s now are

, , , ,

Oft en fou n d m u st b e of a c o m p ara ti ve el eva ti o n

, a n d p ro b a ,

bl y e x c e e d fe e t B ruc e c alcul at e d t h e h e i g ht o fth e

.

foun t a i n s o f th e N il e a t t wo m il e s fee t a n d ,

M oun t A m id ab ove th e s e h al f a m il e fee t m ore ; a n d

y e t h e a dds th a t h a il b u t n o snow wa s fre que n tl y s e e n
, ,

o n th e m I n K af
. fa t h e m oun t ain s r is e ab ove th e li m its o f
S l t p 3 47
a ,
. I h p 35 0
. I h p 9 79 & . . . . .
, c .
[5 4] G E OG RAP H I C A L M EM O I R .

s n ow , an d h ave th e au th or it y of Pt o l e m y t o st at e th a t
we ,

t h e m oun t a i n s aroun d th e s our c e s of t h e B ah r el Abi a d a l - -

,

m o st un d er t h e E qu i no cti al ar e als o c o v e re d , w ith s now .

Ab y ssi n i a is alt o g e th er a m o st ex t raor dinary c oun t ry an d ,

h a s un d erg o n e m any a n d ex traor dinary revo luti on s B u t .

it h a s b een s o well d e sc r ib e d b y B ru c e a n d l att e rl y b y ,

o th er t rav e ll er s th a t it is c on sid ere d unne c e ss ary t o g o

,

i n t o m inut e d e t a ils h ere ex c e pt t o a dv er t t o th e m ere g e o

,

g raphic al p o i n ts an d p o siti on s w hich it is ne c e ss ary t o ,

b r ing un d er re vi ew T owar d th e nor th we st onl y w h ere

.
-
,

it app roa ch e s th e pl ai n of S en a ar an d th e j un c tio n o f t h e

T ac a zz e w ith th e N il e c an th e c oun t ry h e c all e d fl at Wh ere
, .

th e Bl ue R i ver app roa ch e s Fa z uc l o it bur sts th roug h th e

stup en d ou s ch ain of m o un t a in s on e ith er h an d a s i f it wa s
iss uing th roug h a d oor T h e sc enery m u st b e very g ran d
. .

T h e re is one c a t arac t h ere 2 8 0 fee t hi g h a n d b elow it t wo ,

o th er s b ut Of a m u ch l e ss h e i g ht From h en c e t o S en a ar
, .
,

a n d i n d ee d t o Kh ar t oum th e c our s e of th e r iv er is s m oo th
, .

T h e cli m a t e aroun d F az uc l o is m o st d elici ou s T h e p re s e n t .

V ic eroy of E g y pt wa s th ere in th e s u m m e r of 1 8 3 9 an d ,

h e st at e s th a t th oug h th en con sid erabl y ab o v e s even t y

,

y ear s of a g e th e cli m at e wa s s o enli ve n i n g a s t o b rin g h i m

,

b a ck t o th e a g e o ft wen t y fi v e At this pl a c e h e h a s b uilt a

cit y a n d g i ven it h i s o w n n am e a n d th e re c an b e n o d oubt
,

th at fro m its p o siti on it w ill s oon r is e in t o i m p ort an c e T h e .

S hang all a or N eg ro t r ib e s h a v e en c roach e d g reatl y o n A b y s

s in n i a i n th e we st nor th we st an d north a s th e Gall a s
,
-
, ,

h a v e d on e on th e s outh w est s outh an d s ou th ea st a n d

-
, ,
-

all th e s e t rib e s h ave c arri e d i g noran c e idl e n e ss d e s o l ati on , , ,

v i ol en c e m is ery a n d p o v er t y w h erever th ey h ave c om e

, , .

T h e v ill ag e a n d h alting pl a c e of H al a i o n th e s um m it
-

o f M oun t T arant a is a c cor di ng t o R upp el] situa t e d i n

, ,
[ 5 6] G E O G R AP H I C AL M E M OI R .

from R ac h m ah t o R a s H a s sar li e s fl at a n d low an d is ,

b oun d e d b y hi g h m oun t a in s a t n o g rea t dist an c e * T h e .

B ay of A m ph il a ex t en ds si x t e en m il e s o n th e c oa st an d is ,

ab ou t t we l ve m il e s d ee p At th e b o tt om of th e b ay th ere
.

a r e t wo v ill a e s M a di r a n d D ur o r a ; th e l a tt e r t h e l ar e st
g , g .

T h e ran g e of m ou n t a i n s a r e ab ou t fi ft e e n m il e s dist an t .

T h e s e r un nor th we st a n d s ou th ea st an d i m m e di a t e l y
- -
,

b eyon d this is a still l ofti e r ch a in ex t en din g from S enafe ,

t o T ara n t a S enafe p rop e r l y si g n ifi e s b oun d ary an d is s o m e

.
,

ti m e s w ritt en S en aa T h e roa d fro m A m ph il a B ay is nearl y

.

w e st an d th re e d ay s j ourney b r ing s th e t ravell er t o th e

,
’

e d g e of th e S alt pl ain w hich run s in a n or th ea st t o a

,
-

s outh we st di re cti on a n d is four d ay s j ourney in l en g th

-
,
’
.

I t t ak e s fi ve h our s t o c ro ss it a t this p o i n t w h en th e t r av e l ,

l er c o m e s t o D urwa th e fi r st vill a g e w ithi n th e t err it ory

,

Of th e R as H en c e p a ssin g th e vill ag e of D afa an d a

.
,

fin e pl ain th e hi g h e st ran g e of m oun t a in s is rea ch e d

, ,

c all e d h ere S enafe a n d w hich is a s hi g h a s T aran t a T h e

,
.

j our n ey fro m A m ph il a is a j ourn ey of ni ne d ay s T h e .

r o a d we st from Am phil a is suppli e d w ith wat er .

F ro m A rkee ko t o A y l a t i n a di r e ct line is ab ou t t wen t y

m il e s we st N ear this pl a c e is th e s our c e of a r i ver
.
,

w hich a t s o m e dist an c e we st j o i n s th e r i ver sp r i n g i n g ne ar

Bis an a n d D o b arw a an d a cc or ding t o M r L Ab a die 1 for m s
, .
’

th e r i ver A n s ab a w hich run s north erl y t o th e R e d S e a a t

’

T a k a t wo d ay s j our n ey t o th e s outh of S o uake m T his

‘

.
,

is a n e w feature i n th e g eo g raph y Of this p ar t of A fric a ,

an d is ex tr e m el y p rob abl e B urkh ardt st at e s th a t th e.

m oun t a i n s of L an ay are c on sid e rabl y e l ev a t e d ; th a t h e

g
foun d st ream s an d r i vul e ts d e sc en din g from th em t o th e

Sal t p
, . 1 40
.
1 G e o g raph i cal
‘
B ulleti n P aris S ep t
, , . 1 8 42 .
 G E O G RAP H IC AL M E M OI R .
[5 7 ]
e a twar d an d nor th ea st war d ; th a t th e sc enery wa s
s -

v e ry b e autiful an d th e clim at e re m i n d e d h im Of th at o n
,

M oun t L eb anon T h e s m all dist r ict of T ak a th ree d ay s

.
,
’

j ourney in l eng th an d o n e d ay s j ourney in b rea dth

,
’

( o th er a cc oun ts s ay d oubl e) is ex c ee din g l y fer til e I t is .

g reatl y an d d ee pl y fl oo d e d b y t h e M are b w h en s wo ll e n b y
t h e ra in s a n d h e n c e its g rea t fer tilit y
, T h e p a ss of T a
.

r an t a is s outh b y c o m p a ss fro m M a ss owa wh e n th e var i a ,

ti on wa s 1 4 we st a n d th e hi g h e st p ar t of th e m oun t ai n
°
,

is t o th e s outh a n d east of th e p a ss D ix an is a t th e .

fo o t o f th e m ount ai n o n its w e st sid e an d o n l y ab o u t ,

th re e g eog raphic a l m il e s in a dire ct li n e fro m H al ai From .

H al ai B ru c e c ould disti n g u ish t h e s e a t o th e n o r th

,

e a st . T h e d e sc en t t o th e s ea is ex c ee din g l y prec ipi

t ous Fro m D ix an t o An tal o w S alt o n his fi r st j ourney
.
,

was fift een d ay s T h e cour s e wa s t o th e ea st war d of

.

s ou th .

S h oa with s om e a dj a c en t p rov in c e s now un d er th e c o n

,

t r o ul of th e i n d e p e n d en t G a ll a s for m er l y for m e d p a r t o f
,

t h e A b y ssi n i an e m pi r e a n d i n th e d ay s o fth e st ren g th an d

,

e x t e n t o fth a t e m pi re th e S overe i g n s th er e of r e sid e d i n

,

th e s outh ern p ar ts an d fo r a c on sid e rabl e ti m e a t T e g ul e t

, ,

a n d o th er re sid e n c e s i n S ou th er n S h oa B ut S h oa b e .

c am e i n d e p e n d en t o f th e S overe i g n s of Ab y ssin i a s ub
s e quen t t o th e c onfu si on which en sue d aft er th e fearful
d e s ol ati on sp rea d o v er th a t e m pire b y th e M ah o m e d a n s
un d er M ah o m e d G rag n e an d th e earl y i rrupti on s o fth e
,

G all as w h o sp rea d ru i n am on g b o th S h oa wa s als o

, .

c on sid erabl y st ra it ene d in its d o m i n i o n s b y th e s e b ar

b a r ian s .M r K ra pf h a s p re tt y acc urat el y d e fi n e d its
.

m o d e r n b o u n d ar i e s S O m uc h s o th a t w ith t h e a ssist a n c e
,

of th e M ap it is c on sid e re d unne c e ss ary t o e n l arg e u p o n

,

d 5
[ 5 8 ] G E O G RAP H I C AL M E MO I R .

t h at s ubj e ct i n this pl a c e T h e b oun d ar i e s an d ex t en t of

.

t h e p ro vi n c e s of A b y ssi n i a w hich n o w b el on
g t o it a n d ,

w hich a re b e st d e fi n e d ar e a s foll ow s ,

T i g re i n its g reat e st ex t en t fro m D o b a r w a s outh war d is ,

ab out 2 00 m il e s from no rth t o s outh a n d 1 2 0 m il e s ,

from ea st t o w e st I ts ea st er n b oun d ary is t h e hi g h

.

l an d w hich s e p arat e s th e wat er s w hich fl ow ea st in t o th e

,

R e d S e a fr o m th o s e w hich fl ow w e st in t o th e T ac a zz e .

On t h e s ou th it is b oun d e d b y Ang o t a n d L as t a a n d o n ~
,

t h e w e st b y p ar t of B e g e m d e r an d ne x t b y S a m en a n d , ,

th en b y S i re an d o n t h e nor th b y S h ang all a an d A rab

,

t r ib e s A m h ara is 1 2 0 m il e s from ea st t o we st S ix ty
.
,

m il e s fro m nor th t o s outh an d is b oun d e d o n th e s outh ,

b y W al aka an d th e W o o ll a G all a ; o n th e ea st b y G e sh e n
or Y e sh e n a n d L as t a o n th e nor th b y B eg e m d er ; a n d o n
,

t h e we st b y t h e N il e B e g e m d e r ex clu ding L a st a is 1 2 0
.

m il e s fr o m e a st t o we st an d s i x t y t o s eve n t y m il e s fro m
,

n or th t o s ou th b oun d e d e a st b y L a st a an d p ar t o f G ual i e u
, ,

s outh b y A m h ara we st b y t h e N il e a n d p art of L ak e

,

D e m b e a a n d nor th b y B el es se n a n d a p ar t of S am en
, , .

S am en e i g ht y t o n ine t y m il es fro m north t o s outh an d ,

ab ou t fort y t o fi ft y fro m ea st t o we st is b oun d e d ea st b y ,

L a st a Waag , an d T i g re
, n or th b y T i g re an d S i re ;
we st b y L am al m o n an d B el e s s en an d s ou th b y p ar t ,

of L a st a a n d B el e s s e n G on d ar is a p rov in c e t o th e nor th
.

war d a s D em b e a is t o th e we st war d Of L ak e T z a n a or
,

D em b e a M a it s h a I S a p rov in c e s ou th of th e L ak e e x
. ,

t en di n g from th e N il e o n th e ea st t o th e N il e on th e ,

we st a n d b oun d e d s ou th b y G o utt o th e p rov in c e ab o ut

, ,

th e s our c e s o fth e N il e an d G oj a m m ore t o th e e ast G oj am

, .

is b ound e d b y M aitsh a a n d M oun t A m id A m id o n th e ,

n o rth b y th e N il e on th e east a n d th e south an d b y

, ,
 G E OG RAP H I C AL M E MO I R .
[5 9]
D am o t o n th e we st I t st re tch e s we st war d o n th e N il e
.

t o H ad e s A m b a an d near t h e p a ss ag e th a t p r o c e e ds
o v er th e N il e t o G o o d e r o o D am o t is b oun d e d e a st b y .

G oj am s outh b y th e N il e ea st b y un d efi n e d Ab y s in i a
, ,
n

a n d G a ll a t err it or i e s an d n or th b y G o utt o B ure is its

, .

c apit al I n for m er ti m e s D am o t e x t en d e d ac ro ss t h e N il e
.

t o th e nor th e rn fron ti er o f E n ar e a w h en th a t p rov i n c e ,

for m e d p ar t of th e Ab y ssi n i an e m pi re We st war d o f .

D e m b e a is K uara a n d n e x t t o it a n d n or th war d
, , is , ,

R as e l F ee l th e b o u , n d ar i e s of e ith er Of w hich t o th e

we st war d an d s outh ea st a s well a s t o th e nor th -

, ,

c an no t b e accur a t e l y d efi ne d .

G oj am an d D am o t ab oun d i n c attl e an d were a t o n e ,

ti m e well cultiv at e d an d p ro du cti ve T h e p ro vi n c e of .

L a st a w hich on c e for m e d p ar t of B e g e m d e r is ex c ee d
, ,

i n g l y m ount a inou s a n d th e c o ld th e reon very g rea t ; s o

,

m u ch s o th a t m o st of th e ar m y of t h e A b y ssi n i an Kin g
,

Fa c il i d a s p er ish e d w h en th ere b y its s e v erit y even i n t h e

, ,

m on th Of M ar ch w h en h e wen t t o a tt a ck th e i n h abit an ts
,

w h o h ad rev o lt e d H e d efeat e d th e m near L eb o B e l e s

. .

s en is th roug h ou t ex c ee ding l y m ount ainou s W echn e .

is ab ou t thi r t y fi ve m il e s fro m E m fras a n d is o n e o f

-
,

t h e st at e p r is on s a pp o i n t e d for th e R oya l F a m il y G afat .

is n o t a c on tin ue d c oun t ry b u t a s et of sc att ere d v ill ag e s

,
.

W um b ur n a or U m b urn a is o n e Of th e m S en a s se is t h e .

c a pit al Ofth e G on g a s an d is S it ua t e d t o th e nor th o fth e

,

N il e b ut th e t rib e i n h abit b o th b anks I n this dist rict . ,

i n t h e e a st is th e p a ss a g e Of t h e N il e a t M i n e ( th e wor d
, ,

m ea n s p a ss ag e ) on ,th e we st ern rou t e t o E n a r e a an d ,

b e l ow it is th e fam ou s c at aract in th e N il e 2 8 0 fee t hi g h ,

.

B o th a re i n th e c ou n t ry Of th e G ong as B el ow th e m o n .

b o th sid e s of t h e N il e a re th e N ub a A m oro is t o t h e .
[ 60 ] G E O G RAP H IC A L M E M OI R .

s ou th of th e N il e c all e d als o Am oro Jidd a from a G all a

, ,

t r ib e of th at nam e .

B u t qu itting this p orti on of th e c ount ry it is ne c e ss ary , ,

i n e lu cid a ti on of t h e M a p an d th e s ubj e ct t o turn t o th e ,

s outh in ord er t o m ak e a fe w re m arks a n d obs er v ati on s

, .

T h e Ca t ara ct of A l at a is for t y fee t hi g h a n d a t all ti m e s , ,

m ore e sp e ci all y dur i n t h e ra i n y s e a s on it is a m ag n ific e n t

g ,

si g ht T h e N il e i n app roa chi n g it run s c onfine d b e tw e en

.
, ,

t wo b anks i n a d ee p t rou gh roar i n g over its b e d with

,
‘

i m p e t uou s vel o cit y Wh en B ruc e s aw it th e st ream

.
,

wa s i n creas e d fro m th e rain s an d wa s th en h alf an E n g

,

lish m il e i n b readth T h e r i ver wa s nev er th el e ss cl ear

. .

N o c ro c o dil e s a re t o b e foun d ab o v e t h e c at ara ct A .

b r isk st rea m c all e d M ar i am Ohb a run s t o th e N il e a littl e , ,

b e l ow th e vill ag e of Al at a T his stream c o m e s from .

B e g e m d er a n d is th e T c h e rt z C hic o o f K ra p f al rea d y
, ,

allud e d t o A g reat num b er Ofr iv er s j o in L ak e D em b e a

.
,

from th e hill y reg i on s in t h e ea st th e n or th an d th e , ,

we st T h e N il e its el f is a c on sid erabl e r i ver b efore it j o i n s

.

th e L ak e I t h a s o n b o th sid e s fro m its s our c e s d own

.
, , ,

war ds s everal c on sid erabl e tr ibu t ar i e s e sp e ci ally th e

, ,

Ji m m a o n th e ea st an d th e A ss ar o n th e we st T his
, .

l a tte r wa s a s l arg e a s t h e N il e an d w h e n B ruc e c ro ss e d

,

it in th e d ry s ea s on h e foun d it 1 7 0 yar ds b road an d

, ,

t wo fee t d e e p T h e c oun t ry t o t h e s ou th war d of th e

.

s our c e s of th e N il e i n clu d e d in th at l ar g e ci r cl e wh ich

, ,

th e r iv e r m ak e s is ex cl usi ve of th e ve ry hi g h m oun t ai n s
, ,

w ith w hich it is c o v ere d v ery e l e v at e d l an d an d g i ve s

, ,

bi r th t o i n num erabl e sp r i n g s an d r iv ul e ts w hich i n a ,

sh or t s pa c e form c on sid erabl e r iv er s T h e we st ern p a ss ag e .

of th e N il e t o E n ar ea is at a pl a c e c all e d M ine w hich in ,

fact m ean s p a ss ag e a n d it is th e o pi n i o n o fth e wr it er th a t

,
 G E O G RAP H IC AL M E MOI R .
[ 6 1]
i t is n o t s o far we st a s it h a s b ee n r e p re s e n t e d t o b e H e .

rou n ds this o pi n i on o n t h e st a t e m en t m a d e b y B ru c e “ 6
g ,

th a t it is no t far fro m H a d e s A m b a w hich is in G oj am , .

N e ar this l a tt er pl a c e is t h e p a ss ag e of th e N il e o n th e ,

rout e b y th e ea st sid e of L ak e D em b e a an d B a ss o t o G oo d
e ro o an d E n ar e a B o th roads t o E n are a b ut e sp ec i all y
.
,

th at fr om M in e ar e m oun t a inous T h e dist an c e fro m M ine

, .

t o E n ar ea o r th e c apit al S akk a is fift y l eag ue s a cc or ding

, , ,

t o B ru c e a n d d ue s outh ; th e dist an c e thi r t ee n d ay s

, ,

j ourney viz : s e v e n d ay s t o G one a an d si x fro m G onea

, ,

t o th e c apit al B efore rea chi n g G on ea th e t rav ell er c ro ss e s

.
,

a v ery hi g h m oun t a i n T h e dist an c e h ere g iven is ch e ck e d

.

b y th e dist an c e g i ven b y t h e G o o d e r o o rou t e fro m re p eat ,

e d a n d qu it e di f fere n t auth or iti e s an d b o th ag ree in a ,

s urp r ising m anner a s t o th e p o siti on of th e capit al of

E n are a .

I m m e di at el y adj o ining th e N il e o n its s outh b ank is

th e c oun try c all e d B e z am o i n h abit e d b y th e B oren an d ,

t h e B e s t um o G a ll a s F or m erl y th e p rov i n c e o fD am o t ex
.

t en d e d a c ro ss t h e N il e s ou th war d t o th e c on fine s of
E n a r e a ; b u t si n c e t h e c o n que sts b y th e G all a D am o t is ,

n o w c on fi ne d t o th e n or th b an k of th e N il e T h e p ro .

vin c e of E n are a p rop er is o n all sid e s s urroun d e d with

hi g h m ount ai n s e sp e ci all y t o th e s ou th an d th e we st ;
,

th o s e t o th e s outh in C af fa r isi n g ab o ve t h e li m its Of

s n o w T h e p ro vin c e is a n el e v at e d Pl at eau wat ere d b y
.
,

m any c on sid erabl e st ream s w e t a n d m ar sh y b ut fer til e

, , ,

'
e sp e ci ally in c o fi e e of a s up eri or qualit y T h e r iv er Z eb ee .

run s th roug h it a n d is for m e d b y s ev e ral l arg e b ran ch e s

,

r isi n g t o th e no rth we st p a rtic ul a rl y th e Om o a n d th e

-
,

G oj o b . T h e r id g e s a n d hills i n this quar t er a r e e vid e ntl y

B ruc e , vo l . v . p . 54 .
[ 62 ] G E O G RAP H I C AL M E MO I R .

an d
g eneral l y c alc areou s an d h en c e th e c ol our of th e
,

Z eb e c fro m th e sands it b r ing s d own an d run n in g over ,

w hit e c alc areou s ro cks w hich m ak e s th e wat er re s e m bl e

,

m e lt e d b u tt e r .T h e p o p ul a ti on of E n ar e a an d K af fa a re
g ene rall y C h r isti an b u t of l a t e year s h a v e b ec o m e i n te rm i x e d
,

w ith Mah o m e d an s an d Pag an s T h e s e p rov i n c e s form e d

.

th e m o st s ou th er n an d we st er n p rov in c e s Ofth e A b y ssin i an

E m pi re i n th e d ay s of it s g reat e st st ren g th an d h ad a s ,

h a s b een st at e d an i n t er c our s e w ith th e c oa sts o f th e A t

,

l an tic b y m ean s of re g ul ar t ra din g st a ti on s th rou g h th e

,

i n t er i or K affa or C affa li e s s outh we st fro m E n are a

.
, ,
-
,

a n d b eyon d it is L i m m o u l a t e l y b rou ht t o th e k now l e d e

, g g
Ofth e E uro p e an s b y a na ti ve Ofit ( B ull G eo S o ci e t y Par is . .
, ,

Jul y w h o wa s l at e l y in Par is I n fa ct it is st at e d
.
, ,

a n d p er h aps t rul y st a t e d th a t L im m o u is on l y p ar t Of
,

E n ar e a in its m o st e x t en d e d s en s e B e this a s it m a y
.
,

h owever th e fact is th a t th e r iv er H ab ah ia an d its earl y

, ,

'

t ribu t ari e s w hich r is e t o th e we st war d of K afi a run t o

, ,

th e s outh war d an d a s we sh all s e e b y an d b y m o st p rob a

, , ,

bl y form th e p aren t st ream s of t h e B ah r el A bi ad al - -

,

th oug h Pt ol e m y s a cc oun t p erh aps aft er all th at w hich

’
, , ,

is m o st t o b e re li e d o n in dic a t e s th a t it is no t s o T h e
, .

n e a re st way t o E n ar e a fro m G oj am is b y G o o d er o o .

T h ere is als o ano th er rou t e m u ch fre quen t e d fr o m E n a r e a

t o R o g i e i n S h oa an d th en c e t o Ank ob ar an d An g o ll all a
, .

T h e roa d b y G o o d e r o o t ak e s thi r t y d ay s t o t rave l a t th e

r a t e of ab ou t n ine m il e s per d ay m ad e g oo d .

L im m o u is w h o ll y p eo pl e d b y G all a s w h o a r e a b ra v e ,

ra c e of m en w ith ag reeabl e c oun t enan c e s T h e i r ar m s .

a r e a c or s e t a n d c roo k e d s ab re a l an c e &c , i n th e form s , .

,

r e s em bling th e re p re s ent ati on s of th o s e w hich are foun d

i n th e an ci en t m onu m en ts Of E g y pt a n d N ubi a T his is .
 [ 6 4] G E O G RAP H I C AL M E MO I R .

t er s of th e t welfth an d thi rt een th century m ak e m en ti o n

of this ra c e of m en a n d st at e th a t th ey inh abit e d a c oun
,

t ry in th e p ar t of Afric a allud e d t o an d d we lt b y a r i ver ,

c all e d th e r i ver of Pi g m i e s w hich r i ver th ey a ss e rt wa s

,

for m e d b y t wo r i ver s w hich ro s e o n th e ea st ern sid e Of th e

m oun t a i n s of th e m oon ( th e B ah r el abi ad r isi n g o n th e
,
- -
,

we st sid e of th e ch a i n ) a n d aft er c on sid erabl e c our s e s b e

c o m e un it e d i n o n e un d er th e nam e of th e r i ver of th e
pi g m i e s T h oug h cl o th e d in A rabic an d ori en t al phra s e
.

ol og y th e a cc oun t w h en s ob ere d d own t o g eog raphic a l

,

a ccura c y m ay aft er all n o t b e far fro m th e t ruth C an

, .

t h e j un cti on of th e Quill i m a n c y w ith a r i ver r isin g t o

th e s ou th of A n d ak b e th e r i ver m en ti one d or ra th er ,

allu d e d t o
E very g eog raph er w h o h a s wr itt en o n th e ea st c oa st of

fl
A fr ic a e sp e ci all y th e Por tug ue s e pl a c e s a l ar g e r i ver en t e r
, ,

i n g th e In di an O c ean n ear M a g a d o x o , A b ul fe d a an a c .
,

cura t e wr it er p ar ticul arl y m e n ti on s i t an d st at e s th a t it

, ,

o v e r o w e d lik e t h e N il e ; an d th a t it h a d a l ong c o ur s e
r ising a cc or ding t o th e A rabi an m od e of st ating su ch
,

thing s i n th e l ak e K uara or D e m b e a th e s our c e Of t h e

, ,

E g y pti an N il e T h e B o m b ay T i m e s of J ul y 1 8 4 2
. ,

an noun c e s u p on th e au th or it y of a cc oun ts re c e i ve d from

,

C a pt ai n H arr is th e Am b a ss a d or a t S h oa th a t s u ch a r iv er
, ,

d oe s en t er t h e I n di an Oc e an i n l atitu d e t wo d e g ree s nor th ,

th a t it g oe s b y di ffe ren t nam e s an d am ong o th er s is ,

c all e d th e B ar g a m a or B ah ar G am a i n w hich we C l earl y

, ,

re c og n iz e th e c oun t ry OfB ah arg am a or B erg am o of B ru c e ,

t o th e ea st war d an d s ou th war d of G urag ue t h e s our c e s no

, ,

d oubt Ofth e g reat r i ver m enti one d T his r i ver is s a id t o .

b e of g reat m ag n itud e a t its m outh t o h ave a l ong nav i ,

g abl e c our s e of s everal h un d re d m il e s an d t o r is e i n m oun ,

 G E OG RAP H I C AL M E MO I R .
[ 65 ]
t ai n s t o th enor th of th e L i n e I t g oe s als o b y th e nam e
.

o fG o o l o b . T his is c ur i ou s a n d i m p or t an t .

B ut n o t t h e l ea st i m p or t an t—if it m ay no t in realit y b e
st at e d t o b e th e m o st i m p ort an t—p or ti on of m o d ern di s c o v
er i e s in A fric a re m ai n s t o b e no tic e d T his is th e ex p e di .

ti on di re ct e d b y th e p re s en t enli g ht ene d an d en t erp rising

V ic eroy of E g y pt a t th e cl o s e of 1 8 3 9 t o ex p lore th e
, ,

c our s e of th e B ah r cl abi a d o r Whit e R i ver l ong k n own t o

- -
, ,

b e th e chi e f b ran ch o ft h e E g y pti an N il e T h e ex p e diti on .

st art e d fro m Kh ar t oum i n D e c e m b e r 1 8 3 9 s oo n aft er th e ,

c o m m en c e m e n t of th e d ry s e as on I t c on sist e d of th ree .

or four s aili n g b ar que s a n d s o m e s m all c an o e s o r p ass ag e

b oats c o m m an d e d b y i n t elli g en t Offi Cer s an d a cc om p an i e d
,
'

b y 4 00 m en fro m th e G arri s on o fS e n a a r T h ey h ave e x .

e c ut e d th e i r c o m m issi on well A n of fici a l abst ract of th e i r

.

voyag e wa s i n th e h an ds o fth e wr it er of this M e m o i r in th e

aut um n Of1 8 4 0 an d th e w h ol e Offici al j ourn al is now b efore
,

h i m fro m t h e G eo g raphic al B ull e ti n of Pa r is of J ul y A ug u st , ,

an d S e pt em b er of l ast year I t is very c ur i ou s very i n t er

. ,

i n g a n d very i m p or t an t E v ery d ay s p ro c ee ding s a re

’
.
,

n o t e d w ith c are ; t h e b rea dth d e pth a n d c urren t of th e

, ,

r iv er th e t e m p erature an d th e n am e s Of th e t r ib e s in h ab
iting th e b an ks a n d th e a pp earan c e o f th e c ount ry aro un d
,

a s th ey p ro c ee d e d T h e i r chi ef Obj e ct —th e ex pl orati on of

fl
.

t h e m a i n st r eam t o its ut m o st p o i n t —wa s st ea dil y a n d onl y

k e pt in v i ew a n d o n l y o n e affl uen t a l arg e st rea m wa s e x
, , ,

l re d t o a c on sid era bl e dist an ce F ew o th er a fue n t s

p o .

were notic e d or att e n d e d t o an d su ch al s o m i g ht readil y

,

a n d ea sil y e sc a p e th e i r no tic e b e c aus e th ey sc ar c e l y e v e r

,

wen t a sh ore a n d w h e n th ey did s o wen t b ut a sh or t dis

, ,

t an c e a n d t h e b an ks o n b o th sid e s b e i n g c ove re d w ith

t ree s a n d th es e no t o n l y d ow n t o b ut s om e ti m e s eve n int o
, ,
 fl
[ 6 6] G E O G RAP HI C A L M E M OI R .

th e st ream c overe d w ith thick e ts an d b u sh e s th e en tran c e

, ,

Ofa f ue n t s un l e ss of very
, g rea t m ag n i t u d e a s i n th e c a s e ,

of th e o n e referre d t o m i g ht easil y e sc ap e th e i r no tic e

,
.

T h roug h ou t th e w h o l e voyag e th ey p er c e i ve d n o m oun t a i n s

,

or rang e s in si g ht o n e ith er sid e an d b u t very few hills , ,

an d th e s e disj o in t e d ( s ee M ap ) an d of n o g rea t m ag n itu d e

or i m p or t an c e N um erou s l ak e s an d p on ds were foun d o n
.

b o th b anks a s th ey a d van c e d u p war ds i n t h e s outh ern

b e aring Of th e r i ver th e re m ain s no d oubt of t h e i n un d a
,

ti on Of th e r i ver dur i n g th e rain s .

T h e dist an c e th a t th e ex p e diti on a d van c e d o n t h e r i ver

s outh fro m Kh ar t oum wa s i n c lu ding w in ding s nearl y 1 300
, ,

g eo g raphic a l m il e s af t er w hich
’

,
i n l a tit u d e 3 3 1 nor, th ° ’
,

an d in l on g itu d e 3 1 ea st of G reenw ich th e r iv e r s e p ara t e d

°
,

i n t o t wo b ran ch e s ; th e o n e th e s m all er c om ing from th e

, ,

we st an d th e o th er th e l arg er c om ing fr om th e ea st I n
, , , .

s m all c anoe s a p ar t y we n t u p th e we st ern b ran ch for a few

m il e s chi e fl y t o a sc er t ai n th at it c on tinue d a s e p arat e
,

stream w hich h av in g d one th ey re turne d fi n d i n g it i n c a

, , ,

pabl e of b e i ng navi g at e d i n th e i r ve ss e ls W h ere th ey l eft .

it th e st ream wa s ab ou t si x t y fee t b roa d n ine t o t w e lv e

, ,

fee t d ee p a n d curren t one m il e per h our T h e ea st ern

, .

b ran ch th ey a sc en d e d in th e b ar que s t o t he l atitud e of 3 °

2 2 nor th w h e n th e wa t er e bb e d t o th r e e fee t th oug h t h e

’
, ,

b rea dth wa s nearl y 1 3 00 fee t an d th e curren t h alf a m il e ,

per h our T h ey c ould no t v en t ure t o p ro c ee d a n y fur th e r

.
,

an d ac c or ding l y t urne d b a ck an d d e sc ending th e st ream ,

th ey ag ai n c a m e t o th e B ah ar S eb o th or R ed R iver s o ,

c all e d fro m th e c olour Of th e wat er w hich th ey e x pl ore d ,

t o a dist an c e of ab ou t 14 5 m il e s i n a di re ct line w h e n , ,

th e wat er ebbing t o on l y three fee t th ey were c o m p ell e d ,

t o turn b a ck th oug h th e b readth wa s still ab ou t 1 10 0 fe e t

, ,
 [ 68 ] G E OG RAP H I C AL M E M O I R .

fl
a s far a s ex plore d r isi n g an d g enerall y p erp en dicul ar t o
, , ,

th e h e i g ht of from t wen t y t o thi r t y fee t w hich w ill re ach ,

ab o v e th e h e i g ht of th e inun d a ti on an d p re v en t th e c oun try ,

aroun d from b e ing o v e r o w e d T h e w h ol e c oun t ry from .

Kh ar t oum u p war ds is a t abl e l an d Of v ery c on sid era bl e

e l e v ati on a n d th e V i ew o n all sid e s e x c e e ding l y picture sque
,

an d b eauti ful T h e num erou s a n d c on sid erabl e t r ib e s w hich

.

were foun d on th e b anks ar e p ar ticularl y no tic e d in th e i r

r e l ativ e p o siti on s o n th e M ap Ofth e s e th e S h ill o o ks th e
.
,

D e n kh ah s an d th e K yks an d N uv i e r s are th e m o st p ow
, ,

e rf ul an d i m p or t an t H ipp o p o t am i a n d c ro c o dil e s were

.

num erous in th e st ream an d c attl e sh ee p g oats an d a ss e s , , , ,

were e ve ryw h ere num erou s o n e ith er b ank T h e c oun t ry .

wa s stu dd e d w ith fi n e t ree s a s th e y asc end e d an d in p roof ,

of th e e l evati on of th e c ount ry ab ove th e l e v el of th e s e a ,

it m ay b e obs e rve d th a t aroun d th e bifurcati on th e t ree s

,

a n d fo li a e were th e t ree s an d fo li a e of an E uro p ean cli

g g
m a t e ; w hil e t o shi eld th e m s e l v e s fro m th e e ffe cts of th e
c old dur ing t h e ni g ht th e inh abit an ts sl ee p am on g war m
,

a sh e s T h e b e d of th e r i ver is th roug h ou t s an d a n d h en c e
. ,

th e c o l our g iv en t o th e st re am e sp e ci all y w h en it is in ,

fl oo d is w hit e a n d t urbid T h e g ul f or l ak e C o uir m u st b e

, .

Of a c on sid erabl e S iz e a s th ey were a d ay an d a h al f l ook

,

i n g ab ou t it w ith out an y d e fi n it e r e sult or d e sc r ipti on .

L ower d own th ere is o n th e we st sid e a ch ai n of l ak e s

w hich from th e d e scr ipti on of th e m th e w rit er t ak e s t o
, ,

b e th e outl e t o f th e B ah ar el N ah al n o t N ah a s A cc or d
- -
, .

i n g t o L i nan t th ree r i v e r s e n t e r th e B ah r e l abi a d fro m

,
- -

t h e we st a n d i n th e c oun t ry of th e S hill o o ks T h e fi r st is
th e N ed c l —
.
,

N i l e wh ich p a ss e s near b y G e bel el D eir or th e

-
,
- -
,

m oun t a i n of th e roun d sit ua t e d i n th e c ou n t ry of T a

,
g g al a
or T ucl av i T h e s eco n d is th e B ah ar el A dd a w hich r is e s
.
- -
,
 G E OG RAP HIC AL M E M OI R .
[ 6 9]
t o th e w e st of T ub el d ie fl ow s t o th e s ou th of S h e ib o n an d
, ,

en t er s th e N il e i n ab out 1 2 nor th l atitu d e T h e thi r d is

°
.

t h e B ah er el N ah al w hich w e re c og n iz e a s th e r i v er co m i n g
- -
,

fr o m th e c oun t ry of D a r eL N ah as near th e c opp er m i n e s

-
, ,

a n d w hich is s ubs e quen tl y j o i ne d b y t h e B ah ar T a ish a a t

T e n d er n e i n th e p ro vi n c e of C us n e w h ere p al m t ree s ar e
, ,

v ery ab un d an t T h e A rabs pl a c e a r i ver c om i n g fro m t h e

.
“

s o uth we st a n d e n t er i n g l ak e C o uir or T um e ; b u t th e nam e

-

is n o t g iv en T h e t rib e o f Bh o urs near th e bi furc ati o n

. ,

a n d o n t h e ea st b an k a r e of a c o pp er c olour ; a n d i n t h e
,

h ous e o f th e i r C hi ef I n di an g oo ds were foun d T O th e .

s outh Of th e b ifurc ati on th e y were t old th a t th ere wa s a

v
e hi g h m oun t ain w ith an ex t re m e an d w e ll c ul tiv at e d
,
-

pl at eau o n its sum m it T h e di m inish e d siz e of th e we st ern

.

fl
b ran ch cl earl y i n dic at e s th at th e hi g h l an d w hich g i ve s it
bi r th is at no g rea t dist an c e T h e p o p ul ati on o n th e b anks
.
,

th oug h s ur p r is e d a t th e si g ht o f th e fl ee t a s it m ay b e ,

'
c all e d o er e d n o re sist an c e th e m o m en t th e real Obj e ct o f
,

t h e e x p e diti o n wa s m a d e known t o th e m T h e K yks h ow . ,

e v e r were warlik e an d m ore s uspici ou s a n d c on sid eri n g

, ,

th at it m i g ht for m a sl a v e e x p e diti on a ss e m bl e d a n d ,

Of fere d re sist an c e A few t roo ps l an d e d a n d s oon sc att ere d

.
,

th e m w ith th e l o ss of a few kill e d a n d woun d e d ; an d aft e r

,

this all wa s p eac e a n d s ub m issi on T h e chi efs of th e e x

, .

p e d i t i on
g a v e o ut th a t th ey were m e ss e n er s s en t fr o m
g
h e av e n which th e si m pl e p eopl e b eli e v e d an d th ereaft e r
, ,

s ub m issi vel y an d abun d an tl y s uppli e d all th e i r wants T h e i r .

v ar i ou s t rib e s a re fre quen tl y a t war w ith each o th er T h e s e .

quarrels g enerall y ori g i n at e ab out p a sturag e s an d b oun

d ar ics .

I t is c on sid ere d un n e c e ss ary t o d well l o n g er o n this i m

p or t an t ex p e diti on of disc overy t h e m o st i m p or t an t i n a
,
[ 7 0] G E OG RAP HIC A L M E M OI R .

g eo g raphic al p o i n t Of V i ew th at h a s o c curre d i n m o d ern

ti m e s ’
To . M ah o m e d Ali th e g l ory o f this disc overy is
d u e th e re s u lts of w hich c anno t fa il t o b e hi g hl y a d y an
,

t a g e o us t o t h e h um an ra c e e sp e ci all y t o th e l on g ne g l e ct e d
,

p op ul a ti on an d c ou n try of Afric a B u t it would b e un j u st .

t o p a ss over w ith out no tici n g th e nam e s of th e c om m an d er s

o fthis e x p e diti on w h o h a v e s o fai th f
, ull y an d s o w e ll ob eye d
th e c om m an ds an d exe cut e d th e or d er s of th e i r s overe i g n .

T h e s e a r e C apt ai n S e li m th e h ea d of fi c er S uli e m an
,

K a ch ef R ust am S ac o l a s s y ; Ib rahi m E ffen di Fe z H oul

l ah H ius s B achi Ab d o re m R a go ul an d A ss ad A ll ah
-
,
.

T h e s e m en d e s erve well Of th e ir c ount ry T h ey h a v e a .

s ov ere i g n w h o c an app re ci at e th e i r s er vic e s a n d th at w o n ,

d e rf ul m an is ab ou t t o s en d st eam er s u p t h e r i ver w hich

we h ave d e sc r ib e d I t wa s a wond er an d an e ra t o s ee st eam

.

e rs c ro ssin g th e A tl an tic ; b u t w h a t w ill it b e to s ee th e m

st e m m ing th e wa t er s of th e N il e al m o st t o th e e quat or ,

a n d walkin g a s it were over t h e m oun t a in s of th e m oon ,

s o lib erall y fi xe d in this p or ti on of Afr ic a b y i n c re dul ous

”
an d c onj ec tur a l g eog raph er s .

A n i n sp e cti on o fth e M a p w ill S h ow th e rea d er th e g rea t

i m p or t an c e of th e disc overy or ra th er re ctific ati on o f t h e ,

g e o g ra ph y Of A fr ic a i n th e s e p ar ts a n d a ls o sh ow t h e ,

g rea t a cc ura c y w ith w hich P t o l e m y d e li ne a t e d its

g ene ral
feature s I t is t rue th a t h e c arr i e d th e h ea ds of th e
.

b ran ch e s Of th e Whit e R iv er e i g ht d e g re e s t oo far s outh

A th
no v y g h b p f d up th W hi t R i i 1 8 4 1 d
er o a e as e en er o rm e e e ver n an

18 42 . Tw F h G tl
o re n c p i d th i
en p d i ti
em en I th i
a c c om an e s ex e on . n e r

t
n o es and p by M J
m a d th y gi . th k bl b d fth
o m ar , e ve e r e m ar a e en o e

i i
r v er n n ea r ly th p l l l f 9 d g L t i tu d T h i i t i d i t d i
e ara e o e re e s a e . s s no n ca e n

the o ffi i l c a u t ft h
a cc o fi t
n o y g d th i
e t rs vo t q ui t
a l e , an e r n o e s a re n o e c ear

an d ex p li i t th ubj t B t
c on e s th l ec th ugh I h v
. u d ub t
n ev er e e ss , o a e so m e o s

on th ubj
e s t I h vec , d p t d th i d li ti
a e a o fth i p t fth R iv
e e r e n ea on o s ar o e er.
[ 7 2] G E O G RAP H IC AL M E MO I R .

th e early s our c e an d c our s e of w hich w e know run s w h ere ,

h e st at e s th e B ah r el abi a d r is e s A n i n sp e cti on of th e
- -
.

M ap w il l S h ow th at th e H ab ah i a m ay b e th e s our c e of th e
N il e .T h e c o l our of th e wat e r b e i n g w hit e would s er v e t o
c onfi r m this o pi n i on a s d raw i n g its suppli e s from si m il ar
,

c alc ar eou s r id g e s a s t h e Z eb e e Of a lik e c ol our an d fro m ,

t h e c aus e m en ti o n e d a ctuall y d oe s I t is l eft t o fut ure dis

, .

c o v er a n d t o th e g e o ra phic a l rea d e r t o d e cid e w h e th e r

y g
B ruc e or Pt ol em y is m o st c orre ct b ut h a z ar din g a n Opin i on ,

I would s ay th a t b o th a r e r i g ht th a t th e H ab ah i a is o n e ,

b ran c h of th e B ah r el abi ad w hil e Pt ol e m y c on sid e re d

- -
,

th a t th e b ran ch rising fur th e st t o th e s outh h ad th e un

d oubt e d cl ai m t o b e c on sid ere d th e p ar en t stream .

T h e e l eva ti o n of th e b e d o ft h e T a c a z z e an d th a t o f th e ,

Ah aw i ab o v e th e l eve l of t h e s e a h a ve b een g i ven ; t h e ,

form er fro m R uppel l an d th e l att er from D r B ek e , .

b u t it would app ear th a t th ey ar e un d er s o m e m ist ak e .

B ruc e e sti m at e d th at th e s our c e s of th e A b aw i were

fee t ab o v e th e leve l of th e s e a ; an d ifs o th ere ar e c er t a in l y
ne ith er c at ara cts n o r rapids in th e stream of th e A b aW I
fro m its s our c e s t o th e p o i n t w h e re D r B ek e fi r st cro ss e d it .

t o a cc oun t for 7 340 fe e t t h e differen ce of e l evati on i n th e ,

c om p arativ e sh o r t sp a c e Of 2 5 0 m il e s B ru c e als o c al c u .

l at e d th at th e pl ai n Of S en aar wa s ab ou t 5 000 fee t ab ov e

S ee p . 35 . L k
a e D em b e a , or Z an a , i s 5 7 32 F r en c h f
ee t a bo ve th e
lv
e el o ft h e sea, a n d G on dar a c c or d i ng t o R upp l l e 1 2 32 F r en c h f
e et a b o ve

v
t h e l e e l o fth e Lk
a e . T he d iffe ren c e o fth e l e v e l o f th e A h a wi n ea r th e

j uuc ti o n o f th e Dj i m m a an d th e F d or o f F ur i i s, a c c or di g n to Dr .

Be k e, 1 00 f
eet . C o n s i d e ri n g th e e l ev a ti on o Lk Z
f a e an a , a s gi v en by
R uppell , th e b e d ofth e A b a wi n ear i ts ju nc ti w i th th Dj i
on e m m a m ust be
g
h i h e r th an D r . B ke
e has m a de i t ;
d e ce t w h i h t h e N il e ha
W hi l e th e s n c s

from L k e Z a to S
a an ( c a ta ct i lud e d ) w o ul d g i v an l ti
cn aar ra s nc e e eva on

t th e p l a i n o fS en a ar t o th e ex t en t s tat e d by B ruc e
o .
 G E O G RAP H I C AL M E MOI R .
[ 1 3]
p

th e l e v e l o f th e s e a I n this e l evati on h e s e e m s t o b e
.

b o rn e ou t b y all b ut un erri n g g uid e s T h oug h it w as t h e.

h o tt e st p er i o d o f th e year w h en h e wa s a t S e n a ar y e t h e ,

felt it c ool eve n w h en fully c l o th e d an d c ould walk ab ou t in

, ,

t h e s un w ith ou t i n c on v e n i e n c e T his i n dic a t e s a ver y c o n

.

s i d e rabl e e l e v a ti o n . T h is is als o c onfi r m e d b y th e a cc oun t

which M a h o m e d Ali g i ve s of th e cli m at e Of Fa z uc l o ,

n am el y th a t th e ai r wa s e x c ee di n g l y p ure a n d b ra ci n g
, .

T h e e l e v ati o n o f Fa z uc l o ab o v e S e n a ar c an no t b e m u ch ,

b e c au s e t h e N il e b e t w e en th e o n e pl a c e an d th e o th er h a s
a pl a cid a n d e a s y curren t T h e cli m at e als o which th e
.

E g ypti an Of fic er s foun d a t th e bifur c a ti on of t h e B a h a r el -

A bi ad c oupl e d w ith th e ex t re m e g e n tl e n e ss o f t h e c ur
,

ren t Of th a t stream all i ndic at e a very c on sid e rabl e e l e v a

,

ti on Of ev e ry p ar t fro m th e j un cti on of th e Blue an d th e

Whit e R iv er s i n clu siv e u p war ds o r s ou th war ds B row n e s
, .
’

m e t eorol o ic a l Obs er v a ti o n s a t D arfur sh ew u s th a t G o bb e

g ,

t h e c a pit al of th a t c oun t ry m u st b e an e l e v a t e d pl a c e
, for

dur i n g th e m on ths o fJ an uary an d F e b ruary t h e th e rm o ,

~

m e t e r d ur i n
g t h e d a y ran g e d fro m 5 0 t o 6 0 a n d w a s a t
0
0 ,

ti m e s a s l ow a s 4 9 i n th e m iddl e of th e d ay B ru c e wa s
°
.

als o t old a t S en a a r th at t o th e s outh or s outh we st o fC o b b e -

,

s n o w w a s t o b e s een o n t h e m oun t ai n s A ll th e s e fa cts

.

p o in t ou t th a t this i n t e ri or p ar t o f e a st ern A fric a m u st b e

v e ry el evat e d an d th at th e N il e t o th e M e dit erranean m u st
,

h av e a g re at e r d e sc en t from Ab y ssin i a th an th e obs erva ti o n s

of D r R uppe ll an d D r B ek e woul d g iv e it T h e b e d o f
. . .

t h e T a c a z ze a t t h e p o i n t i n S am e n w h ere it turn s we st is
, , ,

acc or din g t o D r R uppell 2 8 1 2 Fren ch fe e t ab ove th e l e v el

.
,

o f t h e s ea . F r o m th a t p o i n t t o its j un cti o n w ith th e N il e ,

2 00 m il e s b e l o w Kh a r t ou m —th e l a tt er pl a c e 1 5 0 b e l o w
S e n a a r—is a b ou t 5 0 0 m il e s a n d w ith ou t e ith e r ra pids
,
,
[ 74 ] G E OG RAP HI C A L M E M O I R .

c at ara cts or any very ra pid curren t T h e e leva ti on of th e

, .

Ab aw i wh ere D r B ek e c ro ss e d it is h e st a t e s i n roun d
, .
, , ,

n um b er s 3 0 00 E n lish fe e t Fro m th a t po m t t o S e n a ar
g .

is full y 4 0 0 m il e s in w hich sp a c e th e r i ver h a s a t l east 4 0 0

,

fee t of c at aracts w ith a c on sid e r a bl e v e l o cit y i n th e curren t

, .

F ro m S e n a a r t o Kh ar t oum is 1 5 0 m il e s a n d fr o m Kh a r t oum ,

t o th e j un cti on w ith th e T a c a z z e ab out 2 00 m il e s m ore i n ,

all 7 5 0 m il e s Fro m th e s e facts al o n e it is cl ear th a t e ith er

.
,

D r B e k e or D r R upp e l are wron g i n th e i r c alc ul ati o n s

. .
.

T h e di f fe ren c e b e t we e n th e m a s appli e d t o t h e e l eva ti on of

,

t h e b e d of th e N il e c anno t b e l e ss th a n 2 5 00 fee t
, .

T h e c orre cti on of th e g eo g raph y o f th e c our s e Of th e

B ah r el A bi a d pl ac e s b efo re u s o th er re sults e quall y i m
- -

p or t an t I t discl o s e s t o o ur v i ew t h e c our s e a n d t h e
.

s our c e s of th e g re a t r i ver Z a i re o r C on g o w ith s om e thi n g ,

lik e an ad e quat e sp ac e for th e for m ati on Of a r iv e r o f th at

g rea t m a n it u d e w hich th e Z a i re is k n own t o b e ; an d it e n
g
abl e s u s t o appl y w ith a cc ura c y th e a cc ounts w hich h ave
b een re c e iv e d w ith re g ar d t o th e c oun t ry c all e d D ong a an d ,

th e r i ver or r i ver s Of B ah r K ull a an d t h e V allis G aram an ,

tic a of Pt ol em y w hich h ave hith er t o b een s o st rang el y pe r

,

ver t e d an d att em pt e d t o b e a ppli e d in a m an n er w hich

sh ewe d pl a i n l y th a t th e applic a ti on wa s i n c orr e ct .

D arfur or ra th er t h e c a pit al th ereof C o bb e is a c c o r

, , , ,

'
di n g t o B rowne in 14 1 0 nor th l a titu d e a n d 2 8 8
,
0
,
° ’

ea st l on g itud e I t is an el e v at e d c oun t ry T o th e s ou th
. .

it is very fer til e an d call e d S aid lik e th e p ro du cti ve s outh ern

, ,

p rov in c e s of E g y pt T o th e s ou th we st a n d w e st t h e
.
-

c ount ry b e c om e s v ery m oun t a inou s an d from n o i m p or t an t

r i ver s b e in g foun d am ong th e m we c oll e ct th a t th e el e ,

vati on is ab ove th e l e v e l fro m w h en c e th e sp r ing s w hich

for m r i ver s usuall y fl ow B eyon d D ar R um a we st h owever
.
, ,
[ 7 6] G E O G RAP H I C AL M E M O I R .

c ount ry in c ont radisti n cti on t o hi g h l an ds an d th e riv er ,

B ah ar Kull a m ean s onl y th e g reat r i v e r which t rav er s e s

th at l ow c oun t ry .

N o w l e t u s for a m o m en t a tt en d t o t h e a cc oun ts w hich

w e h ave o fthis p or ti o n o fA fr ic a a s th ey h a v e b e e n d e r iv e d
,

from t wo quart e r s o pp o sit e t o e a ch o th er th e n orth an d th e ,

s ou th an d w h oll y un c o n e ct e d
, T h e c oun t ry of D a r
n .
“

K ull a s av s B ro w n e p 4 4 9 is fo r a g reat p ar t of th e y e ar
, , .
,
“

w et an d m ar sh y t h e h ea t is e x c e ssiv e a n d th e p eo pl e
, ,

r e m ark th a t th ere is n o su m m e r —th a t is no re g ul ar d ry ,

s eas on T his a l o n e i n dic at e s its p o siti on t o b e near t h e

.

E quat or . I t s p eo pl e a r e p ar tl y ne g r o e s a n d p ar tl y of a ,

c opp er c ol our T h e y h ave m an y c on sid erabl e r iv er s w hich

.

a r e ne v er d r y a n d w hich th ey c ro ss
, i n c anoe s m a d e ,

from l arg e t r ee s cu t d own a n d h oll owe d o ut T he .

”
e x p re ssi o n never d ry a s st at e d b v B ur ckh ar dt is a
, ,

st ron g Arabic m o d e o f d e si g n ati n g a fer til e c oun t ry

a b oun di n g i n w a t er an d h avi n g l ar g e r iv e r s
, T h e roa d t o .

D o n g a fro m C o b b e is s ay s B rowne p 4 7 3 v ery m o un t a in

, , .
,

ou s a n d th e r iv er i n it r is e s from for t y disti n ct hills ; a

,

c o m m on Afric an m o d e o f e x p re ssi n g a g rea t num b er Of

S p r i n g s a n d t r ib u t ar i e s I t is t en d ay s j ourn ey s ou th fr o m
’
.

Ab ou T el f a i n o n th e fr o n ti e r of B er oo or D ar S a l e y
g B ur ck , .

h ar dt r e c e iv e d a cc oun ts e xactl y si m il ar T h e rou t e t o D o n .

g a an d D a r K ull a is b y th e s our c e s of th e M i s s el a d o r r iv e r ,

G i r foun d in th e v ery d ist r ict w h ere Pt ol e m y h ad pl a c e d i t

, .

N ex t t o th e s e l e t u s att en d t o t h e a cc oun ts w hich

,

o n th e s ou th sid e h ave b e e n g l an c e d a t w ith re g ar d t o

this c oun t ry Fi r st a ll t h e Por tug ue s e earl y a cc ounts an d

. ,

m a ps r e p r e s en t th e C on g o a n d t h e chi ef b ran ch o f th e

N il e a s fl ow i n g fro m th e s am e dist r icts i n C en t r al Afr ic a .

B ro w n e p, . 308 .
 G E O G RAP HIC AL M E M OI R .

[ 7 7]
S e c on dl y , ck ey t ells u s th a t t h e C o n g o w a s re p ort e d t o
T u

iss ue i n s e v era l strea m s fro m a l arg e l a k e Of m ud w hich ,

l ak e w a s fro m th e dist a n c e g iv e n n e a rl v un d e r th e E qua t o r

i n o th er wo r ds th a t t h e C o n g o c a m e fro m a c oun t ry w e t
,

a n d m ar sh y an d th a t it wa s for m e d b y m any st rea m s i n

,

its earl y c ours e for this is th e c orre ct a cc o un t wh e n st rip

,

pe d of its Afric an ph r a s eo l o g y T hi r dly h e m e t n e a r t h e

.
,

c a t aracts an d lib er a t e d a M a n di g o m a n sl a v e wh o s a id
, ,
n ,

th a t h e c a m e fro m a c o un t ry t o th e nor th e ast c all e d -

,

M I n to l a situat e d u p o n a r iv er n ea r l y a s l a r g e a s th e Z a i re
’

an d th a t h e h a d b ee n th ree m o o n s o n his j our n e y t ra v e llin

g ,

s o m e ti m e s b y l an d a n d s o m e ti m e s b y wa t e r i n c o m i n g
fro m it M a n di n g o is w e ll know n t o b e r o un d th e s our c e s
.

of th e N i g er a n d a t an i m m en s e dist an c e from this p or ti o n

,

Of A fr ic a T h e p ro n un ci a ti o n o f th e n a m e Of t h e c o un t r v
.

fro m w hich t h e m an c a m e M I n t o l a sh ew s th at T ueke v ,

’

m ist oo k th e o th er wor d a n d th a t it sh ould h ave b ee n

,

p ron oun c e d M I n d o n g a I n this D o n g a is re adil y re c o g

’
.
,

n i sed, t h e roa d t o it t h e r i ver th a t fl ow s i n it an d th a t

, ,

M I n t o l a is a dist r ict i n it
’
Oth e r m e n t o ld T uck ey th a t
.

th e y h a d b een t o a dist a n c e of thi r t y d ay s j ourn e y n o r th ’

e a st ; th a t th e r e t h e c ou n t ry wa s v ery m oun t a i n ou s ; th a t

i n th e i r roa d th e y c r o ss e d m a n y r iv e rs s o m e i n c an o e s , ,

a n d o th er s a t for ds F o ur th l y a n d w h a t is m o r e t o t h e
.
,

p o int th e riv e r b e g a n t o r is e i m m e di at el y ab o v e t h e c a t a
,

r a c t s o n t h e fir st of S e pt e m b e r N o w ab ou t th e t e n th o f
.

Au g ust t h e s un would h a v e ab ou t 1 5 n o r th d e clin a ti o n °

,

o r four d e g ree s fro m t h e n or th e r n li m its of D o n g a a t ,

w hich ti m e th e ra i n w o uld c o m m e n c e t o th e s ou th war d o f

t h e m ou n t a in s o n t h e fr on ti e r of th a t c ou n t ry A ft e r t e n .

d a y s a n d a s t h e s un b e c a m e v e rtic a l ab out th e twe n t y fi fth

,
-

of Augu st th e st re a m s in t h e upp e r a n d n e arl y m id

,
 fl
[78 ] G E O G RAP H IC A L M E MO I R .

dle c our s e w oul d b e g reatl y m o v e d ; an d from th a t p eri o d

th e y would all b e oo d e d d ee pl y a n d th e wat er would d e
,

sc en d rapidl y t o th e s ou th A ll ow i n g fo r th e turn i n g s
.

an d w in di n g s of th e r i ver an d c on sid er in g th e dist an c e

,

w hich th e wat er h a d t o r un fr o m th e p oi n t c om pl e t e l y sub

,

j ec t e d t o th e i n un d ati on a dist an c e o f ab out 5 00 m il e s is

,

m a d e ou t an d all ow ing a t th e rat e Of fi fty four m il e s pe r

-

d ay for th e p ro g r e ss o f th e st ream s ou th w a r d th e r is e of ,

t h e C on g o wou ld j u st t ak e pl ace o n th e fi r st Of S e pt e m b er
a t th e p oi n t w h ere T uck ey fi r st p erce i ve d it A t fi r st th e r is e
.

Oft h e r iv er would ne c e ss ar il y b e sl ow a n d g ra d ua l b u t aft er ,

war d it would b e m ore rapid a s T u ck e y s aw it for a t t al l

t ree p o in t h e foun d it h a d i n th e sh or t sp ac e of si x t een d ay s
r is en s e v e n fe e t a p roof th a t it did no t d e sc e n d from a l ak e
, ,

o th erw is e th e r is e c ould no t h a v e b een s o quick I t would . ,

it is c on sid e re d b e su p er fl uou s t o s ay m ore t o e st ab l ish t h e

,

p o i n t T h e m a g n itud e Of th e r i ver wh ere T u ck ey t urne d

.

b a ck 2 8 0 m il e s fro m its m outh th e b rea dth o f th e st ream

, ,

fro m th ree t o fo ur m il e s its g rea t d epth (m any fath o m s) an d

, ,

a c urren t full y th ree m il e s a n h our a t t h e ve ry c o m m en c e

m e n t of th e i nun d a ti on a n d t h e ti m e Oft h e c o m m en c e m en t
,

o f th a t i nun d a ti on e st ablish fro m i nv i n cibl e d at a th a t t h e

, ,

Z a i re or C on g o d e sc en ds fro m a hi g h n o r th ern l a tit ud e ,

a n d th a t th e r iv er s i n D o n g a a n d D a r K ull a m u st for m its

e ar l y st rea m .

T h e rea d er w h o w ish e s fur th er i nfor m a ti o n reg ar di n g t h e

p ar ts Of Afr ic a adj a c en t t o th o s e w hich h av e b een h ere
d e sc rib e d a n d Of Afr ic a b eyon d th e li m its o f th e p re s e n t
M aps m a y c on sult for th a t p ur p o s e m y G e o g raphic al S ur
,
.

ve
y of A f ic a a n d g ener a l m a p OfAfr ic a th e l a tt e r p ublish
r ,

e d b y Mr . A rr o w s m ith in 1 8 4 0 .

With a fe w g eneral re m arks we sh all con clud e th e s e

,
 [ 8 0] G E OG RAP HI C AL M E M O I R .

c ruel an d m ore g en erall y S O

, I n w a r th ey m a ss a c r e
.

alik e t h e re sisti n g a n d th e unre sisti n g youn g a n d o ld m al e

, ,

a n d fe m al e r ippi n g u p th e l a tt er w h o a re w ith child a n

, ,

A si a tic c u st o m , w hich w ith o th er A si atic cu st o m s would

, ,

l ea d u s t o b eli eve th a t th e i r an c e st or s c am e ori g i n a ll y from

A si a .

A b y ssi n i a m u st h a ve u n d er g o n e m any a n d st ran g e a n d

, ,

dist re ssi n g vicissitu d e s of for tune A t a v ery e arl y p eri o d

.

of hist o ry it wa s a p owerful a n d enli g ht ene d e m pi re .

W e fi n d o n e of its Q ue en s pl a cing h er s e l f i n p ower an d

know l e d g e a s an e qual t o S ol o m o n I t wa s m o st c e r .

t a i n l y a Que e n of th a t c oun t ry w hich v isit e d J e rus al e m

duri n g th e r e i g n of th at Pr in c e O ur S avi our c a ll s h er b y

.

way of e m in e n c e th e Que e n of t h e S outh H e w h o m a d e

, .

th e w o r ld m u st k n ow c orre ctl y t h e p o siti o n of every p ar t

,

of it an d it m ay b e r e m ark e d th at th e c e n tr e of Ab y ssini a
,

is d ue s outh fro m J erus al e m S ubs e que n t t o th a t p er i o d

.

th e A b y ssi n i a n s h a d c o n quere d a g r e at p a r t of A r abi a At .

a n ear l y p e r i o d th e y w e re c o n v er t e d t o t h e C h r isti an fa ith ,

w hich th e y h ave c on ti n ue d t o h o ld ever si n c e un d er th e ,

m o st t ry i n g a n d dis a d van t ag eou s ci r c um st a n c e s T h e y .

c o m m an d e d th e R e d S e a a n d w ith it th e trad e b e t ween

,

E a st e r n A fr ic a a n d t h e E a st In di e s ; w ith E g y pt A si a ,

M in or a n d E uro p e aroun d th e sh ore s of th e Me di te rra

, ,

ne an T his c o m m er c e was chi e fl y c arr i e d o n b y th e p o rt o f

.

Z e il a h b u t m ore e sp e ci all y b y th e p or t of A ss ab w ithi n

, ,

th e S t r a its of B ab e l m an d eb a t w hich pl a c e th e rui n s of

,

l arg e b uilding s are y e t t o b e foun d Fro m this p or t th e.

roa d int o A b y ssin i a wa s di re ct b y M an a d ell i w hich Al var a e z ,

s till foun d i n his d ay a g reat re n d e zv ou s for m er ch ants

fro m th e q uar t er s m e n ti one d On th e r is e of th e M ah o m
.

e d an p ower in A rabi a As s ab wa s wre s t e d fro m A b y ssi n i a

, ,
 G E OG RAP H I C AL M E MOI R . 8 1]

an d fro m th a t p e r i o d h e r p owe r b eg an t o d e cli n e b u t th e

i m p e n e t rabl e n ature of h e r c oun try re n d ere d h e r l on g s afe
fr o m a n y s er i ou s a n d overwh el m i n g att a ck fro m th at re st
l e ss an d fan a tic p e o pl e H o w far C hr isti an it y pe n e tra t
.

e d i n t o A fr ic a d ur i n
g t h e h e i g ht Of A b y ssi n i an p ower it is ,

di fficult t o s ay b ut w e a re c er t a i n it wa s t o a g r ea t e x
t e n t fo r th e re m ai n s of it an d th a t t o o in c on sid er a bl e
,

stre n g th a r e t o this d ay fo un d in E n are a K affa a n d

, , ,

pl a c e s adj a c e n t T h e r is e a n d p rog re ss Of M ah o m e d a n
.

p o w e r w hil e it g r a d uall y ci rcum sc r ib e d th e d o m i n i on of

,

A b y ssi n i a i n t h e s o uth t h e e a st a n d th e n or th cu t h e r
, , ,

of fa t t h e s a m e ti m e d ur i n g a p er i o d Of m an y c e n t ur i e s
, ,

fro m th e re st of t h e C h r isti an world S till a s l a t e a s t h e .

,

thi rt ee n th c e n tury w e fi n d th e C h r isti an Ki n g s of N ubi a

,

c o n t e n di n g a n d n e g o c ia t in g w ith t h e p roud e st M ah o m e
d an S o v er e i g n s till a t l a st th ey were fi n all y a n d c o m pl e t e
,

l y o v e r th r o w n a n d C h r isti a n it y ex tin g u ish e d i n N ubi a t h e

, ,

wre tch e d i n h abit a n ts fl y i n g s outh t o Ab y ssi n i a an d i n t o

“

t h e d e e p e st r e c e ss e s of th e A fr ic a n c o n ti n e n t ; i n w hich ,

h owe v er th e y w e re n o t l o n g hidd e n fro m th e i r re stl e ss

,

e n e m i e s w h o fo ll o we d fo un d th e m ou t a n d c on quer e d
, , ,

th e m . T h e r u i n s of G a m b arou o n th e Y e ou ar e well, ,

k n ow n t o b e th e re m a i n s of a cit y of c on sid er abl e i m p o r

t an c e form erly b e l o n g i n g t o C h r isti an s till it wa s rui n e d
, ,

a n d l a id d e s o l a t e b y t h e F a ll a t a h ; a n d t o this d a
y th e re
a re i n G oob e r th e o f f sp r in g of C o pts e x p at ri a t e d fro m
E g y pt i n ord er t o e sc ap e t h e fe ro cit y a n d i n t o l e ran c e o f
,

t h e ea rl y A r a bi a n c o n q ue r o r s T h e s e p eo pl e are very fai r

.
,

a s m uch s o a s th e an ci e n t E g ypti an s .

T h a t t h e p o w e r a n d n a m e o f A b y ssin i a p en e t r a t e d d e e p
i n t o a n d sp re a d w id ely o v er Afric a is a fa ct th at c a n n o t b e
, ,

d o ubt e d I t wa s k n ow n a cc o rdi n g t o th e ea rl y Po rt ug ue s e
.

8 5
[ ]
8 2 G E O G RAP H IC AL M E M OI R .

navi g at or s a t B en i n th en a p owerful king d o m

, T his fac t .

h a s b e en d eni e d b ut w ith out a n y j u st reas o n a n d w ith

, ,

o ut r e fl ec ti n
g th a t th e nam e Of A b y ssi n i a is a t this d a y
k n own ev en t o T i m bu ct oo S e g o a n d th e s our c e s Of th e
, ,

N i g er ; pil g r i m s fro m all th e s e pl a c e s i n th e i r rou t e h e n c e

t o M e cc a p a ssing b y S en a ar a n d t h e nor th ern b oun d ary
,

of A b y ssin i a o n th e i r way t o S o uakim

, .

I n th e i r war s w ith th e M a h o m e d a n s th e Ab y ssi n i an s

i n t h e d e cline of th e i r p ower lik e th e R o m an s w h en i n a
,

si m il ar st at e eng ag e d aux ili ar i e s am ong th e i r b arb arou s

,

ne i g hb our s t o a id in th e s e war s T h e A b y ssin i an aux ili a

.

r i e s o n this o cc a si o n were th e G a ll a s T h e s e s oo n s aw t h e
.

weakne ss Of b o th th e A b y ssi n i an an d Mah o m e d an p ow e r

i n th e ea st ern p or ti o n o f Afr ic a a n d m a d e th e i r c oun t ry
,

m e n a cq ua i n t e d w ith i t . T h e c on s e quen c e wa s a g ener al

m o v e m en t of th a t p eo pl e a g a i n st b o th T h ey fi rst a tt a ck e d
.

A b y ssin i a ab ou t t h e year 1 5 5 9 i m m e di at e l y aft e r h e r

,

bl oo d y a n d fa t al war s w ith th e M ah o m e d an s un d er M a
h o m e d G r ag n e T h ey b ore d own all o pp o siti on ; s warm
.

aft er s warm wa s c ut o ff i n th e fearful a n d easil y d efen d e d

d e fi l e s o f A b y ssini a ; b ut s war m s u cc ee din g s war m a d
va n c e d fro m th e i n t e r i or an d a t l e n g th fi n all y a n d fi rm l y
,

e st ablish e d th e m s e lv e s i n t h e c oun t ry a n d c on qu e re d a n d
,

k e pt p o ss e ssi on of s everal o f th e fine st p ro vi n c e s of th e

e m pi re s ubd ui n g a t th e s am e ti m e t h e M a h o m e d an s 911
,
“

th e c oa sts o f th e I n di an O c e an o r li m itin g th e i r d o m i n i o n s
,

in a f e w pl a c e s t o na rrow slips o n t h e s e a c oa st T hes e .

t r ib e s of G all a s c am e fro m a c oun t ry in th e in t er i or of A f

r ic a s om ew h ere ab ou t t h e fi fth t o th e t en th d eg ree of s outh
,

l a titu d e i n which p ar t o f A fric a all earl y wr it er s ag ree

,

th a t th e p o p ul ati on are n o t n e g roe s b u t c om p ara ti vel y fai r

, ,

a s w e fi n d th e g enu i ne G alla s r e all y are W h a t m i g ht y .

[ 8 4] G E O G RAP HIC AL M E M OI R .

t o ch astis e h e r T h ey w e re i m p ell e d ag ain st th e c orrupt e d

.

e m pi re w ith fearful a n d i rre sistibl e fo rc e an d th ere is onl y ,

wan ting th e pe n Of th e c o n ti n u o u s an d a ccurat e hist o ri an

t o d e li n e a t e t o u s full y th e h av o c a n d rui n t h e d e pl orabl e ,

sc en e s of m is e r y a n d r ui n la m en ta ti o ns a n d m o ur n ing a n d
, , ,

w o e w hich t h e m a r ch a n d t h e c o n qu e sts Of th e s e b ar b a
,

r i an s b roug ht up on th e Ab y ssi n i an e m pi re B ut a s in .

E uro p e s o i n A b y ssin i a C hr isti an it y w ith civiliz a ti o n h a v

,

i n g b e e n pl an t e d c ould no t b e e ra dic a t e d T h e for m e r still

.

rear s its h e a d ; m any of its c on qu e ror s b en t th e i r n e cks

a n d th e i r m i n ds t o its s way a n d its p r e c e pts a n d a s th e i r

p ower a n d als o th e p ower Ofth e earl y an d fan atic Mah o m

,

e d an is c o m pl e t el y b rok en a n d e x h au st e d i n this p orti o n

,

O f A fr ic a s o C h r isti an it y an d civi l iz a ti o n w ill e t re a r th e i r

,
y
h e a ds a n d fl our ish an d sp re a d i n t r i um ph over a w id er
,

ran g e th an e v er th ey h a d b efore d one in Afr ic a a n d un til

th e n am e an d th e p rais e of th e R e d e e m er a r e h ear d i n
e v ery c oun t ry o n e v e ry m ount a i n i n eve ry vall ey an d
b y e v e ry stre a m in A fric a—th e N il e a n d th e N i g e r th e
, , ,

Z ai re an d th e Z am b e zi b e i ng m a d e a s well acquaint e d w ith

,

t h e n a m e of th e t rue G o d a n d th e S av i our a s th e b anks o f ,

t h e J or d an t h e T h a m e s th e R hi n e t h e D anub e a n d th e PO
, , , , .

T h e m o m en t t o c o m m en c e an d t o a cc e l e r a t e this g re a t
work a s re g ar ds A fric a is th e p re s e n t h our E very thi n g .

i s au spici ou s a n d e n c ourag i n g t o un d er t ak e a n d t o g o o n
w ith th e work T h e streng th an d p ower a n d ener g y o f
'

b o th M ah o m e da n i s m an d Pa g anis m i n Afr ic a e sp e ci ally ,

i n th o s e p ar ts of it m ore i m m e di a t e l y un d er c o n sid era ti o n ,

a r e b ro k e n a n d e x h au st e d a n d c an no l on g er ve n t ure ev e n
, ,

i f th ey h a d th e will a s form erl y t o t ram pl e up on C h risti an

, ,

p ower or C hristi an m e ss e n g er s T h e roa d is c om p arativ el y

.

o p en a n d t h e fi eld is c o m p arati v ely cl e ar ; t h e c aus e is

,
 G E OG RA PHI C AL M E MOI R .
[8 5 ]
n obl e th e p r iz e t o b e Obt ai n e d h onourabl e a n d g r e at T h e
, .

b e st i n t e re sts of th e hu m an ra c e t o a very g rea t ex t en t is

, ,

d ep en d en t up on A fric an i m p ro v e m en t a n d civiliz a ti on .

T h e i n t e r e sts of G r e a t B r it a i n in a m ore e sp e ci al m an n er ,

b o th c o m m er ci al c ol on i al a n d p olitic al are i n t erwo v e n

, , ,

w ith an d d e p e n d en t hp on th e i m p rov e m en t an d p ro sp erit y

, ,

o fAfr ic a t o a n e x t e n t i n fa ct a l m o st i n c re dibl e a n d s u ch
, , , ,

a s fe w c an b eli e v e w h o h av e n o t d e e pl y c on sid ere d th e m at

t e r b u t w hich it is i m p o ssibl e t o e n t er u p on h e re
, L o ok .

w h a t th e p re s e n t V ic er o y o f E g ypt h a s d one Wh e n
th re a t ene d b y all E uro p e i n 1 8 3 9 a n d w h en th ey w e re ,

ab out t o p u t th e i r th reats i n t o exe cuti o n h e o n th e pl a in s , ,

Of F a z uc l o or d ere d th a t e x p e diti on t h e s ur p r isi n g re s ults

,

of w hich h av e b e e n p re vi ou sl y c on sid e re d a n d w hil e h e ,

wa s c on t en di n g a g ai n st all E urop e t h e Offic e r s t o w hich h e

,

h a d i n tru st e d th e exe c uti on of th e work wen t a n d ae c om ,

pli s h e d th e no bl e Obj e ct th e ex pl ora ti on of b y far th e

,

g re a t er p or ti o n o f th e l o n g hidd e n B a h r cl abi a d On th e
- - - .

pl a i n s o fFaz uc l o al s o h e ere ct e d a cit y nam e d aft e r hi m s el f , ,

a n d w hich w ill ra pidl y r is e i n t o i m p o r t a n c e Kh ar t oum .

,

w hich o n l y a fe w year s a g o wa s c o m p o s e d of a fe w m is er
abl e st ra w huts is n o w a c on sid erabl e cit y w e ll l a id out a d
. , , n

s uppli e d an d i n h abit e d b y di ffe re n t r a c e s Of m en am on g ,

w h o m a re m an y C h risti an s Wh e n M a h o m e d wa s th ere
.

i n J ul y 1 8 3 9 th e s e C h r isti an s c a m e t o s o licit h i m t o g iv e
,

th e m a pi e c e of g roun d o n w hich th e y m i g ht ere ct a ch ur ch .

”
“
Y o u sh a ll n o t o n l y h a v e th e g roun d y o u wan t s a id M ah o ,

m ed ,
b ut I w ill a ssist you w ith t h e fun ds you m a y re qui re
T his is n o bl e —this Op e n s u p
”
t o bu ild a n d t o c o m pl e t e it .

t h e d a w n o f a b r i g ht d a y t o A fr ic a i f j u dici ou sl y a tt e n d e d
,

t o a n d p e r s e v e r i g l y l o o k e d a ft er B u t this is n o t all Wh e n
,
n . .

at Fa z uc l o h e p u t a n e n d t o th e S l ave T rad e i n all his d o

[ 8 6] G E O G RAP H I C AL M E M OI R .

m i ni on s in th a t quar t er of A fric a an d c oun s e lle d a n d a d ,

vis e d th e nati ve p r in c e s aroun d his p ro vi n c e s t o d o th e

sam e an d t o tur n th e i r a tt en ti on t o culti vat e th e s o il an d
, ,

s ell its p ro du cts i n st ea d Of s elli n g m en T h ey list en e d t o .

his c oun s els w ith a tt en ti on a n d p ro m is e d th at th ey would,

foll ow th e m out ; a n d h e is a m an w h o w ill no t forg e t t o

m a k e th e m k e e p th ei r wor d
‘

Wh at M ah o m e d Ali h a s d one a n d d oe s C anno t E n g ,

l an d als o p erfor m P M o st a ssure dl y sh e c an i f sh e w ill ; an d it ,

i s a s m uch h er i n t ere st a s it is th e in t ere st of M ah o m e d

Al i n o t on l y t o s e e Afr ic a i m p rov e d an d cultiv at e d an d
,

ci v il iz e d b ut fur th e r th at s h e sh ould h av e a m o st activ e

, ,

an d i m m e di at e h an d in th e work A fe w m ore m en w ith .

t h e energ y a n d j u d g m en t of M a h o m e d A l i an d a f e w m ore ,

j udici ou s p a ti en t a nd hum bl e a n d pi ou s C hr isti an t ea ch

, ,

e r s lik e M e ss r s I s enb e rg an d K rap f in Afr ic a would

.
,

d o m ore t o ci v iliz e e n li g ht en C h r isti an iz e an d i m p ro v e

, , ,

h e r th a n nav i e s st ati o ne d roun d h e r c oa sts or ru d e c o m

, ,

m erce s u ch a s th e p a l m
, o il t r a d e c ould d o in th ou s an ds o f ,

year s C an E n g l an d no t fi n d s u ch a n d als o th e m ean s t o

.
,

a ssist a n d t o supp or t th em
T he F r e n ch h a v e l a tel y pu
d t w o stat i on s i n th e B a y OfA m
rc h a s e

ph il a a t A y th or E d d a n d an o th e r pl ace T h e B ri ti sh in 18 40 oh
,
’

, .
,

ta i n e d a s e ttl em e t o n t w o o fth e i l a d s i n th e B a y o fT aj o ura

n s n B th .
o

na ti o n s i t w o ul d th us a pp ea r a re d i re c ti n g th e i r vi e w t o A b ys s i n i a
, , s .
[ 8 8 ] G E O G RAP H I C AL M E MOI R .

th at th e p eo pl e d welling t o th e s outh w e st Of K affa t r ad e

-

w ith th e w e st c oa st of Afric a an d th at o n e of th e i r ar ti
,

cl e s Of c om m er c e is s alt H is j ourney s c on fi rm i t h e
. n

m o st st r iki n g m an n e r t h e a cc ura c y o f th e a cc ou n ts w hich

B ruc e h a d Obt aine d r e g ar di n g th e c oun t ri e s an d r iv er s t o

t h e s outh t o th e ea st an d t o t h e we st of th e s our c e s of
, ,

t h e N il e I n d ee d w ith ou t t h e a ssist an c e Ofth e no t e s a n d

.

i n fo rm a ti on g iv en an d obt a in e d b y B ruc e D r B ek e s l a st , .
’

j ourn e y th roug h nor th ern D a m o t an d A g o w m e d r e c ould

no t h ave b een l aid d ow n in th e a cc o m p any i n g M a ps A t .

t h e c apit al Of M e tt ake l t h e S h ang a ll a s w h o c a m e t o a tt en d

it h ad ne v e r b efore s e en a w hit e m a n D r B ek e wa s c o n. .

s e quen tl y a n Obj e ct of g rea t cur i o sit y .

T h e w h o l e c oun t r y w e st war d fr o m th e m er idi an o fG o n

d a r t 5 t h e Blue N il e h as b een d e li n ea t e d fro m a c arefu l
p eru s al Of Po n c e t s t rav els in A b y ssi n i a b ut e sp e ci a ll y
’

from a c areful ex a m i n ati on of t h e l a st e diti on of B ru c e s ’

work a n d th e no t e s t ak e n by th a t t rav ell er w h en o n th e

,

sp o t an d in s er t e d b y his e dit o r i n di ffere n t p ar ts Of t h e

,

di fferen t vol um e s T h e s e i m p or t an t n o t e s h a v e it would

.
,

app ear b een hith er t o w h oll y overl o ok e d

, H e n c e th e .

e rror s w hich h a v e c re pt i n t o th e eo r a ph y of this p o r ti o n

g g
of Afr ic a H i s a cc oun t of th e c oun t ry b e t we e n th e
.

T a c az z e a n d G o n d ar is full y a s c o rre ct a s R uppe ll s a n d

’

his a cc o un t Of t h e r iv e r s n e ar G o n d ar is m uch m ore cl e a r

a n d s a tis fa ct ory H e als o st a t e s m o st p o i n t e dl y th e fo l
.

l ow ing cur i ous a n d i m p ort an t p o in t ; n am el y th a t t h e ,

A n g rab w hich p a ss e s roun d G on d ar run s fi r st th r o u g h t h e

, ,

l ow c oun try of D e m b e a a n d th e n nor th w ar d t o t h e T a

,

c a zz e a n d th e m ore I c on sid e r th e s ubj e ct th e m ore I a m

,

i n cli n e d t o c o n sid e r this acc oun t t o b e c orre ct R uppe l s .

’

sil e n c e d oe s no t i nvalid at e th e a cc ount ; for in th at di re cti on

 G E OG RAP HIC AL M E MOI R .
[ 8 9]
he wa s o n l y a s far a s Azz a z o a n d d oe s no t s ay o n e wor d
,

ab out an y r i ver s at o r ne ar th at pl a c e T h e a cc oun t w hich .

B ruc e g i ve s i s c on t aine d i n th e n arrati ve Of his j ourn ey

fro m G on d ar t o th e s our c e s of th e N il e B efore c o m i n g .

t o A zz a z o ab out s ev e n m il e s fro m G on d ar h e st a t e s th a t
, ,

h e p a ss e d fi r st th e s m all r i ver S h i m f a a n d nex t t h e D um ,

a z a l ar g e r th an th e o th er a n d o n th e b a n ks of w hich l a tt e r
, ,

”
st ream A zz az o is situat e d T h e D um a z a
. s ay s h e is , ,
“

a v ery cl e ar a n d li m pid st ream run n ing b riskl y o v er a s m all

b e d o f p e bbl e s : b o th this r i v e r a n d th e S h i m f a c o m e fro m

W o g g o r a i n th e n or th w e st ; th ey p a ss t h e hill Of K o sc a m
-

c all e d D e br a T e a i ( m oun t a i n of th e s un ) j o in b e l ow A zz a z o , ,

a n d t raver si n
g th e fl a t c oun t ry o f D a m b e a th ey m e e t th e
A n g rab w hich p a ss e s b y G o n d ar a n d w ith it fall i n t o th e
, ,

T a c az z e o r

B ruc e m o st p o int e dl y an d re p ea t e dl y st at e s in th e n ot e s
a ll u d e d t o , th at th e B ah r el abi a d h a d n o g reat we st ern
- -

b ran ch th at it re qu i re d non e b u t th a t th e p are n t st rea m

,

t o ok its r is e t o t h e s outh o f E n ar e a .

F or t h e a cc oun t o f th e r iv e r w hich p a ss e s b y K a china

a r a an d j o i n s t h e C h a dd a th e wr it e r of this is i n d e bt e d t o
,

C a pt a i n W C oo k o n e of th e C o m m issi o n e r s w h o a e c o m
.
,

pa n ie d th e l a t e N i g er E x p e diti on T h e a cc oun t h e re c e iv e d
.

w a s fro m an A fr ic an M all a m o r Pr i e st I c a n n o t h owever .

refra i n fro m ex p re ssi n g m y o pin i o n th a t th e M all a m h a s re

v e rs e d th e p o siti o n o fthis r iv er Fo K akchi an d th a t th e fact ,

is th e r iver c o m e s fro m M oun t T h al a a p ar t Of t h e Ma n ,

d a r a ran g e a n d fl ow s i n t o th e C h a d d a o n t h e nor th sid e

,

i n st e a d Of th e s outh sid e S till t h e M all a m m ay b e c orre ct

. .

T h e p o i n t w hich C a pt a i n B e e c ro ft r e a ch e d i n t h e chi ef
b ra n ch Of t h e F o rm o s a i n M r J a m i e s o n s v e ss e l t h e
, .
’

B ruc e , vo l . v . p . 2 39 .
[ 9 0] G E O G RAP H IC AL M E M O I R .

E thi o p e S t eam er is distin ctl y m ark e d i n th e M a p

in 1 8 40 , .

A t this p o i n t C apt a i n B ee c roft c alcu l a t e d th a t h e wa s onl y

ab ou t t we n t y m il e s fro m A b o h or E b oe ; an d w h ere h e
t urne d b a ck th e stre am wa s fi ft y yar ds b r o a d fi v e fath o m s ,

d ee p an d th e c urren t u p wards of th ree k n o ts per h our

, ,

an d this t owar d th e cl o s e of th e d ry s eas on T h e b anks .

of th e r i ver were p erfe ctl y l e vel an d c overe d w ith l on g ,

g ra ss or ree ds N o hi g h l an d c ould b e s een i n a n y d i rec

.

ti on T h e o th er b ran ch of th e F orm o s a w hich j o in s

.
,

m ore t o th e we st war d als o h a d a st ron , g curre n t an d four

fath o m s wat er at th e e x t re m e p o i n t rea ch e d T h e War .

r e e b ran ch h a d ne v er l e ss th an fi ve fath o m s wa t er a n d ,

this a t th e cl o s e of th e d ry s ea s on T h e b anks of this .

b ran ch were hi g h d ry c ulti v a t e d an d p o p ul ou s C apt ai n

, , , .

C ook s aw t h e b ran ch w hich run s Of ft o th e we st war d ab ou t

t wen t y fi ve m il e s ab o v e Ab o h I t wa s ab out 1 0 0 0 yar ds
-
.

b road an d a cro ss th e st ream e i g ht t o ten fath o m s d ee p

, ,

w ith a s m all isl an d i n th e m iddl e T his wa s th e st at e of .

this b ran ch i n th e fl oo d I t a pp eare d t o b e a s l arg e a s th e

.

b ran ch runn in g s ou th or th e N un , .

In t ere sting a cc oun ts h ave j u st b ee n re c e i ve d fr o m t wo

M issi on ar i e s o n e b e l o n g i n g t o th e C hur ch M issi onary S O
,

e i e ty , a n d th e o th e r t o th e We sl ey a n S o ci e t y T h e s e m en .
-

h a d b een i n vit e d b y th e C hi efs ruling th e c oun t ry t o th e

nor th ea st of B a d ag ry a n d t o th e nor th Of B en in t o v isit
-

th e m .T h ey h a d p ene t ra t e d ab ou t n i n e t y m il e s i n t o t h e
c ount ry in t h e di re cti on Ofnorth ea st fro m B ad ag ry an d -
,

were we ll re c e i ve d T h e c apit al of o n e st at e a t th e dis

.

t an c e m en ti one d c ont ain s ab out inh abit an ts T h e .

c oun t ry is d e scr ib e d a s p op ul ous ex c ee ding l y fi n e an d fer til e

, ,

an d very h ealth y .

T his c apit al is nam e d Ab b ekuta g overn e d b y a C h ie f ,

[ 9 2] G E O G RAP HIC AL M E M OI R .

our m aps an d th e s am e a s th e Og u) ran t o th e L ag o s J a b oo .

s ee m s t o b e t o th e e a st o r t o th e s outh ea st of A bb ekuta - .

A very i n t e re sti n g l e tt e r fro m a M e dic al G en tl e m an w h o

h a s l at el y v isit e d th e G ab oon R iv er h a s j u st c o m e i n t o t h e
h an ds of th e wr it er o f this M e m oi r H e g iv e s a v ery fa .

v o ur abl e a cc oun t of t h e disp o siti on Oft h e p eo pl e a n d t h e ,

very c on sid erabl e a dv an c e w hic h th e v h av e m a d e i n civili

z a ti o n. T h e i r h ou s e s a r e n e a t a n d c o m for t abl e a n d th e i r ,

t own s l a id ou t in re g ul ar st ree ts T h ey t rea t th e i r wo m en

.

w ith kin d n e ss a n d e qual it y a n d sit a n d e a t a n d c onver s e

, ,

w ith th e m a t th e s am e t abl e T h ey a re fo n d of E n g lish

.

c ust o m s a n d d re ss a n d c arry o n c on sid e rabl e t raf

, fi c w ith
E n g lish an d F r e n ch ve ss e ls I n Ol d C a l a b ar a g re a t d eal
.

Of b u sine ss is als o c arr i e d o n T h e C hi ef h a s ab ou t 2 0 0

.

larg e c an oe s en g ag e d i n th e p al m o il tr ad e a n d o th er d e s -

c ript i o n s of t raffic w ith t h e i n t er i or p ar ts H e is als o d e t er .

m i ne d t o s e t his p eo pl e t o c u lti va t e t h e s o il a n d c alls f or ,

p eo pl e t o in st ruct th e m T h e E n g lish L an g uag e is g e n e

.

rall y a n d fl ue n tl y sp o k en in this quar t e r a n d th e i r a cc oun ts ,

k e pt i n it .

I n referen c e t o th e m a tt er st a t e d i n p ag e 6 4 ab ou t a
r i ver e n t ering th e s ea i n nor th l a titu d e t wo d eg re e s o n th e
ea st c oa st of A fric a a s re p or t e d b y C apt a i n H arris a n d
, ,

p ublish e d in th e B om b ay T i m e s it is n e c e ss ary t o obs er v e

,

th at Ab ul fe d a st a t e s ? th a t th e r i ver nam e d aft e r th e t own

en t er s th e s e a near M akd ish u or M a g a d o x o ,
”
H is .

words ar e T I t h a s a l arg e r i ver lik e th e N il e OfE g y pt ,

w hich s we lls i n th e s um m er s e a s on I t is s a id t o b e a .

b ran ch of th e N il e w hich issue s fro m L ak e K aur a ( Z ana)

an d run s i n t o t h e In di an S e a near M a kd is h u T h e A rabic .

S ee Mac queen ’
s G eo g ra ph i cal Su v r ey o fA f
ri c a , 18 40 . p . 2 46 .

1 S ee
‘
L ’
ee s Ba to uta , p . 55 .
 G E O G RAP H IC AL M E M O I R .
[ 9 3]
e x p re ssi o n b ran ch Of th e N il e is now well un d er st oo d on l y
,

t o m e an th a t th e riv er r is e s i n th e s a m e distr ict o f Afric a

th at g iv e s bi rth t o th e Bl ue R iv e r or th e Ab aw i All th e, .

earl y Por tug ue s e navi g at or s an d m a ps a ck n owl e d g e a n d

i n s er t this r iv er a n d m en ti on th e s am e p ar ticul ars c o n
,

c ernin g it I n a M a p of A fric a c on struct e d b y J S en ex

. .
,

fro m th e obs er v ati o n s o f th e R oyal S o ci e ti e s of L on d on

a n d Par is a n d d e dic a t e d t o S i r I s aa c N ew t on
, an d c o m ,

pil e d a s re g ards th e s e p ar ts of A fric a fro m th e Por tu

, ,

g ue s e m at e r i als w e fi n d this r iv er l aid d own rou g hl y b u t

, ,

b y n o m ean s ve ry i n a cc ur a t e l y its s our c e n e ar Gum ar

, ,

w hich pl a c e is t o th e s outh ea st o fB ar g a m o a n d its m outh

-
,

a littl e t o th e nor th o f M ag ad o x o e xactl y i n t wo d e g re e s

,

north l atitu d e A fe w m on ths a g o M e ss r s K rap f an d

. .

I s enb erg wro t e th e S o ci e t y fro m Z e il ah th a t th e l arg e

r iv er c a ll e d Wah b e o r W e b b e r a n t o t h e s ou th of H urr ur

s outh war d t o th e s ea a t M a g a d o x o a n d th at th ere wa s a ,

c aravan rout e fro m Z e il ah t o th a t pl a c e w hich o ccupi e d a

j ourn ey Of t wo m on ths B at o uta m en ti on s this c aravan
.

rout e an d g iv e s t h e s a m e ti m e a n d dist an c e fro m Z e il ah t o

,

M ag a do x o B ruc e l ay s d own this r iv er a s t h e W e b b e

. .

S alt i n th e v al uabl e ch ar t o f th e ea st c oa st of A fric a a nd

,

m a p i n s e rt e d i n his l ast voyag e quar t o p ag e 1 3 i n , , ,

1 8 1 4 lay s d ow n this r iv er un d er t h e na m e of th e W e b b e
,

a n d a ll its earl y b ra n ch e s very fa i rl y On e d e sc en ds from .

t h e ea st of t h e A ro o s e e G all a a n d ano th er t h e l on g e st
, , ,

fro m t h e c oun try ea st o f th e s ourc e s of th e M ag ar an d

s ou th Of Gurag ue exa ctl y a s I fi n d I h ave pl a c e d th e m i n
,

t h e M ap fro m a cc oun ts o bt a ine d b y M r K ra p f a n d als o t h e .

,

acc oun ts which C apt a i n H arr is h a d rec e i ve d fro m h im

w h en a t Ank ob a r a n d i n s er t e d in th e l ast num b er of th e
,

J o u rn al o f th e R o ya l G e o g raphic al S o ci e t y S alt b r i n g s .
 9
[ 4] G E O G RAP HI C AL M E M OI R .

th e r i ver t o th e s e a a littl e t o th e s outh Of M ag a d o x o in ,

w hich h e is p rob abl y c orre ct C apt ai n C o o k w h o wa s a t

. ,

M a g a d o x o an d cl o s e up o n th e c oa st t o a dist an c e of si x
t e en m il e s t o th e nor th o f th e pl ac e i n form s m e th a t h e
,

c oul d s ee no r iv er en t er i n g th e s e a w ithi n th at sp ac e b ut
h e a dd e d th a t h e wa s i n for m e d a l a rg e r iv er ran t o th e
we st war d a sh or t dist a n c e t o th e nor th of B ra v a I f this .

a cc oun t is c orre ct t h e r iv e r in que sti on m ay en t er th e s ea

,

b e t wee n th e Jub a an d B rava T h e l at e M r Arrow s m ith

. .

i n his M ap of A fr ic a h a s a r i ver n e a r a n d t o th e s ou th o f
M ag a d o x o th e r i ver of J ub a a n d a ls o a r iv er a t D o a r o
, .

T h e re s ee m s t o b e a r i ver an d a p rov i n c e c a ll e d D o a r O i n
t h e s outh a n d th a t this p rov in c e h a s b een c o n foun d e d w ith
,

D o w ar ro o n th e nor th .

Of t h e we ll know n e x ist en c e th erefore of a l arg e r i ver

-
, ,

near M a g o d o x o a n d its c our s e fr o m th e nor th th ere c an b e

, ,

no d oubt W hil e c orre ctin g th e s e p ag e s for th e p re ss a

. ,

l e tt er h a s b een re c e i ve d fro m C apt ai n H aine s a t A d en ,

d at e d Ju n e 2 m d g i v ing s o m e i m p or t an t an d sp e cific info r

,

m a ti on re ar din
g g th e m a g n it u d e of a r i ver i n this quar t er .

I n c on s e quen c e of th e i n for m a ti on w hich h e h a d r e c e i ve d

fro m C a pt a in H arr is h e s en t L i eut enan t C hr ist o ph er of t h e
I n di an N a v y t o s ee k for a n d t o e xa m i n e it T his Of fic er .

foun d a n d w e n t u p th e r iv er 1 3 0 m il e s a n d foun d i t ,

th roug h ou t this dist an c e fro m 2 00 t o 3 0 0 fee t b ro a d a n d ,

fro m si x t e en t o si x t y fee t d ee p a C l ear m e an d er i n g st ream

, .

T h e c oun t ry aroun d its b anks wa s very fi n e b eau ti ful a n d , ,

p re tt y well c ulti vat e d an d th e p o p ul a ti on in t elli g en t

"

, ,

fri en dl y an d ci v il T h ey st at e d th at th e st ream wa s n a v i
, .

g abl e u p war ds t o a g reat dist an c e a n d th a t b o th it a n d th e

,

J ub a j o ine d th e G oj o b ; i n o th er wor ds th at th e s our c e s ,

of th e p arent st ream of b o th r i ver s c am e from th e s am e p or

2 D E SC R I PT I ON OF Z E I L A .

ing of o ur visit he sent u s a present of a sheep an d

,

this morning a buck H e Of ,

f ered us al s o two houses ;
.

o n e as a d w elling and the other for a store ho u se

, .

Besides this he gave us a letter of introd uction to the

,

Governor Of T a dj u rra and tendered every other assis ,

tance we might need In return for this he only r e .

quired that w e sh ould give him w ritten r e co m m en da

,

tions to Captain H aines H assan E ffendi and to all , ,

E nglish travellers and captains of vessels T hese we .

wrote for him ; and on deli vering them apologized for ,

not being a ble to of fer him an adequate present Ho w .

ever h e then asked for something observin g that his

, ,

Obj ect was not gain that he did not want an ything of
much value but requested it only that he might be re
,

s ec t e d by his people We examined our baggage and

p .
,

finding a good caftan belonging to the R e v J L . . .

Krapf a silk handkerchie f an d a box of lucifers w e

, ,

g ave them to him H e loo k ed w ith indif

. f
erence at
these presents and repeated that he did not care about
,

havi ng these things but onl y for o ur friendship and

,

that he preferred good recommendations to presents .

T hus far he appeared to understand his interest We .

are very anxio us to kno w w hat will be the consequen ces

of this visit F rom w hat w e have seen w e think w e
.
,

may conclude that the time is not far distant w hen ,

this place w ill be accessible to every E uropean and an ,

en trance be Open from hence to Shoa and to the in

t eri o r o fAf
rica .

Z eila is an old tow n and w as formerly o f greater ,

 D E SC R I P T I ON OF Z E I L A . 3

i m portance b ut at present it is for the most part in , ,

rui ns It is surroun ded by wall s and ha s on the

.
, ,

land side S even pieces of ordnance pointed toward s

, ,

the Somals w ith whom the to w n has continual inter

co ur s e I t appears however that the y are not on good
.
, ,

t erms a s ever y mission into the country for a supply

Of water is escor t ed b y a party Of soldier s
,
T h e to w n .

con s ists Of about a hundred straw h uts and eight -

,

stone houses W e are not able to ascertain th e precise

.

n umber Ofi nhabitants or Of houses ; but suppose the tow n

,

may contain a mixed pop ul ation Ofeight hundred S oul s ;

the greater part OfW hom are Somal s with some D ana ,

kils and Arab s T h e language of the Somals appears to

.

h ave so m e a f
finit y to that of the Gallas ; w hile that of
the D anak ils is the same as that of the Sh o h o s w ith a ,

little dialectic difference the nation is the sam e Some .

understand and spea k the A mharic also Considerable .

intercour se is k ept up with H orror S everal small .

vessels have j ust returned from Berbera T h e market .

,

which is held in that place and is the onl y cause of ,

such a concourse of people frequenting it is n o w ,

closed on acco unt Ofthe approaching rains It appear s

,
.

that the bad qualit y of the water is a principal reason

why no hou ses or fixed habitation s have been erected
there I was led to this conj ecture by the arrival Of a
.

s m all boat this evening belonging to Sh erm arke a

, ,

S o m al Chief of th at country and a friend Ofthe E n g ,

li sh which had come to fetch w ater O n a s kin g why

, .

they cam e for w ater the y s aid that th e w ater of Ber

,

B 2
4 TH E S OMA L S .

b era w as so brackish that it could hardly be u sed for,

drinking .

O n o ur arrival here a great crowd of people chiefly , ,

children gathered about us the g ood reception how

, ,

ever which we met with from the Governor k ept them

, ,

in order O n the follo w ing m orning about fifty armed

.
,

soldier s accompanied u s and whenever we were in

town a sol di er usually preceded u s in order to prevent
, ,

our being annoyed until at length the people seemed ,

to have lost their curiosity to see us D uring our stay .

,

ho w ever we re sided on board the ves s el T here were

,
.

ei g ht boats in the barboi u two of which belonged to '

,

the brother in law of Sheik T aib in A den

- -
T he ,

R ais of one Of these boats h a d seen u S last y ear in

Masso w ah on o ur return from Ab y ssinia T his harbour
,
.

is ver y bad there being sand bank s near

,
.

Since last L ord s D ay a brig has been Observed Of

’
fthe ,

port but it could not be a s certained to w hat nation it

belonged she seemed as though she wanted to make th e
harbour but could not Y esterday evening t hree guns
,
.
,

w ere heard from the i s land of Saad c d deen ; in cou se - -

u en c e of which the Governor despatched a boat thither

q ,

to day in order to loo k out for the vessel and bring h er

-
, ,

in In the aft ernoon the boat returned they had seen

.

the bri g i n the direction of T a dj ur ra but w ere unable

to reach her or learn an y particulars ,
.

T h e G overnor of this place is a man not quite thirty

y ears old with an intelligent

,
s erious and grave air and , ,

demeanor ; of a middling stat ur e and S lender make .

6 ME SS A G E F R OM THE G OV E R N OR .

Governor the above mentioned recommendation s About

-
.

half an hour after w ard and before he had received

,

them a messenger arrived from him askin g for them

, , ,

and bringing back the presents w hich w e had g iven

h i m except the lucifer matches with the remar k that
, ,

such caftans were not w orn in this country : that he

would have been glad if w e could have given h im some
thing which m ight have S ho w n our respect to w ard him
before the people ; but that if we had nothing it ,

w ould make no dif ference —h e w ould nevertheless serve

us in every thin g T h e messen g er at the same time
.

hinted that a present of about 1 00 dollars would have

been a greeable to the Governor We sent him w or d .
,

that w e felt sorry at not being abl e to recompense his

kindness b y something that m i ght please him ; that
the obj ect of our j ourney did not lead u s to think of
presents what w e had being j u s t su fficien t for the
,

indispensable w ants of our j ourne y and that what we ,

of fered h i m was all we could spare moreover that he ,

ou ght not to estimate our friendship by any pre s ent ,

although w e intended in future to remember him in

some more positive manner : m eanwhile we thanked
him for the friendship shown to u s and commended ,

ourselves afresh to his kindness T h e messenger pro .

m i s e d to deliver o ur ans w er and we gave him a

,
dollar
in rem uneration H e then begged the present returned
.

b y the Governor for hi m self and his children but w e

,

refused saying that as the Governor did not like it

, , ,

it w o ul d serve ver y w ell for our own us e .

 A RR I V A L A T T A D JU R R A . 7

T he Governor also informed us that a boat which ,

had arrived this evening from Berbera had brought

the news that Sh erm arke was on board the brig
,

which had been seen yesterday and that he had gone ,

to T a dj urr a .

A bout ten o clock this morning w e got under w eigh

’

with three other boats which also go to T a dj urra ,

win d blo wing north east -

.

I asked s om e of our cre w who are Somals w he , ,

ther their hair was naturall y red : they answered in

the negative O n enquiring ho w the y dyed it th ey
.
,

said tha t the y besm eared it first with wet lime after
, ,

ward wi th butter then with mud and that when the

,

hair began to re d den the y applied to it the j uice of a

,

plant T h e captain said that th ey moistened the lime

.
,

with the urine of camels ; but the pilot denied it wit h

horror sayin g that the Bedouins only did so w ho do
, , ,

not pray .

E vening A s the wind w as from the north east we

.
-
,

could not get out into the Open sea b ut made o ur way ,

between the small islands along the coast It was a s .

pleasant as sailing on the N ile We passed the Sheik s .

’

Islands and the Island of H a gil a and all the four

,

boats came to anchor near the s m all i s land of A s sub a .

A s it was early w e went on S hore to gather S hells of

, ,

which there was a great variet y .

Ap r i l 4 1 8 3 9 — “7 c arrived at T a dj urra at half past

,

two o clock this afternoon and went d irectly to the s o

’
,

called Sultan whom w e fo und S itting in th e shade be

,
8 DE S C R I PT I ON OF

fore his hou se leaning against the w all w ith some Of

, ,

his attendants near him on either side H e is an old .

m a n of abo ut sixty
y ears of age H e sal uted us w ith .

gestures ; and w e delivered o ur letter of introduction

from the Governor of Zeila which he received in ,

silence We sat a l ittle while and then he made us a

.
,

signal to retire ; on which w e accompanied our g uide ,

Mahomed Ali to a house which he sho w ed u s as our

,

d w elling constructed of sprig s covered inside an d out

,

side w ith mats an d divided into four apartments like

, ,

the houses in A rkeeko A S our baggage w as y et in .

the boat w e had to go on board again to get it on

, ,

s hore In the harbour w e s aw the above mentioned

.

“
bri g It w as a m erchantman called the E uphrasia
.
, ,

Capt Blondeau a F renchm an from Maur itiu s w ith

.
, , ,

whom we m e t L ieut T illey an E nglishman O n .

,
.

reaching our boat the C aptain came up to us We

,
.

saluted each other ; and he then sent a boat to take u S

to hi s vessel where we passed the night
,
.

d p r i l 5 1 8 39 —T his morning w e removed our bag

,

g age from the boat to our te m porary d w ellin

g We .

S hould have been glad to have arranged matters for our

j ourney ; but th e Captain and Sh er m arke obli g ed us ,

a g ainst o ur w ill to S ettle a quarrel bet w een them w hich

, ,

took up the greater part of the day .

Ap r i l 6 — By the brig E uphrasia which left ,

earl y this morning we despatched letters for Cairo and

,

E urope T a dj urra is a far m ore miserable to w n than

.

Zeila Its geographical situation is wrongl y mar k ed

.
10 V ISI T F R OM THE
w as then picked up and the Sultan st uck it into his
,

t urban By this ceremony he wished to display his

.

kingly dignity A long disp ute no w ensued about the

.

hire of mules and camels T hey asked t w ent y dollars .

hire for every mul e and w ould not consent to any re

,

duction F or every camel they demanded at first

.
, ,

twenty six dollars and when w e referred to the order

-

of the Governor of Z eila that w e should have the ani

,

mals at the u su al caravan price they said that the ,

caravan price for a camel w as a female S lave O n closer .

inquiry w e learned that the caravans generall y have

,

camels of th eir ow n O nly in one instance w hen the

.
,

King Of Shoa had ordered some small cannon he paid ,

a female slave for every camel T his gave us an o ppo r .

tun i ty to protest against the S lave trade saying that -

,

w e could in no w ise e n gage in such traffic T hey then .

fi xed the price of each at twent y three dollars At - .

length we determined to purchase tw o mules and to ,

hire only as many camels as w ere requisite to carry o ur

most indispensable baggage and to let our attendants ,

ride on the same After these people had left us w e

.
,

consulted together ; but w ere at a loss what to do as ,

o ur pecuniary means w ere so sadly reduced F inally .

,

w e deliberated w hether one of u s had not better pro :

c e e d to A den and draw money t h ere
,
We had indeed .
, ,

written to Captain Haines and to Bombay for 400 , ,

dollars : b ut it mi ght be some time before this co uld

reach us T his plan ho w ever w as also obj ectionable
.
, ,

in man y respects It is the L ord s w ill that we

.
’
 S U L T A N OF T A D JU R R A . 11

here s uf
fer tribulation that w e ,
m a
y draw nearer to
Hi m .

To da y after supper the Sultan called on us beggin g

-
, , ,

some me dicine for a sick w oman H e was more fami .

liar than usual When w e asked ho w old he w as h e

.
,

”
replied Bet w een thirty and for ty
,
H e w as ignorant .

of his o wn age but said that he w a s a boy and un

, ,

married when h e became S ul tan H i s sil very beard

,
.
,

however shows that he cannot be far from S ixty On

, .

this occasion we al s o learned that the dignity of the ,

Sultan and Vizier is hereditary in this country and i s ,

di vided between the two families ; so that after the de

cease of the S ult an his Vizier succeeds h im and the
, ,

son of the Sultan s ucceeds the Vizier .

O ur R ais Mahomed Kassem took leave of u s to

, ,

day I gave him L etters for Cairo which he is to for

.
,

ward b y way o f Zeila .

Ap r i l 9 1 8 3 9 —A t one o clock P M the t hermo

’
.
,

meter w as at 9 3 in the shade °

.

Ap r i l l O—W e wrote several L etters last night .

Collected to day some D ankali words : closed the c o l

-

lection of A m haric w ords from E xodus an d began with ,

L eviticu s We gave some Oil of turpentine yesterday

.
,

w i t h good effect to a wife of the Sultan as a remedy

,
‘

against hysterics .

Ap r i l 1 6— W e have been detained till this day by

the illness of Mahomed Ali o ur g uide Wrote L etters ,
.

for Cairo and L ondon and sent them to Mocha by a ,

boat belonging to Mahomed Ali T h e b usiness about th e .

12 S L AV E T RAD E .

mules and camels h a s given us a great deal of trouble 0 11 ,

account Of our scanty funds T h e Sultan ha s gro w n

.

more and more friendly to w ard u s an d once brought

u s in his own hands a j u g of mil k and at an other tim e
, , , , ,

a b uck A s a present he only as k ed for a piece of

.
,

bafta to get a dress made for hi m self ; an d promised to

,

let u s have camels for fifteen dollars each as w e insisted ,

that he should Y esterday evening however when he

.
, ,

again called on us he fixed the price a t se venteen

,

dollars to which we agreed thi s m orning les t we ,

should cause ourselves any further delay .

W a rki eh h a d y esterday another attac k of fever and I

therefore bled h im to day Brother Krapf is also ap
-
.

prehensive of falling ill again here .

Mahomed Ali expressed his fears this m orning that ,

i fthis country were frequented by E n g lish travellers ,

they m ight put down the S lave trade We told him that .

the E n g lish would not interfere wi t h their trade as long ,

as matters w ere not settled bet w een the Sultan Maho

med and the P asha of E gy pt H e is afraid that w e
.

are goin g to persuade the King of Shoa to relinquish

the slave trade which appears to bring them considera
,

ble gain .

T h e Sultan has j ust n o w been here a g ain : he said ,

that he received yearly 2 00 head of cattle cam els cows , , ,

sheep and go a ts as a tribute from the D anakil T ribes

, , .

When asked whether he had not to pay an y tribute to

the P a s ha of E g ypt he said N o
,
but when I as k ed
whether he had to pay tribute to the Governor of Zeila ,
14 D I S C U S S SI ON W I T H

caravan intercourse bet w een Gondar and S i dam a His .

father Abba G umbal sought to d estroy his sons and

, ,

brothers but Abba Gibbo gained the ascendancy and ,

deposed his father leavin g him only on hi s pay and the

,

government of a small district T h e traffic in slaves .

is very considerable in these countries and see m s to be ,

much promoted by the King of Shoa O ur g ui de .

,

Mahom ed Ali is much afraid that we shall persuade

,

him to abandon it We have tried to set him at ease

.

in this respect as much as possible ; but nevertheless , ,

he appears to distru st the E nglish O ur stay here which .

,

has been very try ing on account of the great heat wi ll ,

no w I h Ope S oon draw to a close

, ,
.

T h e S ultan came again y esterda y evening with a ,

little hurdle bas k et full of milk and to day he called ,

-

thrice We have bought a mule and negotiated fOr

.
,

another which was found to be unservi ceable T h e day

, .

after to morrow we are to s tart for our j ourney

-
.

T his evening W arkieh had a discussion with the

,

above mentioned Mah o m e dan T igré merchant Maho ,

med concernin g Islam ism ; in which aft er a while

, , ,

Mahomed Ali also j oined W arki eh required w itnesses

.

in behal f of the Koran A fter a long dispute the .

,

w or ds of Moses a p r oph e t l i ke un to m e were quoted ;

, ,

when I cam e to W arki eh s a ssistance Opposing them ’

,

w ith the context fr o m th e m i ds t of th ee as relating to

, ,

Christ not to Mahomed an d sho w ing ho w the L a w

, ,

the P rophets and the Gospel agree w ith one another

,

whereas the Koran agreed w ith none of these w hich ,

 A MA H OME D A N M E R C H A N T . 15

w ould be necessary if it w ere the accomplishment of

t he w hole Mahomed the merchant said
.
,
It is true
, ,

that all wisdom and knowledge is with the Franks ;

”
onl y with regard to religion they are in error I .

rej oined : If yo u must admit that w e are superior to

o u in the things relating onl y to this w orld —and these
y
are indeed very m s1 gn i fi c an t in comparison to the great
questions What must I do to be saved ?
,
H o w shall ’

I save m y so ul from sin and the c urse which is attached

,

to it -
do you not think that w e also inquire into
this most important of all questions I then briefly
proclaimed Jesus Christ to him as the onl y R edeemer
,

sent fr om God to us sinners— that it w as H e alone w ho

could save u s on the D ay of J udgment when all other ,

prophets an d s o called Saviours would have to look

,
-
,

for help for their ow n souls H ereupon he appeared

.

to gro w rather thoughtful for as he rose to retire he ,

said,
We have discussed many things to day and y ou -
,
”
have frightened us .
 C H AP T E R II .

P R E P A R A T I O N S F OR D E P A R T I N G F R O M T A D J U R R A —S E L FI S H N E s s O F M A
H O M E D A L I—D E P A R T U R E F R O M T A D J U R R A N OT IC E S O F A M B A B O ,
-

L L IJL , S U K T A , A N D S A G G A L L O—P EC U L I A R I T I E S O F T H E D A N K A L I
'

DO

P E O P L E— D E P A R T U R E F R O M S A G G A L L O —N o T I C E s O F T H E S A L T L A K E
A SS A L —C ON V E R S A T I ON W I TH AL I A R A B R E s PE CT I N G T H E D A N K A L I
T R I B E S — I N ST A N C E O F T H E S U L T A N O F T A D J U R R A S W E A K N E SS— A R
’

R I V A L A T G A G AD E —I NT E N S E H E A T— D E P A R T U R E F R O M G A G A D E , A N D
A RR I V A L A T D A L I B U I , A D A N A K I L S E TT L E M E NT—P R O C EE D T H R O U G H
T H E V A L E O F K U RR I , S A G G A D E R E , A N D A RR I V E A T L I TT L E M A R H A
—D E P A R T U R E F R O M L I TT L E M A R H A , P A SS I N G G A L A M O , A D A I T A , A N D
E N C A M P I N T H E V A L E OF R A M U D E L I — D E P A R T U R E P R O M R A M U D E L I
A P P R E H E N S I O N OF R O B B E R S— D E P A R T U R E F R O M E A R U D E G A — A L A R M
E D B Y H Y ZE N A S — D E P A R T U R E F R O M G A I R D , A N D E N C A M P A T A L I BE

K E L E—C H A R A C I E R O F T H E I SS A S o M A L s —D E P A R T U R E F R O M A L I B E
'‘

K E L E , A N D A RR I V E A T M U LL U .

—Y E S T E R D A Y o ur departure w as deter
Ap r i l 2 5 , 1 8 3 9 .

mined On for this day Maho m ed Ali got half his w ages
.

as g uide V i z t w enty six dollars o ut of fifty ; and for

,
.
-

t he hire for the camel s thirty four of the s ixty eight ;

,
- -

in all s ixty dollar s T o the S ultan we gave a present of

,
.

sixteen yards of bafta worth a dollar and a half and a

, ,

small piece of Siamoise worth two dollar s O n as k ing

, .

for more we also gave him three dollars in silver an

, ,

old hand k erchief and some needles , .

H ere Mahomed Ali agai n evinced his selfishness by ,

stating that he would only guide us as far as the re

,
 '

18 D ii L L iI L , SUK TA , A ND S AG G AL L O .

to Amba bo w here the y built this Village Our guide

,
.

stopped behind w ith Ali Arab sayi n g that he w ould , ,

j oin us in the afternoon and then proceed with u s a s ,

far as D ii ll ii l How ever w hen he c ame u p with A l i

.
,

Arab about five o clock in the evening he said that we

’
, ,

were not to start until morning O n remonstrating .

with hi m he said that the road lay along the coas t and
, ,

was not passable thi s evening on account of the rising ,

flood ; in consequence of which we were obliged to

stop T his morning we rose at three o clock and
.
’
, ,

moving at a quick pace reached D ull ii l at half past five ; ,

-

a n d half an hou r after made Sukta A s we met no ,

.

kafil a here we went on to S a gg all o situated half an

, ,

hour S W fro m D ii ll ul T hese places are not inha

. . .

bited but serve merel y as caravan stations there being

, ,

water T h e distance from T a dj u rr a to S ag gal l o is

.

about five hours .

Ap r i l 2 8 18 39 : L o r d s D a y — T his morning as we
’
, ,

were about to proceed a camel w as said to be lost and w e , ,

could not move before it was found again for the same
rea s on the caravan which was with u s w o uld remain
, .

Mahomed Ali our guide seems determined to prolong

, ,

our j ourney as he is anxious to spare his cam els T h e

, .

beast w as however fo und in the course of the mornin g

, , ,

and we were to proceed in the afternoon Y esterday .

,

the thermometer rose to to day at eleven -

,
’
O clock it was at ,
T his region is very sandy
and stony and the soil overgrown w ith dw arfi sh
,

mimosa trees w hich ser ve to lodge man y of the fea

,
 P E C U L I A R I T I ES OF THE D A N K A L I P EO P L E . 19

thered tribe particularly sea birds pigeons partridges

,
-
, , ,

and guinea fowl s al so a small sort of gazelles in Ar a

-
,

bic called Beni Israel Besides the above m entioned

.
-
,

the b are is the onl y species of game which resorts hi ther .

T here are not man y w ild bea s ts here about the l ynx is
said to pre y upon the goat We were not able to as .

certain whether the leopard is foun d in th e mountains .

D uring o ur exc ur sions we sa w a j ackal T his co untr y

,
.

is by no means deficient in water At T a dj urra there .

is a walled cistern O n o ur road hither and even

.
,

here there are spots where the traveller has b ut to dig

,

a hole in the ground to get wa ter Its qualit y depends .

,

of course on the nat ure of the soil H ere it is not the

,
.

best having rather an unpleasant taste 5 which is m ade

,

still worse by a certain herb which the y put into their

badl y prepared skin bags and w hich gives the w ater a
- -
,

reddish colour and a bitter taste .

T h e D ankali pe epl e of this region have many pe c u

l i a r it i e s
. T he y are of the sa m e race as the S h o h o s and ,

dif fer from them b ut little either in their language or ,

ph y siognom y T hey are ho w ever less boisterou s in

.
, ,

their demeanour though perhaps m ore shre w d than

,

t he Sh o h o s O ne peculiarity in their conversation

.

struck us O n saluting each other or talking toge

.
,

ther the person spoken to generall y repeats ever y sen

,

tence addressed to him or at least the last w or d which

, ,

t h ey u sually abbrevi ate sometimes only pronouncing ,

the last syllable or the person spoken to expresses hi s

20 D E P A R T U R E F R OM S A G G A L L O .

attention by sy m patheticall y uttering after e verv sen

tence the protracted sound hmm T hey are bigoted .
’

Mah o m e dan s and in general very ignorant E ven

, ,
.

the w om en while grindin g usually chant their cree d

, , ,

“ ”
L a il l ah a i l l al l ah & c or other s ongs of the same
’
,
.
,

tenour T heir mills are much like those on board the

.

A rab vessel s .T h e wo m en do not live m uch more

'

separate fro m the male sex than in Ab y ssinia nor i s ,

their conduct much m ore moral .

Ap r i l 2 9 1 8 39 — W e left S a g gall o at midnight and

,
.
,

travelled for half an hour along the sea coast in a due -

,

w est direction ; then turned to the north west ascended -

,

an e m inence passed the defile Gall allife o and after

,
’
, ,

a further ascent the station D erkell e and a t last

,

reached some table land called W ard eli s s an F ro m

-
,
.

this w e turned we s tward till w e arrived at a spot where

,

a fe w l o w m im o s a trees w ere g ro wing and here alighted ,

to pass the ni g ht it w anted a quarter to eight when

we halted E s timating the distance b y our pace during
.

the seven hours and three quarters ride we m ay have ’

,

gone over a trac k of seven hours A s we a s cended we .

,

breathed a fresh air ; but on reaching th e table land -

,

although the sun had only been up a short time it ,

gre w hot the heat being increased by a south east wind

,
-
.

T h e plain w as covered with volcanic stones .

T his morning we started at three O clock ’

Ap r i l 3 0 .
-
,

and d e s cended in a south east and southern direction-

,

through a narro w ravine called R aisan which was very

, ,

toilsome for the ca m el s to pass T his led us to the .

22 S ALT L AKE A SS A L .

Mu y a w e set Off at half past one in the night and first

-
,

reached a rather elevated plain named H al aksi ta n O n ,

.

acco unt of the ru g gedness of the ground full of chas m s ,

and gulfs the vestiges of volcanic eruptions we sought

, ,

to get round the la k e A ssal tow ards the s outh in a , ,

semicircle T o e f
. fect this w e had to round some ,

mountains south of the lake and arrived at a resting ,

place at its southern extre m it y ; but as there w as no

w ater the caravan thought it better not to stop We
,
.

no w descended to the lake the shores of which are ,

covered with a thic k salt crus t w hich to a E uropean , , ,

presents the ap pearance of ice H ither many caravans .

resort for salt to carry to Abyssinia ; of which trade the

,

D anakils m ake a monopol y claiming the right to take ,

salt from hence as their exclu s ive privilege F ormerly .

the lake mu s t have been situated much higher up for

at the southern and w estern ends of it a thick cru st of
white and g rey cry s tal extends along the coa s t which , ,

close to the lake has a saltish taste the taste decreasin g

, ,

with the distance We passed over this salt crust from

.

south to we s t : it rests for the most part directly on

the gro und a s the water see m s to have sunk In some
, .

part s ho w ever the water is seen beneath and from hence

, , ,

it is that the caravans take their sal t I exam ined the .

salt incrustation in one of these places and found it to ,

be abo ut half a foot thick T h e lake is nearly oval ;

.

its length from north to south about two hours ; and

, ,

its greatest breadth from east to w est perhaps one

, ,

ho ur T h e D anakils believe there is a subterranean

.
 C O NV E S T I O NR A “I T H
7
AL I AR A B . 23

connexion bet w een this salt lake and the Bay of T a d

j ur ra from which it is abo ut t w o hom s di s tant in a
,
' ’
,

di rect line After leaving the lake we entered a dale

.
,

tow ard the west which ran bet w een moderatel y high
,

mountains first westward then so uth west and at ten

, ,
-
,

fl
o clock alighted at a place of encampment called Gun
’

gunta where there is water A bout noon the heat rose

,
.

to and now at three P M it is 1 06 , . .

,
°

fa y 2 1 8 3 9 —T his morning we did not move o f

,
ftill
s unrise halfpast five Our road lay first west then south
,
-
.
,

a n d south west through the valley Kellu which by its

-
, , ,

abundance of water an d its verdure stron gly brought ,

to our mind the valley of S am h ar with this difference

only that the mountains of Sambar are higher and
, ,

h ear more vegetation T o w ard half past eight w e .

arrived at o ur en camp i ng place All ul i after having , ,

gone over a distance of t w o hours T h e weather to d ay .

is not so hot as yesterday although the w ind was ,

equally s o .

Had this evening a conversation w ith Al i Arab

, ,

about the D an k ali tribes bet w een T a dj urr a and Shoa .

T h e chief tribes are the D eb en ik VVe e m a Mu dait u A d

’
, ,

A lli and B urh an to

,
to which latter the S ultan of T a d
j urra belon gs and T a dj urra the tribe of the present
, ,

Vizier T h e D eb en ik VVe em a and Mudai tu appear

.
’
, ,

to be the more numerous and the latter perhaps th e , ,

m ore powe rful of the Kab les T h e Mu d ai tus have

y .

their chief residence in A ussa and extend as far north ,

as near Masso wah At A ussa the S ultan has hi s .

,
 ’
24 S U L T A N OF T AD JU R R A s W E A K N ESS .

N ayb road the Mudaitu s begin in the valley

. On ou
r

Kellu an d exten d as far as the district of Au ssa A t

, .

present they are at peace with the rest of the D anakils

, ,

although disaf fected especially toward the D eb en ik ,

W e e m as with whom they had a bloody w ar s ome y ears

’
,

ago O n that occasion the W e em as called the Bedouins

.
’

of A den to their assi s tance ; w ho sent them 4 00 sol

diers and with these t he y conquered the Mu da itu s
,
.

After w ard ho wever they became indi g nant at the

, ,

licentiousness to which the s e 4 00 soldiers abandoned

t hem sel ves after their victory and endeavo ured to re ,

”
m ove the m as soon as po ss ible N ever t heless said .
,

“
Ali ,
the people of T a dj urra were not prevented fro m
going to Shoa although the Mu daitu s had interrupted
,

the com munica t ion T h e people of T a dj urra went to .

the end of their bay ; fro m thence proceeded b y night , ,

to the lake of A s s al there collected salt returned and , ,

then made their way to Shoa throu g h the Somali coun

try close b y Horror
,
.

A l i gave us an instance of the Sultan of T a dj urra s

’

w eakness It hap pened that he wi shed to give his

.

nephew a wife from another K ab yl a who had a settle ,

ment in T a dj urra T his being refused by the K ab yl a

.
,

the Sultan commanded them to leave T a dj urra : ho w

ever the other inhabitant s OfT a dj ur r a encourag ed them
,

to remain Hereupon they sent them to the learned

.

men in Arabia and the Shei k s at A ussa for their deci ,

sion of the matter T hey all inve s tigated their code s

.

of the l aw and found that the S ultan co uld not force

,
26 THE PLAIN OF A ND E R H AD I D E B A .

that the y had not the Word of God ; that what the y
w rote on D ivinity R eligion and P hilosoph y was onl y , , ,

the result of their o w n thinking and was not divinel y ,

revealed to them .

M ay 3 1 8 39 — E arl y this morning at three o clock

, ,
’
,

w e continued our course turning w estward ; then for a , ,

short time north w est then a gain west and south

,
-

we s t through barren dales till w e emerged into a vast

, ,

p lain called An derh a dideb a w hich separates tw o ri dges

, ,

of mountains T h e soil for the fir st half hour s march

.
-
’

over this plain appeared to b e good but prod uced ,

n othi n g the ground being broken up

,
aft er w ard h o w ,

ever it w as fertile grown over with shr ubs especiall y

, , ,

the Juniper We met w ith some goatherds of th e

.

Mu daitus and saw also three fine roes w hich w e a t

, ,

tempted to shoot but in vain T ow ard seven w e came

, .

to an Open spot called G aga d e wh ere the shrubs

, ,

recede in a wide circle T his being an encamping .

place we here reposed In our neighbourhood a Mu

,
.
,

d ai tu with his wif

,
e and goats had pitched his tent ; ,

w hich w as very lo w and hedged in w ith thorns accord , ,

ing to the custom Ofthe co untry T h e w eather is very .

hot Between eleven and this time— a quarter before

.

two — the thermometer has varied from 1 0 6 to °

ho w ever the w ind is not so hot as it was y esterday and

,

the preceding days T o w ard half past three . a -

,

quarter to four ,

M a y 4 —L eft G agad e at halfpast one this morning -

.

T h e other caravan had alread y separated from u s o n e

 O CCUPATION OF THE D A N AKI L s . 27

division to go to A ussa ; the other as Mahomed Al i ,

said becau se w e marched too fast O ur peo p le have

,
.

ah e a d been prevented for several da y s fro ri d ing on

'
m
y
the camels for which w e are ver y sorr y although I
, ,

myself al w ay s w alk on foot for want of a mule R e ,

.

monstrances w ith Mahomed Ali a vail nothin g we must

submit especially as his camels are so ver y weak We
, .

moved at first chiefly west til l we arrived at the re s ting

place Karantu where the w ay to A ussa branches o f
, , f
toward the west Fro m K arautu 0 111 cour s e lay south
.
,
‘

bet w een moun tain s exhibiting trace s of volcanic action

, ,

with scarcely an y vegetation O n ly in the valleys did we .

see grass and brushwood and even here the ground is

lik ew ise covered with as hes Soon after we entered a .
,

long glen where we s aw m any date tree s of which not

, ,

the least care seems to be taken T h e Bedouins c ut Of f .

the summit of these trees and extract the j uice which

, ,

i s said to be intoxicating A t eight we arrived at D a

.

libni a D anak il set t lement where we rested I n th e

, ,
.

last six hour s and a half we had not made above three
ho ur s w ay Half an hour before noon the thermo
’
.
,

meter was at at noon at one o clock 99 “ ’

, ,

and re m ained as high as 9 7 at fi ve P M °

. .

A chief occupation of the D anakils especially of the ,

women more particularl y when the y travel i s th e

, ,

plaiting of mats and ba s kets for salt and cor n fro m th e , ,

branches of the palm tree T h e wom en seem t o be

-
.

industrious T hey dress in a ve ry slovenly manner

.
,

and frequen t ly wear nothin g but a piece of cloth of a ,

28 D R E SS OF THE D AN AK ILS .

gre y blue or variegated colour tied ro und th eir h ips

, , , ,

and reachin g down to the knee s sometimes bound ,

round with a fancifully w rought leathern belt N ot -

.

withstanding they are vain and fond of wearing brace

, ,

lets and foot ornaments ear and nose ring s coral

-
,
-
,

s trings on their nec k s & c , .

M a y 5 1 8 3 9 L o r d s D a y — V e started at three this

,
’ V

morning and moved in a south west direction through

,
-
,

the vale of Kurri till w e reached S a gg a der e and thence

, ,

to L ittle Marha where we arrived at seven :having passed

, ,

over a space of about two hours and a quarter in three ,

an d a half We had fresh trouble w ith our two people

.
,

because the y could not ride and were u nwell T h e ,

.

heat again rather oppressive at noon a quarter of ,

an hour later 9 7 half past twelve

,
°
at one -
, ,

T h e road was nearly level hence no decrease o fheat ,

very little vegetation I t ap pears to have rained som e

.

d ays since but the ground seems to have absorbed all

,

the moisture n evertheless w ater is not totall y wanting ,

.

Our victuals begin to fail; an d as our butter is all gone ,

w e have to boil o ur rice and lentil s — which are the onl y

provisions left u s —in water and salt H o w ever if the
~
.
,

L ord be our Shepherd w e shall not w ant and H e w ill ,

help us through every dif ficulty proceed they from ,

wh atever quarter they may T h e ther m o m eter at a .

,

quarter pa s t tw o at 1 0 3 5 : a fe w minutes later at

-
, ,

Jlfa g/ 6 —Y esterday at a quarter to four P M w e left

,
. .
,

L ittle Marha moved along the valle y almost w est w ard

, ,

then ascended a hill of abo ut 3 00 feet elevation ver y ,

30 HALT AT D AU E I L EK A .

water here T h e heat is again oppressive the thermo

.
,

meter being now halfpast eleven at

, the same
,
-
,
’
at t wo o clock T h e heat here is increased by the north
.

east w ind passing Over the scorched hills We found .

water at last in this vale for which the L ord be praised ,

—
Jlfa y 8 1 8 39 “c left R am u deli y esterday morning
,
7

a t half past three ; at five O clock reached Ab u Y u s s uf and

’
-

to w ard half past eight G ub a ad Y esterday a fternoon

-
,
.
,

at three o cloc k we left G ub a a d passed thro ugh Sanka]

’
, , ,

a n d a spot where there is a fountain of w ater and ar ,

rived a t Ar ab dera about eight in the evening It w as .

too hot and I w as too tired to w rite T h e di stance b e

,
.

t w een R am u del i and G ub aa d may be about three hours ,

and nearl y the same bet w een G ub aa d and Ar abdera We .

left Arab dera this morning at three It is situated on .

a vast elevated plain almo s t compl etely covered with ,

volcanic stones Just before s unrise w e came to a wide

.

low plain where we sa w so m e w ild asses grazing which

,
-
,

took to their heels at our approach At ten w e reached .

o ur resting place D aue il eka where o ur camel drivers

-
,
-

dr essed a wild ass w hich they had killed In these .

seven hours we have made about four hours w a y T h e ’

.

”
German h ymn M y life is a pilgrimage is becoming
, ,

very familiar to me on this j ourney .

M a y 9 —Y esterday evening our people seemed to be

apprehensive of robbers T hey stated that a hostile .

K ab yl a called G al eil a had g one far awa y from this

, ,

p art to a w atering place and that consequently we could

-
,

not proceed thither the more so as the friendl y We ema ,

’
 M OUN T M AR I . 31

D ankali, who formerl y had kept the m under restraint ,

had rem oved from amon g them T his morning we .

started at sunrise a quarter before six ; and after a short

,

march on the plain w est ward ascended a pretty high -

,

eminence called Mari southw ard ; and at half past

, ,
-

ten reached o ur encamp ing place on th e table land - -

.

T h e air gre w more and more pure and fresh as w e as

c e n de d and I felt rather refreshed than fatigued when
,

w e arrived on the plain T herm ometer 90 at half past

.
°
-

ten : at eleven half past t w elve

,
at one O cloc k
-
,
’
,

Mahomed Ali say s he has received ne w s tha t h is

relations have left E rrer for w ant Ofrain and have re ,

moved to w ards the north

M a y 1 0—Y esterday afternoon at t w ent y min utes
.

past three we set out from o ur encampment on Mount

,

Mari and descended a lo w terrace then marched on a

,

w ide undulating high plain over loose stones w ithou t

, ,

a vestige of a p ath our guides at a g reat distance in

,

front till after sunset we reached a declivit y the

, , , ,

descent of which w as not a little dangerous Several .

times the camels could hardly move for w ard terrified ,

by the dismal abyss on the right while the darkness of

the night rendered the path under our feet almost u n
di scernible A t length w e reached an eminence at the
.

foot Ofthe mountain on its wester n side and there ,

halted on a stony spot w here the B edouins used to

, ,

enclose their herds bet ween loose w alls to keep them ,

fro m beasts of pre y ; although there wa s no fuel to

light a fire nor w ater to drink T his morning we
,
.
,
32 APPEAR AN C E OF THE C O UNT RY .

s tarted Of fat a quarter be f

ore five When the moon is .

in the w ane we have in general observed the maxim to

,

ris e with i t and prepare our breakfast and then to

, ,

proceed while the cam els are loading We de s cended .

the remaining declivity an d came to Ahull where we , ,

found fo uI or five hot s prings probabl y sulphureou s ,

.

Here we took I n water AfteI a stop of about an hour

.
,

we prosecuted o ur cour se through a large plain extend ,

i n g south east and north west : our route lay south

- -

we s t across a plain We aft er w ard passed over a little

.

eminence covered with volcanic stones called L ukki , ,

w hich is nearly flat on the top a s are most m ountain s ,

we ha ve passed on this j ourney A ft er half past nin e .

-

we arrived at a tree beneath which we reposed F rom

,
.

this spot we have an extensive pro s pect before us tow ard

the south west and west : the country is nearly level
-
,

wi t h the exception of so m e l o w hills in the Vicinity ,

and t w o or three higher ones at a distance in the west

-
the m ountains of Argobba and perhaps of Shoa ,
.

T her m o m eter n o w at half past eleven at

,
L eft -
,

L ukki at three P M an d ascended the plain w hich w a s

. .
, ,

overgrow n with g ra ss in a south w estern direction

,
-
.

Mahomed Ali s aw a h yaena on the road and a dark grey ,

snake of considerable si z e We marched till nearly .

’
seven O clock w hen w e rested on a level spot in th e
,

plain of Kill el e .

M a y l l —W e started at one in the night in order ,

to make a g ood journey to day ; but we had not pro -

c ee de d far when w e and our animals got into the mud

, .
34 E X C ESSI V E HEAT .

in the morning w e noticed the traces of t w o h yaenas

, ,

which had crawled about our cam p and close to our

beds Mahomed Ali having been awakened by their
.
,

noise had chased them aw ay by throwing a stone at

,

them — a n ew evidence this of the hand OfGod g uard ,

ing us against such dangers and the presum ption of ,

the flesh in fancying to be able to guard itself .

It is already the third L ord s D ay of o ur j ourne y ’

from T a dj urra and the sixteenth S ince we left Cairo

,
.

T O us it is indeed a great privation to be shut out fro m

celebrating it in communio n w ith our Brethren—w an
dering about as strangers in Mesech and o ur soul s ,

Often lon ing in a strange country for the courts of the

g
L ord However we are pilgrim s for Him and are per
.
, ,

s u a d e d that H e w ill amply compensate us for o ur act u al

privations Would that our present conversation w ere

.

more sanctifi ed We shall probabl y stop here to day -

either the people of the vil lage are unw illi ng to receive
us or our g uide has so agreed w ith them that the y
, ,

come o ut to him instead of our going to them We

,
.

do not lose m uch by not being among them but per ,

haps escape their c uriosity and thu s gain more quiet , ,

which we desire on the L ord s day ,

’
.

T h e heat th reatens to beco m e excessive again to day -

abo ut half an hour ago the thermome t er showed

and n o w a quarter past ten it is at
,
-
A t half past,
-

one it rose to and at two to Mahomed

A li s uncle to w hom he had sent a fe w days since for
’
,

some camels to assist him had been o ut to m eet u s with

, ,
 DANKALI T R I B ES . 35

a horse or mule and some soldiers but as he w ent the

,

right road and w e travelled on a bye w ay he had

,
-
,

m i ssed u s T hermometer at a quarter past three P M

.
,
-
. .
,

Ma y 1 3, 1 8 3 9 —Y esterday evening after long vacilla ,

tio ns Mahomed Ali at length resolved to go into the V il

,

lage we started at about half past five an d entered the

.
-
,

village which was only a quarter of an hour s distance

,
’

from o ur camp and sea t ed ourselves in front of the

,

house and stable of the D an k ali Chief the un cle of ,

our g uide A t this moment w e are thronged by men

.

and boys of this co untry w hom c uriosity has attracted ,

to see us T hermo m eter at a quarter past seven

.
,
-
,

at half past eight -

,

T h e name A dai el for the D ankali people is the , ,

Arabic mode of cal ling the whole b y a part It is de .

rived fr om A d Al li one of the Kabyles of the D anakil

, ,

to which the Sultan of T a dj urra belon gs T h e chief .

seat of this tribe is in the neighbourhood of Shoa ; b ut ‘

the greater part is dispersed among dif ferent other

tribes F ormerly it wa s probabl y the m o s t pow erful
.

of an y and gave the name to the whole of its former

,

domi nion Apparentl y the most powerful tribes at

.
,

present are the Mu daitus and D eb en ik W e em a T h e ’

.

former have their chief seat in A ussa an d sometimes ,

get in coll isio n w ith th e We e m as and the rest of the ’

D anakil s T hey are seemin g ly more numerou s and

.

powerful than any other D an k ali tribe T h e name .

D ankali i s Arabic : they call themselves Af far T her .

36 A R T I C LES OF R A R T E R .

m o m eter, at hal f past ten a quarter past eleven

-
,
-
,

at noon 1 05 t z seven minutes after one

,
°
a ,

quarter before t w o half past two , at three -

, ,

F or the last fe w days w e have generally had

several w hirl winds in the afternoon When at L ukki .
,

we observed many about noon ; it then rained in the

afternoon .

M a y 1 4 1 8 39 —W e s et o f
,
ffrom G ai el an d ascended ,

an e m inence about t w o ho urs fro m Gaici in a south w est ,

-

direction Here w e encam ped near the watering place

.
-

A li bekel é w here the herd s of cattle belonging to the

,

Bedouin s of this region asse m ble to dr ink T her .

m o m e te r a quarter past two a t

,
a quarter to
-
,

t hree 1 0 1 § z then
,
°
as a thunder storm is ap -

r o a ch in at three
p g ,

M a y 1 5 — W e did not leave Alib ekel é as Mab om ,

ed A li sent this morning for h i s father becau s e ,

there is plenty of water here but none at the place ,

of his residence T h e trade in these countries is car

.

ried on b y barter W hat they call N ile st uff that i s

.
,

to say blue dyed bad bafta and g rey Indian Kosh

,
-
,

(linen ) are given as money for larg er articles Six teen

,
.

native yards of the latter are req uired for a dress t h e

former is used by the women to cover the head F or .

Kosh we bough t a sheep ; for N ile stu ff butter ; and ,

for pepper and needles milk T hermo m eter a t a ,

.
,

quarter past seven A M at

-
ten minutes before
. .
,

eleven a quarter past eleven 1 02 5 ” a fe w -

, ,

minutes after ,
38 C H A R A C TE R OF THE A LL A GA L LA S .

steal and murder Sometimes t w o or three o f them

.

go on a robbing expedition and providing themselves ,

with Victuals for several months secrete themselves in ,

ambush along the road and lur k for travellers wh o may ,

happen to separate the m selves from the caravan to as ,

sail and kill them T hey are on pretty good terms

.

w ith the D eb en ik W e em a s who how ever are on their

’
, ,

guard against them T hey serve the Alla Gallas as

.

leaders against the D anakils when not in hostilit y with ,

each other T hey say that the Alla Gallas through

.
,

the midst of w hom we have to travel for four or fi ve

days are a very dangerous pe Opl e l Ali related that
,
.
><

on a j ourney through their country their caravan hav ,

ing encamped with their arms in readiness and w hile

, ,

keeping watch late in the night they Obser ved a single

,

Galla approaching their camp crawling on his belly , ,

a n d in the act o f raising his lance to kill a man of

the caravan T hey then rose to seize him ; b ut he

.

escape d — Bow s and poisoned arro w s are still in us e

among the Somals F ire arms are y et little kno w n
.
-

among the s e savages When Brother Krapf fired his.

pistol they screamed and stooped dow n T hey are

, , .

bigoted Mah o m e dan s Y esterday one of them came into

.
,

o ur tent to look at o ur things A s he w a s prevented .

,

he pronounced the w ords L a ill ah a ill alla w hich I

,
’

“
repeated after him H e continued W a Mahomed B ussul
.
,
”
U llah ,
repea ting it several times as he saw that I did ,

T he s eque l s h o w s, h o w ev er, th at th i s w as n ot t h e ca se .
 D E P A R T U R E F R OM A L I B E K E L E . 39

not say it after him T hen I said Wal Mes s ich ibn
.
,
“

”
A ll ah . U pon this he rose and w ent out Mabom , .

c d Al i several tim es expressed his s urpri s e that the

U lemas at Cairo had not persuaded us to become Ma

h o m e dan s T h e principal seat of their learning seems
.

to be Aussa ; w here they say several U lemas reside ,

whose learning according to Al i Arab is as the sea

, , .

T her m o m eter at six in the morn ing,

at eight , ,

at nine ,

Y esterday w e were again permitted to experience

that the L ord w as with us in His Spirit of disci p line ,

purify ing o ur conversation and common relationship .

May H e ever rule among us an d never w ithdraw H is ,

grace from us
About an hour ago Mahomed A li s f
’
ather arrived
,

on a mule an d wi thout escort H e has not yet been

,
.

in our tent ; but has sent us a handful of cof fee see d s -

,

w ith the message that we should prepare some co f

,
f ee ,

as he would drink it with us T herm ometer at a quar .

,

ter past ten 9 4 t z ten min utes past eleven

-
,
l
°
at ,

noon the sky overca s t

,
at one , after ten ,

minu t es more ,

II I a y 1 7 1 8 39 — W e l ef
,
t Alib ekel é yesterday afternoon
at three ascending w est w ard and in half an ho ur were
, ,
- -

overtak en by a shower A fter stoppin g till it w as

.

nearly over we made o ur w ay w ith difficult y through

,

t h e mud T o w ard seven we arrived at a spot called

.

A dai t o where w e passed the night

, A s my coverlet .

w as quite soaked thro ugh I had to make the best of ,

40 M O U N T AINS OF H O RR O R .

m y shirts an d sheets during the night T h e father of .

Mahomed Al i brought u s milk w hich was q uite a ,

refreshment We started this m orning about seven

. .

Our co urse lay over a stony plain with much grass on ,

which w e s aw m an y herd s and singing birds At half .

past eight w e reached H asn adera the residence of ,

’
Shei k Al i Mahomed A li s father where we halted
, , .

Wh ile pitching our tent some children brought u s

,

grass to strew beneath it for which the y begged coral

, .

When the tent w as erected a bag Of curdle d m ilk w a s

,

brought to us We shall stay here at least this day

.

and then a new period of our j ourney w ill probably

beg in w ith o ur n ew guide T h e L ord be praised who
.
,

has helped us thus far T hough not w ithout troubles ,

y et w e are still spared ; though not without sins and

te m ptations y et with obvious proofs of His contin u ed
,

favor an d mercy w e have got on hitherto .

O n the road thi s morning I stayed alone with the ,

L ord and stood before Him like Jacob of old at the

, ,

ford of J abb o k and H e blessed me

,
.

Y esterday evening w e s aw the m ountain s of Horror

before us toward the south w est covered w ith clouds
,
-
, .

T h e town of H orror is said to be only two and a half

days j ourney dist ant from this We are already in the
’
.

neigh bourhood of the Alla Gallas ; who have expelled

Sheik Al i Ab é from E rrer and spread themselves as ,

far as that d istrict T errible people

. seeking their
honour in m urder ! O n asking our guide y ester day w hy ,

the Gallas kill people whether for booty or other wi se

, ,
42 AR RIVA L AT M ULLU .

that w e w ere to pass the night here T hermometer at .

half p ast t w o 1 06 sky overcast

-
,
°
.

M a y 1 9 1 8 39 : L o r d s D a y — On this day E uropean

,
’
,

Christians commemorate the ef fusion of the Holy

Spirit an d the Church is refreshed here and there by
,

a ne w outpouring of the same ; while w e here at

Mull u about an hour an d a hal f west from Great
,

H a sn a dera o ur present place of repose mu st pitch o ur

, ,

tent in Kedar May the L ord pour also upon us a

.

sho w er of merc y and revive the scorched soil of our

,

hearts 0 that the blessed stream from the hea venly

a ltar may also flo w to this dead sea o f nations and “

rene w them
Y esterday evening at ten minutes before s ix w e
, ,

left Great H a sn a dera and moving west w ard over very ,

stony ground reach ed Mullu where Shiek Al i has his

, ,

chief residence at half past eight Mullu is nothing

,
-
.

b ut a vast plain covered w ith stones w ith here ,

and there a little verd ure an d a fe w mimosa trees ,

and some scattered sprig hovels A cluster of such .

huts form so m ething like a vi ll age A s o ur guide .

,

Mahomed Ali declared he w ould stay here to morro w

,
-
,

an d w e are to pursue our road w e are wr iting L etters ,

to go by him Hitherto I have travelled on foot b ut

.

as a mule has been of fered me to day b y the old man -

for fi fteen dollars to be paid for hereafter I have

, ,

accepted it for m y self and W arkieh as he also begins ,

to fin d w alking dif fi c ult .

 C H AP T E R III .

T A K E L E A VE OF M AHOM ED A L I —DEP A R TUR E F R OM M U LL U —N OTI C E O F

A S K I R M I S H B E T ‘ V E E N TH E D E B E N I K W E E M A S A N D TH E M U A I T U S
’
D
-
A R R I V E A T M E TT A —L E A V E M E TT A A N D E N C A M P A T H A M U I S SA

A RR I VE A T L I TT L E M U LL U—E L EP H A N T H U N T IN G—DEP A R TUR E F R OM

,

L I TT L E M U LL U A N D E N C A M P A T B R D U D A —N OT I C E OF TH E D A N K A LI
, E

TR IB E S IN H A B I T IN G TH ES E R E G ION S —L E A V E B E R D U D A A N D CR OS S
TH E P L A IN H A L A K D I G G I —A B U N D N C E O F G A M E —A R R I V E A T TH E
,

R I VE R H A I V A S H —N OT IC E S O F l T —V I S I T T O A L A K E W E S T OF TH E
H A I V A S H— DEP A R TU R E F R OM M E L K U K U Y U A N D A RR I V E A T T H E
V IL L A G E OF F A R R I— DEP A R TU R E F R OM F A R R I A ND A RR I VE A T A L U I
,

A M B A —IN T E R V I EW W I TH TH E G OV E R N OR —DEP R TU R E F R OM M E T A
A

T I T—A R R I V A L A T I S L A M A M B A —V I S I T T O TH E K IN G A N D K IN D R E ~

C E PT I O N B Y H I M —A R R I V A L A T A N G OL L A L A —IN T E R V I E W S W I TH TH E
,

K IN G—H I S D E S I R E F OR M ED I C IN E—B E COM E A C Q UA IN T ED W I TH M A R

E T SH N
A INF L U E N T I A L G OV E R N OR O F TH E A B E T S H OO G A LL A S
D

IN S TA N C ES O F TH E K IN G S S E LFI S H N E S S —DEP A R TU R E O F TH E K IN G
,
’

F OR A NG OL L L A —
A C ON V E S T ION W I TH A P R I E S T OF B U L G A ON F A S T IN G
R A

— A B Y S S INIA N CH ON O L OG Y —V IL L A G E S A R O U N D A N G OL L A L A — E X CU R
R

S I ON T O TH E R I V E R T S H A T SH — A DEP A R TUR E F R OM N G OL L A L A A ND
A ,

A R R I V A L A T A N K OB A R.

M a y 20— T H I s morning Mahomed Ali consigned ,

u s over to the guidance of his father for the s u cceed

ing part of our j o urney ; in which transaction w hich ,

was conducted rath er formall y Al i Arab acted as T ar ,

giman We separated as friends T h e w ay before us

. .

is apparently hazardo u s ; not onl y on acco unt of the

Gallas whose northern boundaries w e shall have to
,
44 TAKE L E A V E OF M A H O M ED ALI .

touch but particularly on account of the hostile M udia

,

tus along whose southern border our ro ute lies O n

, .

this acco unt Sheik Ali declared he would take an

,

escort of his people for safety s sake We shoul d ,

’
.

have set out thi s morning but as t here is no

w ater at the next stage water w as sent for to load a , ,

camel T h e old man m ade a strange remark : he said

.
,

that the road by which w e came w as generally destitute

o fwater ; but that on account of o ur Obj ect ,
no want ,

of w ater had been permitted 0 11 this occasion .

T hermometer at half past eight A M 9 2 at one P M °

-
. . . .
, , ,

at two ,

Jll a y 2 2 1 8 39 — Y esterda y o ur g uide left u s : to him

, ,

w e gave letters for Mocha Cairo L ondon B é sl e and , , , ,

Barmen We left Mullu about sunrise and moving

.
,

south w est over a plain arrived at half past nine at a

-
, ,
-
,

place called Wuder dera about t wo ho urs and a half ,

f
distant from Mullu T hence w e set o ut at about hal .

past three P M and j our ne y ed south w est till eight

. .
,
-
,

w hen the old man said w e could not reach th e water

st age K o r de eti that night T his morning half an
,
’
,
.
,

hour after we started w e arrived at the w ater stage , ,

K o r de eti w here w e took in a supply and also w atered

’
, ,

the animals P roceedin g onward we soon reached the

.
,

village K orde eti and alighted after w e had passed it

’
,
.

Before us to the north west w e saw the Baadu and Aj al u

,
-
,

mountains T hose of Ai alu are Of considerable height

. .

Ali Ar ab stated that on some part of the s e mountains

,

a bloody skirmish had taken place last y ear betw een ,

46 H A MU I s S A .

to cover the mountains from top to bottom T hermo .

meter at hal f past t w elve 1 03

,
w ind north east
-
,
° -
,

w arm .

M a y 2 4 1 8 3 9—W e left Metta y esterday at half past

,
-

three P M an d marchin g al m ost w est over the plain

. .

w here w e have put up passed b y the village Metta , ,

and after w ard s aw herds of lar g e and small cattle .

A fter seven w e came to the village Kum m i and about

,

an hour later encamped near a deserted and rui ned

,

Village of the Bedo uins A lthou g h w e were in w ant .

o f w ater and the watering place

,
as the people said -
, ,

w as y et at a grea t distance still the Ol d man co uld n o t ,

be induced to proceed Con s equentl y we lay down to .

,

rest and set Of

,
fthis morning at a quarter past five and -
,

pursuing our cou rse over the same plain west south ,
-

west saw to the left at a l ittle distance Mount Afrab at

, , ,

to the w e s t Ofwhich is j oined the small mountain F arsis

and north west of this Mo unt A s sab o t all inhabited
-

by I tto o s T o the right w e saw the high land of Shoa

.

and E fat T h e plain on which we travelled terminated

.

in a dale overgrown with grass and trees Here w e .

passed a village inhabited by D ab an i s and gained an ,

eminence where w e met a w oman and her child riding

,

on a camel laden w ith her Bedouin tent She show ed

,
.

u s the w ay to the encam ping place of a caravan which ,

w as aw aiting our arrival At about halfpast ten w e .

-

reached this stage situated near the watering place

,
-
,

H a m ui s s a fr om which this whol e region derives it s

,

name ; and here w e fou nd the caravan T hey le ft .

 VI LLAG E OF L I TT L E M ULL U . 47

T a dj urra on the da y o f o ur arrival there and di d not ,

arrive here till yesterday evening O ur people had .

long been desiring to j oin them ; and therefore sent

word to them y esterday in consequence of which the y
,

said they had waited for u s to day ; otherwise they -

,

would have gone on before We shall n o w most likel y .

travel together the rest of our j o urney : our n ew c o m

panions say they w il l henceforward travel quicker than
t hey have done hi t herto T his region abounds with .

elephants which come in great n umbers to the water

,

in the night and suf f

,er no man to approach it T h e .

caravan entreated u s to shoot them but w e felt no i n

clin atio n to do so T hermometer this morning at five
.
,

during the afternoon E arly in the morn ,

ing it is very cool the w arm w inds generally blo w till

late in the night .

M a y 2 5 —W e started this morning at six and

, ,

moved nearl y due west over a fin e plain full Ofgrass and

,

trees S ince y esterday we have noticed a large fir e on

.
,

this plain which is not yet extinguished O n asking

,
.

the cause of it they said that it came of itself A t

, , .

nine we put up near the V illage Mullu which is called

,

L ittle Mullu to distingui s h it from Great M ul lu T his

, .

village i s s urrounded by very high grass reaching ,

higher than the head of a m an on horseback and excel ,

ling in luxuriance the finest c o rn fie l ds It h a d been .

agreed upon that w e should repose here for the morn

,

ing and res ume o ur j o urne y in t he evening to travel

, ,

througho ut the night in order to reach the Haw ash

,
48 E LE P H ANT H U N T I NG .

soon : ho w ever on arriving w e heard that w e w ere to pass

, ,

the night here and not to set out before next mornin g
, ,

as the caravan w as in fear of the Gallas T hey alle g ed

"

that a battle w as soon expected to t ake place b etween

the D anakils and the Gallas and that as the Gallas
make their invasions onl y by night they chose rather ,

to travel during the d ay T hese people alter their .

statements so man y times that one cannot rel y on ,

them and by bein g so apprehensive give evidence of ,

the tr uth that he who does not kno w and serve the
,

T rue God c a n have no confidence in his ideal G o d

, . .

T o day we happened to have a li ttle elephant hunt

- -

ing Soon after w e had encamped four of these ani

.
,

mal s three s m all one s and one of a larg er si z e were

, , ,

seen near the camp under a tree in the gra s s T h e .

people entreated us for a lon g ti m e to shoot at them

the m ore so as they w ere afraid of their causing some
,

damage to the men or the bea s ts We Observe d them .

for some time from a tree standing and s winging their

, ,

broad flapping ears and throwing up dust wi t h their

,

trun k s as if to defy u s At length W arki eh who had

,
.
, ,

b een engaged at other tim es in elephant hunting -

,

gre w impatient took a g un and w ent toward them

, , ,

accompanied b y Brother Krapf and E rn s t who station ,

ed the m selves under a tree at a certain distance from

the elephants W arki eh however w a s the only one
.
, ,

who could shoot as the grass was too high for the
,

other s H e fired t w ice wi t h Brother Krapfs double

.
’

barrelled gun and at the second shot hit the larger

, ,
50 P L A I N OF BE R D U D A .

l arl y consolatory for me to kno w that th e bl o o d ofJes us

C h r i s t c l e a n s e th me f r o m a l l my inn umerable s i n s which

still cleave to me T o whom could I direct myself in

.
,

order to find rest and safety if this blood di d not c o n ,

s tan tl speak b e t ter th i n s th a n th a t of A be l ? T h e

y g
w h o l e h e a d i s s i c k a n d th e w h o l e h e a r t f
,
a int Sancti .

fi c ati o n advances so slowly that it seems rather to re ,

t ro gr a d e N e v ertheless the L ord has called me to

.
,

glorify H im before the world .

Th e constant neces s ity of insisting upon the fulfil

ment Of the stipulated agreemen ts with o ur fellow tra -

vell ers in ,
order to prevent unnecessar y delay gives ,

m uch nou rishment to the nat ur al man and man y occa ,

sions for the excitement of u nholy passions T his .

,

how e ver is our consolation that the L ord is ever ready

, ,

to receive us back and does not take a w ay from us His

,

H oly Spirit— the spirit of faith of po w er and disci , ,

pli ne — T hermometer y esterday e venin g near nine

.
,

’
o clock ,
this morning after sunrise ,
T h e night ,

w as pretty cool although the day w as hot ten minutes

,

past eleven 1 04 ,
D iseases of the ey es are very c o m
mon in this country no doubt occasioned principall y
,

by the d ust w ith which the atmosphere is constantly

,

filled A strong whirl of dust came about our tent

.
,

and overturne d it j ust after w e had left it

,
.

Jlfa y 2 7 1 8 39 — Y esterday at three P M w e left L ittle

, ,
. .
,

M ull u and j our neyed again over a large plain which at

, ,

first w e found covered with high grass and afterwar d ,

wi th scattered b u shes : the soil on the w hole appeared

 D A N K A L I T R I B ES . 5 1

fertile N o w an d then w e met also w ith an elephant

. .

W e marched till half past eight and passed the night-

,

at B er du da—s o another part of this vast plain is called .

Here several Bedouins had set up their huts but most ,

of them le ft again this morning Some Chiefs of another .

D ankali tribe—T akil— came to u s to beg tobacco ,

.

T hi s as it appears induced o ur Old guide Ali to hasten

, ,

away the sooner O ther D ankali tribes inhabitin gthese

.
,

regions are the followin g — to t h e w est of the W e e m a s

,
’
,

the D ab an i s who extend very far ; in the district of H a

,

muissa the Mashaikh and H as s ob a among w hom also

, ,

the T a kil s live .

We left B er du da this morning at half past five and -

,

crossed the other part of th e plain H al akdigg i We , .

s aw much g ame especially large roes also t w o ostriches

, ,

and a little before n ine arrived at a place called H anni

, , ,

where w e found water an d trees and here reposed , .

Our peo ple as w ell as the caravan who accompany u s

, ,

are in g reat fear of an attack and ur ge us continually ,

to have our guns in readiness We occasionally tell .

them of the necessit y of a higher protection ; but all

men have not faith in such a protection O ur j ourney .

is after all very tedio u s and try ing Our course at

, ,
.
,

present is almost due w est T h e night again cool

,
. .

T hermometer at half past t w elve P M

,
-
. .
,

M a y 2 8 —W e started at ten minutes past t w o at

night and marching w est w ard over a barren part Ofthe
, ,

plain soon arrived at Great H al akdig gi thence we

,

crossed an eminence shortly after s unrise from w hich

, ,

D 2
52 R I V E R H AW AS H .

the mountains o f Shoa clearl y presented themselves to

o ur Vie w . We felt o ur hearts tuned to prai s e o ur God ,

who had merciful l y gui ded us until now and brought u ,

so near to the close of our peril ou s j ourney F rom this .

e m inence we descended into the lo w count r y of L ittle

H al akd i g g i where o ur caravan was to halt
,
Sheik Al i .
,

ho w ever w as for going on ; and he prevailed After

,
.

passing through the valle y of L ittle H al akdig gi we as ,

c en de d a hill belonging to the chain of mountain s

which forms the eastern skirt of the valley of H awash
then came down into the deep and w ide valley of the
Hawash in w hich w e had been able to discern from the
, ,

eminence some parts of the course of this river At

,
.

the foot of the mountain the road lay through a forest

of mimosa trees from w hich our people collected a good
,

qu antity of g um arabic and then encamped on a spot

-

called D ebh ill e near which the trees on one side of the
,

valley are hung with the ne sts o f small birds some ,

times forty to fifty on one tree .

M a y 2 9 1 8 3 9 —W e started at a quarter past four

,
-

this morning and p ur suing a south west course to the

,
-

H a w ash reached that river at a quarter past six by a

,
-
,

road win di ng through a fine forest aboundi ng with ,

plants and various kinds of animals N um erous herds .

o f elephants apparentl y reside in these regions as w e ,

often found the fresh traces of them on our road We .

also h eard the braying of a zebra and the noise of hip ,

O o tam i by the shores of the H a w ash ; but sa w neither

p p .

In crossin g the Hawash I sa w some trees crow ded w ith

,
54 LA KE LE AD o o .

as a hundred hippopotami play ing in the w ater We .

fired a fe w guns at the m : after each shot the y sud ,

den ly plunged into the w ater ; and on coming up

again they ble w a stream of w ater out of their nostrils
, ,

like whales and snorted like horses T here are also

,
.

man y crocodiles in this lake — leviathan and behemoth

dw elling together O ur people pierced a crocodile nine
.

feet long which lay in the w ater near the shore T his
,
.

region is ver y prolific for a natur alist .

M a y 3 1 1 8 39 — Y esterday morning at a quarter past

, ,
-

four we set Of
, f from Mel kukuyu and marched over a ,

hill y trac k near a small lake the waters of which have a,

disagreeable taste and sulphureous smell O n account of .

its remarkable cleansing qu alit y our people had washed ,

their clothes very clean in it the preceding day : we

c oul d not besto w on it a closer examination A s we .

proceeded w e first met w ith a fe w h y aenas then a zebra

, , ,

but all be y ond the reach of our guns T h e region .

through which w e have come is called D o fan After .

passing through several forests abounding with game ,

and rendered lively b y the w arbling notes of a great

variety of birds about nine w e reached a larger lake,
,

i n which hippopotam i are said to abound ; but w e

did not see one Its name is L e A doo (far di stant
.
-

w ater) T hence we pursued our road w estward and

.
,

alighted about eleven at A s seb o ti in a large sandy ,

plain ful l of acacias Setting out again at half pas t

.
-

three P M w e left the caravan behind and encamped

. .
, ,

in the evening at Atko n ti O n the road w e saw several

.
 I N T ER VI E W W I T H H A JI A DAM .

be
’
a fin e anim al of the size of a cow and shape d
ezas, ,

like a deer with horns not branching but upri ght

, , ,

their flesh is exqui site T his region resembles a Cactus .

garden We started at a quarter past four this m orn

.
-

ing and after sunrise entered a fin e valley called Ko

k ai with loft y trees excellent water abundance of
, , ,

ca t tle and a great variet y of birds After crossing

,
.

several hill s the prominences of the highlands of Ab y s

,

sinia whi ch extend from the south far northward

, ,

about ei g ht we reached the fr ontier place D in o m ali ; ,

w here we w ere v isited soon after our arrival by Soli , ,

m an Mu s sa the collector of custo m s and A bb a a z Ma

'

, g ,

homed the gov ernor of the boundary who cam e to

, ,

inspect o ur persons and baggage T hey were aecom .

an i e d b y D ebtera T ekla Zion the secretar y for the

p ,

salt trade -
D uring thi s transaction the H an A dam
.
,

came the same m an whom Brother Krapf had seen

,

last y ear in Mocha in the character of royal mes

senger sayin g that he was a g ain on his w ay to
,

Mocha and had a L etter and a fem ale slave for us : he

,

soon brought both O ur con s cience di d not allo w

.

u s to accept the slave so she was sent bac k to Anko ,

bar T h e L etter was directed to me : it re s pected the

.

Ki ng s and my o wn former mi ssion ; expressed the

’

Kin g s des ire for medicine a gun ma s ons & c and if , , ,

.
, ,

possible m y own personal arrival ; and contained at

, ,

the same time the promi s e that all my wishes which I

, , ,

should present to the King should be gratified ; bu t ,

made no allusion to o ur Missionary labours T his .

56 H O US E S OF A N K O B AR .

meeting w as quite providential b ut connected with no ,

small di fficu lty to us both A L etter w as no w despatched

.

to the King stating that the t w o per s ons to whom the

, ,

message o f the H aj i A dam was directed had arrived ,

.

Quarters w ere then a s signed to us in t he V ill age of

F arri till an ans w er shoul d arrive from the King when
, ,

we might p ursue our j our ne y .

Jun e 2 1 8 3 9 — T o day w e set o f

,
-
ffrom F arri and began ,

to ascend the high land of Shoa We crossed a few .

promontories and valley s the t w o rivers H at sh an i and

,

Melka J eb du and reached a village and d istrict c alled

,

A liu A mba situated on a steep rock w here we met the

, ,

first Christian Governor Y aun atu who was glad to , ,

receive us as Christians H ere w e w ere obliged to

.

leave our companion W arki eh to rest a little till he

shoul d be able to follo w us as he had been suf fering
,

for several days from great pain in his back .

Jun e 3 —T o day w e took other porters and asses f

-
rom
this place Aliu A mba— our j our ne y from F arri bein g at
,

the King s expense— and ascended the high mountain

’
,

on one of the s ummi ts of which An kobar the capital of ,

the countr y is situated We cro s sed over a ridge of

,
.

this mou ntain which commanded an extensive vi ew on

,

each S ide : tow ard the east the vast plain over which ,

w e had come and beyond the H aw ash ; and toward

,

the w est Shoa to a great di stance We went roun d

, .

one side of the summit on which Ankobar lies and ,

passed through a part of the to wn T h e hou ses are .

constructed chi efly of w ood w ith thatched roo fs gene , ,

58 I N TE R V I E W

Ja n e 7, 1 8 39 —T his
morning w e left Metatit and ,

p ur suing o ur road westward over undulating table land ,

-
,

halted about one o cloc k P M in a raised valle y near

’
. .

Islam Amba where the King s t ent of an oblon g form

,
’
, ,

and of black coarse stuff was already pitched to r e ,

c ei ve him who was expected to come this way and

, ,

to pass t he ni ght here on his j ourney from An go ll al a

to A n k obar to a te s car (anniversary) of the death of
,

his father W u s s en Segged who di ed t w ent y eight

, ,
-

y ears ago We were not long encamped before w e

.

saw a train of horsemen comi ng down the mountai n

west w ard and in the mid s t of them the King over
, ,

whose head a scarlet canopy was carried H e had no .

sooner arrived in his tent than he sent for u s We .

had prepared o ur presen ts and with palpitating hearts ,

entered his tent where he sat on a small divan covered

,

wi th sil k and received us with kindness Our nam es

, .

w ere already know n am ong hi s people and a messen

ger whom he had once sent w ith Ki d dam Mariam to
Gondar to meet u s in quir ed after Mr Blum h ardt I
,
. .

fir st presented to him the L etter of Colonel Camp

bell whi ch I had translated i nto Amharic on board
,

the vessel he perused it wi th attention We then de .

livered o ur presents among which the beautiful copy

,

of the Am haric N ew T estam ent and P salms parti cu

l arl y pleased him H e seemed to intim ate however
.
, ,

t hat he w oul d have preferred ZE th i o pi c book s to Am h a

ric . H e asked i f w e had written and bound these
books H e put the same question to Mr Krapf when
. .
 W ITH THE KING . 59

he presented hi m his double barrelled gun We re -

.

plied that in o ur coun try every one p ur sues his parti

,

c ul ar profession and that o ur vocation was exclusively

,

the preachin g of the Gospel in w hich capacity w e were ,

alone sent out to this country ; but that besides this ,

w e wished also to instruct his people in other useful

branches and w ere ready to assist such as shoul d re
,

qui re and wi sh it w ith medi cal aid to the best of o ur

,

kn owledge We urged how ever that this latter was

.
, ,

not o ur obj ect except as a means to fur ther the know

,

ledg e of Christ H e then ordered all the attendants to

.

depart and explaini ng to us his bo dil y ailm ents as k ed

, ,

w hether w e coul d reli eve him We prom i s ed gla dl y to .

do for him whatever lay in o ur power ; but added tha t ,

the result di d not so much depend on the remedi es a s

on the blessing of God for which we woul d pray He ,
.

then observed that w ith re g ard to o ur principal obj ect

, ,

he wo ul d have further conversation w ith us in fut ure ,

as there were a great many things to be considered r e

lative to this subj ect for the present he wished only ,

t o see and salute us an d was very glad that w e were

,

here He ordered us in the m eanwhile to go to our

.

tent and repose and the fol lowi ng day to proceed to

,

An go ll al a where he would see us again imm edi ately

,

after his return from Ankobar We w ere grat ified with .

the reception we met wi th and although the King did ,

not for the present enter into our principal obj ect we ,

have sufficient reason to thank God H e com m anded .

his people to serve us to treat u s as hi s guests and

,
60 A RR I V A L AT A NG OL L A L A .

friends and to provi de u s with every thing necessary

, .

H e also gave u s a servant who had strict orders to keep ,

offfrom us all import unate people that we might not ,

be anno y ed in any way .

Jun e 8 1 8 39 — T his morning ver y earl y the King

, , ,

started with his suite for A n k obar and w e proceeded to ,

A n g o ll al a where we arrived at two P M N ot long af

,
ter .
,

the King came back i m medi atel y assigned to us a

,

dwelling and sent us a c o w which w e kil led

, ,
.

J a n e 9 L o r d s D a
y
— V
’
er y earl y this morning
w e were called b y the Kin g w ho asked us for me d i ,

cine We told him that o ur particular business w as

.
,

to teach and preach the Gospel and that we w ere no ,

learned phy s icians ; but that if he desir ed w e w oul d ,

assis t him w ith medicine according to the best o f our

k nowledg e At the same time we took the opport unity
.

to request him to give us a num ber of boy s in order ,

that we mi g ht instruct them in the doctrines of the

Bible and in other useful branches of knowledge H e
,
.

prom ised to comply with our request We thought it .

as w ell to make thi s application in order to Show him , ,

at the com m encem ent of our stay in his coun try the ,

good intentions we have for the welfare of his people .

Jun e I O—Very early in the morning we w ere again

called b y the King who repeated his desire for medical
,

as s istance Our conversation y esterday havi ng turned

.

to geographical subj ect s we took with us to day a globe

,
-

and maps to give him an idea of Geography H e w as

, .

pleased with all that we explained to hi m but at last

62 JU D I C I AL P R O C EE D I N G S .

not so frequent in Shoa as it is in T igré but in gene

ral the y have the sam e character .

We have had several interviews wi t h the King the

last thr ee days H e wi shes to m ak e use of u s as phy
.

s i c i an s, archi tects artists 85 0 H ow ever we told him

, ,
.
,

that if we served him in these things to the extent of

o ur po w er which w as very limited w e shoul d do it
, ,

onl y for the sa k e of the L ord and His Gospel and

,

requested him to g ive us an Opport unit y to preach the

Gospel and to instruct the y outh His usual repl y is
,
.
,

I k now this and shall consul t with y ou about it by

,

”
and bye .

Jun e 1 3 1 8 39 — T his mornin g w e met with the King

,

at the place of j udgm ent H e was sitting on an elevated .

spot and the persons who had com plaints or b u siness

, ,

were standi ng at the entrance of the King s house ’

.

F o ur Judges S it to hear the com plain ts of t he people ,

and decide upon them If their decision s houl d not

.

please the King he himself decides In giving j udg

,
.

ment he spends several day s every w eek H aving seen

,
.

the m anner in which the King gives j udgm ent w e ,

were then i ntroduced to his w or k men Blacksm i ths .

,

weavers and other tradesmen are gathered within a

,

large place w here each of them perform s the piece of

,

work assi g ned to him ; which having finished he is , ,

obliged to S how to the King who if not pleased with i t , , ,

orders hi m to improve it T hu s the King could in a .

short time improve the state of arts in his kingdom if ,

he had a fe w skilful trade s men from E urope .

 I NST R U C TI O N I N G EO G R A P H Y . 63

Jun e 14 —Since the King gave orders to us not

to give aw ay medi cine we have been like prisoners not
, ,

being able to converse with an y one H ow ever we .

,

y ield to these circumstances if the King wi ll only ,

send us bo y s to instr uct In the meantime w e are not

.
,

wi thout business I am occupied w ith [ E th iOpi c and

.

Am h ar ic stu dies and Mr Isenberg is wr iting abo ut

,
.

Geograph y . Several day s ago the Alaca (director ) of ,

the Chur ch of Me dh an alim at Ankobar w as sent b y

the King to study our language Mr Isenberg began
, . .

t o instruct him but after several lessons he expressed ,

hi s wi s h to be taught Geograph y We had rather in .

t ro duc e to h im biblical studies ; but his mind is still

not draw n to t he great subj ects of the H oly Scrip
tures T h e name of this Al aca i s W o lda Scrat It is
. .

remarkable that we shoul d have at fir st to do with an

,

Al aca of a Me dh an al im Chur ch At A do w ah the Alaca .

,

of Me dh an alim w a s the man who endeavour ed to ex

,

pel us from the country ; and in Shoa an Alaca of ,

Me dh an al im is o ur fi rst s cholar Geograph y it is tru e .

, ,

is not enough to enlighten the Abyssinian people but

we must act as circumstances require If w e cannot .

preach the Gospel in a direct w ay we must do it in ,

directl y T o the various branches of know ledge Scrip

.
,

t ure truth may in man y way s be legitimatel y connected .

All is o ur s if we are Christ s w ho will in His o w n ’

, ,

t ime Open a way for freely preaching His w ord .

Jun e 1 7 —
’
T hi s morning Beru the King s boy
, , ,

came asking us in the name of his master whether

, , ,
64 I N S T A N C E S OF THE
we u nderstood ho w to prepare sugar and brandy .

We ans w ered as on a form er occasion and repeated ,

o ur request to receive bo y s for the p ur pose of i n

s tru ctin
g them ; and that we w o ul d then serve the
King as far as w e coul d Beru went away ; but re .

t urned immediatel y to fetch o ur kitchen vessels w hich -

,

the King wished to see At the same time he longed

.
,

for a E uropean di s h and begged us to write down as

,

f ar as we kne w h o w to prepare one H avi ng ans w ered .

that w e could not meddl e with such matters w e re ,

quested o ur servant to serve the King in this respect .

H e w as immediatel y called to prepare a dinner T h e .

King is anxious to get from E uropeans all that he

sees and hears It is however to be regretted that
.
, , ,

he onl y endeavours to consult his o wn personal a d

vantage and com fort without reflecting upon the w el
,

fare o fhis people Well qualified mechanics of all

.

kinds are well received b y the King ; but they dare

not expect E uropean w ages T he y receive their daily .

maintenance but that is all I am sure that skilful

, .

artisans who are real Christians woul d render great ,

ser vices to o ur Mission H o w m uch the King seek s

.

after his o w n interest the following instances will

,

prove N o m an in Shoa except the King is allow ed

.
, ,

to prepare the Aby s s inian h y dromel which is called ,

Zat sh —prepared from w ater honey and a plant , , ,

named zado a . F urthermore an Al banese whose , ,

nam e is Johanes who was formerl y a Mah o m e dan and

, ,

t urned a Christian in Shoa b uilt a bridge over the ,

66 FEST I V ALS OF ST . MICH AEL
Jun e 1 8 ,
1 8 39 — T o
day is a festival of the Abys
-

sinians t hat of St Michael O n thi s day the King

,
. .

gives clothes to his slaves who ar e several hundreds ,

in n umber Man y persons cam e before o ur house

.
,

begging for Clothe s We offered them bread which

.
,

they refus ed to accept others begged for medicine .

June 1 9 — Ou learning that the King is about to leave

An gol l al a w e repeated o ur requ est for boy s to instruct
,

t hem H e sent w ord that he would send them from

.
,

the cit y he intended to build in the tribe of the Abed

t sh o o .B eko o the Governor of the Galla tribe called
, ,

A dai applied f
, or me di cine being tormented as he ima , ,

g in e d b y a bad genius
,
Mr Isenberg bled him
. a f
ter .
,

which he felt better ; but he soon fell back into his

former state which increased so m u ch that his people
, ,

w ere compelled to tie him .

Jun e 20 — T h is morning the Ki ng set out to b ui l d

a cit y We took leave of him on the road O bser ving
. .

u s he stood stil l a moment and said

,
H ow do yo u , ,

do We praise God that H e has di sposed the heart

of the King toward us B efore he left An g o ll al a he .
,

sent his boy several tim es who said that the King c on , ,

s i d ere d us as his relations yea as brethren and that , ,

h enceforth w e should make him acquainted w ith all o ur

,

reques ts and he woul d attend to them Kno wing the

,
.

expressions of the Abyssinians we do not lay too much ,

stress upon them ; however w e see his good feelings ,

toward us H e has sent to u s from tim e to time a

.
,

sheep or a co w o r something else A s all the people of

, ,
.
 A ND K ID A N ME H E R AT . 67

the King are obliged to go wi th him several boys with , ,

whom I had begun to read the Go s pel of St Matthew .

,

have left our instruction Know ing how little c an be

.

done in instruction if boy s are not continuall y with us

, ,

w e urged the King many times to send boy s with whom

we coul d begi n a regular course T h e Al aca W o l da .

S erat comes ever y da y being much pleased with Geo

,

graph y H e is possessed of a good memory and o f

.
,

much understanding but his heart is still far from the

truth of the Go s pel .

Jun e 2 1 — T O day it r ained for the fir st time sinc e

-

o ur arrival in Shoa Strong w hirl s of dust had pre

.

di cted its approach We learned to day that the King

.
-
,

is b uil ding a cit y which he intends to call S al ai sh

,
.

W h en he b ui lds a ne w cit y he cau ses a long trench to

,

be dug around the place where he wi shes to b ui ld ; then

constructs a wall b ui lds several houses of wood and
, ,

delivers the city to a new governor having with him a ,

n umber of soldiers In this m anner the King intends

.
,

to sec ure his frontiers ag ainst the inroads of the Gallas .

T hus An g o ll al a itsel f has arisen N e w settlers arrive

.
,

a ch urch is built b y the King and a large village is ,

seen in a short tim e .

Jun e 2 2 — T his day is the feast of Kidan Meh erat .

Several learned Ab y ssinian s say that God appeared in ,

paradi se before Mary and made a covenant with her

, ,

in consequence of which she should redeem the w orld .

O thers say that Christ made this covenant w ith His

,

mother in the month o f F ebr uar y during th e time of

, ,
68 C O NVERSA T I O N

sixteen day s H o w little do this people kno w o fth e

.

real covenant of grace which God has made from the ,

beginning with m ankind to bless it in Chri s t

Jun e 2 4 1 8 39 T his morning I requested my mule
,
-

from Ayt o Melko o the master of the horse ; to whose

,

fl
care the King had com m itted our mul es H e refused .

to send it ho w ever wi thout having a special order from

,

the King T hu s w e are not masters of o ur propert y

. .

E ver y thing even the most tri i ng is subj ect to th e

, ,

w ill of the King A cup of wi ne cannot be given to a

.

foreigner without his command H e has at present .

about two hun dr ed persons who receive their dail y ,

maintenance from him T h e dail y maintenance is called

.

D irgo .

Jun e 2 6 —T h e Alaca W o lda Scrat told us this morn

ing that the Abyssinians are of opin ion that St Mat
, ,
.

thew wrote his Go s pel i n H ebrew St Mark in L atin ,

.
,

and St L uke and St John in Greek H e then asked

. . .
,

whether we believed that A dam w as seven y ears in the

garden of E den We replied that w e di d not kno w
.
, ,

as the Scriptur es say nothing about it and that w e di d

not acknowledge their book S en afeh at on which that ,

opinion re s ts as divi nel y inspir ed We too k this Op

,
.

p o rt un i t
y of sho w ing the great di f
ference there is be
t w een the Word of God and that of men ; and h o w ,

dangerous it is to m i x both together O ur confession .

that w e di d not know and that w e are in these things

,

not so wise as the Abyssinians w ho have another Bible ,

than w e have confused him very much When he w ent

, .
70 C O N V E R S A T I O N ON F A S T I N G .

does not follow the pharisees who fa s ted in order t o ,

be j u stified but t hat he followed Christ and His

disciples — that Christ the heavenly bridegroom is in
, ,

the hearts of believers and always wi th them — that

,

they look upon His merits and kno w what H e has don e ,

for t hem and therefore the y cannot mourn but that if

,

the y mourn for their w eakness and sinful n ess the y ,

know that they h a v e a n a d vo c a te w i th th e F a th er Jes us ,

Chr i s t th e r ig h teo us If they mo urn that the y do not feel

.

the presence of their master —as the Apostles mour ned

when their master was g iven into the hands of sin ners
—they k now that H e wi ll come again and s ay to them ,

P e a c e be w i th y o u When Chri s t went to heaven it

.
,

di d not foll ow that He is not now with us and therefore ,

that w e shoul d fast as the A byssinians endeavour to

,

prove b y the above mentioned passage ; and that Christ

-

is not far from us but H e is in o ur heart s if we accep t

, ,

H im in faith But the Abyssinians w ho have not Christ

.
,

by faith m our n as if H e w ere far o f

, f crucifying ,

their flesh not knowing the j oy an d peace of Christ ;

,

and as if by the m o rt ifi c atio n of their flesh the y would

, ,

produce their reconciliation wi th God which Christ had ,

fully e f fected ; that the Abyssinians connect thei r o wn

righteousness with that of Christ uni te Christ w ith ,

Moses grace w ith the law and the Spirit wi th the fle s h

, ,

and that the y are like those who put ne w w ine into ol d
bottles and ne w cloth on an old garment where the
, ,

rent is made w orse ; as w e see with the Ab y ssinians ,

who though they mortify their flesh b y fasting are

, ,
 A BY SSI N I A N

fl
C HR

livin g in all the sin s of the e sh —i n all fornication and

lasciviousness .

Jun e 2 7 1 8 3 9 —T his da y it rained very much

O N OL OGY

I
.

.
71

felt my heart in a confused state and longed for the ,

grace of heavenly rain .

Jun e 2 8 — 1 asked the Alaca W o l da S erat about the

countr y of Si dam a mentioned by Mr Gobat in his
,
.

Journal H e told me that he di d not kno w an y thing

.
,

about that coun try ; but that he thought it was Segama ,

fro m which country m an y slaves are brought to Shoa .

H e then asked about o ur chronology I told him that .

w e count 4 004 y ears before Christ T h e Abyssinians .

,

he said count 5 5 00 y ears before Chri s t which they

, ,

prove from Luke i 2 6 A n d i n th e s i x th m o n th th e

.
, , ,

a n e l G a br i e l w a s s e n t r o m G o d un to M a r
g f y I said .
,

that I did not won der at such an opinion as the Ab y s ,

sinians had not a soun d exposition of S cripture to rely

upon as they either followed hum an boo k s or wrested
, ,

the sense of the passages of the Bible I then referred .

him to the genealogy in Genesis v .

Jun e 3 0 L o r d s D a y —I w ent this morning to the

’

church I Ve th ink it necessary to go often partl y that

.
’
,

they m ay not accuse us as de s pi s ers of their chur ch ;

par tly to become acquainted with the people and priests ;
and partl y that w e may become well acquainted w ith
the manner of their worship O n coming to the door .

of the church I was obliged to p ul l Of

,
f m y shoes .

H avin g entered the ch urch I was requested to sit at ,

the side of the Alaca and received a long stick w hich

, ,
72 A BSU R D S TO R Y .

the priests carry w ith them and o n which the y lean in ,

church All that they do in church is to make a ter

.
,

rible bawling which the y call sin g in g T heir hymns

,
.

are contained in a book called D e gu a which book is ,

composed by an ancient teacher of their church whose ,

name is F ared from Sam i en In singing the y frisk

,
.
,

and dance beat together with their sticks then w ith

, ,

cymbals and drum s T heir bawling is interrupted b y

.

readi ng a portion of Scripture In fact the whole .

,

seems to be rather a play than w orship

July 1 1 8 3 9 —V er y early this morning I heard a
.

, ,

lou d cry in the neighbourhood of o ur house O n ask .

ing what it w as I w as told that there w ere several

, ,

persons who wi shed to make their complaints known to

the King T hey cried Abiet Abiet It i s the dut y o f
.
,

the King s coun s ellors who are called W an b er o t sh that

’
, ,

is D eputies to carry the complaints of the people before

,

t he King In general the four W an b er o t sh decide

.
,

themselves but they must alway s bring their decision

before the King who in other cases relies upon them as
, ,

his D eputies With the cry Abiet ! Abiet the Abyssi

.
,

n i an s connect a stran e stor

g y T he y say that the devil .
,

o n the day of j udgm ent wi ll cr y in the same m anner ;

,

when the L ord wi ll as k him what he requi res from Him .

T h e devi l wi ll answer that the angels have taken from

,

him a number of souls who belonged to him ; when the

“
L ord wi ll ask hi m their name s to which he will reply I , ,
” “
do not know T h e L ord wi ll then an sw er l fthou dost
.
,

”
n o t kno w the name of the thieves I cannot help thee , .
74 V I LL AG ES OF A NG OL L A L A .

his astonishment at these w orks o f h uman hands .

A fter all he applied for magic sentences against sick

,

nes s Mr Isenberg replied that this w as a great sin

. .
, ,

and entirel y u seless and that it w as the duty of every

Sick person t o put his confidence in God and to u se ,

s uch remedies as God has given to men .

July 6 1 8 3 9—A man from T igr e w hose name is

, ,

Akal o o called upon u s this afternoon

,
H e has been .

several years in Shoa and is often sent b y the King to ,

Gondar and other places of Abyssinia

,
I learned .

from h im that in the neighbourhood o f Ankobar in

, ,

a grove there are a n umber of persons about fort y

, , ,

who are follo wers of a sect called T abiban I suppose .

that they are Jew s o f the sect of the F alashas in Am ,

hara T h e people of Shoa are in great fear of them

.
,

like the people of Amhara who consider the F alashas ,

as sorcerers E very skilful man in Shoa is called T a

.

bib . I shall give more information o f the T abiban

hereafter
July 7 : L o r d s d a y —T h e L ord w as near to m y
.

heart this morning in readi ng His Word T hough w e .

are withou t the blessings which o ur E uropean brethren

have on this day y et the L ord is not far from u s when
,

seeking after Hi m in humble pray er and me di tation on

His Word T h e Apostle John who w as banished
.
,

from the society of hi s brethren to the desolat e I sle

of P atmos w a s there i n th e sp i r i t o n th e L o r d s
,
’

day .

Ju ly 8 —C inquiring this afternoon after the names

n
 I NS T R U C T I N G A L AC A S E R AT . 75

of the V illages around A n g o ll al a I received the follo w ,

ing i n formation 1 T o the west is a V illage called .

T sh erko s 2 T ophit to the north 3 D al et sh a to the

. . . .

north east 4 Koni biet w here formerl y Gallas have

- . .
,

been who w ere converted by the pre sent K ing of Shoa

,
.

5. Mutin g en s a A s nobody w as with u s I began to

.
,

read the Introduction to the H oly Scriptur es published ,

by the R ev Mr H uber of Basle A well wr itten book

. .
, .

o f t h is ki n d in Am h aric wo uld be very us eful to u s I .

may al s o remark that a number of well wr i t ten books ,

in Amharic w oul d be very desirable It is not suf ficient .

to put the Bible onl y into the hands of the people ;

t hey are in w ant of books to illustrate its doctrines ,

else the y read it onl y in the false light of their

tradi tions If Messrs Isenberg and Gobat could
. .

be charged b y the Committee during their stay in

E urope to satisfy thi s want in some measure a g reat
, ,

service woul d be rendered to the Mission in Shoa .

T 0 day it is one month since our arrival at A n g o ll al a

-
,

and to morro w the King has settled that we shoul d go

-

t o An k obar T O morro w w e shall probabl y go as far as

.
-

D ebra Berhan and from thence to Ankobar ,

.

Sin ce I wrote the precedi ng the King has emplo y ed ,

me in instr ucting Alaca Scrat — chie f of the Ch ur ch at

Me dh an al im in Ankobar— whom he sent to us i n
,

stead o f the boy s w e had applied for requesting us to ,

instruct him U pon asking the Al aca what he wished

.

to learn he said that he wi shed u s to teach him our

,

lan g uage I began therefore teaching him E ngli s h ;

.

E 2
76 A K A L OO D ESI R ES I NS T R U C T I O N .

but then I di scovered that his next obj ect w as merel y

the learning the nam es of the letters in the Amharic
alphabet T hose names are g iven in L u do l fs Gram
.
’

mar b ut are at present very seldom know n in Ab y s

,

sinia so that it appears to them a n ew thing After .

I had given h im those names I took the Bible to read ,

with him He then said he k ne w that he wi shed to

.
,

learn s om ething that he did not know I then began .

in s tructin g h im in geograph y for which p urpose I ,

commenced translating F rank s Geograph y contracting ’

,

some part s and enlargin g upon others ; giving the

,

A laca every day one or t wo lessons in geograph y an d

, , ,

a few lessons in E nglish H e takes an interest in .

geograph y In the translation I have arrived at the

.
,

end of E ur ope and in teaching I am com e to P russia , .

I endeavour to render even this a means of communi

cating the Go s pel to h im continually praying that the
,

L ord may open his eyes : it is difficult to penetrate

through the thick veil of his mind When treating .

o n parts of the Script ur es he has alwa s several e xpl a

y ,
,

nations at hand ; so that the word does not impress

h im . A t the sam e time he is r i c h a n d i n c r e a s e d w i th ,

g o o d s a n d se ems to h a v e n e e d o
, f n o th i n
g Ma y the .

L ord Open his heart

A T igrean of the nam e of Akal o o frequentl y comes
, ,

t o us saying that he wishes to learn and expressing

, ,

him s elf ready to accept every thing good that w e may

say to him Y esterday and to day the L ord enabled
.
-

me to l ay before him the subj ect of his salvation

78 GALLA T RI BES .

troublesome persons aw ay from us B y this means we .

are not molested b y disagreeable calls ; but on the ,

other hand w e are also prevented fr om frequentl y

,

preaching the Gospel i n s e a s o n a n d o ut of s e a s o n .

We have how ever obtained a promise from the King

, , ,

that such persons are not to be prohibited who express

a desire to be instru cted by
T h e air here is pure an d the climate ver y fresh : the,

t emperature varies from 4 7 to 6 0 F ahr enheit and ° o

,

since the m i ddl e of last month w e have had rain once

or t w ice ever y day At that time the King w ent to .

S al ai sh where he made the first preparations for the

,

b uil di ng of a ne w town remained there one w eek and , ,

then returned hi ther to An g o ll al a .

T h e language o f this coun tr y has some dialectical

di fference from the A mharic as spoken in Amhara and ,

T igr e several soun d s being di f

,
f
erent and several w ords ,

havi ng a di f ferent signifi cation I wr ite as much a s .

I c an of t he D i cti o n aI y noting do wn the differences ,

.

Ju ly 1 1 1 8 3 9 —T h e T ribes of Gallas to the south

,

of Shoa which are tributar y to the Kin g of Shoa

, ,

are : 1 Ab e dtsh o o ; 2 A dai ; 3 Soddo ; 4 Abbo ;

. . . .

5 . Seban ; 6 T sh i dda ; 7 Afsal a ; 8 Golan ; 9 Mesta ;

. . . .

1 0 Mait sh a
. B et sh o and F errer w hich are in the
.
,

south are not tributary T hus I am informed b y the

, .

S o n of B eko o Governor of the tribe A dai

,
.

July 1 2 — T his afternoon w e w ent on an excur sion to

r o ts h —A f
f fro, in th e si n gul a r, w h ic h I h a v e r en d ere d G uard i an , not

h a vin gb een a b le t o as certain th e ex act m e an i n g o fth e t erm .

 R I VE R T SH A T SH A . 79

see the before mentioned river T sh atsh a situated abo ut

-
,

four mi les from An go ll al a We saw one of its cata .

r ac t s abo u t sevent y feet in height

,
O n the way I saw .
,

for the first time E n set a nice plant which is described

, , ,

in Bruce s T ravels T h e Ab y ssinians use it in baking

’
.

bread which is wr apped in it and gives to it a partic ular

, ,

scent which I do not like T h e w ater of the T sh at sh a

,
.

run s in a deep dale bet w een t w o mountains T h e rivers .

Beresa and T sh atsh a are said to go to the N ile T h e .

T sh at sh a separates the Gallas from Shoa T hus w e are .

on the frontiers of the heathen T h e L ord grant that .

this heathenish nation which has its seat in the cen t re,

of Africa m ay soon become a people of God ! I hum

,

bl y and ur gently beg the Comm i ttee to give their help

ing hand to thi s nation T h e w ay to a great part of .

the Gallas is accessible since the way to Shoa has been

Opened T h e access to the Gallas is easier from Shoa
.

than from any other place We kno w about forty tribe s .

of them by name A great number o fthem are tribu.

tary to Shoa T h e Gallas are in a lo w state of heat hen

.

ism T hey have not priests like other heathens but

.
,

are opposed to the introduction of a ne w religion .

T he y know only abo ut a Being whom they call ,

Wake T he y have no s y stem of religion O n par

. .

t ic ul ar occasions t he y sacrifice a c o w or sheep to t h e

, , ,

Wake ; but the y are not di rected to do so by priests

i t is a free w ill o f
fering T h e language is common to
-
.

all Gall as Al l these things seem to facilitate a Mission

.

among them A partic ul ar reason for attempting a

.
8 0 A RR I V A L AT

Mission among the Gallas is becau se w e do not kno w ,

what may be the resul t of o ur Mission in S hoa T here .

is a village called T sh erko s on the T sh at sh a where

, , , ,

four y ears ago the Christians were killed by a Gover

,

fl
nor who having fallen out with the King of Shoa
, ,

rai s ed the Gallas against him At first he attempted .

,

t o assas s inate the King ; but his son detected the pro
i g a te design of his father before it was executed .

Ju ly 1 3 l 8 3 9 — T o day is the feast of the Ab y ssinians

,
-
,

called Selassie at which tim e the King ret ur ns to Anko

,

bar We were t herefore ordered to set out from An

.

g o ll al a We left this place with m ixed feelin g s O n

. .

t he one hand we praised God that H e had incli ned the

,

heart of the Kin g of this country toward us and on ,

the other hand we were dissati s fied w ith the little work
,

which we had been able to perform in o ur hol y obj ect .

But w e w a lls by fa i th n o t by s ig h t We hope that 0

, .

m eans of useful ness will increase at A n k obar and pra

y ,

the L ord to Open us a door to preach His Word .

I V e set out from An g o ll al a ab out ten o clock ; but ’

being unable to reach An k obar we passed the night ,

in a vi llage called Met ati t on the C h acka m ountain

, ,

about five m il e s from A n k obar A n old m an received .

u s into his house in which men and anim als were living
,

together and in a smo k e which nearly suff

, ocated us .

Ju ly 1 4 — T his morning we ar rived in safet y at An

k obar . A s we were about to enter the town we were ,

s topped by the people of the Governor who told us ,

that we must w ait til l the Governor had been informed

 PAR T I I .

R E SI D E NC E A T A N K OBA R .

C H AP T E R I .

AR R I VA L TH E K IN G A T A N K OB AR —IN T E R V I E W I V I T H H I M —PA R T I
OF ’

C U L A R S OF TH E G A L L A T R I B E S T O TH E N OR TH O F S H OA G U E BR A

W I S H F OR IN S T R UCT I ON —
fi

G E OR G I S E X P R E S S E S A V I S I T T O TH E CH U R CH
OF S T G E OR G E —P A R T I CU L A R S OF TH E K IN G OF S H OA
. N D H I S F A M IL
A Y
—A B Y S S INI N F A S T S —A CC OU N T OF TH E S E CT OF TH E T A B I B A N
A

M R K R A P F C OM M E N C E S A V OC A B U L R Y OF TH E G A LL A L A N G U A G E
A

O R I G IN OF TH E N A M E O F A N K OB A R —OP INI ON S R E S PE CT IN G TH E W OR
.

'

S H I P O F TH E V I R G IN M A R Y —C ON V E R S A T ION W I TH P R I E S T S OF DE B R A

L IB A N OS R E S PE CT IN G TH E TH R EE B IR TH S OF CH R IS T—S H O AN M E A

S U R E S A N D R A T E S O F B A R T E R —L E A P Y E A R O F TH E A B Y S S INI A N S
-

P A R T I CU L A R S R E S PE CT IN G TH E G U R A G U E COU N T R Y —L IS T OF E TH I
OPI C B OOK S — F E S T OF T E C L A H A I M A N OT —
A V I S I T T O TH E CHU R CH OF
ST M ICH E L — B Y S S IN I N S N E W Y E A R —G A LL A T R IB E S IN TH E S OUTH
A A A
"

OF G U R A G U E —C ON V E R S A T ION
.

W I TH P R I E S T ON CH R ONOL OG Y
A

S T R A N G E S T OR Y —V I S I T T O DE B R A B E R H A N —I N T E R V I E VV W I TH TH E

K IN G—V I S I T T O T E G U L E T TH E A N C I E N T C A P I T A L OF S H OA
, .

July 1 5 ,
1 8 39 — T his morning the Kin g arrived at
A nkobar : w e paid o ur respects to him on his way t o
his house .

Ju ly 1 6 —T oday the King sent his boy requ esting

-
,

to kno w whether w e understood ho w to stamp dollars .

In repl y w e begged to be introduced to the King O n

, .
 G AL L A T R I B ES N O R T H OF SH O A . 8 3

appearing before him we said as on a former occasion

, , ,

t hat w e were messengers of the Gospel interfering w ith

no other business a n d consequentl y were not qualified
,

for coining money ; b ut that ifhe gave orders we s hould ,

be glad to serve him b y writing to o ur fr iends in

,

E urope who w ould render him every assistance they

,

coul d i f he di d not prevent us from teaching in his

,

c o un tI
y A.t the same time Mr Isenberg acquainted
,
.

hi m of hi s resolution of leavi ng Shoa in the month of

O ctober to go to E ur ope where he w o ul d commun icate
, ,

to o ur fri ends the w ish of the King He approved of .

all that w e said H avi ng retired to our house the

.
,

Kin g s bo y came and conducted us to another house

’
,

in whi ch the father of t he King had formerl y dw el t .

“be were very glad of this change having been much ,

molested by the people at o ur fir st hou se O n entering .

our n ew house a Mah o m e dan whose name is N a s ir

, , ,

from a Galla tribe called D aue called upon us H e i s

, , .

t he son of the Governor of his tribe whose name i s ,

Abb e . H e said that Beroo the ruler of Argobba

, , ,

havi n g ta k en from his father all his land had fled for ,

refuge to the King of Shoa who restored him to h i s ,

former power ; but that his country w as tributary t o

Shoa T his man gave me the follo wing information
.

respecting the Gallas dw elling in the north Of Shoa .

T h e capital city of Beroo the ruler of Argobba who is

, ,

dependant on Gondar is Aineh 0 11 the T sh af

, fa river , ,

which is called Berko n a by th e people of Shoa T h e .

T sh af f a co m es from the west and sends its water to th e

,
8 4 G U ER R A G E O R G IS .

H awash in the countr y of A del T h e T sh af

,
fa river .

so called b y the Gallas— separates the northern Gallas

from Shoa T here are the follow in g T ribes : 1 D aue ;
. .

2 Wollo ; 3 Wara ; 4 G af
. . fra ; 5 W o t sh al e ; 6 Sako ;
. . .

7 Bo tto ll o
. 8 T e h ul a dere ; 9 Gille
. 1 0 A ssall o . .

1 1 A s sub o ; 1 2 L a g a g o r a
. . 1 3 Gam a ; 1 4 S a g am b o . .

15 .Kallola ; 1 6 Fet sh o o ; 1 7 I tto o 1 8 Karain ;

. . .

1 9 Arru s i 2 0 T ch erker
. . T h e last four T ribes are
.

in the ea s t of Shoa .

N asir had a Christian boy with hi m who w ished to ,

be instructe d by us T h e name of this boy is G ueb ra

.

Georgis about fourteen y ears of age H is father is a

,
.

D ebtera — a learned A byssinian — whose father T ecla ,

H aim an o t was Alaca of the Church of St George

,
I . .

received a g ood i m pre s sion of thi s boy on m y first co n

versation w ith him H e is the onl y boy who has a real
.

de s ire for ins t ruction H e has a good understanding

. .

His father intend s to m ake him a prie s t and to send ,

him to Gondar to be ordained when the Ab una comes .

If his heart should be changed by the H oly Spirit he ,

would become very useful to our Mi ss ion F rom other .

information I learned that the T sh affa and Berko n a are

,

different rivers which having j oined flow to the Hawash

, , .

July 1 8 1 8 39 — T o day I comm enced instructing

,
-

G u eb ra Georgis : I began reading the Gospel of St .

Matthew with hi m .

Ju ly 2 2 — I n readi ng with G ueb ra Georgis I have ,

g o t as far as the m i ddle o f St Matthew s Gospel I ’

. .

have also commenced instructin g him in Geography .

 8 6 I NST RU C TIO N IN SI NG I N G .

care the King commits strangers having been informed

,

that we had receiv ed a second bo y repeatedly charged,

our servant to prevent per s ons coming to us We i m .

me di atel y informed the Ki ng of these proceedings and ,

w e had the pleas ure to receive his orders that nobody ,

who w ished to be instr ucted should be hindered comi ng

to o ur house Since that time the number of our
.

scholars has increased .

I finished to day the ph y sical part o f Geograph y with

-

Gueb ra Georgis H e is much pleased wi th Geography

. .

A ug us t 1 1 8 3 9 — Since I w as in the Ch urch of St

, .

George several priests have visited us t o talk about re

l igi o us subjects .Indeed most of the persons who have
come to u s for that p urpose are of that church the reason ,

of which may be that half a y ear ago Alaca M elat

, ,

w a s dismissed b y the Kin g in consequence of the di s

putes about the second and third births of Christ T h e .

people of St George believe in t w o births

. .

A ug us t 4 —T h is afternoon I made the acquaintance

of a man whose name is Arkadi s His b us iness is to.

instruct a number o f boy s— about 1 00—i n singing .

D esiring to get access to his scholars I endeavo u red to

gain over this man to me H e promised to send his
.

son about seventeen y ears of age to be instru cted

, , .

T h e instru ction in singing is given in conformit y wi th

the book of F ared If a bo y does not like instruction
.
,

he is punished by his parents— a custom in Ab y s

sinia What a great blessing these bo y s w oul d become
.

to their country if they w ere instructed in the pure

,

knowledge of Christ !
 ’
K I N G OF S H OA S FA M I LY . 8 7

A ug us t 5 —A man of hou se gave u s thi s morn

o ur

ing the following information about the King and his

fami l y Sahela S el assi eh became Ki ng of Shoa when
.

twelve y ears of age and has no w reigned twent y seven

,
-

y ears H e is the seventh king o f Shoa T h e follow

. .

ing is the li ne of the king s of Shoa : 1 N agath ; 2 . .

S eb ashi 3 Abie who took A nkobar in war from

.
,

t he Ga llas 4 A m ah a F esus 5 A sfa Wassen 6

. . .

W us sen Segged ; 7 Sahela S el a ssi eh the present kin g

.
,
.

T h e King has ten daughter s b y s everal wi ves B y his .

firs t and favourite wife who i s called Be s ab esh he has

, ,

a daughter and t w o sons T h e eldest son is twelve

.

years of age T h e male chil dr en of the Ki ng are kept

.

in prison at Quat sh o on the eastern frontiers o f Shoa

, ,

in the neighbour hood of A del O n the death of the .

King hi s eldest son is taken out Of prison and in

,

ari— th e fir s t door
t r o du c e d as king b y the Mal afia A g af

k eeper— whose dut y is to crow n the King T h e n ew .

‘

King then puts his brethren in prison being afraid of ,

disturbances which they might create against him .

T his aft ernoon the Kin g went to Machala Wans a ,

village about five miles distant from Ankobar in order ,

’
t o k eep the sixteen day s fasting of the Ab y ssinians in
memory of the Fel s at (ascension ) of Mar y T his fas t .

is called the Fel sata fast .

A ug us t 6—T h e above mentioned fast commences t o

da y Since the King has withdrawn t he prohibition of
.

Se rta W o l da respecting persons c e rn ing to us we have

, ,

had more people to instruct i n the Word of God I .

8 8 A B Y SSI NI A N F A S T S .

called in th e a fternoon upon A laca W o lda Scrat ,

and spoke with him about the dif f

erence bet w een the
Word of God and that of men I afterw ard asked .

him about their fE thio pi c books h e gave me a num ber

o f titles H e also s aid that t he Christians flyin g from
.
,

G ra gn e — a bigoted Mah o m e dan king of A del— went

beyond the countr y of Gur agu e taking with them books ,

and 6 00 T ab o t s (com m union tables ) .

A ug us t 7 1 8 39 — T his morning I asked Akal o o whom

, ,

I have mentioned before what the Ab y ssinians eat when ,

the y fast H e answered that they were onl y allo w ed to

.
,

eat goman stin g in g nettles and dr y bread T h e present

, ,
.

fast i s called the fast of N ah asi e N ah a si e is .

our A ugust T hen follow s the H odad fast in the

.
,

months of F ebruary and March which lasts 4 0 day s ; ,

after which in June the fast of the Apostles which last s

, , ,

t w enty five or thirt y day s ; and then the fast of N in eveh

-
,

which lasts three days In the month of D ecember is .

T s o m a ledat O ther wise they fast every Wednesday and

.

F riday T h e fasts of Fel sata H o da di e Apostles as

.
, , ,

well as those of ever y week are i m posed on them as ,

a work of necessit y A s to k eeping of the other fasts

.

it is vol untarily T h u s they pass a great part of the

.

year in fasting seekin g t hereby their o w n ri g hteous

,

ness If a person does not fast he is separated from

.
,

the Church ; and if he does not repent he is not i n ,

t erre d in the common burial ground .

A gu u s t 8 — T his afternoon a man whose name is ,

H ab tu came to us A s he w as reported to be an adherent

,
.
90 OPINI ON S R ESPE C T I N G T H E

t ures in Am haric T h e people seem t o understand who

.

w e are and wh y w e have come to t heir country

, .

A ug us t 9 1 8 3 9 —I began to collect a V ocab ular y of

,

the Gall a L anguage T h e son o fAyto Beko o called u pon

.

us. H e said that there w as a queen of a Gall a tribe

, ,

called Mul o fal ada which is in some measure dependant

,

o n Shoa T h e King is said to have invi ted her to come

.

to Shoa when she replied that if he w ished her to ,

come he must cover the w hole w ay with silk Sh e

,
.

is ver y rich and strong in w ar : her name is T sh am ieh .

At the time of King Abie a wi fe being the ruler of a ,

Galla tribe w as in possession o f this town H er name

,
.

w as Anko H ence the name of this tow n —Ankobar

.
,

“ ”
that is the door of the Anko Bar means door In
,
. .

Shoa there are fi fty one Ab aga s or w atchmen o f the

,
-
,

frontiers T heir dut y is to inform th e King of the

.

arrival of strangers T he y are obliged in general t o .

,

secure the boundaries against inroads or other casualties .

Herein w e may see the margraves of old in German y .

T h e A baga of the Mah o m e dan s is called W al asm a .

T hu s for instance W al as m a Mahomed W al asm a M u sa

, , , ,

o n the frontiers of A del .

A ug us t I O— A priest from B ul ga called upon us this

afternoon sayi ng that there are two opinions in Shoa
, ,

respecting the imploring and venerating of Mary T here .

is a part y at Bulga and Man sh ar in the province of ,

F atigar who say that Mary is to be venerated and

, ,

implored as Christ himself T his party is called .

“
Mesle Wold that is (in the E thiopic ) like the Son ,
.
 W ORSHI P OF THE V I R G I N M AR Y . 91

An other part y which prevail s at A nk obar and D ebra

,

Li banos is of Opini on that the Son onl y ought to be

,

“
implored and venerated T his p arty is called VVa .

”
l aw o ld m ag s at (only to the Son belongs veneration )
, .

T h e late Abuna C yr illus being asked about this doc ,

trine forbid them to di spute about it H e also forbid

,
.

them to eat fish at the time of fasting .

Ar ka di s who instr ucts boys in singing called upon

, ,

us again When he left w e gave him a cop y of the

.
,

N ew T estament His son comes ever y day

. I am .

rea din g w ith him the Gospel of St John With Gueb ra . .

Georgis I have read the Gospels of St Matthew St .

, .

Mark and St L uk e
,
. .

A ug us t I I —Our cop yist W o lda Zadek told me , , ,

that E fat is di vi ded into U pper and L o w er E fat Mach .

food—o n o ur maps falsely called Marfo o d— belongs to

U pper E fat Ali o am b a is in L o w er E fat
. T h e di strict .

of Mach fo o d it is tru e has a great elevation compared

, ,

with the situation of Ankobar Ali o am b a and its , ,

neighbour hood ; and that may b e the real cause of this

di vision Our W o rki e told u s this evening that the
.
,

people o f the H abab in the neighbourhood o f Mas ,

s o w ah professed the Christian faith a short time

,

ago but that they t urn ed Mah om e dan s on account of

a monk who forbid them to drink the milk of camel s
, ,

and not being inclined to compl y wi th this the y changed ,

their religion Most o f them have still Christian

.

nam es When I was at Massowah I did not know

.
,

t his else I should have made inquiries P erhaps th ey

, .
92 C O N V ER S AT I O N S
could be brou ght back to the Christian faith in its
better and purer form T heir language is that of
.

Massowah which is the [E thiopic in a corrupted state

,
.

With Guebra Georgis I have finished the Geograph y

of E urope .

A ug us t 1 2 1 8 39 —T o day is the feast of the A nnu m

,
-

c i ati o n of Mar y T hree priests were here fro m D ebra

.

L ibanos asking about the second and third birth s of

,

Chri s t I read John iii and spoke about the regeneration

. .

o fthe sinner .

A ug us t 1 3 —T h e priests of D ebra L ibanos came

again to day w ith several others asking about the
-
, ,

births of Christ A fterward a m an from Gondar called

.
,

upon u s : his name is Gueb ra Selassie I asked him .

abou t Caf fa and E n area H e said that it is ten days .

,
’

j ourne y from Gondar to Basso on the N ile ; and from

Basso to E n are a fifteen days ; that cof fee is brought from
C af f a and civets from E n ar ea and that shells corals
, , ,

and pieces of s alt are the current mone y there .

T his afternoon I called upon A laca W o l da Selas

sie of the Chur ch of T ecla H aim an o t in Aferb ei n i
,
.

His Church was built by the present King When .

I returned I found several people with whom I

, ,

read Matt iii O n reading the passag e A n d h i s m ea t

. .
,

w a s l o c us ts a n d w i l d h o n ey the y said that John di d , ,

not eat locu s ts (an b ata) but another meat T he y are , .

afraid lest the y should ma k e John a Mah o m e dan b e ,

cause the Mah o m e dan s eat locu sts T hus the y read the .

Bible in the false light of human tradi tions .

94 S H OA N M E A S U R ES

from the A dail

tribe Wema arrived this afternoon from
,

T adj urra without having an y thing for us

,
We longed .

ver y much to receive money as all o ur m one y was ,

spen t ; but w e w ere di sappointed Mahom ed Al i i n .

‘

formed us of the arrival of two F ranks at T a dj ur ra A .

priest from D ebra L ibanos informed us that T ecla ,

H ai m an o t w ho is considered as the R eformer of the

,

Ab y ssinian Ch urch w as born at B ulga and died at

, ,

D ebra L ibanos .

T h e King sent this afternoon an Abyssinian cloth to

each of u s sayi ng that it w as cold
,
A s w e w ere .

about to send our ser vant to the market place w e -

,

asked hi m about the measures of Shoa H e said that .

,

twent y kuna of grain make a daule ; that one daule

o f barle is got for t w o pieces of salt and that one
y ;
daul e of w heat is bought for five pieces of salt In .

T igre sixteen measures make a m a d e g a ; besides o n e

, ,

measure is smaller than a kuna in Shoa F or o n e .

piece o f salt three loads of w ood are Obtained at An

,

kobar A Maria T heresa dollar is at present changed

.

for seventeen or twenty pieces of salt Sometimes a .

dollar is changed only for eight ten tw elve or fifteen , , ,

pieces of salt T h e place w here salt pieces are changed

.
-
,

is Al i a o m b a a large Vill age about six m i les di stant

,

from the east of A nkobar the inhabitants of whom ,

are nearl y all Mah o m e dan s T h e place where mules .

,

horses & c are bou ght is D ebra Berhan about t w ent y

,
.
, ,

miles to the w est of Ankobar T hese places are th e .

greatest market places At Ankobar there is a market

-
.
,
 A ND RA T ES OF B AR T E R . 95

e very S aturday where you c an buy sheep corn and

, , ,

s ometimes grease and other things T h e market .

place is w ithout the town about a m i le distant o n

, ,

the river Air ara and the Ch a cka mountain About .

w eights I have got no i n formation ; for instance h o w ,

man y dollars are paid for an ounce of gold At .

Gondar the ounce (w o ki ch ) of gold is valued at nine

,

dollars .

With regard to establishing a commerce betw een

Shoa and a foreign coun try the present ci rcum ,

stances perhaps appear suitable for it T h e way .

bet w een Shoa and the coast does not occasion g reat
hindrances if the matter coul d be settled with the
,

people of A del and the King of Shoa T h e trade .

with mul es and horses w oul d be the most promising ,

as a good mul e is here w orth about ten or t w elve dol

lars and a good horse eight or nine dol lars : on the
,

coast a mule is worth about t w ent y four or t w ent y six

,
- -

dollars T herefore if merchants w ould bu y them in

.
,

Shoa they would derive a good profit

,
.

A ug us t 2 0—T h e King sent us t o day fif t y pieces of

salt We are very thankful for all that the King has
.

given us as o ur mone y is spent Our clothes paper

,
.
, ,

ink money and every thing is gone an d our l uggage

, , ,

which we left at T a dj urr a is not expected to arrive for

,

three or four months ; and when it does w e have no ,

means to pay for the carriage o fit .

T h e T i g reans are of opinion that Christ anointed

himself In saying so they c ut o f
. f th e Holy
,
96 ABY SSI N I A N L E A P - Y EAR .

Ghost from Christ by whom H e w as anointed T he y

,
.

who believe in the three births of Christ say that ,

Christ in the w om b of Mary was anointed by the

, ,

H oly Gho s t ; and this t hey call a third birth We .

reply w ith reference to L uke i 3 5 that the H oly

,
.
,

Ghost did not come at that ti m e upon Christ but upon ,

Mary whom the pow er of the Highest over shadow ed

,
-

and consequently that Mar y received the H oly Ghos t

,

at that time and not Christ upon whom the Spirit of

, ,

God descended when H e was baptized on the Jordan

, .

Matt iii It does not appear that the y con s ider the
. .

baptism of Christ as a third birth as I was of Opinion ,

that the y did A priest called Bi es an a is said to have

.
, ,

brought from Gondar to Shoa the dispute about the

three births of Christ R especting the death of Mary .
,

it is said by one party that she di ed a s an Offering for

,

the sins of the world or at least that she has redeemed

,

souls others say that she di ed t o go t o rest till

,

she shoul d rise from the dead We always tell them .

,

that their errors and confu s ion of Opinions arises from

neglecting the study of the Bible .

A ug us t 2 1 1 8 39 —A priest whose name i s Gu eb r a

, ,

Sela s sie turned the conversation to the subj ect of leap

,

y ear H e said that the A bys s inians call the names of

.
,

their y ears after the four E vangelists ; that in the year of

Matthew of Mar k and of L uke they add five days to
, , ,

t he year ; but in the y ear of John the y add six days , .

T his addition is called pag m i e T h e present is th e .

ear of John T h e E vangelists are the Al aca s or

y .
98 P R OD U C E OF G U R AG U E .

7 . Buij an a ; 8 . Fo u dam o ; 9 . D at sh i ; 10 . Jettan e ;

1 1 Are t sh at ; 1 2 H eb err er ; 1 3 Ar o g o m
. . . an e ; 1 4 D obi ; .

15 . Faw itui ; Sera S an gan i a ; 16 . Ja tab o n a ; 17 .

18 Mohor T h e places where Armeni or heathens

. .

reside are — 1 Mascan ; 2 Ab o rrat 3 Fake dar

,
. . .

4 W a rub 5 Mans ; 6 S ab o l as ; 7 Fa der ek ; 8 W um

. . . . .

nan ; 9 All akiro 1 0 D uh ab er ; 1 1 E n dag a ch

. . .

12 Masmas ; 1 3 Magar ; 1 4 E ner ; 1 5 A sha ;

. . . .

1 6 T sh ah a ; 1 7 W o ll an e
. T h e most distinguished . .

mountains of G urague are : Karra Ko taltiti Gafersa , , ,

U ttukuf Ma k e T eru E n g e d o ko tto B o de g ab ab D ino

, , , , ,

koti E n o kal er and Sert T h e principal rivers are

, ,
.

Wiser in the district of D anu where the P riest himself

, ,

w as born D ers af; A sas Sh erb an e s Meke and Jama ,

r ako a di o Most of these rivers run into the lake of

.

S uai O n the way from Ankobar to the H aw ash

.

y ou pass three rivers ; namel y Akaki Gur at sh a and , , ,

Furri T h e current money in Gur ague is salt

.

dollars do not pass Knives scissors nee dl es & c .

, , ,
.
,

are w ell received T here is mu ch cof fee in Gur ague ; .

and w ine is also produced T asma hone y o f the .

,

most precious kind is found in the provi nce of ,

Ab am ada T heir houses are better than those in

.

Shoa T h e w omen of Gurague make carpets from

.

the E n si ete plant of which I made mention above ,

.

T h ere are abo ut thirt y nine monasteries in G urague -

.

T h e Galla T ribes bey ond Gurag ue are the follow ing ,

Maroko L aki L ani D amo and E n de g an

, ,
In the , , .

neighbourhood of Guragu e is the country o fS en sh ero ,

 E T H I O PI C B O O K S . 99

where are man y Chris tian s and Mah o m eda n s eight

day s j ourney beyond is that of Mager the Kin g of ,

which is called D ego i e H e is very strong T here is

. .

another countr y in the same neighbour hood called

, ,

K o r tsh as si : it is surrounded by Gallas on every side ;

and all the inhabitants are Christians .

I read with the priest several chapters in the Gospel

of St Matthe w and aft er w ard gave him a cop y of the
.
,

N e w T estament wr iting in i t
,
T h e messengers of th e
G ospel give this boo k to the Christian Churches Of
”
G urague in t o k en of love
,
.

A ug us t 2 2 1 8 39 — A s y esterday closed the fast of

,

Mary this day w as one of great j oy an d the people

, ,

ate and drank to the delight o f their hearts : it is

t herefore called a great Fa s ika T his feast i s called .

T e s car . T h e King sent a c o w with som e hens and ,

eggs to o ur house T his T e s car had a bad infl uence

.

upon o ur instruction as nobody came to day O ur

,
-
.

G ue bra left us to eat and drink in th e house of h i s

father .

A ug us t 2 3 Our copyist H ab t a S elassie who is a

-
, ,

learned Abyssinian g ave me the following list of rE th i

,
’

opie boo k s : 1 A ragaw i m an fas aw i ; 2 T il iki su s ; 3

. . .

Mar ish ak (these are call ed the books Of the Monks ) ,

4 T a am ra t
. 5 G adel a S am atal 6 T amera Mariam ;
. .

7 D il s an a Mariam ; 8
. A rgano ; 9 S en ke sar ; 1 0
. . .

G adel a Georgis ; 1 1 T amera Georgis 1 2 C adela T ecla

. .

H ai m an o t 1 3 Gadala G ueb ra Manfa K e d us 1 4 G a

. .

dela G uebra Christos ; 1 5 Ab u Sha k er ; 1 6 Sen a . .

F 2
1 00 E T H I O PI C B O O K S .

Markos ; 1 7 . H e zan a Moia ; 18 .E t s hi Jo h an o s ; 1 9 .

Sena Aihu d 20 . G e n s et 21 . Georgis Wolda Amed ;

22 . Mazh a f
a Mi s tir ; 23 . E r o t aa H ai m an o t ; 24 .

I Vudat ti e A m la k 25 . G u eb ra H e m am al ; 26 . T amera
Jesus ; 2 7 K al am en t o s ; 2 8 S eifa S ela s sie ; 2 9 D er
. . .

sana Michael ; 3 0 D ersana Me dh an alim ; 3 1 K ufal i e

. .

32 . S efafa Z edek 3 3 E g s i ab h er N egs ; 3 4 A mada

. .

M i stir 3 5 Zoma D egu a ; 3 6 Sena Fetr at A mada

. . .

Mi s tir and S ena Fe trat are wr itten in A m haric In .

the Church of St George there are seventy books

.

belonging to it It is very di fficult to get a book by

.

pur chase if you wish to possess one you must get it ,

C opied .

I s poke to our copyist about the conversion of the

Gallas H e s aid that the Galla s do n o t l ike the Chris
.

tian R eligion an d say that the people of Shoa ar e not

,

better than themselves ; that they w ill not bear the

heavy y oke which i s imposed on them by fastin g and
that they are of f ended at the E thiopic language— to
them an unknown language— in which they are tau ght
“
by the Ab y ss inians I said Why do yo u impose
.
,

on t hem s uch a heavy load ? D o yo u not kno w what

Chri s t s ays (Matt xi
, M y y o h e i s e a sy a n d m y
. .
,

bur d e n i s l ig h t ? W h y do yo u i m itate the exam ple

of the P ha risees who transgre s sed the commandment
of God by their tra di tions
A ug us t 2 4 1 8 39 —Several persons called upon us
, ,

askin g for the Kalem ab en at T h e Ab y ssinians are of .

Opin ion that there is a medicine w hich put into bread , , ,

1 02 THE F ES T I VAL
edan ,
told u s this morning that the King had ,

c ut of f the nice bin di ng of the books w hich w e ,

gave him at o ur first meeting with him to use ,

for another p urpose We do not think however that

.
, ,

it is true T h e people of Shoa like those of T i gr e

.
, ,

do not like the A mharic very much but prefer the ,

rE thi o pi c We endeavour to prove that as the A mharic

.
,

is the langu age of the countr y and as the [ E thiopic re ,

quires a long study the Amharic is mu ch more prefer

,

able to an unkno wn language We refer them to .

1 Cor xiv w here St P aul is speaking about the use

. .
,
.

lessness of speaking in an unknow n tong ue F inally .

,

we say that the fE th i Opi c is a translation like the

,

A mharic which has its preference in so far as it i s

,

corrected in conformit y w ith the H ebrew ; while the

f E th IOpi c translation is made according to the S eptua
gint . P erhaps it w ou ld be expedient if the Bible ,

Society w ould print the ZE thi Opi c and Amharic in one

volume in the same w ay as the y have printed the
,

A ncient and Modern Greek N e w T estament in one ,

volume in t w o Opposite colum ns I wi sh that we w ere

,
.

in possession of a qu antity of fE thi o pi c N ew T esta

ments . T his m orning A laca W o l da S erat proposed
to me to change the works of St Chrysostom for a .

’
cop y of the N e w T estament in rE thio pi c At Angol .

lala I of
,
fered to him a copy of the Am haric N ew
T estament ; but he refused to accept it asking for the ,

fE th i o pi c It al w ay s m akes a painful impression on

.

o ur min d if the people and partic ularly the first digu i

,
 OF T EC L A H A I MA N OT . 1 03

taries of ch urches refuse to accept the Holy Scr ip

,

t ures .

A ug us t 2 8 1 8 3 9 —T o day a priest o fBul g a cal led on

,
-

us H e said that there w as a large river called Kassam

.
, , ,

in the neighbourhood of Bulga and that it flow s into the

H awash T h e name of the Governor of Bulga is Berkie
.
,

who resides at Merfata A s there w ere about fi fteen .

persons with u s I read Matt xxiii with them and

,
. .
,

after w ard the Catechism with which the y were w ell ,

pleased .

A ug us t 2 9 —T o da y is the feast of T ecla H aima

-

not . T h e memory o f this Saint is celebrated three

ti mes in the year In the month of D ecember the .
,

m emory of his birth is celebrated ; in August his ,

death ; and in May his ascension T h e people of Shoa ,

.

say that there is a well called T abal by drinking the

, , ,

water of which S ick persons are restored to health .

T ecla H a im an o t they say opened this well ; the arch

, ,

angel M i chael who was his Mediator with God having

, ,

shewn hi m where the well was O n this day the King .

,

gives money and salt to the poor an d mul es to those who ,

cannot w alk in mem or y of T ecla H ai m an o t who c ured

, ,

c ripples and other sick men When they go to D ebra .

L ibanos they bring back d ust from his grave making

, ,

on his feast a cross w ith it on the forehead T hey sa y .

,

t oo that this dust is good in man y cases of sickness

,
.

A ug us t 3 1 —T here being about eight scholars here ,

I read with them in the Gospel of St John In the . .

aft ernoon I went to s ee W o lda Hanna who wished to

, ,
1 04 V I SI T S T o THE CH U R C H ES OF

learn the E nglish L an guage We had a conversation .

about Geography When I left him he asked about .

,

o ur necessaries sa ying he w o ul d s end bread and wine if

, ,

w e were in w ant of them I should be very glad if I .

had a better knowledge of the Am haric L anguage but I

hope w ith the assistance of God to improve it every
, ,

day Mr Isenberg h a s fini shed his Geography which

. .
,

he began to w rite at An go ll al a H e intends to w rite .

a brief U niversal History A Spelling book w as co m .

-

posed b y him at An g o ll al a We have made copies of .

those w orks wr itten by Abyssinian s .

L o r d s D a y — I w ent very early this

’
S ep t 1 1 8 3 9
.
,
.

m orning to t he Church of St Michael T h e A laca W o ld a . .

,

Mariam on seeing m e requested me to ta k e a seat b y

, ,

his side I gave him a copy of the N ew T estam ent in

.

A mharic with which he w as much pleased asking at

, ,

the same time whether I had none in ZE thio pi c

,
.

O b s erving him w onderin g at the nice binding of the

book I took the Opportunit y to speak to him about
,

the blessings contained in it and then briefl y related

to h i m the hi s tory of the R eformation S ho w ing hi m ,

that o ur forefathers w ere in as much dar k nes s as the

Abyssinians are at present and h o w they were ,

delivered from it by the li g ht of the Word of God ; and

finally I spoke to him about th e w orldly blessings
,

which we have enj oyed S ince the time of the R eforma

tion of o ur chur ches I have much hope that they .

w ill allo w us to preach in their ch urches for the pre v

sent ho w ever I endeavo ur to make m y acqu aintance

, ,
1 06 A B Y SS I NI A N NE W -
Y EAR .

of gold —She resides at Selat D ingai in the neighbo ur ,

hood OfT e gul et .

S ep t 9 1 8 39 —I r e a d thi s mo rning A ct s vi ii to a blind

.
, .

man explaining to him t he mind Of Sim on the sor

,

cerer and the sincere m i n d of the E unuch

, .

S ep t 1 0 —T hi s is the last day of the Ab y ssinian y ear

. .

O ur boy G u eb ra Georgi s spo ke this evening about

, ,

T heodorus wh o in the opinion of the Ab y ssinians is

, , ,

the Apostle John who shall come at his time to rule

,

all Jerusalem .

S ept I l —T o day the ne w year of the Abyssinians

.
-

begins T he y coun t n o w 7 3 3 2 in their chronology I

. .

w ent to the Ch urch of St George havi ng been in .

,

formed that a priest would give a speech in Am haric .

A s I arrived too early I w ent away Mr I senberg

,
. .

w ent after w ard to hear t he speech and came bac k ,

much distressed abo ut the nonsense he had heard T h e .

spe ech was taken from the books of Sena Fetrat and
A mada Mi sti r being written in A mharic
, .

In the aft ernoon a D ebtera Gu eb r a M ariam called , ,

upon u s O n asking where he was born he replied

.
, ,

that he was from the isle of H ai g w hich is in a large ,

lake in the coun t ry of the Galla tribe the name of ,

which is T eh ul a der e in the north of Shoa On this

,
.

island there are about a hundred house s and a mona s ,

t ery w here wives are not admitted : the live at some

,
y
distance from the monaster y T h e island is eight day s .

j o ur ney from A nkobar F oreigners who w ish to enter

.

Shoa are com pelled to w ait in the neighbour hood o f

,
 GALLA T R I B ES . 1 07

this lake for orders from the King of Shoa T h e name

,
.

of the Governor of T eh ul a dere is Al i Marie who is de ,

pendant o u R as Ali at Gondar and who is at present at ,

w ar with Beroo of Argobba .

T h e priest of Guragu e came this evening asking for ,

a definitive ans w er whether I w ould go w ith him to

,

his co untr y I ans w ere d in the negative though I

.
,

w as much inclined to go with him and I intend to do ,

so in the month of D ecember .

T h e Galla T ribes in the so uth of G urag ue are the

follo w ing : 1 W u das s 2 Mai ; 3 Abb o s o ; 4 Ab o
. . . .

S i t sh o 5 Masso 6 L ell o n 7 Imer ; 8 F ullo

. . . .

8 . B an o s o 9 . Fal an do s o 10 . Mirrer . T he GO
V ernor of the to w n sent a sheep to this evening us .

S ep t 1 3 T his afternoon the priest S aw o l d w ho

.
-
,

delivered an A mharic speech on the morning of the

n ew
y ear called upon
,
us H e is one of the most .

learned Ab ys sm i an s I have seen but he is very proud .

H e turned the conversation to Chronology saying that , ,

the A b yssinians had seven chronologies I after w ard .

went to Alaca W o l da H ana who is sic k ,

.

S ep t I 5 —T h e above mentioned priest

. S aw o l d , ,

called upon us again and t urned the conversation to

,

Chronolo g y as he had done on his first Visit When

,
.

we said that w e had a firm basis for o ur Chronology in

,

the 5 th chapter of Genesis and other parts of the O ld

T estament he said that the Jews had altered the
,

Scriptures — an opinion which I had never heard from

an Ab y ssinian— and therefore w e co uld not rely upon
1 08 C O NV E R S A T I O N W ITH
the Hebre w We said that w e did not expect that he
.

would s peak in favour of the Mah o m edan s who also ,

s ay that the Jews and Christians had altered the Scrip

t ures We then endeavoured to prove that the Jews
.

did not alter the O ld T estament el s e they woul d have ,

fir s t altered the prophecies referring to Christ and

further that the Je w s had numbered the letters and
, ,

were very anxi ou s to keep the genui ne text of Scrip

ture T h e conversa t ion then turned to Cyrillus L eon
.
, ,

D i o sc eur us and other distinguished men in the Church

,

at their times F inally th e priest spo k e of the births

.
,

of Christ and the late Abuna Cyrill us wh o m they c o n

, , ,

sider like an angel in heaven .

S ep t 1 6 1 8 3 9 —T h e priest of G ur ag ue came again I

.
, .

read with him Matt V H e after ward s poke of a kind. .

of lion in hi s country which is called D ib A nb e sa ,

.

H e added that nobody had seen him but that when

,

s peaking of a strong m an the y compare h i m with the ,

D ib A n b a s a A nother priest born at Fin t sh a the

.
, ,

capi tal city of the prov ince of Kuara in the w est of

“

D e m b e a called on us
,
I asked him abo ut the people
.

d wellin g on the s ources of t he N ile— which the Ab ys

sinians call A b ai— whether they were Christians or hea
thens H e s aid that they were Chri s tians I a sk ed
. .

h i m wh y they sacrificed to the N ile to which he replied ,

t hat it w as a cus t om in A byssinia to sacrifice cows ,

S heep & c ,
in cases of S ickness and or bad times It
.
,
.

i s a fact that the Ab y ssinians have this custom ; and

,

therefore w e may doubt the statement of Mr Bruce that .

1 10 T H E ABU NA OF T IGR E .

guage ,a Christian T hat countr y is said to be on .

the w ay to E n ar e a .

S ept 1 7 1 8 3 9 —Several priests asked u s whether the

.
,

A b una had y et arrived from Cairo We answered in .

the negative T here are several causes which prevent the

.

Abyssinians from getting an Ab una T h e Governors .

of T igre and Am hara are at present in the possession

o f the land s belonging to the A buna wh ich sho uld h e , ,

come they w o uld be obliged to deliver to him Another

,
.

cause i s that the Abyssinians are at variance w ith

,

each other T h e people of Gondar defend the Opinion of

.

the three births of Chris t which opinion the people of ,

T i g re Oppose T h e Abuna of T igr e is therefore not

.

acknowled g ed at Gondar and vice versa T h e Ab una ,

.

C yrillus w ho defended t w o births w as expelled from

, ,

Gondar .

In the afternoon several persons came to see my ,

w atch of which they had heard from others consider

, ,

ing it as a wonder I said that it was their time to con

.
,

vert their minds to Christ Heb iv A priest Spoke . . .

”
about a b o o k the title of which is I sc an der We sup
, .

pose i t is a translation from the Arabic T hen he spo k e .

about the boo k s of D iony sius Areopagita Mr Isen . .

berg proved to him that it w as an error to ascribe those,

books to D ionysi us mentioned A cts xvii O ur W o rki e , .

told u s this evening of a large city on the side of the

river Mareb in the country of the Shangallas the
, ,

name of which is Mai daro .

S ept 1 9 —Alaca W o l da T esf

. a called u pon u s this
 V ISI T To D EB R A B ER H AN . 111

aft ernoon We asked him about the following strange

.

s t ory which o ur W o rki e had related to us the day

,

before T h e A bun a C h ri st o do ul us at the time of

.
, ,

King N abla D enghel had reprimanded the people ,

of the Fet sh o o s on account of their Viciousness E x .

asperated at t his they thought in revenge to defame

,

him . A t fir st they brought the servants of the Ab una

over to their side T h en they s laughtered a chil d
.
,

which they presented at table to the Abuna and the

King who were si t tin g to g ether one hand of the child
,

was still to be seen in its natural state T h e Abuna .

was astonished at the s i g h t and the King as k ed whe , ,

ther such w as the usual m eat in that hou se H e was .

“
ans w ered in the af firmative H e then said F rom .
,

henceforth slau g htering and blood shed di ng shall have -

no end in your country T herefore they are called F et .

,

shoo t hat is — his hand T h e Abuna is said to have

,
.

raised the child from the dead to bear witness to his ,

innocence
S ep t 2 0 —T his morning about seven o clock we
.

’
.
, ,

set out from A n k obar and arrived at D ebra Berhan ,

about t w o o cloc k in t he aft ernoon Several days ago w e

’
.

had intended to go but the people of the Kin g refused

t o give us our mules till they had received definitive
,

orders from the King to deliver them up to us H av .

ing arrived at D ebra Berhan we w ere conducted to a ,

bro k en tent though much rain w as falling .

S ep t 2 1 —T his mornin g Beru the King s boy

’
.
, ,

came to our tent say ing that the King had been i n
, ,
1 12 V ISI T TO T EG UL E T .

formed of o ur arrival y esterday evening very late We .

begged the King throu g h Beru to allo w u s to have

, ,

an inter vie w with him in order that we might c o m ,

m un i c at e to him our business A t the same t i m e we .

,

made him acquainted with Mr I s en b er g s intention of .

’

retur ning to E gypt and E urope Beru immediat ely .

returned bringing w ith him a sheep and som e bread

,

from the Ki n g T h e King expressed his regret at Mr

. .

I s en b erg s going so soon A s it rained much w e asked

’
.
,

for a house which was given u s b y the people of Serta

,

Wold whose duty it is to take care of foreigners

,
.

S ep t 2 3 1 8 39 —T his m orning we met wi t h the King

.
,
.

H e was willing to let Mr Isenberg go We then told . .

him that I wished to rem ain here and in course of

, ,

time to go the Gallas to preach the Gospel to them ,

.

“
H e answered T hat will not do : the Gallas w ill kill
,

”
ou T h e peo ple of Shoa attem pted to convert these
y .

heathens by m eans of war and m agic sentences ; but

they refused to accept the Christian faith .

S ep t 2 5 — T his morn ing about seven o clock I

’
.
, ,

set out fro m D ebra Berhan to V isit T egulet the an ,

cient capital city of Shoa and a river called S al at sh a , ,

which flows at the foot of the m oun tain on which

T egul et is built I went in an easterly di rection and
.
,

came to a mountain where a steep way conducted m e

,

into the dale where the river flow s Having arrived .

at the river I coul d not find a way to ascend the

,

m ountain on which T e ulet is b uilt though I could

g ,

see very well the place where the cit y was At pre .
 C H AP T E R II .

R E TU N O N K OB — CCOU N T O
R T A ARU PE T I T IOU C E E M ON
A F A S RS S R Y

R E M K — L V E IN TH E E V I C E
AR S S A S TH E K N G CO N V E T ION S R OF I -
R SA S

O N V I OU U B E CT S—N T I C E O TH E G OV E N M E N T D I C I P LIN E
AR S S J O S F R S ,

TH E B INI N CH U CH —V I I T
,

A ND U GE SA S OF A TH E K IN G
Y SS A R S T O AT

AN GO — D I CU I ON
L L AL A DE B T E A S N D
S SS ON D OCT IN L
I ‘V I T H R A JA R R A

POI N T S M ‘
RIN T E V I E
. I TH TH E K IN G P E V I OU T O
I S E NBE R G S
°
R W W R S

HIS DEP TU E F OM H O — M
AR R P F E TU N S O N K B
R S A R . KR A R R T A O AR

V I IT O L C
S T OA H NN — N V E T I N I TH P I E T
A A W L DA A A CO R SA O W R S T SE D

D OO ON B P T I M —VI I T A O TH ES L C O S — CU T OM O
T A A A F A FE R B E I N I S S F

TH E G LL — A INI N M ODE O N T UCT IN G OUTH C E E

AS AB Y S S A F I S R Y S R

M ON Y B P T I M —N OT I C E O V I OU T I B E
AT A S S F AR S R S .

S ept 2 7, 1 8 39 — T h e
. King having sent u s w ord that ,

we S hould go w ith him to An g o ll al a I resolved on r e ,

turning to A nkobar Mr I senberg foll o w ed the King . .

to An go l l al a in order to take leave of him I arrived

,
.

at Ankobar about three o clock in the afternoon O n ’

. .

enterin g the to wn I w a s stopped by the people of the ,

Governor to w ait for orders from him I went on my

,
.

w ay ho w ever kno w ing that the Kin g had given no

, ,

orders to prevent my entering the town A great n um .

b er o f those wh o had V isited us before for instruction ,

came to ask ho w I did and whether w e w ere all w ell ,

.

S ep t 2 8 —Mr Isenberg arrived this morning at

. .

Ankobar H e bro ught me the ne w s that a messenger

.
,
 L ESS ON S I N G E O G R AP H Y . 1 15

has arrived from A do w ah i n forming the King of the

,

arrival of four E ur opeans w ho w ished to come to Shoa

, .

T h e same messenger bro ught the ne w s that Oo b i eh the , ,

Zet sh e sm at sh of T igr e had put Cassai the son of S a

, ,

b ag adi s in fetters
,

S ep t 3 0—Sin ce the people have learned that Mr

. .

Isenberg intends to leave Shoa they have come in ,

numbers beggi ng for medicine T his morning one of .

o ur cop yists came asking me di c i ne for a monk Mr . .

Isenberg took the opportun it y to speak to him about

mon k er y T h e rainy season seems to be coming again
.
,

it having rained very mu ch for the last fe w days S a .

wold repeated his visi t to us and t urned the conversa ,

tion again to the subj ect of Chronology In the even .

i n g th e son of Alaca W o l da Scrat came begging us to

teach him Geography Several boy s and priests were
.

here I have finished with G ueb r a Georgis the G e o gra

.
,

phy and in the U niversal H istory I have proceeded as

,

far as the time of the R eformation I have also read .

with him the Gospels of St Matthe w Mark an d L uke .

, , .

Oc to ber l —V ery early this morning the son of ,

A laca W o l da S er at came I began to instruct him in

.

Geograph y A fterw ar d the son of the Alaca of

.
,

Af erb ei n i came bringing the P salms I had sent

,

him saying that the Alaca wi shed for something

, ,

greater than that of which he w ould inform to us We

,
.

s ent him w ord that it caused us much pain to s ee

,

t hose whose duty it was to teach others not li k e the

, ,

I Vo rd of God H e went away ; but ret urned in the af

.
116 ACC O UN T OF A

saying that w e should not be of

t ern o o n , ,
fended as the ,

A laca had already received a cop y of the P salms from a

monk who got it at Axum and was not in want of ano
,

ther but that he w ould be glad Of a N ew T estament .

Our W o rki e as k ed us whether w e k ne w an y t hing

,

of the traveller Arada who came to Abys sinia and

, ,

having travelled in so m any other countries b e ,

came a proverb in Ab y ssinia as for instance R as ,

Michael havi ng returned with his troop s to Gondar

“
from the country of the G o o dero o s said We have , ,

travelled like Ar ada .

T his evening we w itnessed a very mournful cere

mony A woman in o ur house the w ife of a man from
.
,

Gurag ue began suddenl y to sing At first we did

, .

not l isten to her but several ti m es repeating her

song we asked what it was Gu eb ra Georgis told us
, .
,

that she w ished to expel the bad spirits which she im

a in e d w ould i nfli ct her with sickness In singing she
g .

“ ” —
repeated the w ords L amana s aij a su gena a prayer

before the bad spirits are seizin g me Having finished .

her song she smoked for a fe w minutes and then sun g

, ,

again which having done s he m oved her head in every

dir ection I w ent to her and a s ked what s he was
.
,

doing At fir st I thought that Sh e was out of her

.

senses as Sh e gave me no ans w er Mr I sen b erg who

,
. .
,

w as rather un w ell to day also came to see her H e

-
,
.

a s ked her whether she was in the service of Satan ?

,

But S h e continued her idolatrous ceremon y T he .

people standing by brought her a red hen which she ,

1 18 R E M AR K S ON

onl y eaten b y the person w ho has performed the most

part In choosing a hen they prefer a red one T h e
. .

King has given orders to abolish this heathenish c u s

tom and the priests have forbidden the people to smoke
, ,

having Observed that all s mokers are fond of this

c ustom .

T hese proceedi ngs characterize very much the Chris

tians of Abyssinia T hey mix all together Chris
.
-

t i an i ty Judaism
,
Mah o m e d an i sm
,
and H eathenism ,
.

T h e ceremony j u st mentioned is common to them a s ,

w ell as the Gallas ; and the opinion of the above men

t i o n e d priest respecting the interpolations of Scripture
,

made by the Jew s is evidently a Mah o m e dan doctrine

,
.

T heir distinctions of clean and unclean foo d and the ,

use of circumcision as well as m an y other ceremonie s

, ,

are clear eviden ces of a mixture w ith Judaism We .

cannot expect a better s tate of religion among them ,

inasmuch as a string of silk put around their necks

as a S ign of their C h risti an i ty m o rtifi cation of their
fi

flesh by much fastin g —a strict separation from Maho

mede u s b y not eating with them— their ki ssing
ch urches imploring Saints disputing abo ut the
births of Christ— pil g rimages to Jeru salem or to the
grave of T ecla H aim an o t —all these things together
,

cannot change their hearts nor secure them against the

,

inroads of Satan T h e priests in stead of conducting

.
,

the people to Christ assum e the lordship over them

, ,

engrossing their attention with vain fables and storie s

of saints to whom they direct them for refuge as
,
 S U PE R S T I T I O U S O B SE R V A N C ES

their Saviours Hence ignorance superstition e shly

.

sins particularl y fornication have prevailed among the

, ,
,
.

, fl 1 19

people so that w e may w ell w onder at the remnant of

Christianity w hich stil l exists in this country Who .

c an cure the wounds o f Abyssinia but the L ord by ,

H is Spirit and His Word ? T o give them His Spirit w e

are unable ; but we c an serve them by suppl ying them
with the Word of God T h e Hol y S cript ures must
.

not only be laid dow n before the people b ut they must ,

be explained to them b y word and by writing and the

y outh must be instructed in the holy truths of the
Bible T h e L ord be praised that H e has enabled u s
.

to make a beginning though a small one T h e people

, .

kno w distinctly who w e are and why w e have come to,

t heir country A number of persons have heard the

.

sound doctrines of the Gospel by readin g the Scriptures ,

and conversation with them Mr Isenberg has endea . .

v o ur e d to further our Obj ect partly by conversing with ,

the people who came to us and partly by preparing ,

several school books w hich I could make us e of after

-
,

his departure I have on my part endeavoured b e

‘

.
, , ,

sides the ! E thiopic and A mharic studies to read w ith ,

the people in the H ol y Scriptures in reading which I ,

have got as far as the first E pistle of P aul to the

Corinthians . T h e L ord grant that the n umber of
our scholars may increase as w ell as o ur means in ,

receivi n g a great quantity of books ; b ut above all , ,

m a
y H e grant that w e may be filled w ith the spirit of
faith love wisdom and pray er
, , ,
 ’
120 S L A V ES I N T H E K I NG S SE R V I C E .

Oc to ber 2 , 1 8 3 9 — T o day I w as again overrun w ith

-
,

patients D ebtera G ueb ra S el a s si eh b rought his wife

.

as a patient T his woman is at the head of the fi rst

.

class of the royal spinning w omen who are t w o hun ,

dred in number and have to spin the finer cotton for

,

the royal cloth which the King dresses himsel fand

,

presents to his friends ladies governors & c A second

, , ,
.

class of spinning w omen are four hundred in number

these spin ordinary cotton for soldiers and others All .

are in the service of the King and seem to be free I , .

ob serve this circumstance here because there are ,

several hundreds of slaves particularly female s at each , ,

of the King s residences a t A nkobar A n g o l l ala D ebra

’
, ,

Berhan and Kundy T h e King s grinding women

,
.
’
,

f o r in st ance at A nkobar are I believe three hundred

, , ,

in number T h e water girl s who have to carry all the

.
,
’
necessary water for the Kin g s household and for ,

foreigners who are m aintained by the King are more ,

than that number : his female cooks I think are , ,

t w o h undred H e has also some hundreds of women to

.

prepare beer and hydromel ; so that the n umber o f

’
female slaves at An k obar only in the King s posses
-

sion exceeds by far one thousand A large number of .

male Slaves of the King are chiefly employed in carry

-

i n g w ood T h e nu m ber of slaves at each of the three

.

other residences is not qui t e so large as that of Anko

bar b ut there are many h undreds at each T hey are .

for the greater part from Gur ague ; others are Gallas ,

Sh an kel as others from the Zin dj ero co untry from

12 2 C O NV E R S A T I O N S W ITH

T he conversation then t urned to the relation betw een

clerg y and lait y w hen the y were told that all Chris ,

tians w ere called to be a roy al priesthood of God— tha t

priests w ere called to be not L ords over the faith of
believers but h e lp er s of their j o y —that the priest
,

is to rank above the congregation in knowledge and

experience in order to she w the people the w ay to
,

Christ—that the people m ust themselves go to Christ

if the y do not the priest availed them nothing —and
,

that if a lay man be taught b y Christ himself b y H i s ,

Word an d Spirit he will lack nothin g on account

,

of the priest s not havi ng been instrumental in bring

’

ing on his conversion T he y were further told that

.
,

where a w ork of God is going on in the minds of the

people the priest is not to interfere throwing dif
,
fi cu l ,

ties in the way of believers ; that he has onl y to ex

plain the w ill o f o ur common L ord to the inqui rer and ,

to assure the repenting and believing S inner from the

Gospel that his salvation has been wrought o ut by
,

t ah h — (May
Christ ; and t hat when say ing E g ziab eh er yi f
God ab solve thee —the A byssinian form of Ab solu
,

tion ) this is to b e a pray er not a magic form at the

, ,

com mand Of th e priest ; for the key s o fD avid are

in the hands of Christ an d to His Word priests and
, ,

laymen are alike to submit themselves .

T his afternoon several people w ere at o ur house ,

wi th w hom I converse d about our Missionary calling .

T h e subj ect of o ur conversation had previ ou sl y been

on the nat ure of faith and j u stifi cation b y it ; when a
 P R I ES T S , A ND O T H ER S . 1 23

brother of the Alaca of St Michael Observed that if

.
,

we con t inued to teach in this manner a blessing would ,

proceed from it to the country for the people would be ,

converted from their s ins ; but no w that I had resolved

to go away they w oul d S ink back into their darkness
, .

I repli ed that if they reall y loved the Word of God

, ,

t hey would apply for instruction to this foun tain of

wisdom i t se l f an d God w oul d give them His Spirit to
,

lead them to Christ and then the y woul d have no

,

occa s ion for our assistance but that ifthey had occasion
for us and loved us m y Brother Krapf who woul d remain
, ,

amon g them and who daily became more acquainted

,

with their language w oul d instruct them and that o ur

,

Society also woul d send other brethren to fill my place ,

and probabl y I should again come m y sel f T hey com .

mended our di sinterestedne s s in teachin g the people ,

and admini sterin g m edical assistance to t he benefit

of many gratuitously T o the latter point I in a
.
, ,

fr ien dl y manner re m arked that although we did not

, ,

want them to pay us for any assistance still they should ,

not de s ire it grat ui to usly becau se Scripture told us

,

tha t th e l a bo ur e r i s w o r thy ofh i s h i r e .

O ur conversation then turned on the distinction

bet w een Mah o m e dan s and Christian s on the Mateb ,

— a blue or white silk or cotton cord which ,

Christians w ear round their neck— and on the dis

t inction in eating and drinking I observed that love .
,

was t he di s tingui shing mark b y which tr ue Christian s

were kno w n from other men referring to the w ords of,

G 2
1 24 THE C H AR A C T ER OF TR UE
Christ John xi ii 3 5
, It is true said one o f th e
. .
,
’
priests of St Michael s .to b e friendly with frien d s, ,

and to g ood to the poor & c is th e first duty of all .

,
”
Christians I told him that this w a s not sufficient
.
,

and put the question to him whether if he loved his ,

friend it w as not because his friend loved him

, T hi s
he could not deny I then sho w ed him that in th u s
.
,

lovin g he loved his o w n s elf onl y I asked whether .

,

on b ein g o f fended by any person he did not become

angry ? H e answered in the af firmative I then proved .

h o w thi s which was far from being a di stingui s hing

,

mark of Chri s tianity but very Oft en met with among

,

heathen and Mah o m e dan s was not real love but , ,

selfish n e s s ; in contrast to which I endeavoured then

to Sho w what was true love nam ely lovin g our neigh , ,

bour without distin g uishing between friend or enemy

, ,

on account of our comm on Creator and R edeemer love ,

being our happ y dut y and our secon d nature and o b

served that though love was in its expressions af
,
fected
by the di f ferent characters and conduct of the beloved
obj ect s it was no t di stur bed nor destroy ed b y them
,
.

H e then asked whe t her in our countr y there w as no

,

thin g like hatred and enmity ? I ans w ered that this ,

question wa s not now a proper one ; but tha t if he

saw and felt the truth of what had been said he ,

w ould take the subj ect into serious consideration and ,

en deavour himself to arrive at the possession of such

l ove and such Christianity ; and even if he S houl d
happen to become the onl y man in the w orld who so
1 26 CH UR C H G O V E R N M E NT

t ravelling was so expensive he asked whether o ur

, ,

people di d not forward a poor traveller Meente

”
(for Mary s sake ) I told him that the y
’
Mary an ,
.
,

did not understand the Abys s ini an langu age in our

countr y H e replied that he would apply to the
.
,

study of our lan g uage ; and asked whether the y ,

woul d not for the sake Of the Vir gin forw ard hi m on
his j ourney I said that the y woul d ifhe coul d prove
.
,

to our people that Mary had sent him which he co ul d ,

not .

Oc to ber 4 1 8 39 —
,
P riest Abba T s e dd o o gave us this
evenin g some details concerning the govern m ent di sci ,

pline and usages of their Ch ur ch

,
.

G O V E R N M E N T — T h e number of priests and deacons

.

which are thought necessary for each Church is t w enty ,

one third of whom have to Of fi ci at e dur ing one week ,

whil e the other two thirds rest T here are however .

, ,

f ew Chur ches at present in this kingdom which pos

sess the ful l number owing to the want of an Abuna

, ,

or Bishop for the last eleven y ears to ordain priests

, ,

an d deacons ; so that there are man y Churches w hich

have been shut for want of priests D ur in g the week .

the priests Offici ate they live apart from their fam ilie s
,
.

E ach priest has got a num ber of s piritual children .

I II one sense all those who are un der his clerical care
,

as penitents to whom he a dministers absolution and

,

sacrament are his spiritual ch il dren ; but more strictly

, ,

the boy s who go to him to be instructed and ,

entru st themselves to his special clerical care are called ,

 AND DIS C IP L I N E . 127

his spirit ual sons At the commencement of their ward .

shi p the y sole m nly promise that the y w ill obey

, ,

their priests observe all the usages prescribed by the

,

Chur ch (and Abba T s e ddo o said the Word of God )

, , , ,

gi ve alms to friars to the poor the w ido w s and orphans, ,

’
and frequently take the L ord s Supper In this manner .

the y re m ain wi th the priest for several years and then ,

they decide w hether they will marry and if so whe , ,

t her they wi l l devote themselves to the priesthood or

no t or whether they give themselves to the monastic
,

life If they intend to marry the prie s t has to guide

.
,

their choice & c If the y enter upon the monastic life

,
.
,

they have to take a vo w never to have the least inter ,

course with the other sex never to look at a w oman , ,

nor hear her voice nor to eat an y thing which has been ,

dressed by women not even bread & c T his of

, ,
.
,

course lead s them to convents w here no females are

, ,

allowed to enter .

D I S C I PL I N E l In cases of cri m inal intercourse wi t h

.
><

women a monk is excommunicated for twenty years ;

,

a married man— w h eth er o f the clergy or the laity ,

for fo rty year s and a priest loses his office a n d is r e ,

moved into the laity I asked Abba T s e ddo o w hat was .

,

done when an excommunicated person died before his

t ime had tran s pired H e answered that in such cases .
,

t h e prie s t endeavo ured to prepare the d y ing penitent

I l
re a te h e re e x ac t ly w h at th e p ri t es to ld m e, n ot a ddi gn a n y re

m ar k s, re s e r v g
in so m e n e c e ssa ry e pl a
x n a ti o n p e rh a p s f
or a n o th e r

Opp o r tun i ty .
128 CH U R C H DIS C IP L I N E .

that i fthe latter really repented of his sins the priest ,

promised to take half the rem aining time of penitence

upon himself and to w ork it out by fasting and prayer
,

and for the other half he endeavour ed to persuade him

, ,

if he possessed an y property to di stribute it among ,

the poor the priest s and monks ; to order T es car s

, ,

feastings to the clergy and the poor in remembrance of

the dead person for the purpose of encouraging many
,

prayers for him— to see prayers performed and the ,

L ord s Supper adm inistered in his favour ; and thus

’

the priest dismissed the dying person with the ab s o

l uti o n and then the latter w o ul d after his death arrive
, , ,

in the Sheol— intermediate place bet w een hell and

heaven — where he had to stay until by his alms t es c ars , ,

pray ers fasting s and communion (m asses ) he got to

, ,

heaven I as k ed hi m whether this discipline was really

.
,

observed H e replied very seldo m thou gh it is still

.
,

acknowledged O n my inqui ring whether they had

.
,

an
y divine authority for prescribing as w ell as o b se rv
ing such discipline he referred to certain sentences
,

which he thought w ere taken from the Gospel ; but

which are derived fro m the F athers U pon show ing .

him thi s he appealed to the apo s tolical constitutions

, ,

and Fe th a N e g e s t —their code of laws I answered .

,

that those law s must be j udged b y the Word of God ,

and deviated from where they do not agree with it I .

then show ed him L uke xvi concerning D ives and ,

L azar us dw elling particularl y on the g r ea t g u lffi a e d

,
’

bet w een heaven and hell and the impossibilit y of pas,

1 30 C O N V E R S AT I O N ON

his loins E ncouraged by this success he gave the

.
,
’
remaining half of his father s possession for the same
purpose as the first and his father ascended o ut of
,

hell fire into heaven In reply to this stor y I told

-
.
,

him that w e considered Athanasiu s to have been one

,

of the most di stingui s hed F athers and that w e hon ,

o ure d him much on account of his manly conduct in

struggling against A rianism for the glory of the S on

of God and on account of the suf
,
f
erings he endured
in that cause ; but nevertheless we felt obliged to
, ,

examine into his doctrines and such things as did no t

,

harmoni z e with the letter and tendency of the Scrip

tures w e must rej ect and if this story which he ,

had been relating to me was really contained in A tha

,

nasins writings we should rej ect it as anti scriptural

’
,
-
,

though I doubted whether it had not been fal s ely

ascribed to him A S to m y o wn feelings I said that I
.
, ,

could not venture to pray for any dead person how ever ,

dear to me in this w orld becau se St P aul say s W h a ts o

,
.
,

e ve r i s n ot o
ffa i th i s s i n ; rea s oning thus —
F aith is
grounded upon the Word of God ; a faithful pray er i s
such as has a D ivine co m mand and a D ivine promise ,

for its basis N o w as to dead per s ons w e have neither

.
,

D ivi ne com m and nor promise encouraging us to pray

for them ; and consequentl y w e cannot pray I n faith
, , ,

if w e really pray for them and not being able to pray

in fai t h our pray er instead of being ans w ered would
, , ,

be counted as an addition to o ur numberless sins An d .

a further proof of this was James i 6 7 ; iv 3 T h e

,
.
, . .
 P R AY I N G F OR T H E D E AD . 1 31

fact w as that we believed the fate of mortals at leas t

, ,

t hose to whom the Word of God w as given to be ,

decided immediatel y after death— Luke xvi ; H ebrews

ix 2 7 Here was the seed time an d hereafter the har
. .
-
,

vest and he that died in sin for h im w as no further ,

sacrifice and even if we should suppose that God had

provided means for their salvation as they w ere not ,

wi thi n our reach nor knowledge w e coul d by no means

, ,

make any use of them H e answ ered that it was true

.
,

t hat those who died in s in had n othing but darkne s s ,

before them ; but that from behind this world there ,

fell some few rays of light into their path which tended ,

to lessen their dark night a little ; and if they made a

proper use of these ray s they woul d increase and by , ,

degrees lead them to full light T hi s is in itself an .

ingeniou s idea ; but who will lighten the way for the
,

dead as well as for the living if not th a t w o r d w h i c h

, , ,

i s a l a m p u n to m y fe e t a n d a l i h t un to m
g , yp a th ?

M A R R I A G E — I Vith regard to marriages he said tha t

’
,

their C hm ch permitted s uccessive marriages : w ith lay

'

men as m any as four T hey ho w ever do not quite

.
, ,

agree w ith each other some Ch urches not allowing more

,

t han three If people wish to live in accordance with

.

the Church they are obliged after their last marriage

, , ,

to enter the m onastic life not however as it seems with, , , .

the same restrictions as the regul ar Abyssinian monas

tic order .

F A S T I N G —Concerning fasting he mentioned tha t

.
, ,

m any people did not observe the for t y d a y s fas t i n g of

( -
1 32 ON FAS T I N G .

L ent ) nor the fast of the

, (after Whits un A postles
day o f t w elve days continuance ) nor that of the
,

V irgin s assum ption (a fortnight ) nor T s o m a L edat

’

(Advent ) but he that observed no fastin g at all woul d ,

’
not be in t erred in the Church s burial ground I asked .
,

h o w it w as that s o many people scarcel y ever fasted .

H e I e pl i e d that they still fasted every Wednesda y and

'
,

F riday ; and that they were not admitted to the Com

mun i on except they made penances for their non o h
,
-

servance Ofthe Saint s fastings An honourable burial’

.
,

however was not refused to the m

,
I asked h im w he .
,

ther they wo ul d b ury us since w e did not observe their ,

fastings H e said that they would ; for our Church

.
,

di d not prescr i be fasting H e then related of Abba .

Mo h all em —a certain A rmenian W o rtab et of the nam e ,

of Y ohannes who di ed here last y ear— that he had not

,

fa s ted at first and had even eaten m eat on Wednesdays

,

and Friday s whereby the people of Shoa thought that

,

the Arm enian Chuch had no fas tin gs but that after they
had several times ur g ed h i m to fast he at last y ielded , ,

compl ying w ith the Ab y ssinian custom .

Many have asked from us the fa m ous me dicine of

”
colours T o day a boy belon g ing to St Michael s
.
-
,
.
’
,

m entioned it again ; but I was g lad to Ob s erve that he

was not so superstitious ; for he remarked that that ,

medicine indeed produced pain in the bowels but ,

did not open the head .

Oc t o ber 5 1 8 39 T o day Abba T s e d do o brought u s

,
- -

a Gen zet—formulary for the burial of the dead— w hich

1 34 THE KI NG IN C O UR T .

occupied b y its owner H ab ta Mary am W h ile Atko o ,

.
,

our guardian looked o ut for another hou se I w ent to

, ,

see M R ochet who had been received by the King into

.
,

his house T h e cou rt w as quite full of people for the

.

King had guests wi th him among others a late General ,

of R as Ali When w aiting on the minister Serta

.
,

Wold Mahomed Ali from T adj urra w ho had a c co m pa

, , ,

nied M R ochet accosted m e Serta Wold introduced

.
,
.

me not to M R ochet whom on the present occasion I

,
.
,

had come to see but to the King w ho sat at j udgment

, ,

in unusual pomp the balcony where he sat being lined ,

with a great variety of colour ed cloth and the ground ,

below where his grandees and governors judges ala

, , ,

c as & c
,
sat and stood covered with P ersian and T ur
.
, ,

kish carpets I paid m y compliments from below to

.

the King who ver y friendly answering ordered me to

,

sit on the carp ets A cause was examined bet w een two .

persons a m an and a woman ; which was soon fin i sh

,

ed when I thought the King woul d have sent for u s

,

but he di d not being occupied I suppose wi th other

,

business A s Mr Krapf had also arrived in the mean

. .

'

time w e inspected a ne w house which w as being built

,

for the King and then w ent to see M R ochet w ho

,
.
,

w as suf fering from fever .

A fe w L etters from Basle Barmen and Cairo which , , ,

M R ochet brought us w ere very refreshing to us

.
, .

Oc to ber 9 1 8 39 — T h e brother of our frien d Alaca

,

H ab t a S el a ssi eh at Oo b i eh s cou rt know n from Mr

’
, .

’
Gobat s and our former j ournals having several times ,
 ’

C H R IS T S H U M A N N A T U R E . 1 35

appli ed for medicine I had ordered him to coll ect camo

,

miles whi ch are foun d in great plenty on the Chakka

,

and near Ankobar called to day again ; and when I

,
-

Of fered to him tartar emetic for his complaint he woul d ,

not accept it but asked for paper on whi ch he wished

, ,

t o ha ve a charm w ritten against his di sease I refused .

t o give hi m the paper explaining the sinful ness of ,

such a practice to him ; and being excee di ngly pressing ,

I was obli g ed to request h im not to speak an y more

about it .

A ft er dinner D ebtera S andj ar called on us

,
Some .

very important doctrinal points were treated upon in

o ur conversation particul arly u niversal sinfulness no t
, ,

excepting the saints H e maintained that Christ at His

.

incarn ati on too k on himsel f hu m an nat ure in the same ,

s t ate as A dam w as before the fall wi th which I agreed ,

ob s erving however that his natur e di f

, , fered fro m A da m s ’

innocen t nature so far that Chr i s t s humanity was no t

,
’

exe m pt from sinles s infirm i t y and di sposition to dis

eases and even death ; which was the consequence and
,

pun i sh m ent of our sin T hi s I proved by some circum

:

s t ances i n t he l ife of our Saviour ; namely that He hun ,

g c re d and t hirsted under w ent fa t igue and other s t ates

, ,

of w ea k ness and sickness which could not be sup ,

’
posed to have occu rred in the state of A dam s innocence .

I Vh en by way of illustration I observed that when a

, , ,

man su f fered hun g er for a long tim e he w ould d ie and ,

death wa s t he wages of sin he denied t he force of thi s ,

ar g umen t because all t he cases in which thi s occurred

,
1 36 UN I V E R S A L I T Y OF SI N .

were w ith sinful men all m en bein g sinners I then

, .

all uded to some saints who had been starved to death

, ,

not on acco unt of their sins but for the n ame of Jesus , ,

because they believed in Him H e obj ected that we .

,

our s elves maintained that even the saints had not been
,

free from sin and on this account w ere subj ect to death
, ,

w hether it w as then from hun ger or any other cause

they di ed it mattered nothing I must Ob se rve that
,
.
,

I had ta k en this argu m ent inconclusive as it really w as

, ,

because I took for granted that he like the Abyssin , ,

e

ians in general believed the s aints to be free from sin

, .

I asked hi m then whether he agreed with us in thi s

,

material point H e answ ered Y e s I ful ly agree with

.
, ,

”
y ou . I replied that on this
,
assertion I did not
mind yi eldi n g for the present to him the other point
as non essential S ince he submitted to that chief doctrine
-
,

of the Scriptures that no man except Christ ever had

,

been or was without S in upon which he repeat ed his

strong belief in this doctrine H e then left us with the .
,

promi s e often to call in order to search the Scriptures

, .

Oc to be r 1 0 1 8 3 9 — T his morning the King sent for

,

us in order to speak with us concerning m y j ourney H e

,
.

a s ked what he S ho ul d give m e for my j ourney to which

I replied thankin g him for his readiness to assist me
, ,

and observing that it was o ur principle not to trouble

an y one but as he w as so generous toward us I ,

shoul d thankfull y accept W hat he was pleased to give .

H e of f ered to give me three or four slaves N ot kno w .

ing w hether he i ntended to give male or female slave s ,

1 38 C O N V ER SAT I O N
Oc to ber 1 3, 1 8 39 — T o
day I arrived at Ankobar from
-
,

D ebra Berhan with my brother I s enberg who had

, ,

taken his fare w ell o f the King H e treated h im in .

a very friendl y manner and promised not only to pro

,

vide for Mr Isenberg on the road but also al w ay s to

.
,

behave to w ard me as his son In the evening several .

people came to s ee u s and among others T se ddo o a

, ,

priest of St George who began Speaking about fasting

.
, .

H e said that o ur doctrines and lives were blameless

, ,

only they woul d like us to fas t and receive with them ,

the blessed sacrament We replied that we were m uch

.
,

inclined to yi eld to their w ish in respect to fa s ting if ,

it were not that we w ere grieved at seeing them ai m ing

to be justified thereb y before God A s to the L ord s ’

Supper I remarked that though I wished to receive

, , ,

it I could not do so as their ecclesiastical laws ex

, ,

cluded unm arried people from partaking of it Besides .

,

I had other reasons for not communicating with them .

After the priest had left me I thought it fit to consult ,

w ith Brother Isenberg on thi s poin t before he departed .

F irst we considered that the omission of fasting had

,

been a continual stu m blin g block in the eyes of the -

A b y ssinians since the commencement of o ur Mission

in this country ; secon dl y that fasting is not sinful,

in itself and hence not against the principles of the

,

Bible nor the Church of E ngland ; and thirdl y we

, ,

referred to the examples of the apostles particularly ,

to that of St P aul who though he strictly a dh ered to

.
,

j ust ification b y faith yet condescended in this respect

,
 ON F AS T I N G . 1 39

of hi s o wn accord to the weakness of his brethren .

R el yin g on thi s great example we thou g ht we coul d , ,

with the L ord s assi s tance resolve to fast b ut onl y

’
, ,

voluntarily and out of love to o ur brethren not seeking ,

thereby o ur o wn righteousness H ow ever we thought it .

,

fit not to act rashl y in this matter .

Oc to ber 1 6— I n the morning G ueb r a Georgis came .

I read fir st w ith him in the Gospel and aft erw ard we ,

fi nished the U niversal History which Mr Isenberg ,

.

had wri tten in A mharic A S Gueb ra Georgis has ex

.

pressed a w ish to become acquainted with Church

H istory I shall accede to it the m ore so as a useful
, ,

preparatory w ork wr itten likewise by Mr Isenberg

,
.
,

w ill form the basis of my instruction A fterward the .

,

blin d D ebtera H ab ta Mariam from Basso in G o dt sh am

, ,

came I had begun the day before to read to h i m the

.
, ,

E pistle of S t P aul to the R omans which E pistle I

.
,

prefer in rea ding or speaking about religious matters ,

as i t contains before all other books an antidote against

t his pharisaical Chur ch T h e above named priest
.
,

T s e d do o j oined me in readi ng to H ab ta Mariam

,
We .

read R o m ii which occasioned a lon g conversation

. .

about real and nominal Christians T hen Alaca T e s fa .

came to see us H e said that Abraham was the

.
,

father of the Abyssinians because Solom on had a son

, ,

named Men el ek b y the Queen of Arabia who had

, ,

been Queen of T igre and that at the time of Solomon

t h e t ribe Of Benj am in had entered E thiopia an d t he ,

ark of the covenant had been brought fro m J e r us al c m

1 40 V ISI T T O AL A C A

to T igre We told him fir s t that there w ere no proo fs

.
, ,

in history that the queen was the mistress of T igre at

that time or that she bore a child to Solomon ;
,

and secondl y that Solomon was from the tribe of Judah

, , ,

which tribe at this splendid period of the kingdom of

Israel would not have left the holy land A s to the .

ark of the covenant it w as at Jeru salem several hundred

,

y ears after Solomon ; and to appropriate a stolen

sanctuary (because the Abyssinians say that the ark
w as stolen from Jerusalem ) w oul d be a sacrilege for ever
disgraceful to the Abyssinian people W h y did t he y .

n o t steal al s o the hol y books of the Jews ? It is not

probable that a sanctuary w as stolen over which the ,

Je w s had exercised the greatest watch fulness Besides .

,

more than 300 y ears after Christ s birth at the tim e ’

,

of their King s Abr eh a and Azb eh a the Ab y ssinian s

’
,

w ere heathens worshipping th e serpent ; how then could

,

they have been Jew s ? F inall y w e exhort ed him to ,

st udy biblical and universal histor y .

In the afternoon we w ent to see Alaca W o l da ,

H anna H e asked about the day on which Christ was

.

born and baptized O n repl ying that this w as not

.

precisel y kno w n but that the ancient F ather s of the

,

Church particularl y Chrysostom appointed the 2 5 th

, ,

o f D ecember as the day of Christ s birth he sai d ’

, , ,

“
We kno w it very w ell Christ w as born on t he 2 9 th
of D ecem ber and w as baptized on the 1 1 th of
,
”
January We then spoke about the chronology before
.

Christ H e said that the Ab y ssinians counted nearl y

.
,
142 C O N VER SATI O N W ITH T S E D D OO .

”
( remed y ) against m y fear A t the same time .he asked ,

w hether if he carried on his head the copy of the New

T estament which I had given him it would be of any ,

use I replied that the spec ific which I would advise

.
, ,

was the reception of the N ew T estam ent into his heart ,

and to commi t himsel f and his way to the covenant God ,

who alone coul d preserve him as he had protected u s ,

when travelling through the coun tr y of A del .

P riest T s e ddo o then came and converse d wi th me ,

about the revealed and hidden church term s which in

o ur theolog
y signify
,
the vi sible and invi sible church .

I asked him whether the people called T abiban or

, ,

wise men dw ell m g I n the forest of Ankobar were not

, ,

ranked b y the Sh o an s among th e hi dden church H e .

answered in th e negative ; and said that the T abiban ,

j oined out w ar dl y in fellowship with the Christians but ,

priva t ely they followed their o w n religion asserting that ,

the Me s siah w as still to be expected T his people are .

w orking for the King who presents them annuall y with

,

t w enty or t w ent y five cows and appoints their Al aca in

-
,

case of vacanc y O n speaking again about fastin g our

.
,

servant Atko o made use of a strange simi le saying , ,

that if a mule was foddered too well he w oul d become ,

unmanageable and hence it w as neces s ary to di m i nish

,

his food T hus fasting w as a means of cooling and

.

abating o ur flesh F irst I contended against this un be

.
,

comi ng comparison betw een irrational animals and a

Christian w ho is bidden to e at and drink moderatel y
, ,

and to do all in the name o f God and then I opposed

 F AS T I NG . 1 43

their struggling for j ustification b y fasting t urning his ,

t houghts also to the bad consequences of their fasting

as respects the body sa ying that at one time they aspired
, ,

at k ill ing their bodies by their abstemiousness while ,

a t another time t he y ate and dr ank to excess In the

,
.

one case they were unable to work and in the other

, , ,

t hey swept away each other b y enmity hatred and , ,

murder T h ough he di sputed my saying t hat they

.

killed them s elve s by fasting y et he said that I had ,

s po k en the tru t h .

Oc t o be r 1 8 1 8 39 — Having read w ith Gu eb ra Georgi s

,

in the Gospel I proceeded wi th the Chur ch History

,
.

Several priests were also with u s T s e ddo o brought a .

book called T ab ib a T abiban much esteem ed b y the ,

A byssini ans .It contains pray ers against bad S pirits .

In the afternoon I went to see Abba S aw o l d a monk , ,

who is considered one of the most learned men of Shoa .

H e sp oke about their seven chronolo g ie s ; but I foun d

t hat all his wisdom is comprehended in their almanac k ,

called Ab o o sh aker Afte r ward I went on with G u eb r a

.
,

Georgis in Church History speaki n g about the Chris ,

t ian l ife of the prim itive Chur ch T s e ddo o then asked .

about the qualifications required in o ur ordi nation .

W h en I told him that a man destitute of learning and

,

holy hfe was not a dmitted to the ordi nation of a dea

,

co n and p r iest he was much struck and said

,
If this , ,
”
is required we sho ul d succeed very ba dl y in ordination
,
.

I then asked what qual ifica t ions they required and their
, ,

mode of ordination H e said t hat chil dr en dare no t.

,
1 44 O R DI N A T I O N QU A L I F I C A T I O N S .

kno w about this mystery that a person desirou s of

or di nation from the Abuna w as asked whether he n u , ,

d er sto o d readi ng the Gospel which if he did the Abuna ,

breathed upon him ma k ing the S ign of the cross and ,

having thus ta k en orders he receives the holy Supper ,

gives s everal pieces of salt to the Abuna and the whole ,

ceremony is finished I spoke against the w anton man .

ner in perform in g s o hol y a cerem ony and brought it in ,

connexion wi th the corruption of the Ab y ssinian Church ,

observi ng that if priests w ere unlearned men their

, ,

flocks w o ul d per i sh in ignorance an d th at if they di d not

live a holy l ife the people would follo w their example
, .

T se dd o o then asked w hy we did not wear a turban and ,

a cross as we were priests I rem ar k ed that the Word

,
.
,

o f God had not given us directions about the m ode of

dre s s which varied in dif

,
ferent countries and chur ches .

A s to the cros s we wished it to be in our hearts and

,

doctrine — to cr ucify as P aul say s the flesh with its

, , ,

lusts and to kno w nothing s a ve Jes us C hr i s t a n d h i m

,

c ru c ifi e d I then reb uk ed him on account of their pha

.
,

r i sai c al doings and of their putting flesh for s pirit and

, ,

external perfor m ances for inward reli g ion H e then said .

,

that St P aul in healing sick per s on s made the S ign of

.
, ,

the cross I asked h im to g ive m e a proof from the

.

N e w T estament but being rather puzzled he said I , ,

”
will give y ou a proof to m orrow - .

Oc to ber 1 9 1 8 3 9 — T s e d do o came very earl y this

,

morning but instead of giving me a proof of what he

had said y esterday he maintained that the w ood of w hich
,
1 46 A D M I N IS T R A T I O N OF J US T IC E .

exerci s ed themselves in poems all of whom w ere i n ,

structed b y S ix teachers and that if the Abuna should

come they would all go to Gondar to take holy orders
, ,
.

O n my askin g whether they were not afraid of the

,

Gallas on the road the y s aid that the King would , ,

charge a Galla Governor to ta k e care of them on t he

w ay .

Oc to be r 2 0 1 8 39 — T se ddo o came requesting me to

, ,

read w ith hi m Matt v in E thiopic which I di d . .

,
.

Speaking about proceedings before human j udges I ,

asked h o w j u s tice wa s adm ini s tered in Shoa Gueb ra .

’
Geor g i s who was w ith us said that on a man s being
, , ,

accused of theft he was taken into three churches in

, ,

each of which he too k oath of not having stolen If .

he be upright and guilty he confesses his sin before ,

he is ordered by the prie st s to swear retur ns the stolen ,

goods and pay s as a fine eight pieces of salt to the

, , ,

Governor If the accuser shoul d ma k e oath against

.

him the man is forced to return the goods charged upon

,

him whether he may have s tolen them or not After

, .

w ard I read R o m iii to the blind D ebtera H ab ta

, . .

Mariam .

Oc to ber 2 2 — T s e ddo o turned the conversation upon

baptism saying that a father w ho di d not bring his
, ,

child to the font on the fortieth day after bir th w oul d ,

be excommunicated ; and that when the child had been

baptized the hol y supper w as administered to it I o b
,
.

e ct e d to this as being inconsistent with 1 Cor xi

j w here . .
,

ever y one is exh orted to examine himself before he

 C O N V E R SA T I O N ON B A P T IS M . 147

receives that Supper Besides it was inconsi s tent

.
,

w i t h the words of the institution of that s acram en t ,

accor din g to Matt x vi where Christ commanded i t

.
,

to be received in remembrance of Him which chil dr en ,

are incapable of H e adm i tted that their custom wa s

.

not in accordan ce with the S criptm e s I Vh il e we were '

.

engaged in our di scourse the above mentioned m onk

,
-
,

A bba S aw o l d interrupted us and commenced spea k in g

, ,

about t he t w o great witnesses in the R evelation of St .

John H e s aid tha t the Abyssinians were of O pinion

.
, ,

t hat the s e were E lias and E noch I said that we di d .

,

n ot know this ; that as the prophecy was not ye t

accompli s hed w e coul d not kno w ; and that it di d not
,

b ecome us to explain the Word of God in accordance

wi t h o ur o w n pre conceptions
-
.

T s e ddo o spo k e about the instruction given t o the

Gallas intended to be baptized T hey are taught he .
,

s aid the Sym bolu m Ni ze n um ; then the boo k A mada

,

Mi stir and Sena Fetrat in which books there i s much

,

nonsense ; aft er which they w ear a Matc h and are ,

t hen baptized : but u s ually they are not taught so

m uch before they are christened If they should .

have been circumcised and wear a Mat ch — string of

,

S ilk in S ign of Christianit y — and make an o f f

ering of
s ome measures of wheat to the priest they are a t ,

once baptized T h e S ymbolum N izen um is called Zelota

.

H ai m an o th . T hey do not know the Sym bolu m Apos

t o l ic u m,
which m ay be a proof that this Sy m bolu m
w a s no t ever where used in t he Church or wh at is more
y , ,

H 0
148 ON FASTI NG .

probable w as ,
o ut Of use when the Ab y ssinians became
Christians .

Oc to ber 2 3, 1 8 3 9 — Ch ur ch
History with Gueb ra
Georgis and Makb eb Afterward we read M att ix A .
, . .

prie s t who was wi th us conten ded for the necessity of

fasting in consequence Of the great depravity of the
,

“ ” “
Ab yssinians Well I said yo u bear w itne s s against
.
, ,

y ourselves 3 and as to the corruptness of A byssinia ,

o u have spo k en the truth 5 but o u are deceived if

y y
y ou maintain that y our depravit y can be destroyed by
fasting If y ou thin k of cruc ifying your flesh in this
.

way and thus deliver y ourselve s you renounce Jesu s

, ,

Christ as the Saviour who is m ade to us w i s do m , ,

r i g h t e o us n es s s a n c t if
, i c a ti o n a n d r e d e m p ti o n
,
T here .

fore Go d in His j ust j udg m ent perm its y ou to fall into

,

all sin s that you m ay know your real corruption and

, ,

see k to be saved by faith in Christ who came to c a l l ,

”
s i n n er s to e n ta n c e
re
p .

In the evening T se ddo o brought to me a book

, ,

called L efafa Zedek which is ful l Ofnonsense T h e

,
.

A b y ssinian s l ike it so much that the y have it put into ,

t heir graves w ith them .

Oc to ber 2 4 —1 went to see the Al aca of Af erb ein i ,

whose Church is in a forest on the ea s tern side of

A nkobar H e spo k e about fasting
. Af ter w ard I .
,

read Church History with Gu eb ra Georgis and some ,

others VVh en I spoke about the N icene Council Gu eb ra

.
,

said that the Ab y ssinians were of opinion that Maho

,

med the prophet o f the Mah o m e dan s w as one of the

, ,
15 0 PR O D UC TI O N S OF E NA R E A A N D G U R AG U E .

Gurague I insisted upon proving to them both from rea

,

son and Scripture the sinfulness of this traf ,

fic A fter .

ward the blind D ebtera H ab ta Mariam cam e to whom

, ,

I explained R om v . .

T o day w e learned concerning S i dam a that it is

-
,

s ituated to the west of the blue N ile betw een the ,

G o o d er o o countr y and E n ar e a In Si dam a E n are a .

, ,

and Caffa are man y Christians : beyond the t w o

,

lat ter countries Gallas are said to live who the Abys , ,

sinians say have no langu age

,
F rom E n ar ea par .

t i c ul arl y they bring good co ffee better than that which ,

is c ul tivated near the lake of T sana and the civet c a t ,

-
.

Sh an kel a s who live not far from the fountains of the

,

blue N ile bordering on the A go w s an d g o quite

, ,

naked are s aid to collect much gold which t hey bring

, ,

to Gondar for sale F rom Gur ague the y bring to

.

Shoa carpets made of ensete gur arim a a certain

, ,

s pice which I do not kno w ; some gold and skins of ,

bro wn leopards w hich the y call gisselas T h e chief

,
.

articles which are imported into E n ar e a are blue Surat ,

cloth and rock salt from Arho in t he south Of T igre

, , ,

which latter article is current in many of these countries

instead of money Coined money does not seem to be
.

used in the countries west and south of Abyssinia .

Gold is found in several places It is occasionall y found .

,

after the rainy season near D ebra Berhan when th e w at er

, ,

has wa s hed aw ay some of the groun d and brought the ,

g old to light P riest L aaka Mar y am s ays th at Gura

.
, _

gue contains much gold ; b ut this man is not to be

 G A LL A T R I B E G ELA N . 15 1

depended upon for his statements T h e country on .

both sides of the T sh at sh a river not far from Angol ,

lala is very rich in m etals ; m an y Of the T abib an

,

have settled in small huts on its shores where they ,

di g and work iron But this iron does not seem to b e

.

so good as the T igre iron which is of an excellent ,

quali ty .

Oc to be r 2 7 1 8 3 9 —My Gall a servant Berkie from

, , ,

Kum D engai in the tribe OfGelan gave me the follo wing

, ,

informa t ion about his people T h e prie s t s who are .

,

called K all i t sh o t sh Offer an annual sacrifice t o the Wake

,

under a tree called R il to o In of

,
fering it they pray
.
,

0 Wake give us tobacco co w s sheep and oxen and

, , , ,

help us to kill o ur enem i es 0 Wake take us to thee .

,

”
lead u s to the garden ; lead us not to Satan T he y .

have also sorcerers who are called L ub o tsh — i n the

,

sin g ul ar L uba T hese prie s ts go every y ear to VVo da

,
.

n abe a large worka tree near t he H awash where

,
-
, ,

they make their prayer s and di vinations from looking

upon the entrail s of g oats and s heep If the entrails .

appear very red the L uba say s that the Gallas wi ll

, ,

be overpowered by the Christians T h e priests dry .

these entrail s and wear them round their necks T h e

,
.

Gallas do not like to have a Christian Governor placed

over them because they say that they wo ul d become
, , ,

Christian s and t hen very soon die If they g et a

, .

Christian Governor they all cr y together ,

H a batu
ha batu —May he perish May he perish When the
“
Gallas take an oath the y make a ditch and sa y If w e , ,
15 2 C UST O MS OF THE G A LL A S .

are fors w earing ourselves may w e be cast into this pit ,

.

When a Galla take s a w ife her father gives her a dow ,

r
y ; but if S h e is partin g with her husband she goes ,

out empty handed In general the Gallas take three

.
‘

wives When the father of a family dies the children

.
,

c u t Of f their hair and shave themselves T h ey then .

S laughter a c o w and eat it with their relations but not ,

before the dead is interred Marriages are performed .

before the Ab atul a a petty governor of several villages

,
.

If a Gallas kills a male he is to pay 1 00 Kum , ,

that is to say 1 00 oxen and i s otherwise punished

, ,
.

If he kills a fem ale he is to pay fift y Kum or fifty, ,

oxen . A s to the places of the dead they are Of ,

opinion that Christians Mah o m e dan s and Gallas go

, , ,

to di f f
erent places after death Aloes are planted on .

their graves A s soon as the plant begin s to grow

.
,

they say that the soul Of the dead is g one to the

,

garden to the Wake —the God of the universe whom

, , ,

they consider an invisible and ver y fine being When .

a Galla has been detected in l y ing he is despised , ,

and lo s es his seat and vote in public meetings Berkie .

also told me that a species Of gr eat leopards existed

,

in the province of Shoa Meda which are fi er c er than ,

those OfE fat and enter into the house Ofthe people
,

it is called Woba I am unable to say whether it is

.

the A siatic ti g er .

I a sked a priest who was with me about the course

,

which the Abyssinian teachers pursued in instructin g

y ouths He said that the boy s w ere first instructed
.
,
 15 4 A B Y SSI N I A N L I T U R G Y .

to sho w h i m from this E pistle the scriptural w ay of

becom ing righteous before God T h e son of A laca .

Scrat came say ing that as Mr Isenberg w as going

, , .
,

and I intended to remain in their country I should ,

follow their customs I said that we who are called

.
,

Christians were to be directed by the Word OfGod and ,

not to encourage each other to follow human customs ,

God s Word alone showing us the way of salvation I

’
.

a d ded that I w oul d rather encou rage them to follo w

,

me because if they examined m y doctrine and life they

, ,

would find that it was more consi s tent with the W ord
of God than their doctrines and lives F rom that
, .

time he said no more about this .

Oc to ber 2 9 1 8 3 9 — T h e priest T s e ddo o brou ght to

,

”
me another book called R idan H e then s aid
,
.
,

If you go to our Chur ch you m ust k iss it before you ,

” “
enter I said Y o u must w orship Him w ho r c
,

s ides in the Church and is higher than the Chur ch

,

and your worship m ust be performed in truth and

”
spirit .H e then went aw ay but soon returned again , ,

bringing with h i m the Abyssinian L iturgy I found .

much therein which pleased me I show ed hi m our .

E nglish L iturgy on this occasion A fter w ard a m an .

,

of Gondar came w hom we as k e d about the present

,

King W o lda D enghel He said that he was only a

,
.

nominal King and had no po w er at all ; that his

,

annual income was 300 d ollars which he received fro m ,

hi s Governors and besides which he has a share in the

butter w hich is sold in the market place .
 B A P T IS M A L SE R V I C E . 15 5

T his afternoon I w as present at a baptismal service ,

to which Mam h er a T s e ddo o had also invited Mr .

Krapf b ut who declined the invitation T w o grown

,
.

up Mah o m edan s w ere baptized ; one of them a man ,

a native of G ur ague the other a girl about four

,

t een years Old fro m the D ankali country both of whom

, ,

were S laves with t w o little chil dr en a bo y and a gir l ,

.

T h e service was performed un der trees in the church 4

yard Of St George s
.
’
T here were present several
.

deacons and school boys the persons to be baptized , ,

wi t h their respective god fathers and god mothers - -

each male havi ng a god father an d each female a -

,

god mother — and the priest T s e ddo o in all about

-

t w enty persons T s e ddo o w ith one of the D eacons

.
,

bo t h clad in coloured S urat cloth were the chief agents , .

T h e service commenced in the greatest possible di sor

der all running to and fro A deacon began to sin g
,
.
,

an d exho rt ed to prayer whereu pon all j oined to ma k e

a great cl am o ru singing the W a da s sieh Mariam
'
,
A .

large broken j ar instead of the baptismal font was the n

, ,

brought w hen after a little more S i n ging the P riest

, ,

T s e d do o i nqui red after the persons to be baptized ,

t heir god fathers and god mothers and then laid his
- -
,

hands on the heads of the can di dates T h e N icen e .

Creed and the L ord 8 Pray er were then repeated and

’
,

t he third Chapter of St John s Gospel read w ith the u t

.
’

most rapidit y T h e baptismal j ar was then filled wi t h

.

water and consecrated in the followi n g manner

,
.

T s e d do o held it over a c ser filled w ith frankincense .

15 6 B A P T IS M A L SE R V I C E .

having an iron cr Os s in the other hand ; and bowing

himself over the w ater sang Blessed be the F ather
, , ,

and the Son and the H oly Ghost

,
then raising his
“
voice as loudly as he could exclaimed O ne H ol y
’

, ,

”
F ather at the sam e time d raw in g the cross through
,

the water in a cros s direction and touching the j ar on ,

four opposite part s in the form of a cross An d one

H oly Son repeating the same ceremony An d one
H oly Spirit performing the same act while the b y
, ,

standers sang T h e candidates then approached led or

.
,

carr i ed by their sponsors T s e ddo o and the assisting

.

D eacon each took fro m the sponsors one can di date ,

carry ing the chil dren under the arm and takin g ,

the g ro wn u p candidates b y their h e a ds and made

-
,

them worshi p in a circle toward the four dir ce ,

tion s of the horizon the F ather the Son a n d the

, , ,

H oly Spirit . T h e chil dren were then taken up and ,

dipped in the w ater up to the loins first in the name

of the F ather ; then in the nam e Of the Son and , ,

in the name Of the H oly Spir it the y were quite i m ,

m er se d under the w ater when the w ords were pro

,

“
n oun ce d : N N I baptize thee in the name of the
. .

F ather and the Son a n d the H oly Spirit

, , T h e tw o
grown up individuals were ordered to undress them selves
entirely and S it on the gro und A bason full Of water
,
.

w as then three times poured over them with which ,

the y were ordered to wash themselve s S o that the w ater

m ight be taken to ever y part of the body the priest at ,

the same time repeating with each Of them the words

15 8 C UST O M OF VAR I O U S
to fix the elephan t on a certain spot so that he cannot ,

move T he y kill this beast and sell its teeth to the

.
,

people of Kuara and Ago w T h e Kam aun te s he said .

, ,

dwell particularl y in D em b ea W o g g o ra and Kerker , ,

.

T h e y have priests and receive baptism ; but are said to

practise particul ar ceremonies in the forests T hey .

have a great esteem for the cactus plant from which ,

the y think that mankind had its origin T he y call .

“ ”
God the glor y
,
When an y of them dies they pre
.
,

pare a great T e s c ar T hey will only eat the meat which

.

has been slaughtered by the Ab y ssinians on Sat ur day .

I do not kno w whether the Abyssinians are prevented

from eating wi th them but if they eat wi th a F alasha ,

the y are excom municated b y the priests T h e W o ito s .

,

another kind of people are dwelling on the shores of

,

the lake i n D em b e a where t hey h unt after the hippo

,

po t am u s the flesh Of which the y like as well as that of

,

other beasts which the Ab y ssinians detest T his people

,
.

are li k e the Wato p eople among the Gallas as I shall ,

mention hereafter .

I began to — day to study the Galla language w i t h the

assistance of m y Galla servant .

N o vem be r 1 1 8 3 9 —Several priests and D eb teras

,

came to see us O ne Of them received the A cts and

.

the E pistles of St P aul Arka di s the teacher of our

. .
,

’
Gu eb ra Georgis com plained of G ueb ra s leavi ng his
,

school and being too much with us I requested h im .

to let the bo y come to me wh en he had finished his

lesson in school which he promised to do .
 G A LL A T R I B ES . 15 9

N o ve m ber 2 — Gu eb r a Georgis did not come to day -

.

I understand that havin g become too free in Oppo s ing

the Abyssinian errors his father as well as his teacher
, , ,

had endeavour ed to draw him away from me or at least ,

to let him come ver y seldo m for m y instruction In the .

afte rn oon I read in Genesis with six boys who have ,

come to me from dif ferent Churches A D ebtera hearing .

me speak about sin and death represented the corr ,

n exi o n of s in and death in these words : Sin is the

”
nee dl e and death the thr ead
,
.

N o v em be r 3 L o r d s D a y — T O day I read w ith

’
-
,

G u eb r a Georgis the fir st five chapters Of E xodus and

then read Chur ch His t ory w ith him as far as the pro ,

pag ati o n of the Go s pel through Gregorius Illuminator

in Ar meni a and through T rum cat us and E desi u s in
,

A b y ssin i a
N o v e m ber 4—T O da y I began to read the E pis t le
.

of St Jam es w ith T s e ddo o sho w ing him the connexion

.
,

there is between good wor k s an d real faith which is ,

preached so strongl y by St P aul In the afternoon. .

we he ard that the Gove rn or had m ade ready the provi

sions for Mr Isenber and that W ul asm a Mahomed
.
0 )
g

had s en t word to set out imme di ately .

 CH AP T E R III .

DEP A TU ER MR I S E N B E G F OM A N K OB —N OT I C E E PE CT IN G
OF R . R R AR S R S

SOM E N C I E N T S IN T — E V E E N C E O T H E BB TH
A A S R TH ER F R SA A BY GAL

L AS D I CU I ON ITH DE B T E
S SS W
O O I G IN AL
A N— ON V E S R A N R SI C R A

T ION V I O U U B ECT — B INI N E M ED

S ON AR S S J TH E M LL
S A Y SS A R Y F OR S A

PO — C I P TU E IN T E P E T T I N
X S R R D I CU I N N TH E TH EE
R R A O -
S SS O O R

B I TH O CH I T — TT C ED
R S F R S F E V E —T H E F T O
A A H M BY R AS F T SO A

L ED T—C OP I E
A TH E A M H IC C I T U E D I T B UT ED —N OT I C E
S OF AR S R P R S S RI S

O TH E G L D ELLIN G IN TH E E T
F AL AS W G U G U E —V I I T ED AS OF R A S BY

P IE T F M G U G UE —
R S S RO B P T I M L C E E M ON
R A A S A R Y .

N o vem ber 6, 1 8 3 9 — MR
I S E N B E R G depart ed to day .
-
,

and I accom panied him to F arr i on the frontier of ,

Shoa .

N o v em ber 1 2 — T his morning I bid farew ell to m y

Brother Isenberg recommending him to o ur covenant ,

God on his long j our ney My heart was deeply moved

,
.
,

and I coul d not but weep knowing that I w as alone in ,

this countr y T h e word s of C h rist L o I a m w i th y o u

.
, ,

a lw a ev e n u n to th e en d of th e w o r l d strengthened
y , ,

me .

A o v e m ber l S— T h e Ki ng ret urned from his expe d i

7

tion again s t the Gallas in Mu gh er M R ochet who . .

,

had accompanied the King gave me some particul ars ,

about this exn e ditio n T he y marched he said through .

, ,
1 62 R E VER ENC E F OR T H E S A BB A T H .

celebrate something like the people of Go dtsh am I said .

,

T h e Word of God commands us to w ork six day s and ,

to rest on the seventh but y o u say that people should ,

labour five day s and rest from work tw o days A s

,
.

regards the D ay of rest yo u do not strictly keep Satur

,

day o r Sunday proving m y w ords by referring to their

actions I then tol d him ho w it was that in the pri
.

m i tive Church both day s w ere celebrated and that the ,

celebration of Saturday w as abrogated after w ard .

F inall y I S how ed him the necessity of resting in God

,

every day He then said that Christ was born on Sun

.
,

day as it i s w ritten in the boo k Of Sena Fe trat O n

,
.

asking him for proofs of the divi ne authorit y of this

boo k he was silent M y Galla servant told me that
,
.
,

his people paid great reverence to the L ord s D ay that ’

the y did not work on tha t day nor sleep with their ,

w ive s ; and that they rose up earl y before day break ,

to pray to the Wa k e T he y call the Sunday S an b ata

.
,

Gadda — Great Sabbath — i n opposition to S an b ata

T ena which means L ittle Sabbath
, ,
.

N o v em be r 1 7 1 8 39 — I saw this afternoon a sad

,

spectacle F ive hundred slaves were brought to Anko

.

bar from Gurague When will the time come that

.

slaver y this di s g race of mankind will be abolished in

, ,

all Chri s tian coun tries

N o vem be r 1 8 —A D ebtera whose name is S en t sh ar , ,

had a long conversation w ith me T his man is in man y .

respects a perfect rationalist O n account Ofhis co n .

tro ver si al S pirit w ith the priests of Shoa he w as dis ,

 C O NV E R S A T I O N W ITH A D EBT ER A . 1 63

missed b y the King but has since been restored and

, ,

made t he Al aca of a chur ch in the neighbourhood of

Mach fo o d H e began by sayi ng tha t chil dr en are
.
,

born free from sin white l ike snow and that man di es
,

in consequence Of his own sin I remarked fir st that .

, ,

A dam o ur first parent was unclean before God ,

and
that he begat chil dr en in his o wn image Secondl y that .
,

Moses declared that the t houghts and desires of man

were s in ful from a ch ild (Gen vi T hirdl y that
. . .
,

fl
fl
death is the wages of sin (R o m V ii and that con . .

sequently a s chil dr en di e t hey cannot b e withou t s in

,

that i s without a S i nful disposition which they in herit

, ,

from their parents according to P salm li , An d .

Christ also say s th a t w h i c h i s bo r n ofth e es h i s es h

, .

(John iii . F our thl y that had not Christ been born
,

of the Holy Ghost H e woul d have been unclean like

,

our selves and di s qualifi ed to become our Savio ur He

,
.

endeavoured to invalidat e this la s t ar g um ent and t hen ,

took refuge in m ystical interpretations H e said that .

,

fl
God in the beginnin g had created heaven and earth
and t hat heaven m eant go dly and earth fi eshl y :
‘
,
’

and that thu s ch ildren were born godl y but aft erward ,

becam e esh l y I proved to h im that Moses sp oke

.
,

hi s toricall y and not m y stically and then S how ed him

,

the bad consequences of their mode of explaining th e

Bible H e then said that whea t is fir st good after
.
, ,

w ard becomes bad and weed i s s een in the field I

,
.

replied that it cannot be other w ise because the earth

, ,

has been cur s ed on account of t he s in of A da m ; s o

1 64 C O NV E R S A T I O N W ITH

that no w it is the nature of the earth to br ing forth

w eed and wil l no t produce good fruit unless it i s
,

c ul tivated T hus the natur e of man bein g corrupt

.
,

cannot but produce co rruption if not renewed by ,

the H ol y Spirit accor di ng t o John iii H e then in

,
.

sisted upon maintaining that man becomes S inful by

outward seduction I replied that the sed uction was
.
,

fir st inward as St James clearl y S hows (chap i ) that

,
.
,
. .

from the heart proceed evi l th o ug h ts m ur d e r s rye , ,

.

Matt xv Besides if sin originate d only in out w ard

. .
,

seduction why di d the y not flee from it seein g its

, ,

bad con s equences in A dam ; that they had virtue and

strength enou g h to do so if they were born w ithout ,

corruption and hence needed not a Saviour but that

,

the whole was a contra di ction to Scriptur e which tells ,

us that we cannot even think an y thing good and still

, ,

less do an y real good w ork so long as w e are un rene w ed

,

by the H oly Ghost .

N o ve m ber 2 2 1 8 39 — T se ddo o came to day to speak

, ,

about the archangel Michael who he said had co n , , ,

ducted the Israelites through the R e d Sea I rep l ied .

,

Y o u are in contra di ction wi th the Word of God 1 Cor x ,

. .

We then s poke about the pow er of the priests but were ,

interrupted b y Ayto E n g e da who came to see me , .

W h ile he was with u s we read a passage in the book

,

Am ada Mi st ir
”
on which I made some remarks T his
, .

book states that the angel Gabriel came to Shoa in

,

the figur e of an Ol d man I asked whether this was .

,

wr itten in the Bible ? H e ans w ered in the negative .

1 66 C O NV E R S A T I O N ON THE
will not leave their S in s H e ans w ered that H e did ,
”
not . But does not God I said give H is H oly Spirit
, ,

H e re
‘

to those who ask for it with a real desire 7

“ ”
plied in the af fi rmative Well I said thus we
.
, ,

shoul d also g ive to those who are in want of o ur assis

tance su pposing we have the mean s Of doing so If
,
.

Christ says G i v e to hi m th a t a s ke th th ee that

, ,

means that we shoul d b e ready to assist o ur fellow

creatures wherever and as much as we c an After w ard .

I had Church History wi th Gueb r a Georgis and others .

T hen A laca T e sfa cam e begging m e for a copy Of the

A mharic P sal m s which I gave h im

,
T W O D eb t e r a s .

al s o came and asked whether it was true that our

,

Book Of P salms con tained three hun dred P salm s .

I said that it was not ; that we were content

,

w ith an hun dred and fift y P s alms and that w e should

keep these in o ur hearts and become a hol y people
like D avid w a s I then spoke about their contents
.

being u seful in various situations of life and found ,

faul t wi th the Ab y ssinian c ustom of reciting them

so Often .

N o vem ber 2 3 1 8 39 D uring my rea di ng with

,
-

several bo y s S en t sh ar came again bringing with him

, ,

a book called Mé él a d
“ ”
H e said that Christ him ,

sel f had maintained i n John ix that neither the blind.

man nor his parents w ere c ul pable and consequently ,

a sinful corruption did not communicate itself to

childr en I said that this passage did not at all
.
,

prove what he wished— that he shoul d have a regard

 SI N F UL C OR R UPTI O N OF C H I L D R EN . 167

’
to the question of Christ s disciples a s well as Chri s t s ,
’

answer— that if God inflicts great distress upon a man

( like Job ) people,
are read y to say that he must have ,

been a great sinner else he woul d not have to undergo

,

so many calamities— and that the disciple s of Christ

j udging thus asked their Master whether the blind
, ,

m an before his birth committed a particular sin or ,

whether hi s parents had not sinned in such a m anner ,

t hat their sin wa s punished in their son but that Jesu s

di so w ned both saying that the reason was that the
, ,

wor k s Of God w or k m i g ht be manife s t ed H ence this .

passage I said doe s not spea k about the connexion

, ,

between the corr uption of chil dr en and their parents

but that the principal s 0 0 pe of it is to show that great ,

bodi ly calamities are sometimes inflicted upon persons

for reasons un k no w n to human under s tan di n g and that
we are not allow ed to j udge in such a case un
kindl y or according to our ideas about the moral ch a
,

r ac t er of o ur fello w creature s Having given S en t sh ar

-
.

an explanation of this passage I proceeded to stren g ,

then my former proofs Ofthe sinful corruption in which

childr en are born When spea k ing about the im pu
.

t at i o n of the sin of A dam I re m arke d that though we , ,

b e canre s inners on account of A dam yet that God in ,

H is love did not for Christ s sake imp ute sin to us : ’

however we are under the l aw of death H e then asked

, .
,

wh y w e must di e as w e had not deserved it like Adam

,
.

I said that w e must die on account of o ur sinful nature ;

,

and that supposing this w ere not so y et we had deserved ,

1 68 ON C HR O NO LOGY .

nothin g ; that G o d had created o ur souls to i m m o r

tality and that Christ him self died who had not de ,

served death T hus God could let children di e thou gh

.
,

the y had not deserved it In s hort chil dr en are born.

,

w ith a sinful nat ur e derived from A dam ; and that on

account of their corrupt nature are childr en Of God s ’

wr ath and must di e T h at Go d does not impute this

.

sinful state to them as their o w n ; but forgive s it for

Christ s sa k e and declares this forgiveness in baptism
’
, ,

and which therefore is a strong proof Of man s natural ’

corruption and t hat the corrupt natur e com m unicated

b y A dam and to us by our p arent s is the real source of ,

our o wn sins and punishment I then spoke about the .

nece s sity of a me di ator and the way Ofreceivi ng him

, .

A fterw ard S en t sh ar endeavoured to prove their eb ro

,

n ol o
gy from L uke i when the. an g el Gabriel was
sent to Mary in the s ixth m onth aft er he had been sen t
to Z acharia s A month he said was a thousand y ears
.
, , ,

because D avid said one day is as a thousan d y ears before

,

God I replied that i f he reckoned in this allegorical

.
,

w ay he must count
,
years because D avid di d not
,

sa
y that a thousand years were like a month but one ,

day T hen I showed h im how our chronolo g y i s go t in

.

a historical wa y H e then spoke about a book call ed

.

K uf al i e in which is contained what God said to

,

Moses on the mountain durin g forty day s I said that .

,

a ll that was necessar for u s to know respecting that

y
hol y di s course w as w ritten in the P entateu ch A strong .

proof I said that w e should not kno w w hat God had

, ,
1 70 S C R IP TU R E I N T E R P R E T A T I O N .

village of Machel Wans where no one is adm i tted to hi s

,

presence as he is in great fear of bein g infected Mer

,
.

chant s and t ravellers are al s o prevented from entering

Shoa T hus w e have an example of a c o r d o n m i l i ta i r e
.

in A b y ssinia .

N o v e m be r 2 9 1 8 3 9 — S tudying the Galla language A

,
.

D ebtera a sk ed me whether it w oul d be sin i f he took a

,

s econd w ife his first havin g di ed I di rected him to R o m

,
. .

vi i 2
. H e was s u rprised at not having before seen my
.

meaning in this passage When w e spoke about fast .

-

i n g I remarked that a n ew birth and not fasting w as

, , , ,

the condi t ion Of entering into the kingdom of Christ .

A o vem be r 30— D ebtera H ab ta Selassie came to see

T

me He spo k e about the bu s h of Mose s which he ex

.
,

plained a s bein g applicable to Mary s he having brou ght ,

forth Chri s t without being consum ed T hi s matter led .

m e to remark on the necessi t y of interpretin g the

S criptures in a his t orical and gram matical w ay After .

ward our W o rki e began to di spute vehemently wi th me

, ,

saying that it w as insolent to m aintain that Mary had

,

other chil dr en besides Christ I read Matt i 2 5 . . .

Mar k iii 3 2 — 3 5 ; John i 3 ; A cts i 1 4 ; 1 Cor ix

. . . . .

5 and said that from these passages w e m ight co n

,

elude that Mary had chil dr en by Joseph But as he .

bitterl y Opposed and declaimed against the Protestan t

Churches I directed the di s course to practical remarks
,
.

H e is a selfish and self righteous man I shoul d not -

.

’
wish his sons who are educated in D r Wil s on s
,
.

S chool at Bombay to come here as long as h e resides

,
 V ISI T F R O M A L A C A SE K I M A . 171

in t hi s co rm tr y as he w ould become ra t her an obstacle

,

t o them .

In the evening I read an account of the late R ev T . .

Blumhardt I related to m y people several i m portant

.

fact s whi ch pleased them much I mu ch wish that a

,
.

sho rt hi stor y Of Mission s were translated into A mharic

or E thiopic .

D ec e m be r l — W o rki e endeavoured to attack the doc

trine of the E nglish Chur ch respectin g t he L ord s Sup ’

per and S poke about the various sects of E ngland Of

, ,

whi ch he had heard durin g his stay at Bombay I .

m ade him feel and k no w in a friendly manner that he

, ,

was unacquain ted wi th our doctrines and his o wn hear t .

I endeavour to the utmost to remain on friendl y term s

w i t h t his proud man as I know h o w much har m
,
he
co ul d do to m y work in this country if he le t ,

loose his bitter spirit against m e We brought him .

from Cairo to this country wi t hou t entering into an eu

a e m e n t with h i m bein g then of Opinion that he
g g ,

woul d prove useful in maintaining our conne xion

wi t h the s ea coast but time ha s shown that he s eeks
-

only his own interes t .

In the afternoon Al aca Sekima called u p on me .

He spo k e about Samuel a former saint Of Abyssinia

, ,

who rode on lions I rem inded him Ofwhat I had

.

fo rm erly said against this folly He then spoke of .

E o s t a tiu s T ecla H a i m an o t and A ntonius monks wh o

, , ,

had e ach in s tit uted a particular reli g iou s order T h e .

m on k Sam uel has also hi s follower s in A b y ssinia .

I 2 ‘
1 72 C O NV E R S A T I O N
S en t sh ar
came again to di spute about the three births
of Christ H e said that in Luke ii
. Christ which
,
.
,
”
n ame meant anointed was called so at His b irth ,
.

H ence there were fir st His eternal b ir th secondly Hi s

, , ,

b irth in the flesh ; an d thir dl y the unction of the H oly ,

Ghost in the womb which the y call the third birth I

,
.

remarked that they coul d not prove the third birth from
,

the passag e quoted because the Son of God is called the

,

”
anoin t ed in P salm ii 2 ; and secondl y the P rophet .
, ,

D aniel tells us hi s name (chap ix consequentl y ,

. .
,

a ccor di n g to their Vi e w H e must have been anointed at ,

the t ime of the O ld T estament when the Word had ,

not ye t becom e fle s h In the same way H e wa s call ed

.

by the name Of Jesus (Matt i ) before H e had saved ,

. .

m ankind Christ is related to both natur e s His bein g

. .

“ ”
called the anointed relates only to His humanity , _
,

which was anointed when H e was about to perform the

work of o ur redemption Y o u must not separate the his .

t o r i cal connexi on o fthe Gospel

'

T h e baptism of Christ .

and Hi s un ction o f the H oly Ghost stand in connexi on ,

with the beginning of H is w or k Matt iii and iv Luke . .

iii and iv S en t sh ar is an extravagant Monophysite for

. .

he said that the godhead di ed and fasted in the huma

,

n it
y of Chr ist H e then spoke
. about the mi r acles of

T ecla H a im an o t who had converted a very i m pious

,

heathen I related to h im the histor y of the Missions

.

on the F eej ee and the F rien dl y Islands .

D ec em ber 4 1 8 3 9— T his morning I w as attacked w ith

,

fever A sick man in this countr y is in a pitiable co n

.
1 74 R E A DI N G CH U R C H H IS T O R Y .

A buna, to waste God s gift s Afterw ard several boys

’
.
,

c a m e to whom I read a little tract w hich I had trans

,

lated containing the essential doctrines of the

,

Gospel
D ec em be r 1 1 1 8 3 9 —G ueb r a Georgis who some days
.

, ,

ago was attac k ed b y fever is gettin g b etter I gave him

,
.

the me di cine which I had found useful myself T h is .

m ornin g a Governor of the Wollo Gallas cam e beggin g ,

me for me di cine against epileps y H e said that he had .

,

tried the efficacy of amul ets wr itten by Christians and

Mah o m e d an s but that the y were all of no use Aft er
,
.

ward I fini s hed w ith G u eb r a Georgis the second period

,

Of Ch urch History speaking about P elagius A ugusti

, ,

nus and O rigen the latter of whom is considered a

, ,

heretic in Abyssinia .

D e c e m be r 1 3 — W e came in Chur ch Hi s tory to Ma

homed I show ed that Mahomed did not know the
.

natur e Of sin as well as God s j ustice and holiness ;

,
’

and therefore he was not in want of a Saviour ; that

fl
the extravagances Of Chris t ians at hi s time cont ri
buted m uch to his rising and that the speedy prOpa
g ati o n Of his reli gion was produced by hi s sw ord and
esh l
y rel igious ideas We then spo k e about D i o n y
.

sins Areopagita who is highl y esteemed by the A bys

,

sinian s I showed that neither Kyr ill A thanasius

.
, ,

nor Chrysostom kne w his works ; consequently they

,

coul d not have been w ritten by the D ion y sius men

t i o n e d in A cts xvii and that it w as usual at that time
.

for impostors to write u seless books w hich the y stamped ,

 M ISSI O N T O THE G A LL A S . 1 75

w ith apostolical names to procure an access to their

contem poraries on behalf of their lies Gu eb r a said .
,

I have understood this .I should like if a number of

priests w oul d study Chur ch Histor y .

D ec em be r l t — T his morning I reflected

i much
upon going to the Gallas being grieved at the in di f
, fer

ence of the Abyssinian Christians and en c o ru age d ,

'

myself to study the langu age of the Galla people I .

al s o reflected upon the principles which I should adopt

in m y translation I had hi t herto used the Amharic
.

characters but Ob servin g that the Galla language is no

semitic one that wr itin g in Am haric ha s m any i n co n
,

v en i en ce s
,
and tha t perhaps the Word Of God may go
forth from the Gal las to the whole of Abyssinia I ,

thought it better to use the L atin characters em ploy ,

ing for the w ords not found in the Galla language the
character s of the Aby s sinian languages on account of ,

the national connexi on of both countries I kno w .

t hat in usin g foreign chara cters I shall be Opposed by

t he A byssinian prie s t s who wi s h nothin g el s e but the
,

{E t hiOpic to be circulated May the L ord help me in

.

this work to the g lory of His N ame

D ec em be r l 5 — T O day I fi nished reading the E pi s
-

tle of S t P aul to the R omans w ith the blind D ebtera

.

H ab ta Mariam . I briefly repeated the whole content s ,

part ic ularl y the doctrines of sin and grace and exhorted ,

t his m a n to yield up hi s whole heart to Chri s t who ,

wo ul d g ive h i m s piritual under s tan din g and eternal life ,

if he received the doctrine s of the Gospel into h is

1 76 D IS T R I B U T I O N OF T H E S C R I P T U R ES .

heart I then related to him the case Of a poor blind

.

woman in m y country who having heard this E pistle

,

read had retained it in her memory an d received into

, ,

her heart till her death when she left this w orld in
, ,

faith and trium ph .

Several priests cam e in the course of this day to beg

for books I distributed three copies of the N ew T e s
.

t ament and a cop y of the P entateuch T he y requested .

E t hiopic copies which I was unable to give them

,
.

D e c em be r 1 8 1 8 3 9 —As the father of G ueb ra Georgi s

,

had dir ected me to read with Gu eb r a the Gospel of St .

Mark in fE th i Opi c I com plied wi t h his wi s h ; but I also

,

read it in A mharic When I have fin ished with him

.

Church History I intend to introduc e him to the

,

biblical books having alr eady tran s late d a treatise co n

,

taining the follow ing points T h e man y way s in which

God has revealed Himself to mankind— th at the prin
c i a l subj ect Of biblical histor y is the Kingdom OfGod
p
the w ay in which the Bible took its ri s e— the evidences
that the Bible is the Word of God— h o w the Bible
cam e to u s — how it is to be read— and the names of
t he Books an d their principal contents .

In the afternoon a D ebtera came and sp oke m uch

about evi l spirits budos and amul ets I expressed my
, ,
.

grief at learning that the D eb t er as call ed Christians , ,

used from ignorance and worldl y interest to write amu

lets for the Gallas ; showed him t h e uselessness and
s infulne s s of such practices and e xhorte d him to
the d ut y of the D eb ter as in st r ucting their o wn people ,
‘

1 78 THE A L AC A OF MA N s .

langu age or religion ; besides which the Ab yssinian ,

boo k s stated that the Gallas cam e from the south

of A by ssinia A s to the Ar g o b b an i an s I said that
.
, ,

he w ished to derive the rise of his people from the

hol y land Of the Mah o m ed ans H e then said that .
,

ar (or b ar) means s i th an d gobba c lo th because ,

the Arg o bb an i an s had formerl y w orn clothes Of silk ,

when they cam e from A rabia A s for the rest the .

,

languag e Of A rgobba is said to be nearly the same as

that of Horror .

T w o priests of G urag ue afterward called and s poke ,

t o me about a petty Christian empire called C am b at in ,

the south of Gurague T hey also told me that the Gallas

.
,

pa y great respect to the serpent keeping it i n th eir ,

houses and feeding it with mil k ; and that some of

,

the Gallas are of Opinion that the serpent w as the

father of mankind All that these priests said w as
.

confirmed by m y Galla servant .

D ec e m be r 2 5 1 8 3 9—T h e A laca of Mans w hose name

, ,

is W o l da H a im an o t came to see me H e is the Alaca

, .

of thirty eight ch urches and one of the most respected

-
,

priests OfShoa and loved even b y the King H e asked

,
.

W hether there were Mah o m e dan s in my country ; and

“
then said , We Abyssinian s drink from the well
” “
of the P atri arch OfA lexandria I replied In m y .
,

country w e drink from t he Word of God from ,

Christ who said I a m th e w a y th e tr uth a n d th e

, , , ,
”
l ife . I at first thou ght that he came to dispute b ut
I fo und him a man Of no bitter sp irit H e begged .
 G A LL A TR IBE AR R OOS I . 1 79

me to teach him the names of the A mharic A lphabe t ,

having heard that I k ne w them I com plied w ith hi s .

request I also gave him a C opy Of the E pistles of St

. .

P aul which he thankful ly received

,
.

D e c e m ber 2 6 —A p ri est of G urague came to see

me I a s ked him about the Gallas dw elling in the
.

east Of Guragu e H e said that the m ost pow erful

.
,

tribe was that of the Arr o o s i Gall a s who fought qui te ,

n aked in battle in order to fri g hten their enem ies ;

,

that i n their country m uch salt was obt ained and ex

ported to Gurag ue and the Galla countries in the
neighbourhood and that there was a gr eat lake called ,

L aghi . H e also told me of a priest who di ed several ,

years ago at An kobar who had travelled from Shoa to

,

T a dj urra fro m thence to Cair o returning by w ay of

, ,

Sennar to Gondar and that afterward he went to

E n are a and ret urned by w ay of Caf
,
fa Gambat and , ,

Gurag ue to An k obar where he di ed

, ,
.

In t he la k e of Gura g ue called Suai five islands exist

, , ,

in whi ch the treas ures of the ancient Abyssin ian Kin g s ,

are said to have been hidden from Gragn e when b e en

t ere d Abyssinia .T hat t here are l E thi o pi c books is c o n
fir m ed b y a man whom the King sent there as a spy T h e .

houses of the G ur a gu e an s are described as being much

better built than those of Shoa which by the G ur a g u, ,

eans are called stables But their houses are w idely

, .

separated from each other ; and hence much occasion is

g iven to kidnappers T h e m ain reason Of this sepa
.

rated state of th e Gur ag uean s is I am told th e , ,

18 0 PR AC T IC E OF K ID N A PPI N G .

en m it y of the people one against the Other and the ,

total want of civil order Chil dr en sleep by the side

.

of their parents but n otwithstanding this kidnappers

, ,

annually take a g reat number T hese fellows break .

through the walls of the hou se at night put a large ,

stick upon the neck s of the parents and take away ,

their chil dren : if the children make an outcr y the y ,

put a r ag into their m o n th s In man y ho uses children

.
,

S leep on beams placed across in the upper part of the

,

house but kidnappers penetrate also to that plac e If .

the w alls of the house s should be too stron g the ,

robbers at night ma k e a pit around the house which they ,

set on fire ; when the inhabitants going o ut fall into this , ,

trench and are seized with their children In general the

, ,
.
,

G ura g uean s are blamed as being a bad people as the y

h ave not civil authority and are surroun ded b y Gallas
,

and Mah o m e d an s T h e j ur i s diction of S hoa is onl y and

.

slow ly extended to Ai m ell el a on the frontier Of Gu ,

rague be y ond the H awash If thi s country does not

.

get soon a s ettled order it wi ll be desolated after a little

,

time because a great number of sl aves are annually

,

brou g ht from thence O ne brother sells the children of

.

h i s brother ; and the people are stolen in goi n g from

one villag e to the other .

D e c em be r,2 7 1 8 3 9 —T his morning ten priests from

G urague came to see me T he y arrived here y esterday
. .

I re ad with them in the Gospel and exhorted them to ,

becom e true follo w ers of Christ that they m ight be able ,

to teach their poor p eople and t he surrounding heathens .

18 2 D E M AN D F OR B O O KS .

that t here w as a Church called St Stephanos which ,

.
,

was built 1 300 y ears ago I gave him a copy of the .

N ew T estament and sent another for the Chur ch

, .

I spoke again w ith the Kin g about my j ourney to

G urague but he w oul d not allow me to go saying , ,

that if I sho ul d be killed my co un trymen w o ul d make

,

him responsible .

Ja n u ry
a 1 1 8
,
40— A ne w year May it be a yea r .

Of grace to my heart as w ell as to the whole of A bys

,

sinia ! W hile I w as reflecting upon the past y ear ,

pourin g out m y heart in confessing my sins and thank ,

i n g the L ord for all the spiritual an d temporal g i fts

which H e had bestowed upon me the King s boy came ,
’
,

delivering to me 2 5 0 dollars which Ali Arab had

brought I again gave thanks to God who know s the
.
,

wants of His people P eople are continually coming

.

and as k ing for books Would that I had a lar g e

.

qu antity !
Ja n ua ry 6—T o day I went to the Kin g begging
-
,

him to change t he mone y which I had received a great ,

part of it not passing in this country H e co m plied .

with m y request O ther people of Gurague came

.

asking for books I spoke w ith them a good while

.

about John i ii and t hen gave them what they had

.

asked for T h e Gura gu e an s are great beggars T hey

. .

fall do w n a t my feet begging onl y for a piece of

,

salt If they go to Shoa they appear nearly naked

.
, ,

sayi ng that the Gall as robbed them on the way ;

,

and then they get clothes from the Kin g which the ,
 A NN U AL F ES T I V A L OF B A P T IS M . 18 3

Gallas will not rob knowing that the Kin g w ould b e

,

come angry with them .

Ja n ua ry 1 0 —T h e King departed for An g o ll al a .

T his morning the L eb a shi was w ith me begging for

, ,

medicine T h e duty of thi s man is to go over the

.

whole countr y and to take all people who are sus

,

ec t e d of robbery H e appears to b e a man of energ y

p . .

W o l d a H ai m o t the son of Alaca Scrat then came

, ,

askin g me abo ut Mahom ed and his religion I said .

,

that Mahom ed coul d not have been sent by God as he ,

tau g ht doc t rine s qui te contrary to the O ld and N ew

T estaments ; and that if he is called a messenger he i s ,

the m essenger of the antichrist yea he is himself , , ,

because St John said that whosoever denies the Son is

.
, ,

t he antichri s t and this is the messenger and servant of

,

Satan I then explained to him the principal doctrines of

.

Mahom ed and Christ and encoura g ed him to read the

,

Word of God not only to get knowledge b ut partien

, ,

l arl y to the salvation of his s oul .

In the evenin g the p ri ests went out to prepare th e

ceremonies of the annual festival of baptis m I also .

went out to witness th em T h e T ab o t s (holy ar k ) of .

t he five Churches of Ankobar were placed on a free

place of the town called Ar ada where the Governor
, ,

of the town received them prostrati n g himself with ,

the people T h e priests were well clothed as well as

.
,

t he other people because they consider the day of bap

,

t i sm as a day of great sh el ém at (splendour ) T h e .

Churches distrib ute w hite clothes and th e other people ,

 18 4 C ER E M ONY OF B AP T I S M .

borro w one from the Other what they c an get to glitt er ,

on this day T hen they w ent singing to the rivulet

.

Airara at the foot Ofthe T shaka mountain

,
H aving .

arrived there the priests of each Church pitched a

,

tent S i nging the whole night I retur ned but intended

,
.
,

to go at night to see the holy ceremon y .

J a n ua ry 1 2 1 8 4 0 —Af ter mi dnight I went to the

,

rivulet Ai rara T h e cerem on y of baptism h ad not c o m

.

m en c e d ; but after the first cro w ing of the cock it be an

g .

T h e priests of the Church St Mar y had to o f fi c i ate this .

y ear . T hey had damm ed the rivulet in the evening so ,

t hat in the morning it was considerably swollen A .

pries t stood in the m idst of the water and with a few ,

words blessed it T hen all the people Ol d and y oung

,
.
, ,

being quite na k ed pl unged them s elves into the water

,
.

T hey tumbled fir st a good while in the w ater then they

went out and others followed them b eing like men
, ,

quite out of their senses P arents took their lit t le .

chil dr en and cast them into the w ater thou gh these ,

poor creatures cried loud from the coldn ess of the

water T h e priests having lights stood around the ri
.

v ul et to w itness thi s abominable cerem ony

,
I t urned .

m e
y y es fro m this spectacle and entered into a discourse ,

with the father of G ueb r a speaking abo ut the baptism ,

wi t h the H ol y Ghost and the blood of Christ t o th e,

forgiveness of sin Several priests j oined in t he di s

.

cour se I then expressed m y grief at seeing such cere

.

monies i n a Christian count ry Man y people told me .

that I had said right I then w ent home while the .

,
18 6 G A LL A D EI T I ES .

Ja n ua ry 1 5 ,
1 8 40 —A D ebtera brought to me a book ,

called W u da s s i e Amlak which is so much esteeme d

-
,

b y the Ab y ssinians that they say if there w ere no

, ,

priest w ith a dy ing man and this book only were read
, ,

his assistance w ould not be required Afterward I .

studied the Galla language My Galla told me abo ut .

t w o D eities which the Galla s w orship O ne is called .

Ogl ia the other At et e T he y O f fer sacrifices to the

.

At ete a female D eit y in the month of S eptember and

, ,

to the Oglia a male D ei ty in the months of Januar y

, ,

and April .

Ja n u a ry 1 6 —I called upon Anko Jasus the A laca ,

o f the Ch urch of St Mary H e appears to be a monk

. . .

I ga ve hi m a cop y of the fE th i Opi c Gospels and a cop y ,

of the A mharic N e w T e s tament for his Church T hus .

all th e Churches of Ankobar have received books from

me .

Ja n ua ry 1 7 —D ebtera W o rkn ec h b egged me to

explain to him Matt iii I s poke about the baptism of
. .

John and that of the Abyssinians which I had lately

, ,

witnessed F irst I said that John taught his people

.
, ,

before he bapti z ed them and that he showed them the

i
,

necessity o f repentance if they wished to enter into ,

th e kin g do m of God
, and secondly that John directed , ,

hi s hearers to the great day the j udgment of Christ ; ,

that they should not rely upon their o w n righteousness

and useless ceremonies but reall y change their minds
, ,

and be baptized w ith the H ol y Ghost .

 C H AP T E R IV

HR K R A P F CC OM P A NI E S TH E K IN G ON N E X PED I T ION A G A IN S T TH E
. A A

G LL H E K IN G S A R M Y — C O N V E R S A T I ON W I TH A P R I E S T
'
A AR IB E S
T M
T

ON F A S T I N G A N OTH E R S U BJ E CT S — R E LI G I O U S C E E M ONI E S OF TH E
D R

G A LL A S —V I S I T T O A V ILL G E — A G LL A G
A V E —N OT I C E S O F VA R I
A R A

O U S G A LL A T R I B E S ( TH R O U G
,
H O UT TH E CH A P T E R —
) C ON V E S A T I ON R

IVI T H PEOP L E F R OM TH E N OR TH OF S H OA A N D OTH E R P L A C E S

—IN T E R V I E W W ITH T S H R A S ON OF TH E Q U EE N OF M U L OFA L A D A
.

F VO UR A B L E R E C EP T ION—M J E S T IC M O U N T IN S OF M A I T S H A
,

A A A

S OU R C E S O F TH E H A VV A S H — R E TU R N T O N G OL L A L — H OT AI VE L L S A

IN TH E T E R R I TOR Y O F F I N I FI N I — A R R I V E A T A N G OL L A L A —R E C EP T I ON
.

O F TH E K IN G— R E M A R K S ON TH E A D V N T A G E S G A IN ED B Y TH E A

E X P ED I T ION .

Ja n ua ry 2 2 , 1 8 4 0— T H I S
orning about nine O cloc k ’
m , ,

th e Kin g departed from A n g o ll al a on an expe dition

a g ainst the Galla T ribes in the south of Shoa and I ,

was ordered to follow hi m in compan y wi t h M R ochet . .

A bout ten o clock we passed the river T sh at sh a which

’
,

has its cour se from south east to north west : it most - -

probably arise s in the m o untains OfB ulga and Men tsh ar ,

in the pro vince of Fata g ar O n a neighbour ing hill .

we observed a large village called W o n ab a dé ra where , ,

A yto Mare t sh the most influential Chieft ain Of the

,

Gallas in the s outh of Shoa ha s his residence T h e ,

.

Galla t ribe through th e territo ry of which w e firs t

,
 ’
18 8 THE K ING S AR M Y .

passed is called Ab e dt sh o o which is very large and

, , ,

divided into several district s It is w ell peopled and

.

cultivated but being de s tit ute of trees i t does not pre ,

sent to the e y e so b eautiful an aspect as the other terri

tories of the Gallas which we s aw after ward It has
,
.

no high mountains but only hills It is rich in rivulets

,
.
,

meadows and large valley s

,
.

T h e army of the King which accompanied him to

day amounted to about 5 000 men T h e King w ent .

before having on each side a man holding a large red

,

umbrella preceded by several Gallas to sho w him

,

the w ay Behind the King there were about t w enty

.

wives riding to pr epare the Kin g s ki t chen and at

,
’
,

a little distance were the p ri ests al acas and other men

, ,

of rank I wa s ordered to go with these

. An d .

finally there w ere the soldi ers Of the King commanded ,

by their respective officers O n the left side of the

.

army wer e the T am bours ri di ng o n mul es makin g

, , ,

their monotonous noise ; and on the right side , ,

were several wives singing h y mns in praise Of the

,

King .

A s m y E uropean dress and ph y siognom y excited the

attention of the people I w as always surrounded by
,

them asking me about my countr y I left this matter

,
.
,

and too k the opportunity Of s peaking to them about

the w ay conducting to their eternal welfare A s a Mis .

siO n ar
y has people w i th him from all parts of Shoa he ,

c an do much on s irch expe ditions E ver y w ord he .

speaks they relate afterward to others as I frequently

, ,
1 90 C O N VER SAT I O N ON F AS T I N G
dans and heathens c an fast as severel y as y ou without ,

partaking Of Christ It i s another thing if we fa s t

.
,

in order to be able to meditate about the condi tion Of

o ur hearts to mourn over o ur sins and to pray
,
In this , .

respect fastin g may become useful to u s but in doing

,

so we know and declare it before God and men that ,

w e do not seek righteou sness thereb y b ut only a pre ,

ar at i o n for a prayi ng interco u rse w ith our God H aving

p .

this in V ie w the Apostles sometimes fasted ; but they

,

left it to Christian liberty as to h o w Often and in

in w hat cases it should be done w ithout giving strict ,

orders about it .

After w ard he spoke about the prohi bition of cof fee

drinking T h e prie s ts of Shoa do not allow it in Oppo
.
,

sitio u to the Mah o m e dan s who like cof f

ee so much , .

F irst I proved to h im that God makes cof

,
f
ee gro w a s
,

well as other things for the u s e of men ; and therefore

he w ho forbids it is in Opposition to the Creator of
,

all things Secondly I showed him that all that G o d

.
,

has created is clean good and not to be refused if it

, , , ,

b e received with thank s giving as St P aul say s (1 T im ,

.
, .

iv 3
.
,
an d that it was another thing if some thin g s
were not suitable to our bodies and health In this .

respect w e were obliged to abstain from eatin g or dri n k

,

ing it as it is our duty to preserve our life which we

, ,

shoul d other w ise destroy as man y Ab y ssinians do by ,

severe fasting T hirdl y I explained to him the di ffer

.
,

ence b y which w e are distinguished from the Mah o m e

dans namel y not b y fasting or cof
, , f
ee dr inking or , ,
 A ND O T H E R S U B JE C T S . 19 1

dr ess or bands of S ilk but b y our doctrines and a holy

,

Chri s tian life F ourt hly that if the Abyssinians wil l

.
,

separate them selve s fi o m Mah o m e dan s by prohibiting

'

cof f ee they are obl iged to abstain from all other meat
,

which the Mah o m e dan s make use of F ifthl y I r e .

,

r o a ch e d their priests sa ying I know why y ou are SO

p , ,

str ict in forbiddi ng cof fee you do it for y our interes t ,

taking a cloth or some pieces Of salt before you ah

, ,

solve a dead m an whom you k no w to have been a cof f

ee
dr ink er . I woul d not have opposed you so much if I ,

had Ob s erved that there was no custom in g eneral to

dr in k co f f ee but k nowing the reasons why you forbid
it I thought it my dut y to speak Openly on this point
, .

But supposing there were no custom your country could ,

produce plenty of coffee and it woul d be for your tempo

,

”
ral welfare to plant and sel l it to foreign countries .

I then S pok e about the real conversion of S in ners ,

about the happ ine s s of a true b eliever i n Christ and the ,

duty of t he Shoa Ch ri st ian s to convert the Mah o m e dan s

and Galla s saying t hat if they loved Chri s t they w oul d
, , ,

k eep His c o nrm an dm en t by which all true believers are

,

obli g ated to in st ruct all th e na t ions of the earth But .

in order to be able to do so they must first themselves ,

retur n to the pure doctrines of the Gospel else the ,

”
Gallas would not hear t hem What I said shall the
.
, ,

Gallas gain b y your doctrines about fasting prohibition ,

of cof fee and smokin g by y our tradi tions of circumcision

, ,

and by your strict s eparation from other na t ions In

stead o f conve rting them yo u give them occasion to
,
1 92 G A LL A S AC R I F I C ES .

blaspheme the hol y name of Christ thinking that His ,

y oke is a ver y heavy one in opposition to what H e him ,

sel f say s (Matt xi C o m e un to m e a l l y e th a t l a

. .
,

”
bo ur an d are h e a vy l a d e n , fi a nd I w i l l g i v e y o u r es t, e .

In my heart I fervently pray ed that the L ord would

Open a door to the Galla nation and h a sten the time of ,

their salvation .

’
A bout o n e o clock w e passed a river called Belat , ,

which has its course in the same direction as the

T sh at sh a and perhaps the same source on the B ul ga
, ,

mountains T here is a large village of the sam e name

.

near it S ituated on a rocky hill Our route was plain

,
.

and agreeable We observed several large ahorn trees

.
-
,

under which the Gallas perform their religious c er em o

nies T hese trees therefore are considered holy and

.
,

nobody c an touch them without losin g his life H ere .

they Of fer sacrifices to their two principal D eities Ogl ia ,

and Atete T O the Oglia which is a male D eity they

.
, ,

offer cows sheep & c in the months of January and

, ,
.
,

April and to the other which is a female D eit y the y , ,

offer sacrifices in the month of Septem ber at which ,

tim e their priests called Kall it sh o tsh foretell the inci

, ,

dents o fthe com ing y ear T he y pray that t hese beings .

,

which the y think to be invisible may grant to the peo ,

ple a good harvest and other tem poral blessings .

’
About t w o o clock in the afternoon we encam ped on
a large plain call ed Magel which is intersected by
, ,

a rivulet of the same name T h e King gave orders .

to Serta Wold to furnish me wi th a tent .

1 94 G O V E R N O R OF M A C H F OOD .

’
o clock in the afternoon the river San ga Boka About , .

’
t w o O clock w e encamped on a place called Gordoma
, , ,

in the t ribe W o b eri A s the tribes W o b eri and Gelan

.

were several y ears at w ar wi t h each other the cou ntry ,

around w a s a desert and we saw nothin g but the ruins,

o f form er villages When we had encampe d the

.
,

King asked me ho w many soldiers I thought he had

gathered at present I said that I thought there ,

w ere about six or seven thousand H e laughed and .

,

“
said ,
T hat is nothing : look after several days and ,

”
then tell me the n umber We had to the north the .

province of Shoa Meda where there are Christians , .

In the evening the Governor of Ma ch fo o d came to

,

see me in my ten t A s they cam e only to see my E uro

.

pean dress and to ask about trifling things I t urned the

, ,

discourse to the Word of God to proclaim which I ,

was sent b y the Christian s of my country T hey then .

kept sil ence in order to hear w hat I had t o say abo ut

,

the propagation of the Gospel in our times and of the ,

H ol y Scriptures in a hundred and seventy di fferent lan

guages and about the arts of our countr y I like to
,
.

conver s e with different people on this expedition and ,

to make kno w n my Obj ect in all the districts of Shoa ,

as I Obtain thereb y a g reat advantage namely that I ,

am know n if I should after w ard V isit their vi llages .

I regretted that I had not with me a large quantity of

A mharic books as I h ad man y Opportunities of dis
,

tributing the m .

Ja n ua ry 2 4 1 8 4 0— A S the King set o ut very late this

,
 M O UN T A I N S OF G A R R A G OR PH OA . 1 95

mornin g I had a long conversation w ith people w ho

,

sur roun ded my tent in number about two h undred

, .

M y he art w as warm at seein g them S everal w ere abo ut .

to speak about fasting ; but I left that and enlarg ed on ,

the duty of a Christian to acquaint himself w ell w ith

t he I Vo r d of God contained in the O ld and N e w T esta
'

ments and to follow it w ith all his heart during his

,

l ife I then proved to the m from the T en Command

.

m ent s the sinful ness of their hea rts and the necessity ,

of a livi n g faith in Jesus Chri st T h e people w ere .

much pleased with what I said sayi n g that they had , ,

never heard such good ti di ng s from their pries t s If .

I should acco m pany the King on another expedition ,

I shall prepare before a number of short sermons ,

explaining to the people the essential truth s of S crip

t ure in a clear and decided m anner T hes e expedi tions .
,

which the Ki n g ma k es t hree times in the year nam ely , ,

January June and September a f

, ,
ford a suitable occa,

sion for a Missionar y t o preach the Gospel which ,

opportunity he does not have at other times .

“ e marched throu gh the territory W o b eri south

r

we st west O n the sou t h east we left the mountains of

-
.
-

Garra G o rph o a which extend from east to nor th w est

,
-
,

in which di rection we s aw all the rivulets running ,

which we w ere continuall y passing A s since yesterday .

the troops from northern and western Shoa arrived ,

t he King sent his bo y Beru to request m e to go on a

,

hill from whence I could see the troops passing and ,

to t ell the King how m an y I thought there w ere I .

K 2
1 96 A G A LL A G R A V E .

rested about an hour seeing the people arriving from

,

a ll directions ; finally I went m y wa y thinking there

, ,

were about fifteen thousand men N otwithstanding .

this other s w ill arrive in a fe w days from Shoa and

, ,

the count ry of the Gallas T h e most beautiful horses .

and mules w ere to be seen H ow pow erful a Kin g .

Sahela S el a s si eh might become if his troops w ere dis ,

c i l i n e d and his countr y civilized b o ut one o clock

’
p ,
A ,

we w ere covered b y an immense s w ar m of locusts so ,

t hat we could see neither the sun n o r the mountains

around I have seen them in T igré but not in such
.
,

a m ass Aft er w ard we had rain T h e second rai n y

. .

season which is called T sh ern at is at hand and is ex

, , ,

e c t e d regularly bet w een Janua ry and F ebruar y T h

p e .

first rainy season called R at Kidan begins in the

, ,

m onth of June and ends in September

, .

I saw this afternoon for the fir s t tim e a Galla grave

, ,

in a V illage called Mutsh ell a T h e grave was sur .

rounded b y a w all about three feet in height on which ,

the alo e plant w as growing up very beautifull y T h e

-
.

g rave w as also covered wi th stones of about t w o feet in

height I have never seen in Ab y ssinia a grave adorned
.

so nicely O n asking m y Galla boy w h y they adorned

.
,

their g raves so beautifully I received an ans w er which ,

d estroyed my pleasure H e told me that the Galla s

.
,

are Of Opinion that as soon as the above m entioned

,

plant gro w s on the grave of a person he begins to get ,

righteou sness before the Wa k e and goes to him H o w , .

ever the Gallas have an idea o f retrib ution as they

, ,
1 98 QU EE N OF MU L OF A L AD A .

rall y does burn the fruits ; but much wheat w as de

,

s troyed w ith the hou ses T h e Gallas are foolish I

.
,

h ave no doubt because the y could prevent the King

,

from burning their houses as the tribute w hich he

,

requi res from them is very little .

Ja n ua ry 2 6 1 8 40— T his morning about eight 0 clock

’
, , ,

we left Sululta O n our departure the King b urnt all

.

the m eado w s on which we had encamped About n ine .

o clock w e entered into the territory o f Mul o fal ada

’
,

governed b y the qu een T sh am ieh whom I have men ,

t i o n e d before . She has her residence at W o llen so a ,

larg e village which is considered the capital place of

,

her tribe H aving passed through several terri t ories

.

Of the Gallas qui te d estitute of trees and but little ,

cultiva t ed it was very refreshing to my eyes to see

,

lar g e forests and the ground cultivated T h e King of .

Shoa married the daughter of the queen and her son ,

w hose name is T sh ara is much attached to the King

, ,

and rendered him great ser vices on the expedition .

Con s idering that t his tribe is in the midst of Gallas

d w elling betw een the Haw ash in the south and ,

Shoa in the north and east— that it is near the N ile and ,

G o dt sh am on the we s t —t hat it i s very fertile and ,

w ell cultivated —and that it is in total dependance upon

the King of Shoa I could not but think that it w as a
,

fit place to establish a Galla Mission among this tribe .

I therefore deter m ined to make m y personal acquaint

ance w ith the son of the Queen and to acquaint ,

him w ith m y obj ect O n our w ay the King received

.
,
 B E HA V I O UR OF THE K I NG . 1 99

several C hieftains w ho delivered up their tribute s

, .

Generally speaking what the Gallas call dependancy

,

upon Shoa is very little with the southern Gall as as ,

they are afraid of the King onl y so long as he is in

their territory .T h e tribe Of Mul o fal a da ho w ever , ,

seems to me to be an exception .

I must make some re m arks respecting the behaviour

of the King when he is marching H e is as active in .

the fiel d as at ho m e Sitting on h i s m ule he speaks

.
,

w ith his Of fi cers and other persons and receives the ,

Governors arriving from Shoa or the Galla tribes who , ,

on seeing the King fall down on their faces as w ell as

, ,

their troops H e asks in a friendly w ay H o w do y ou

.
,

do ? after which the chieftain comes near walks by ,

the side of the King s mule and S peaks w ith him

’
,

apart for about hal f an hour T h e King having rode

.

on his m ule for a considerable time descends and walks ,

on foot like his people H e speak s the Galla language

.

pretty well When he intends to encamp he goes

.
,

apart on a hill with a select n umber of troops to

reconnoitre till his tents are put up Indeed he is a
, .
,

respectable prince and has intelligence and experience

, .

In the afternoon we passed several rivulets i n the

,

terri tory of Mul o fa la da O ne of them is called

.

Ko i e t a and another D eka m e

, both seem to have their
co urse to the N ile Al l the rivu lets which w e passed
.
,

have w ater the whole year I was informed At t w o

,
.

’
o clock we arrived in the te rritory of the t ribe A da
,

berga which is partiall y dependent on Mulo fal a da

,
.
2 00 C O NV E R S A T I O N W I T H P EO PL E .

A d ab erg a has its name fro m the high mountains

S ituated in this tribe as m an y other tribes are called
,

by the name of their m ountains I several times Oh .

served that the extension o f a tribe i s l i m ited b y a

,

chain of mountains ; a s yo u enter into another tribe

as soon as y o u a s cend another chain of mountains .

T h e A dab e rga mountains have their di rection from

south south ea s t to north e ast T h e territor y of this
- -
.

tribe is ver y rich in forests w ater and meadows A s

, , .

the y refused to pay the tribute their houses w ere ,

burnt About three O clock we encam ped in a valley

.
’
,

called B el ats h a from the rivulet Of the sam e name

"

.
,

Ja n ua ry 2 7 1 8 4 0— T his morning I had a long c o n

versation w ith people from the N orth of Shoa from ,

Geshe A n zo kia and E frata I read to them several

, ,
.

P sal m s w ith S hort explanations T hey w ere much pleased

.

to hear the Word of God in Amharic I am firmly .

convinced that the A by ssinian people would not refuse ‘

a reformation i f there were some enlightened teachers

,

am ong themselves brought up with a sound kno w

,

ledge Of the Bible and anointed b y the Holy Spirit

,
.

But I have little h Ope in this respect though they like ,

to hear a di sco ur s e about the W ord of God In all m y

-
.

conversations I endeavour to S how them the necessit y

of rel y ing onl y on the Bible it being quite suf fi ,

cient to the knowledge of our sal vation I S how them .

al w ay s that there are t w o seducing w ay s ; either that

w e add s om ething to the Scriptures or that we take ,

a w ay from them explaining the danger of these w ay s ,

2 02 C O N V ER SAT I O N ON

whether the y were able to un derstand it or not an d I

had the pleasur e to Observe that they un derstood it
pretty well I added som e explanations to what I read
.
,

and they expressed to m e their great sa t isfaction I am .

convinced t hat the Gallas are not against instruction

but they hate the Am haric priest s who wil l in s truct ,

them in an unknown language and in things which they ,

consider a heavy y oke We al w ay s observed that the

.

Gallas made a great di stinction b et w een me and M .

R ochet and the A mharic people .

T h e King encamped about one o clock in a plain ’

called D aras o o on the river Gadi sa afterw ard he

,

went out With a select number of soldi ers in a north

westerly di rection to attack the t ri b e W o gidi Metta
,
.

I accom panied h im thou g h he begged me several times

,

to rem ain in the camp We m arched about two hour s

.
,

till we arrived at a hi g h mountain on which when the , ,

air i s clear G o d tsh am and the N ile c an be seen We

,
.

s aw the m o un tains of Mughir to the north on the ,

foot of which is the tribe Faj ah where the King w ent ,

on his last exp e di tion in the month of September

,
.

Bet w een the mountain s of the “o gi di Gallas and those

f

of the Metta R obi Gallas i s a river called A da flowi n g , ,

to the H awash In the west of W o g i di Metta is the

.

tribe B et sh o Fu g ik and in the west of Bet sh o Fugik

,

is the tribe T sh ars o D aga on the N il e A s the Galla s .

had taken fli ght the King retu rned to his camp hav
, ,

ing fir st burnt their vi llages .

Ja n u a ry 2 9 1 8 4 0 —
’
T his morning abo ut n m e o clock , ,
 T HE P O W ER OF T H E P R IES T S . 2 03

w e left o ur cam p to retur n to the tribe Metta R obi

, ,

where w e had been tw o days before I asked several .

Gallas who were with me in my tent what they knew ,

about their progen itor T he y said that accor di ng to an

.
, ,

Ol d tradition their pro enitor was called Wolah that

, g
he was formed from mud by the Wake (god) and re ,

c e i v e d afterward a li ving soul and that he had his

first residence on the H aw ash I could not learn more .

from them O n o ur return the Gallas the houses Of

.
, ,

whom were burnt y esterday brought their tribute in ,

honey horses and cow s

, ,
.

I V e encamped about one o clock I had a long co n ’

.

versation wi th people from Mach fo o d Geshe Morad , , ,

B ul ga and Men tsh ar I Observed that the people of

,
.

B ul ga and Men tsh ar are the most ignorant .

Ja n ua ry 3 0— A s the King rested in his tent till

ten o cloc k I had much tim e to spea k w ith the people
’
,
.

I first s po k e about the power of the prie s ts I proved .

to them that a priest is a sinner before God like other ,

men and that a good priest does not den y his sinful
ness and his want of a Saviour as we see in the exam ,

ple of St P aul who declared himself to be the greatest

.
,

sinner— that therefore a priest has no power of his

o w n over other men — that as he receives the salvation
of his soul only by true repentance and living faith i n
Christ it is his dut y to s ho w to his people the w ay in
,

which he has been saved in confor m ity w ith the exam

,

ple of John the Baptis t and wi th God s commandment

,
’
.

”
T herefore I rem arked take care that you do n o t
, ,
2 04 C O NV E R S A T I O N
presume on authority which the L ord has not given y ou
—that y ou preach His w ord and not our o wn — seek
y
for His honour and glor y an d not y our o w n interest
, .

Y o u have certainly great honour and power by teaching

H i s word ; but if you ta k e fro m or add to that word ,

as no w you do th e L ord will call y ou thieves and rob

,

bers destroying his sheep T h e Apostles had the H oly

.

Spirit who conducted them into all truth and preserved

, ,

them fr o m teaching other things which Christ had not

commanded In His power they boun d the sinner who
.

di d not repent as well as absolved hi m w ho truly r e

,

en t e d Ofhis sins but you have the spi r it of the world

p ,

and seek only for worldly interests and take the power ,

and the word of Chr ist only as the m eans of Obtaining

your tem poral obj ects Y o u keep the flock in ignorance
.
,

teachin g them doctrines quite contrary to the Scrip

t ures and yo u prevent them by your pretended auth o
ri ty fro m receiving the happ y and pure knowledge of
the Bible But I tell y ou that the L ord wi ll requir e
.

from y o u on the D ay OfJudgment all the souls which

, ,

are lo s t on your account T h e soul s are not y ours bu t

.
,

Christ s ; and if y o u do not reveal to them His will

’
,

y ou are like Juda s who loo k ed more for money than

,

’
for his master s interest .

We then spoke about slaver y A s slavery is very

.

frequent in this coun tr y I take every Opportunit y t o

,

prove its inconsistenc y with Christian p ri nciples namel y , ,

T h o u s h a l t l o v e thy n e ig h bo ur a s thy s e lf A n d a s y e
.

w o u ld th a t m en s ho u l d d o to y o u, d o y e a l s o to th em
2 06 C O NV E R S A T I ON C O NC E R NING
w orks like them yo u are slave traders and yo u lov e -

fornication Wherein therefore do yo u di f

.
,
fer I s it ,

because y ou have a g reater number of Saints than the

Mah o m e dan s ? O r is it that you have better s tories
and fables than are found a m on g the Mah o m e dan s
Y o u have it is true some theoretical kno wledge of
, ,

Christ but practically you are like the Mah o m e dan s

, ,

who not feeling the sinfulness of their hearts nor k no w ,

ing the sickness of their souls are of f

ended at the S a ,

vi o ur s incarnation An d you are o f fended at o ur say

’
.

ing to yo u that fasting and other w orks are useless to

,

a true believer who needs nothing else but a contrite

,

heart and a living faith Y o u are zealous against Ma .

h o m e dan s den y in g that Ch ri st is the Son of God and

, ,

do not give Him the honour which belongs to Him as

a Saviour and Mediator but di vi de Him between His ,

”
w ork an d y our own and that of y our S ai nts .

F inall y w e spoke abou t the various arts of E ur ope

,
.

I said in conform ity w ith 1 T im iv 8 G o d l i n es s i s

,
. .
,

p ro
fi ta bl e u n to l l th i ng s , h a vi ng p r o m i s e of th e l if
a e

th a t n ow i s, a nd o
f th a t w hi c h i s to c o m e that the —
pure knowledge of the Gospel enlightens the under
stan di n g of man and who i fhe does the w ill of God i s
, , ,

blessed in all that he underta k es — that the reception

of the Gospel i s the real cause of the flour ishing state
of the arts in our country— an d that the love which
o ur Christians prove in propagating God s Word is the
’

cause of the po w er which E ngland possesses in all parts

o f the w orld .
 THE A N O INT I NG OF C H R IS T . 207

We set out about ten O clock this morning Alaca’

.

Melat asked me on the way many questions of a spe

c ul ati ve natur e A mong other things he asked me
.
,

about t he anoint ing Of Christ b y the H ol y Ghost I .

said this we c an prove clearl y from Matt iii where w e

,
. .
,

read that when Jesus was baptiz ed he w en t up s tr a ig h t

, ,

w ay o ut o
fth e w a te r : l o , th e h e a v ens w e r e op en e d
a n d,

u n to him ,
a nd the Spi r i t of G o d d es c en d i ng l i ke a
d o ve , an d l ig h ti ngfrom which we also learn
up o n him ,

at what tim e Christ received the Holy Ghost Wh y . .

”
ask I said about thing s which are not w ritten and
, , ,

do not see those whi ch are so clearly revealed in the

Script ur e s Wh y take upon yourselves to Oppose the
testimony OfSt John who had seen and heard at what
.
,

time Chr ist was anointed wi th the H ol y Ghost I

once heard from a learned priest wh y they p ersist so
S trictly in their opinion of Christ s being anointed in
’

the womb ; but I have forgotten to notice it in my

daily remarks It is nece ss ary to study their fE th io pi c
.

boo k s in order to find out their Op i nions of which ,

t hey have seldom a clear knowledge .

He then asked about Cyril and N estorius I said .

,

t hat the doctrines of the s e t wo great men of the

Church required to be exami ned b y the light of the
Script ur e— that N estorius seem s to have separated the
humanity of Christ from hi s D eity and Cyril to have ,

confounded both together ; while the Scripture faith

r el ie s on a real union of both without se aration as
p ,

w ell as without mixt ur e—that as to th e manner of

 fl
2 08 I NT E R V I E W

their union w e are not informed in Scripture ; w e

,

kno w onl y that th e W o r d w a s m a d e es h a n d dw e l t ,

a m on
g us mani
,
f esting the actions Of real hu m anity

as well as of D eity It w oul d be better I said if they

.
, ,

left their di sputes about the anointing and the t w o

nat ur es of Christ and examined themselves in the
,

light of God to kno w whether they were anointed

,

with the H ol y Ghost and united to Christ or not I .

”
am much displea s ed I added with y our learned
, ,

men seeing that they are lost in vain specul ations

, ,

and seduced from the practical knowledge of Chris t '

Humble yourselves under the Word of God that H e ,

m a
y exalt y ou by giving yo u the spirit of true wisdom
, ,

and leadi ng y ou to the salvation of y ourselves as well

”
as of your flocks .

F inally he asked whether mules w ere created in the

, ,

beginning as it w as w ritten in a book called A dam

, ,

that A dam on leaving the garden had ten mules wi th

, ,

hi m . I said that I had never read this stor y in the

,

Bible ; but had read in Gen xxxvi that at the . .

time of A nah mule s were foun d in the wilderness ;

,

and therefore that the stor y in the book of A dam w as

false as were m any others Of their books the author s
, ,

of whom seek to be w iser than the mes s en g ers of God ,

who have written their histo ri es in the light of the

H ol y Ghost T h is afternoon we w ere again covered
.

w ith an imm ense s w arm of locusts .

Ja n ua ry 3 1 1 8 40— T his morning I had the pleas ur e

,

to meet w ith T sh ara son OfT sh am i eh Queen Of M ulo

, ,
2 10 M A JES T I C M O UN T A I N S

to each other H e said silently to m y servant T his

.
,

is a man of the Wake F inally I asked him ,

for several boy s to take w ith m e to Ankobar in order ,

to instruct them there pro m ising that I woul d retur n

,

with them to Mul o falad a H e ans w ered I shall com e

.
,

to Ankobar after several months and then w e w ill ,

speak about thi s matter and y ou will speak wi th the

,

”
Kin g . I shall not fail to acqu aint the King of it as ,

soon as possible I have S poken much with Alaca

.

S crat about the Galla people and given him some proofs ,

o f m y translation and he seems not to be a ainst the

, g
instruc t ion of that nation but I am afraid that others
w ill prevent the King from giving his permission to my
undertaking as they know that the Christian faith is
,

not brought by us to the Gallas in the Ab y ssinian

manner H owever I shall explain to the King fir st
.
, , ,

that it is the commandm ent of Christ to teach all peo

ple the Christian R eligion secon dl y the responsibility ,

Of the Christian s of Shoa if they do not care them,

selves for the eternal w elfare of the Gallas ; thir dl y the ,

great advantage ari sing to the King himself from the

christiani z ation of the Galla s who woul d then be good ,

subj ects t o him considering hi m a King united to them

,

by the bond of the same faith and four thly I S hall , ,

beg him for his p ermission in the furtherance Of my

obj ect an d for the protection of m y person At t he
,
.

sam e tim e I S hall speak about my plan respecting a

,

Mission among the tribe Mul o fal a da .

We commenced our march this morning about nine

 I N T H E T ER R I T O R Y OF MA I T S H A . 211

o clock T h e King had ordered a sol di er to be kill ed

’
. ,

who had killed hi s fellow man th e day before T he y -

.

often k ill the ir o wn people in order to be able to say ,

that they have ki lled a Gall a in which case the y r e

c ei v e fr om the Kin g the value of t w ent y or sixt y pieces

of salt or a shield horse mul e or something else O n

, , , ,
.

o ur way a singer of the King asked me abo u t various

disputed matters among the learned of Shoa T h e .

K ing on every expedi tion ta k es w ith him twelve singers ,

who be g in their songs at midnight and continue w ith ,

out cea s ing till break of day A t Ankobar there are .

one hun dr ed and fifty s ix singers T he s e people sing

-
.

psalms and h y mns generally to the praise of Mary ;

,

b ut in su ch a horrible manner that M R ochet who had .

,

”
hi s tent near the Kin g S w as un able to sleep .
,

F e br ua r y I 1 8 4 0 — W e set out from our camp about

,

seven o clock this morni ng ; but about ten o cloc k the

’ ’

King g ave orders to encam p H avin g arranged this the .

,

King went out to hunt buffalos and elephants which ,

are seldom to be met wi th in the forest s of Metta M . .

R ochet and mysel f acco m panied the King About .

eleven O clock we rested a li ttle on a moun tain where

’
,

we had a m ost beautiful prospect in all directions In .

t he south we s t we s aw the maj estic mountains in the

-
,

ter ri to ry of Mait sh a with their immense forests ; and

,

on the s outh west we had before us the high mountain

-

E n t oto where several of the Kings OfA b y ssinia had

,

re s ided till Gra g n e the Kin g of A del destroyed the

, , ,

ci t y buil t there the r ui ns of which I w a s informed

, , ,
2 12 M O UN T A I N OF S E K U A L A .

still existed on the mountain N ehl a D enghel is said

.

to have been the last Kin g who resided there H e took .

flight to the neighbouring mountain F errer and then ,

to the mountain Bokan till he was compelled to retire

,

to T igré when the Gallas profi t ing b y this opportunit y

entered this part of Shoa after the death of Gragn e .

T hus G ur ague was separated from Shoa T hey took .

the most beautiful provinces T h e priests Ofthe King

.

sho w ed me in the territor y of Mul o fal a da several hills ,

where they said churches had formerl y been T h e

, ,
.

history of these churche s I understood are written in

, ,

a book called T ari k wh i ch S en t sh ar said he possessed

, , ,

and prom ised to let me s ee it after his return to Ankobar .

We also s aw in the south east the high mountain Se

-

kuala where I was informed is the grave of a cele

, , ,

b r a te d saint called Gu eb r a Man f

,
u s R edus to which ,

the people of Shoa make annual pilgri m ages T his .

saint is said to have destroyed by his prayers 5 00 genii .

T here is w ater on the top of the mountain T o the .

south w e ob served the immense plain of the H awash ,

in w hich is a high single mountain called Wata D alat ,

Sh a. Bey ond the plain are the mountains of Soddo

Gur ague .

’
A bout one O clock the people made a loud c ry the ,

King having killed a great bu f falo on his horse with a

single lance T herefore the singing wives praised the
.

King Killing a buf

. falo i s an ac t of great bravery and ,

a man w ho has killed one is considered as if he had

,

killed five Gallas : therefore he has the privilege to

2 14 R ET UR N T O A NG OL L A L A .

tribe B e t sh o W o r eb ,
which is to be distingui shed from
B et sh o Fu g ik near the N ile ,
.

A bo u t ten O clock the tents were made up when the

’
,

King made an excursion to a m ountain on which we ,

coul d overlook the whole plain of the H awash to its end ,

where probabl y is the m ar sh which the King men

t i o n e d to day -Its di stance from the N ile may be a
.

day s j ourney If these countries were civilized I think

’
.
,

the Hawash w ould become Of gr eat im portance to c o m

merce as it has an extent of nearl y 2 00 hours from it s
,

sour ce to A ussa in the c ountry of A del where it forms ,

a sea and is navigable a t leas t in the rainy season

, , ,

from its sour ce to A ussa I have never heard that there.

were cat aracts in thi s ri ver In the w est of the H aw ash .

is the N ile which is navi g able for a long di stance T h e

, .

King having b ur nt all the Vil lages around returned to

, ,

his camp at L o g ago n t sh a on a rivulet of the same ,

name .

F e br ua ry 3 1 8 40— W e left our camp about eight

,

O clock this morning to return to An o ll al a We did not

’

g .

wish to return so soon as w e were desirous of seein g

,

t he interior of Mait sh a Soddo and Gurague O n our , ,

.

retur n we t ook a south east di rection A bout ten

,
-
.

o clock we passed the river bet w een Metta and Mait sh a

’
, ,

and on which we had encam ped la s t night I learned .

that it is called L o g ag o n t sh a A bout twelve O cloc k .

’
,

we entered into the territor y of Metta T sh am er or Metta ,

W o t sh et a from the mountain E ntoto which the Gallas

, ,

call W o tsh eta About t w o O clock we encamped at the

.
’
,
 ,
H OT W E LL S

foot OfE ntoto in a pla in called T s h a e holata where

t he King ordered a great n u m ber of vill ages to be
OF F I NF I N I

fl .

,
2 15

burnt At ni ght we Observed the fir e by which the

.

people of Ab ab er g a destroyed on a nei ghbouring moun ,

tain all the Vill ag es which had brought their t ri butes

,

to the Kin g T hu s they act against all Gallas mak

.

ing fii en dsh ip with the King of Shoa .

F e br ua r y 4 — T h e qu estion of a man w hether the ,

Gallas are our brothers or not gave occasion for a con ,

versation till w e set out about nine o clock We ’

.

m arched south east as yesterday About ten O clock

’
-
.

the people OfT s h am i eh left u s t o retur n to their coun

tr y . Seeing T sh ar a returning I prayed fervently in ,

my heart that the L ord w ould not let him forget what
,

I had Said to h im about m y Obj ect About t w elve .

o clock we touched on o ur route the territor y of A dda ;

’
,

and about three O cloc k w e encamped at L eg em i e in

’
,

the territor y of Fin fin i in the neighbourhood of the,

mo untain S ekual a on the west of which is another

,

high m o rm t ai n called Fo urr i In the east of o ur

,
.

cam p we had the mountain F errer T h e S eku al a E n .

,

toto and Wata D al at sh a form a nice w estern tri angle

, ,

of mountains ; while the Fo ur ri S eku ala and F errer , , ,

form an eastern triangle in the plain of the Haw ash .

F rom o ur camp w e could see ver y well the mo untains

'

of S o ddo an d Gurague as w ell as the mountains Ofthe

,

L iban L umi e and A rr o o si tribes in the east Of G u

, ,

rague .

F e br ua ry 5 —About ten o cloc k we s aw on o ur

’
,
216 S L AV E M AR K E T S .

rou te w hich w as north east the hot wells in the terri

,
-
,

tor y OfFi n fin i at the foot of a chain Of mountains of

,

the same name I saw three w ells which were very

.

sulphur ous and so hot that I could not put my fin g er s

,

in it for a mom ent T here are several village s in the .

neighbourhood T h e ground is very steri le and does

.
,

not present to the eye the sam e beautiful aspect as the

territories Of Mul o fal a da A dab er g a Metta and Mait , , ,

s ha Ho w ever it i s well inhabited and cultivated and

.
, ,

the people have been attached to the King for many

years . About eleven o cloc k we entered into the
’
,

territory of the trib e Germama O n the w ay the King .

received the t ribute from the Galla of F errer consist ,

ing Of about t w enty beautiful horses and forty cow s .

A t the foot of F errer is a V illage called R o ggi e where ,

there is a large market at which the people of ,

Guragu e and the nei g hbou ring Gallas sell their slaves ,

horses co w s and other productions com ing from the

, , ,

interior of Africa T his m arket is on the route to .

Gur ague which i s qui te safe as far as the mountain of

,

S ekual a and the plain of the H a w ash O n arriving .

at this plain the traveller is in danger of being pil

,

l a g e d by the Soddo Galla s co m ing from the west F rom .

S eku al a it i s a day s j our ney to A im el l el e the first vil

’
,

lage of Gur ague situated on a m ountain which I have

, ,

seen to day T h e Governor of the F errer Gallas is much

-
.

attached to the King H i s name is Shambo Hi s . .

dut y is to conduct the merchan t s to Gurague I en .

de avo ur ed to make m y acqu aintance w ith him ; but as

2 18 ON C R C I U M C ISI O N
dans H e h as given w itness to Christ w hose messen ,

ger he proved him s elf ; w hich you cannot say about

”
Mahomed H e coul d not obj ect to an ything that I
.

said .

O n our way to day I spoke much wi th Alaca Scrat

-
, ,

A laca Melat and T ecla Michael abo u t slaver y remark

, ,

ing that the abolition Of it had a great influence on

,

the fall Of the Mah o m e dan religion T hen Alaca .

Melat asked me whether circumcision w as c u stomary

in m y countr y I said th at Christ had in stituted bap
.

t i s m instead Of circu m cision ; and that if circumcision

were necessary Christ w ould have com manded it H e

,
.

then as k ed whether our children j ust born w ent t o

,

t he L ord s table I said

’
N O because St P aul says
.
, , .
,

1 Cor xi 2 8 . L e t a m a n e x a m i n e h i m s e lf a n d s o
.
, ,

l e t h i m e a t of th a t br e a d a n d d r i n k of th a t c up ,

”
but how c an childr en just born examine themselves ?
”
H e then replied Y o u are right in this re s pect
,
He .

also asked whether the tree in paradi se had been a

,

sycamore I said I do not know ; nor h o w long A dam

.
,

w as in the garden I onl y know that he w as there ; .

that he tran s gressed God s comm andment b y desir ’

,

ing m ore k nowledge than God had allowed him ; a n d

”
that he w as driven out of the garden H e next asked .

about the A pocryphal books I s aid that as they .

,

were not w ritten in th e Hebre w language and several ,

things occur ring in them inconsistent with other

canonical books w e di d not consider them as being of
,

equal authorit y w ith the other books Aft er w ard Al aca .

,
 A ND O T H E R S U B JE C T S . 2 19

Scrat an d Al aca Melat a s ked me whether Christians , ,

or Mah o m e dan s or P agans w ere prevailing in number

, , .

I said that w e reckoned there w ere about six hundred

,

mill ions of H eathens t w o hundred and ten millions of

,

Christians one hundred and sevent y mil li ons of Maho

,

m e d an s and twenty millions Of Je w s

,
T hey w ere .

astonished at the number of heathens and therefore

I too k the opportunit y of speaking about Missionary
’
and Bible Societies in my country A bo ut nine O clock .
,

we entered into the territory of the Ab e dtsh o o ; fir st

fl
into the district P arra Berck and then into the distri ct ,

W o d erm e r t o o .

F e br ua ry 7 , 1 8 4 0—W left our camp abou t seve n e

o cloc k this morning We passed several rivul ets o w

’
.

i n g north west A priest with w hom I had conversed

- .
,

some days ago said to me this morning that he wa s

, ,

convinced that all their boo k s were useless without th e

“
Bible I replied
. T hat is not m y meaning but that
, ,

y o u should examine the m to see whether t h e

y accord
with the Scri p ture that being alone the rule of Chris
,

”
t ian faith and practice A laca Melat asked me who .
,

was the author of the E pistle to the H ebrews I said ,

that most of o ur learned men are of Opinion th at St , .

P aul wrote it p roving it from Hebrew s xiii 2 3

, But . .
,

he remar k ed wh y di d not St P aul give us his name

,
.

I said We do not kno w this exactly but it seem s that

,

S t P aul who wrote to the Christians gathered from

.
,

among the Jews who were much offended w ith the

,

Chri s tian doctrine intentionally concealed his name

, ,

L 0
2 20 C HR IS T I A N I T Y S U P E R I O R TO J U D A IS M .

which had it been place d at the beginning o f his letter

,

would have prevented the reception of the doctrine

into the hearts of the readers Besides the Apo s .
,

tle P aul did not consider hi m self as a messen g er

to the Jews and therefore might have thought it better
,

to omit his name H e intended only to prove to

.

the H ebrew Christian s the superiorit y of the Christian

faith inasm u ch as Christ had infin itel y greater glory
,

than Moses and as all the t ypes of the O ld T estament

,

were fulfilled in H im ; and therefore y ou should ‘

continue in that faith not being m oved either b y the

,

teachers of the Jews or b y the fire of persecution

,
.

A s St P aul had to deal with Jews he proved his

.
,

doctrine from the O ld T estament in order to destroy ,

radically their attachm ent to Judaism ; and there

fore the dress in w hich he put his letter should not
deter us from attribut ing to hi m the authorship of the
”
E pistle A laca Melat w as exceedingl y plea s ed wi th
.

what I said say ing that it w as j ust their Opinion I

, ,
.

said that I did not know this ; but wished that I

,

could agree w ith them in all other p oints of Scrip

ture A laca Melat i s m uch attached to me and said
.
,

before oth e rs that was I their father li k e Mu all em an , ,

A rmenian who died t w o years a g o and was li k e an

, ,

A buna of Shoa so m uch did the King li k e him that ,

he built h im a larg e hou se Muall em ordained several

.

deacons by imposition of hands It would not be .

ficult for me to acquire the authority which Mu allem

di f
had but as in adhering to the pure S cripture truth ,
22 2 A D V A N T A G ES O B T A I N E D

rest I mus t oppose those who are of Opinion that the

,

Gallas have no religious ideas W hatever C ertain it is .

,

that they have an idea of an invisible Being w hich they ,

call W ake —that man exists after d eath receivi ng the ,

wages Ofhi s bad or good life—that they pray to the

W ake and Of
,
fer sacrifices to the D eities Ogl ia and
At ete— and th at they have a kind of priests cal led Kal ,
~

li t sh o tsh and some civil order

,
It is rem arkable that
.

’
they very much es t eem the L ord s D a y which they ,

call S an b ata Guda (Great Sabbath ) on which day the y ,

do not labo ur V ery early in the mor n ing the y pray

.

to the Wake I am inclined to consider th is custom of

'

the Gallas if they have not received it from the sur

,

ro unding Chr istians as a remn an t Of the fir st i n s tit u

,

tion of the Sabbath .

About nine O clock we pass ed the river T sh at sh a

’
,

and arri ved at An g o l l al a about ten o cl ock T h e whole ’

.

priestho od received the King at the foot of the hill

on which h rs palace 1 s S it ua ted T hey pray ed for him
.

and blessed hi m A S he had killed a bu f

. falo he w as ,

adorned wi th his roy al ornaments w hich he had put on ,

half an hour before he entered A n g o ll al a H e had .

the hide o f a leopard over his or d inary cloth ; on hi s

head he had a plait Of silver hangin g in little chains
over his face and on his S houlders he had three chain s
of gold a s ymbol o f the T rinit y
,
I f he has not
killed an yt hing he is not received b y the priesthood
, .

H avi ng performed this cerem on y he entered hi s ,

palace ; while the sol di ers fired their guns and made ,
 BY T HE E X PEDI T I O N . 223

a long cry of j o y T hus the expedition ended b y

.
,

which the King has obtained little advantage as the ,

Gallas refused their tribute ta k ing refuge to their ,

mountain s With regard to my self I have reason to

.
,

praise my God for having preserved m y health and

life and for giving me some hints for my future Mis
,

s i o n ar
y labours .

I concl ude with some remarks on the ad vantage s

which I think I have Obtained by the expedi tion .

1 H aving seen the territories of the southern Galla s

.

of Shoa I am able to form a better j udgment of their

,

sit uation St e than before

,
. .

2 I have observed som e places which I think are

.

fit for the un dertaking of a Galla Mi ssion T h e first .

place where I believe that a Missionar y could begin is ,

in the tribe Of Mul o fal a da under the protection of ,

Queen T sh am i eh H e woul d there be in the midst of

.
,

Galla t ri bes and besides he would b e far from the ,

influence of A b y ssinian priests An d as to his c o n .

n exi o n w ith his brethren in Shoa he could avail him ,

self o f the connexion of T sh am i eh who always send s ,

messengers to Ankobar A second place for a Galla .

Mi ss ion is F errer on the route to Gur ague in the

, ,

neighbourhood Of Bul ga and Men t sh ar T here a .

Missionary w ould e n j o y more protection than even

with T sh am i eh T h e Governor of F errer appears to
.

me to be favourable to a Missionary undertaking i n

his t ri be as he has been educated at Ankobar with th e
,

boys of the King and his brother who is Gover

, ,
2 24 A D V A NT A G ES OB T A I N ED
nor Of a neighbouring tribe is a Christian A third ,
.

place for a Galla Mission is perhap s Mugh ir in the ,

neighbour hood of D ebra L ibanos and the N ile ; but

as I have not seen the Governor of that tribe I cannot ,

say an ything further respectin g that place I have .

onl y heard that the Governor is much attached to the

King T h e L ord grant that the ti m e for the salvation
.

Of the Gallas may come and tha t this great nation

,

may live b efore Him T his w as m y contin u al pray er

on this exp edition .

3 O n th I S expedition I have become k no wn to the

.
’

p eople of Shoa as well,

a s to the Gallas I have con .

versed w ith people from all the provinces of Shoa with

governors priests al aca s secr etaries Of the King and
, , , ,

m any other people .

4 T h e Gall as as w ell as the people of Amhara

.
, ,

have seen m y relation to t he King w ho respected me ,

on this expe di tion I do not lay much stress on this ;

.

b ut it is i m portant in the ey es Of the people I know .

the King s attachm en t to his religion and priests and

’
,

that I cannot trust hi m much ; but I m i ght pro fit by

his present kindness tow ard me to procure fresh groun d
for our Mission among the Gallas as I do not kno w ,

how the King w ill behave himself in course of tim e ,

particularly if the Abuna comes from Cairo who is ,

expected in the month of May .

5 I have ob served in what manner a Missionary

.

may be useful on the expeditions of the King H e .

c an
preach and distribute books in the forenoon be fore
 C H AP T E R V .

C ON V E R S A T ION W I TH D E BT E R A S —P R EP A R A T ION S FOR TH E F OR TY D AY S

F A S T OF T H E A BY S S INI A N S—S U PE R S T I T I OU S OP INION—A BY S S INIA N
LI T E R A TUR E— V I S I T ED B Y A P R I ES T OF B U L G A —M ODE O F E X P L A IN
IN G S C R I P TU R E —DE M A N D F OR I E TH IOP I C S C R I P TUR E S — S U PP OS E D
OR I G IN OF T H E G A LL A S —N OT I C E S OF A G A LLA T R I B E C A LL ED W A T O
—V I S I T O TH E M ON S T E R Y OF TH E T A B I BA N—M R K R A P F A CC OM
T A .

PA N I E S TH E K IN G T O DE B R A L IB A N OS — A R R I V E A T S E N A M A R K OS

H OL Y P L A C E OF TH E A BY S S INI A N S —A R R I V E A T DE B R LI B A N OS
,

A A

V IS I T T O TH E I V E L L OF T E C L A H A I M A NOT — M I A CU L OU S PO‘ V E R S
R

A TT R IB UT ED T O TH E W T E R — S U PE R S T I T I O U S P R A CT I C E R E TU R N T O
A -

A N K OB AR — N OT I C E S O F GA M B A T —L E TT E R F R OM TH E K IN G T O TH E
G O V E R N OR OF B O M B A —F U R TH E R N OT I C E S OF TH E CU S T OM S OF TH E
Y

G A LL A S —N OT I C E S OF W OL A M O C A FF A A N D S E N T S H E R O
, , .

F e br u a ry 1 3 , 1 8 40— Several D eb teras

of the Ch urche s
of S t Mary and St George were w ith me thi s after
. .

noon T h e D eb ter as of St Mar y asserted that Christ

. .
,

a fter the consu m m ation of all things will praise His ,

F ather in H is hu m an nature ; while the D eb teras Of

St George a s serted that Christ will j udge in His deity
.
,

and not praise the F ather While they were vehemently

.

di sputing I was S ilent in order to learn their opinions

, ,

and their manner of di s p uting T hey then begged me .

to decide which w as right I said that the Georgians

.
,

were decidedly w rong as to the nature in w hich Christ

S hall j u dge beca u se from Matt xxv 3 1 ; John V 2 7 ;
,
. . .
,
 C O NV E R S A T I O N W I T H D E E T ER AS . 22 7

and A cts xv n 3 1 i t is clear that H e will j udge in

.
,

His glorifi ed human n at ure ; but w hether H e would

praise the F ather in that nature w e had not sufficient ,

proof in Scripture though 1 Cor xv 2 8 might be

,
. . .

considered as impl y ing this I then exhorted them to

.

desist from their di s putes and prepare their minds for

,

the great day on which w e shall wish to stand blame

less before the Son of Man A D ebtera then said .
,

that the monk Abba S aw o l d in his Scripture lesson s ,

al w ays compared m y Am haric P entateuch with the

JE t hi o pi c and that he was pleased wi th it
,
A nother .

D ebtera spoke about the boo k called T eth an e ge st ,

(Judgment of the Kings ) saying that it had fallen from ,

heaven at the time of Constantine the Great Another .

s poke about the King OfShoa w ho tw o years ago had , , ,

given strict orders that ever y man should keep the

fasts which the Church had appointed and that if any
one should transgress this order he should be put to ,

prison T h e King had observed that many people did

.

not fast I spoke about the scriptural wa y of salva

.

tion and observed that if a sic k m an should add

,

another medicine to w hat was prescribed by the physi

c i an h e would die beyond d oubt
,
.

F e br ua ry 2 l — A priest of L asta came to see me to ,

whom I spoke very freel y on the duties of a Christian

and a Ch ri stian priest Afterward the King s painter
.
’

came to see my book of pictures In the evening I .

,

wrote a letter to Bombay and prepared a ches t Of ,

ZE thi Opi c Man uscripts for Al i Arab to take to A den .

2 28 S U PE R S T I T I O U S O PI N I O N .

F e br ua ry 2 3 , l 8 4 0 —Alaca Scrat
called upon me ‘

We spoke about geo graphy I encouraged him to.

translate into JE thi o pi c the geographical book w ritten

by Mr Isenberg which he prom i s ed to do
.
, .

F e br ua ry 2 8 — T O day the Ab y ssinians are preparin g

-

for the forty days fa st on which account it is called

,

Kabala when the y clean s e their kit chen vessels par

, ,

t i cul arl y those u s ed in preparing meat A s m y female .

servant had to prepare some oil she said that every ,

male person m ust withdraw else the Oil would becom e ,

useless on account Oftheir shado w I said I re .

,

quest that t hey remain an d see h o w yo u prepare the

,

Oil. I suppose that y ou wish to take a part of it and ,

therefore in order to do so you have recour se to super

,
”
stition . T h e people were therefore present w h en S h e
prepared the Oi l which did not on that account become
,

u s eless I took the opportunity of exposing the i r

.

super s titious Opinions particularly their h e ar in g amu

,

let s for which they sometimes pa y t w o or three

,

dollars while the y will not spend one piece of salt for
,

a cop y Ofthe Bible .

M a r c h 7 — T O day M R ochet departed being fur nished

-
.
,

with letters and presents for the King of F rance I went .

t o F arri to see Mr Airsto n a Scotch m an who had

.
, ,

arrived in Shoa several day s ago and who w a s sick ,

.

H e was described to me by Mr Isenberg as a friend to .

t he cau s e of M issions .

M a r c h 8 —1 0 —1 w as at F arri w ith Mr A i rst o n .

,

w ho complained o f s uf fering great pain in hi s head .

2 30 ABY SSI N I A N L I T E R A TU R E .

labourer w ould receive nothing except w hat the King ,

might give him in the form Ofa present .

M a r c h 2 2 1 8 4 0—D ebtera H abta S el a s si eh came to

,

see me H e gave me some information respecting Abys

.

sinian lit erature T heir books he said are di vided into

.
, ,

four go o b a io tsh or parts ; the first part consisting of

,

the b o oks of the O ld T estament ; the second of the ,

N e w T estament ; the third the books Ofthe L iks or , ,

perfect masters as the works of Chr y sostom T etha

, ,

n eg e s t and Ab o o sh ake r
, ,
and fourthly the books of ,

the monks But none of their learned men studi ed

.

all these books most of them only knowing singing

,

and some parts of the O ld and New T estaments Such .

books as are considered eq ual to the Bible (li ke Sin o di s ,

& c are called Au w a l e d and those which are not ,

”
W o ot sh i
,
w hich means external .

M a rch 2 9 — I n the morning I read wi th D ebtera ,

W o rkn ech Matt 1 7 and then in the book Mé é l a d

.
, ,

which I have mentioned before It is divided into .

fi ve parts ; treating fir s t on the T rinity

, secon dl y th e
, ,

fl
S on ; thir dl y the Holy Ghost ; fourthly the order of
, ,

the Church and the H oly Supper and fifth ly about , ,

the resurrection .

In the afternoon D ebtera Ke o o w ho was formerly

, ,

sent by the King to Mr Isenberg at A do w ah came to

.
,

me say ing that as h e w ished to return to T igré he

, , ,

w ould attempt to reconcile Oobi eh to us I said that .

,

w e had no enmity against him but that if he thought

he could di spose him to recall us to T igre he might "

,
 V ISI T ED BY G U R A G U E A NS . 231

make the attempt He said that H ab ta Selassie o ur

.
,

fri end in T igré had requ ested him to speak w ith me

,

on thi s matter .

Apr i l I — T h e G uraguean s w ho a rrived several days

a g o came to see me to day I read w ith them in the
-
.

Gospel and di stributed after w ard several C opies of the

,

N e w T estament among them If I co uld be a bless .

ing to this people during the ir stay at Ankobar I ,

shoul d be very glad I asked a priest w hether their

.
,

Governor had received the book I sent him H e said .

,

that he had accepted it with the greatest pleas ure and ,

had shown it to all his people ; that the rum our w as

spread over the whole countr y that a white man had
‘
,

come from bey ond the Great Sea havin g brou ght w ith ,

him man y Bibles carried on camels ; and that after a

, ,

short time the people Of C am b at and S en tsh ero woul d

,

hear it In the evening T sh ar a t he Governor of the

.
, ,

Galla t ri be Mul o fal a da came and brought to me an ox

, ,

in S ign of friendship I said that I di d not look for

.

this ; but I longed for teaching his countrymen the

I Vo r d of God as I ha d told hi m fo rm erly
,
H e said .

’
that h e woul d receive me w ith the King s permission
, .

F inally he promised that if he shoul d come again to

, ,

Shoa in the month of September next he w o uld pre ,

sent me w ith a fine horse I replied that I sho uld be .

,

glad if he wo ul d deliver to me some Y ouths whom I ,

might inst ruct .

A pr i l 6 —I spoke with the King about m y i n ten

tion Of teaching the Gallas He said Y o u shall not
.
,
2 32 M EDI C I N ES F OR T H E T AP E W OR M .

go at present : yo u shall go fir st w ith m e to G urague ,

and distrib ute books : after w ard yo u shall go to the ,

”
Gallas . T hus he makes excuses to prevent my goin g
to the Gallas I show ed him the F irst Chapter of S t
. .

John which I had translated into the Galla L anguage

, ,

and written in Amharic Characters H e w as m uch .

”
pleased and said
,
Y o u are a strong people
,
.

M y servants to day took the us ual medicine agains t

-

the t ape w orm which they repe at ever y t w o or three

’

-
,

months T hey told me that there were five different

.

remedies u sed in thei r country first Kosso which i s , ,

the most general medi cine ; secondly the fr ui t of ,

the E n ko ko a kind of w ood like the branch of a

, ,

vine ; thirdly Katsh am o another kind of w ood ;

, ,

fourthly the fruit of Kaloa and fi fthly Maeteri a

, , ,

kind of grass T his la t ter they said destroy s the

.
, ,

worm for ever or at least for a long time ; but it is

,

seldom fo und except in the valley s of Bulga

A pr i l 1 1 1 8 4 0 —
.

,
T O da y a priest from Bulga came
-
,

sa ying that he w ished to know personall y the man who

,

had sent a C opy Of the N e w T estament to his chur ch .

I spoke w ith him very Openly and I b elieve that he ,

went aw ay impressed w ith what I had said to h im .

I then called upon Alaca W o l da H anna who gave m e ,

some proofs of their s k ill in explaining Scripture .

T he f o x e s h a ve h o l es a n d th e bi r d s o
, f th e a i r h a ve
n es ts : Matt viii 2 0 he explained thus : F oxes are
. .
,

kings an d governors who seek onl y for earthly

,

things b ut the birds are the priests and bishops who ,

234 O R IG I N OF T HE G A LL A S
“

mother of the Gallas had been a w o i zoro (lady ) of the

A byssinian Kings when they resided on the mountain
E ntoto in the neig hbourhood of Gurague— that the
,

lady w as given in marriage to a slave from the south

o f Guragu e b y whom she had seven sons who were
, ,

ed ucated in their father s langua g e and customs as ’

,

w ell as in his business which w as that of a herds m an

,

that the sons became g reat robbers having gathered ,

many people with them — that three of t hese sons w ere

called T ulema Karai n and Mai tsh a and hence t h e
,

T ribes Of these names —that when they thought they

,

were strong enou gh th ey b e g an to fight with the Ab y s

,

sinians and frequ ently vanquished them particul arly

, ,

o n one occasion near the river Gala in G urague and ,

hence they have b een called Gallas to the present day .

When Mahomed Gra gn e desolated Shoa and Guragu e ,

the Gallas entered and took possession of man y fine

places Al l this is wr itten in a small treatise of which
.
,

I have procured a copy T his account of the origin .

o f the G allas I think is ver y probable .

Ap r i l 2 4 1 8 40— T o day begins what is called b y the

,
-

A bys sinians K en o n a that is for three day s the people

, ,

neither eat nor drink and the Bala D ir go or those who ,

recei ve their maintenance from the King receive only ,

dry bread because these are days of prayer H o w ever

,
.
,

I received my portion fro m the King s table as at other ’

times T O day I took another bo y into my house who

.
-
,

w ished to be i nstr ucted H e is from D ima in G o dt

.

sham . T h u s I have fou r scholars .

 O B SE R V A N C E OF F AS T S . 2 35

Ap r i l 2 5 : G o o d F r i d a y — T his
is the first Good
F riday for the last four y ears that I have been able
to celebrate in silence and w ithout outw ard trouble ,

havin g been formerly al w ay s travelling on this day I .

'
’
prayed that the po w er of Ch ri st s death m ight come
u pon m y sel f as w ell as upon this poor co untr y
,
.

Ap r i l 2 7—T his morn ing the strong fast of the

A b y ssinians ended Since the evening of the 2 4 th .
,

the people particularly the priests have abstained from

, ,

all food If the y are not able to overcome their bodil y

.

w an t s the y eat a citron A s to the priests they are

,
.
,

in the chur ches day and night sin g ing and praying ; ,

so that I am surprised that they are able to endure it

so long T h e Aby ssinians strictl y keep the fast of the
.

primitive Church which w as forty hours T his morn , .

ing the priests of the five churches w ent to the King ,

who called m e to see their ceremonies After the priest .

o f each c hurch had finished their h ymns in hono ur of

the K ing each Al aca recited an epigram in praise of

,

the King F or instance Alaca Scrat said that the

.
,

Gallas who w ere formerl y supe ri or to the Ab y ssinians

, ,

have at present been weakened as far as Mai tsh a by the

heroic V irtue of Sahela S el a s sieh W o l da Hanna the .
,

“
A laca of St George sai d T h e people of the F ranks
.
, ,

are come to praise and adore the King of Shoa In .

deed if they w ere against me the y could do me much

, ,

harm as on s uch occasions the y spea k what the y like

, ,

a n d all the people of A n k obar a r e asse m bled Gene .

rall y s peaking I a m convinced that in case a stro n g

,
2 36 N O T I C ES OF THE
Opposition should arise against o ur Mission the priests ,

w ould have more power than they had in T igré because ,

the King is infl uenced more by the m than Oo b i eh I .

therefore endeavour so far as it is co m patible wi t h the

,

Word of God to make the priests m y friends and for

,

this p urpose I have found it of g reat use to read with

them the Word of God and to explain it in a simple , ,

clear and practical manner B esides I endeavo ur to

,
.
,

keep up a friendl y interco urse with the Al a c a s of the

Churches and visit them sometimes in the ch urch on
,

’
L ord s days A lso on fas t d ay s (Wed n esday and F riday )
.

I have resolved for w ell considered reasons to abstai n

,
-
,

at least from m eat After the King had kissed the

.

cross which w as presented to him by the Alaca of each

chur ch all the people w ent home and then the Fa s ika
, ,

( eating and dr inking ) began T h e King sent me a .

cow .

Ap r i l 2 8 , 1 8 40— T his morning t w o W ato s came to

see me T h e W ato s are Gallas, dwelling on the mountain
.

Wato D al a tsh a which I s aw on our expedi tion to Mait sh a

-
, ,

in the neighbourhood of the H aw ash T h e W a to s say .

that they alone are p ure Gallas and therefore the y do ,

not marry the others When I asked about their bu.

.

s i n e s s they replied
,
that it was to bless and to curse
,
.

With thi s V ie w they go from tribe to tribe and neither

, ,

Gallas nor Christians w ill touch them being convinced ,

the y say that who m the W ato s bless are blessed and
, ,

w hom the y curse are cursed and the y are not w anting
o n their parts to relate a n umber of instances to sho w
2 38 V ISI T TO THE
Saviour in order t o b e reconciled to God T h e Chris .

tians w ho heard me speaking with heathens about

Christ and faith in Him were much pleased ,
.

Apr i l 2 9 1 8 4 0— All the people were eating and

,

dr inking and man y excesses were committed in the

,

Streets T h e D eb ter as were worst of all

. O ne Ofthem .

being drunk to day cut Of fthe hand of his friend and

-
, ,

took to flight In the evening they w ent thr ough t he

.

town begging for alms I took the Opportunit y of sho w .

ing them the bad consequences of their fasting T hes e

.
.

D eb t eras a year ago went to th e Gallas of Men t sh ar

, , ,

the Governor of whom w as about to put them to prison ;

b ut as they feigned that the Ki ng w ho had sent them , ,

was dr aw in g near the y were set at liberty— T w o priests

,

from L atib ata in L asta came begging for books which ,

I gave them .

M a y l — T hree monks from L asta came to s ee me

the y w ere great beggars as monks in general are , .

A fter w ard a man from Bulga came begging for medi

, ,

cine A s the King to day distributed much clothin g

.
-

am ong the poor in memory OfT ecla H ai m an o t I took

, ,

the opportunity Of sho wing m y people h o w we are

clothed with Christ s ri ghteousness without o ur o w n’

merits .

M ay 5 — I w ent this morning to see the T abiban in

their monastery called Man t ek in the forest of Mam r at
, , ,
’
about t w o hours walk from Ankobar O n arriving at .

the village I asked for the Al aca when after a c o n s i

, , ,

d er abl e ti m e an Ol d man came trembling and so mu ch

, .
,
 M O N AS T ER Y OF T H E TABI BAN . 2 39

afraid o f me that he w as about to return immediately

,

to his house I told him ho w ever that I had not come

.
, ,

with a bad design : he stayed a short time b ut still ,

trembling from hands to feet H e wore iron around .

his loins and his whole body wore traces of self tor
,
-

tur e Of which b e much boasted I inquired for their

,
.

b o o k s ; but thos e I saw were the same as the other

Abyssinians posses s ; namel y O rganon Mariam Melka
, ,

Michael and some part s of the Bible All w ere w ritten

,
.

in E thiopic I endeavoured to ascertain whether the y

. .

had any books in another language but the y al w ay s

said that the y had not T hey then introduced me to
.

the room in which the congregations assemble larger ,

and better constructed than any I have seen of the

kind in Ab y ssinia though it is ver y dark In this
,
.

room next to the w alls are raised banks of clay upon

, , ,

which they sleep in an upright posture being secured ,

from fallin g by straps which are fastened to th e w all s .

T hey were ver y pro u d of praising their religio u s rigi

dity for which they do not come short of the other
,

A b y ssinians even of their monks

,
But when I asked .

w h y the y had recourse to s uch a u sterity the y replied , ,

i n order that they might become righteou s before God .

I then told them about the only way of being j ustifie d

before Go d according to R o m iii Indeed this people
,
. .

endeavour to the utmost to enter into the kingdom of

God only by their o w n performances T he y said that .
,

they fast eve ry day excep t on Saturday and S unday ;

,

and that they w ere pure in body and min d T hey w ea r .

2 40 T HE TABIBAN .

M atch s like the Abv s sin i an s and are skilful in man y

, ,

things w orking I n rron a n d clay O n thi s account

, .
,

the King is attached to them but the Aby ssinians are

in great fe ar of them considering them sorcerers and
, ,

w ill neither enter their houses nor eat with them ,

.

T heir Alaca i s feared so much that they believe that if

,

he cursed a person the c urse would be fulfilled in a short

,

time T h e T abiban seem to me intentionally to e n

.

t e r tain this fear which protects them against the per

,

s e c utio n s o f the A byssinians and prevents intercourse

,

w ith those w ho have not the same ideas with them .

O ut w ardly they are Christians as they go to the ,

churches of the Christians their children are bapti z ed ,

an d the y have the books of the Ab y ssinians ; but they

are strongly s u spected Of being Jew s T hey told me .

that if I had come on Saturday they would not have ,

received me as on that day the y neither go out of their

,

houses nor kindle fires T heir fathers they said cam e

.
, ,

from Ge sh en in the north of Shoa I could not learn

,
.

an y thing fur ther from them at this t ime T hey set .

bread and A b y ssinian beer before me Of which I w as ,

not afraid to partake thou g h m y people w ould not I

,
.

promised to send them a copy of the N ew T estament .

I went home being grieved at not having found real

,

Christians as I was formerly inclined to think them

,
.

We seek in vain for a hidden church in Abyssinia .

M a y 8 1 8 4 0— All the people are going to the festi

,

val o f T ecla H a im an o t at D ebra L ibanos to dr ink of ,

th e hol y w ell o fthis Saint w hich is said to cure sick

,
2 42 V I LL AG E OF KU M D ENG A I .

cured from sickness and Obtain forgiveness of sins for

,

seven years T h e King himself u s ually goes to protect

.

the pilgri ms against the inroads Of t he Gallas I at .

fi rst determined not to accept the invitation ; but as the

Ki n g h a d sent an expre s s I thought it better not ,

to refuse it preferring however to g o alone with

,

m
y s ervants through the Galla T ribes of A b e dt sh o o and

Gelan in order to learn the correctness of the i n tel li

,

g ence which I had received about the recent conversion

of the Galla people in Shoa Meda .

M a y 14 1 8 4 0— T his morning we passed th e T sh atsh a

,

river which s eparates the Christian s and Gallas in a

,

north north westerly d irection for the distance of several

- -

d ay s j o urney T his river flo w s throu g h a deep dale

’
.

bet w een two hills whi c h prevents the passage on the

,

s ide of the Christians as well as of the Gallas T his .

natural Obstacle may be the reason why the Gallas w ere

formerly unable to de s troy the whole Christian kin g
dom of Shoa and why the King has built An go ll al a in
,

the neighbourhood of the passage of this river as he ,

has thus the key to the Galla countries in the south and
west of Shoa H avin g marched the whole day through
.

a plain land in the evening we rested at Kum D engai

, ,

the village in which Berkie who assi s ts m e in my Galla

,

translations was born His people received m e very

, .

well .

M a y 1 5 —T his morning w e left Kum D engai aecom ,

pan i e d b y abo ut two hundred persons Several petty .

Governors of the G all a vi l la g e s begged m e to b aptize th em .

 D ESI R E F OR B A P T IS M . 2 43

I said that I could not do so until they had first been i n

structed in the d octrines of the Christian R eligion and ,

sincerel y believed in the L ord Jesus Christ It is a .

g reat pit y that the A b y ssinian priests do n o t requ ire

somethi n g more from the Gallas than being circ umcised

and baptized w earing a string of silk building churches
, , ,

and mak ing Of ferin g s of grain to the priests T he .

King had imperatively required all the G all a s i n the

district Ofthe Ayto Or ganon to become Christians
and being therefore in great fear they had been c i r ,

c um c i s e d and b ui lt five chur ches

,
T hese are the facts
.

of the r eported conver s ion of the Gallas in the pro

’

vi nce of Shoa Meda A Galla Mi s sion might be esta

‘

bl i sh e d there ; bu t nothing can be done w ithout the

consent of th e Kin g I hope however that he w ill n o t
.
, ,

prevent my goin g there I spoke w ith these simple

.

Gallas respectin g the real conversion of their hearts to

the living God T hey w ere surprised at my not lay ing
.

stress upon those things which the Aby ssinian priests

endeavour to point out as being indispensably necessary .

A t K um D engai the T sh at sh a Bere s a and three other

, , ,

ri vers j oin together in a d eep dale and take th e common ,

name of A dabai which having taken up several other

,

rivers and ri vulets is called Jamma in the neighbour

, ,

hood of Sena Markos .

M a y 1 6 —T O d ay w e arri ved at Sena Markos w here

-
,

the whole north and west of Shoa is seen In the north .

and w est a chain of high mountains extends w hich

, ,

protects this Christian kingdom against the inroads Of

24 4 V I LL A G E OF SE N A M AR K O S .

the Gallas S ena Markos is the second holy place of

.

th e Abyssinians where Sena Markos a great saint i s

, , ,

said to have lived in the tim e OfT ecla H aim an o t T h e .

entrance to thi s villag e conducts over a steep roc k which ,

only one person can pa s s in descendi ng T h e V illa g e i s .

s urrounded in the east and north by a rock : i t is a

natural fortre ss I asked after the Alaca of Sena
.

Marko s who is also A laca of T egulet but the people

,

told me that he was at D ebra L ibanos I then dr ank .

of the holy w ater which flows between a rock I found

,
.

it a little heavy T h e whole nature of Sena Markos

.

s hows th at it has been sh a k en very much by ear t hquake s ,

a s im men s e rocks have fallen down into the valley i n

which the m aj estic river Jam ma has its course to the
N ile which i s only three day s di s tant from Sena Mar k os
,
.

I observe d the bed of the N il e between the mountain s

of G o dtsh am and the D era Galla tribe .

M a y 1 7 l 8 40— T O day we passed the bed of a dry

,
-

river which T ecla H aim an o t is said to have cursed b e

, ,

cause the water of it had carried a w ay the cross which

had fal len from the hands of the saint A s the cross was .

found at the m outh of the river the y say that on this

, ,

account water c an only be seen there I told them

,
.
,

however that the water flo w ed beneath the s and It i s

,
.

b eyon d all belief how fond the A by s si nian s are of stories

respecting their saints We marched for a long time
.

t hrough a district which had been totall y desolated b y

the war s of King A sfa W us s en with the people of the
provi nces of Mo rab i eti e and Morat T hese province s .
2 46 V ISI T T H E W E LL OF T EC L A H AI MA N OT .

H aim an o t T he
w ater w hich I took di sagreed with
.

me I observed traces Of iron in the stones It is a

. .

m i neral w ater ; b ut the superstition of the A byssinians ,

and the cunningnes s of the priests have attributed to ,

it miraculous powers T hey drink the water from .

fi ve to ten day s I was asked by man y people par

.
,

ti cul arl y priests w hat I thought of it ,

I said that .
,

w ater Of this kind also exi sted in m y country ; that

God had blessed this w ater w ith healing properties for
the good of men and that therefore the y S hould give
the glory to God and not to T ecla H aim an o t I then
,
.

di rected them to Christ Beggary and monkery are ve ry .

great at D ebra L ibanos and I do not much li ke the ,

place I sent a copy of the fE thi o pi c N ew T estament

.

to the Alaca of the Ch urch of St Mary which he .

,

accepted wi th much pleasur e T h e priests of this .

Church say that m an y y ears ago a cross fell from

, , ,

heaven which a monk having found gave it to their

,

Church W hen the pilgrims have drank from the

.

well of T ecla H a im an o t they go to this Chur ch to kiss ,

the cross D ebra L ibanos is a natural fortress and

.
,

cannot be t aken without E uropean arms T h e Village .

is not ver y large .

M a y 2 1 1 8 40— T o day the King went w ith the pil

,
-

grims to the place where wa t er flow s out from the rocks .

It is di f fic ul t to ascend this place T h e King him self .

took som e of the water in his own c up and presented ,

it to t he people H ere they dug some mi re of a blue

.
,

colour and painted their faces in the form of a cross

, ,
 R E TU R N TO A N K O B AR . 247

belie ving t hat this w ill prevent sic k ness T here is a .

tree here which is spli t through which they say T ecla ,

H aim an o t saved himself on the inroad of the Gallas

but I told them tha t at the tim e Of T ecla H aim an o t
the Galla s were not known in Abyssinia T h e King .

havin g perfor m ed thi s ceremony gave orders to return ,

to A n g o ll al a We marched fir st w e st w ard to the

.

mountains of Mugh er an d then through the T r ibes ,

of G ullal e T sh i d da VVOb e ri Gelan and Ab e dt sh o o

, , , , ,

arrivi ng at An g o ll al a on the 2 6 th of May .

ZJ a y 2 7 —T o day I arrived at A n k obar

' -
I received .

the painful new s tha t Mr Ki el m a i e r a Ger m an officer

,
.
,

and friend Of mine had died on the road ; and tha t hi s

,

servant H us s eui or Sam uel Geor g is as he was call ed

, , ,

by the R ev W Kruse who baptized him at Cairo

. .
, ,

was on the way having with him his master s luggage

,
’
.

I ll a y 2 8 —T O day Ibrahim the servant of Mr

-
, .

Ai r st o n whose dea t h I mentioned on the 1 4 th of

,

March di ed in consequence of hectic fever He w a s

,
.

interred in a place called Ko b a s tl e in the lower part ,

of A nkobar where Mah o m e dan s are u sually b ur ied

,
.

I with m y servant and the Armenian P ietros a t tended

the funeral T h e body was covered wi t h a white
.

Ab y ssinian cloth and carried on a barro w to the

,

g rave which was dug in the form usual wi t h the

,

Christians no Mah o m e dan s being at hand to make i t

,

according to their custom It was about three fee t .

dee p and very narro w ; so that there wa s scarcely room

,

for the bod y Wood w a s then placed upon th e corpse

.
,
248 U NT R Y
CO OF C A MB A T .

u pon which they put earth an d stones ; so that the

rain s hould not penetrate nor hy aena s be able to u m,

cover the grave T h e e f fect s of the deceased were then

.

ta k en an account Ofb y the King s people and taken into ’

,

his maga z ine T h e people who too k care of Ibrahim

.

during his sickness did not receive any portion of his

propert y .

JW a y 30 1 8 4 0 — A priest OfGurague came to see me

,
.

H e said that he had been in C am b at ; that the pre

sent King a good Ol d man w as called D e g o i e ; that
, ,

the capital city was called K ar em s a situated on a ,

mountain that this kingdom is not very lar g e and that

there are only fifteen churches but no priest s C am ,
.

bat i s distant from Gurague only six days j our ne y .

In the evenin g D ebtera H ab ta S el as si eh came

, ,

begging me to teach him the H ebre w L anguage before

he learnt the Greek which he had begun A s the ,
.

Hebrew has a g reater af finity to the Ab y ssinian lan

guage s I thou g ht that he would soon advance in the
,

H ebrew and therefore I complied with his request

,
.

Ju n e l — Samuel Georgis arrived to day at F arri -

,

and confirmed the news which I had before r eceived

Of his master s death I took to day a fifth boy into
’
-
.

m
y house who wi s hed to be instructed b y m e
,
Hi s .

nam e is D im t za R o o ph ael a native of D ima in G o dt

, ,

sham . H e was with Ibrahim whose death I have ,

before mentioned In t he evening I began H ebre w

.

with H abta S el a s s ieh .

Jun e 2 — I began Bible history w ith m y boy s kVi t h .

25 0 L E TT E R F R O M T H E KING

in a systematic manner geograph y and universal his

, ,

tory S ervice in the evening

. .

Jun e 2 0 1 8 40 —1 have been unwell for the last three

,

day s M y sickness be g an with fever and s w elling in

.

my neck My people believed that I had got what

.

”
they call L a gh é d a sickness or swelling Of the ton
-
,

sils an d w ere afraid that I should di e T hey said that

, .
,

the Abyssinians generally cut Of f the s w ollen parts ;

and that if the y di d not do this there w as no hope of ,

recovery T hinking that this Operation might be Of

.

use I di d not refuse it but when they failed in re m o v

,

ing the s w elling I requested the m to leave me tellin g

, ,

them that I knew what w as best my self T hen they .

spoke about bad spirits which the y said w ould kill me

,

if I did not follo w their advice In the evening I w as .

much better .

Jun e 2 2 —
’
T O day with the L ord s graciou s assis
-
,

tance I was able to perform m y ordinary bu s ines s

,
.

J un e 2 7 T h e King having returned from his expe

-

dition against the Sirto Gallas in the south Of Shoa I ,

was called by him to An g o ll al a wi t h S amuel Georgis .

Jun e 2 8 T h e King spoke with me about the L etter

-

which he intended to write to In di a T h e L etter .

,

which he ordered m e to translate into the E nglish L an

g uage runs thus ,

“
May this L etter which is sent by Sahela S el as si eh
, ,

the King of Shoa and E fat of Gurague and of the ,

Galla nation come to the great E nglis h Company in

,

India Are yo u w ell ? I am quite w ell Abo ut y our

. .
 TO THE G O V ER N O R OF B O M B AY . 25 1

happiness I have been informed by your countrymen

,

and as I heard of y o ur k indness to w ard all m en I wa s

, ,

m uch rej oiced and resolved upon making friendship

,

with y ou Whether m y person is bad or good you

.
,

will have heard from y our countrymen w ho have been ,

in my co untr y I wish very m uch that it may please

.

you to make friendship with me God has given me .

a good and large kingdom but arts and sciences have

not yet come to my coun try as the y have to y ours ,
.

May it therefore please you to assist me p articularly ,

in s en di ng g uns cannon and other things which I

, , ,

have not in my country I do not state ho w much you .

shall send me Y o u m ay act according to your love

.

and kindnes s which are known every where As to

,
.

my sel f I am ready to send to you thin g s which are not

,

in your country Y o u m ay please to tell me what yo u

.

wish and I shall send it to you T h e reason that I

,
.

did not send it to yo u at present is that I did no t , ,

k now completely what yo u w ish fro m me I have sent .

t o you tw o horses having understood that you l ike

,

them T his may be considered a s a sign of friendship

. .

I do not thin k tha t it is a fit present to you but you

m a consider it a s the beginning Ofmy love to w ard
y
”
you and of my friendship with you
,
.

A similar letter was w ritten to C apt Haines at A den .

,

accompanied by a present of a horse and m ule a ga s ,

sela skin and an A bys s inian cloth

,
.

Jun e 2 9 — T O day I returned to Ankobar

-
O n the .

way w e w ere overtaken by heavy rain which in a ,

25 °
I
v I NS T A NC E OF T H E

s hort time s w elled the rivulets so m uch that one of my ,

servants who w as carry ing m y provisions an d kitchen

,

vessels was carried away by the stream and would

, ,

have been lost if he had not seized a l arge stone w hich

w a s in the m iddle of the water All the luggage .
,

how ever which he had with h im wa s lost

,
.

Ju ly 6 1 8 4 0 —Samuel Georgi s set out from Ankobar

,

to go to A den I shall be very glad if his m ission proves

.

successful as otherwise I a m afraid that the King will

,

beco m e cold toward me and all E uropeans .

Ju ly 14 — I n m y sermon to day I explained to my -

,

people what was the divine image of A dam and what ,

was hi s fall In the afternoon I exam ined my boys

.
,

about my m orning sermon After w ard we read the .

,

history of Balaam I found m uch consolation in the

.

words z—H o w s h a l l I c ur s e w h o m G o d h a th n o t
,

c ur s e d

Ju ly 2 1 — I
preached about the n e w birth accordin g ,

to John iii 6 T w o D eb tera s were with us Afterward

. . .
,

I spoke with them about t heir neglecting the in stru c

tion of their people D ebtera W o rkn e ch said that the
.

priests them s elves were not instructed and gave m e the ,

followin g instance Oftheir ignorance Som e years ago .

,

the Gallas on the N ile made an inroad into G o dt s h am ,

when a Galla took from the house of a Christian the

Boo k s of Samuel and the Kin g s in ZE thi Opi c Some .

time after w ard the King of Shoa fell u pon these Gallas ,

and a Christian soldier from Bul g a found the books i n

the ho use of a Galla and took them to Bulga w hen
, ,
25 4 M O N AS T E R Y OF MA MR A T .

A ug us t 4 , 1 8 4 0—T o day G uebra Georgis whom

-
,

I had not seen for more than a month came to see me ,

.

H e said that he had been in a m onaster y called Mam r at

,

(mother of mercy ) at the foot of a hi gh mou ntain

, ,

and had read the whole N ew T estam ent with three

monks who had beg g ed h i m to teach them Amhari c
, .

A s the sister of his father had been di s graced b y the

King she went to the monks of this monastery in
, ,

order by their assistance to b e reconciled to the King .

G ue bra accompanied her to the monastery He told .

me that these monks fed a number of S ick and poor

people at the expense of the mon astery T his is the .

first example of the kind I have heard of in Shoa .

I have frequently thought of establishing a similar insti

t u t i o n in which I m ight sup pl y poor people not only
,

wi t h bread for the body b ut m ore partic ularly w ith the

,

bread of life I have calcul ated that the expenses would

.

be about twenty fi ve to thirty dollars for ten persons

-
.

Indeed such an institution would highl y rec ommen d

o ur work in the e e s of the Sh o an s and the King in par
y ,

t i c ul ar .But such an institution could not b e establish

ed wi thout th e consent o f the King as a separate ,

buildi n g would be requisite ; but I do not think th at

he would refuse a petition to do g ood to the poor people ,

to who m he pay s attention in m any respects .

A ug us t 5 —Wh ile I was instructing my boys a mon k ,

came begging me for a rosary havi ng lost his own I

,
.

said that I had none and w as not in w ant Of an y as

, , ,

I was ordered by the Word of God to pray contin u all y ,

 C H I L D R E N O R D E R ED To F AS T . 25 5

so that I could n o t count my prayers that s uch a c o n

t in u al praying intercourse with the L ord w as the op e
ration o f the H ol y S pirit and coul d not be bought ; ,

and that he Shoul d pray for this H ol y Spirit and Offer ,

his whole heart to H im and then he w oul d not want ,

such a useless thing T h e monk w ent aw ay g rieved at

.

not being able to say over his beads .

A ug us t 6 — T o day the sixteen day s fast of the Ab y s

’
-

sinians begin in memory of the pretended ascension

,

of St Mary . T h e Ki ng w ent to Machal Wans to

.
,

keep there a strong fast which is prescribed by the ,

Ch ur ch at this time Children also are commanded to

.

fast on w hich acco unt I spoke to my boys respecting

,

fasting As children also receive the S acrament at this

.

time I instructed them about th is hol y m y stery ac

, ,

cording to Matt xxvi 2 7 and 1 Cor xi and parti

. . . .

c ul arl endeavou r ed to expose their error re s pecting

y
this sacram ent showin g them from 1 Cor xi 2 9 — 3 1
,
. .

that an unholy reception of it will produce sickness ,

and in general a judgment on body and mind .

A ug us t l l —A man from D ebra Berhan came ,

begging for an ZE th iOpi c N e w T estament I said that .

,

I had g iven a w ay all that I po s sessed I bought a .

beaut iful skin of a red c o w for six pieces of salt T h e .

S h o an s particularly the people of Morat are skilful in

, ,

preparing skins T hey take the bark Of a tree called

.
,

G uf fa and pu l verize it
,
then they put it with the S k in
into water for about eight days after which the skin is ,
25 6 C UST OMS OF THE G A LL A S .

taken o ut rubbed w ith the j uice Of lemon s and

, ,

dried in the sun .

My Galla made me acquainted w ith some other cu s

toms of his people E very eight y ears he said they .
, ,

appoint a H e iu or general Governor a man who h a s

, ,

the rep utation of being a warrior and public speaker ,

w ho pas s e s t hrough the whole tribe hearing the com ,

plaints of the oppressed and deci di ng in cases of j us ,

tice H e also decides in matters of war and peace

. .

Wherever he goes he is respected and s upplied with all , ,

that he w ants When the eight y ears have expired he

.
,

is called G e dam o tsh a repeated Governor H e canno t ,

.

be chosen the second ti m e In th e south of Shoa to .

the H awash three H eins are appointed If a Galla

,
.

likes a stranger he makes h im his Mo gasa or favourite

, , ,

declaring before the Ab a dul a the governor of a small ,

district that he has made h i m his friend and that no

, ,

man should touch him T hi s ceremony i s performed .

before the whole people and sacrifices are Of fered If , .

an y one should k ill or Of end the Mo g asa he is obliged

f ,

to pay 1 00 k um or 1 00 oxen which is the p ri ce paid ,

by a mur derer If y o u have become the Mo g asa of a

.

Galla you c an go through the whole tri be ; but if you

,

have not the Galla s would kill you imm ediately I do

,
.

not doubt that T sh ar a the Governor Of Mul o fal a da , ,

would give me this p ri vilege if I should go to his

countr y .

A ug us t 13 1 8 40— I call ed upon Alaca W o l da Hann a

,
I

, ,

who w ished to study the H ebre w lang uage havi n g ,

25 8 N O T I C ES R ESPE C T I N G

cities of Caf f
a are B entsh and Bonga A great river .
,

called Kibbe flow s fro m Caf

,
f a to the N ile but others ,

say to the south P robably it m ay be the Quili m an ce

.
,

which flow s into the Indian O cean at the hi gher part s

of the Melinde T h e peo ple of Caf. fa manufacture good
cloth A good piece is bought for six pieces of salt
. .

T h e c ur renc y of Ca f f
a consists in pieces o f salt silver
money not being kno wn T h e c ur rency of W o l am o
.

is also in salt which the y get from the Arro o si Gallas

,
.

A ug us t 1 8 1 8 4 0 —I spoke in m y sermon abo ut real

,

faith according to 1 John v I was told that Alaca

,
.

W o l d a H anna had taken my H ebre w Bible to his church ,

and recommended the study Of H ebrew .

A ug us t 30 — A slave from S e n t shir o gave me s ome

information respecting his country T h e present King .
,

A rn o is a w arrior and likes all people of this kind

, ,
It .

seems to me that the people OfS en t sh ir o were formerly

Christians because they have circum cision and some
,

Christian feasts ; but otherwise they d o not appear to

know any thing about Chri s tianity T h e capital cit y is .

called A nger T h e S en t sh ir o s like the Gallas do not eat

.
, ,

hens Goats also are not eaten T h e Gura gu e an mer

. .

chants go to S en t shir o and receive D irgo (m aintenance )

,

from the King till they return to their country Women .

only are sold as slaves to other countrie s male S laves

from S en t shiro are obtained by other nations b y means
of war T h e reason why females onl y are sold is
.
,

stated to be this — Man y ages ago the King of Sent ,

shiro commanded a man of qualit y to S laughter his

 THE C O UN T R Y OF S E N T S H I R O . 25 9

wife as the King needed her as a medicine T h e

, .

man went home but di d not vent ure to kill his w ife
, ,

thou gh he fou n d her a s leep T h e King then ordered .

the W i fe to k il l her husband which she di d and on ac ,

count o fthis female cruelt y the c ustom arose Ofsellin g ,

only women to other countries .

T here are people in S e n t shiro who have no other

duties to pay than to deliver their fi rst born sons to the -

king who appoints these unfortunate creatur es for

,

sacrifice s T h e reason of thi s barbarity i s stated to be

.

this— F or m erly a hi g h pillar of iron s tood in the neigh

b o ur h o o d of the capital city and a s lon g as th i s column
,

exi sted t he people of S en tsh ir o had neither su m mer nor

,

w inter but had rain the whole year and the fruits di d
, ,

not come to m aturity T h e kin g having asked his .

learned men what should be done in order to secure the

seasons of sum mer an d winter they cut dow n the pillar ,

nearly t o the ground whe n the rain decreased and the

, ,

fruits ri p ened B ut they advised the King that it was

.

necessary in order to prevent a return of the former

,

confusion alway s to s acrifice a nu m ber Offi rst born

,
-

sons to the D eity A part of the pillar is still to be

.

seen as I learned from m y informant

,
.

T his evenin g one of the King s slaves who w ith her

’
, ,

husband resides in th e fore part of my house having

, ,

been delivered of a child the house ha s become unclean ,

for t w enty day s and whoever enters it is considered

, ,

unclean and cannot go to church nor take the H oly ,

S upper T hus are the Ab y s sinians i rrsn ar e d w i t h num

.
2 60 A B Y SSI N I A N S E N S L A V ED BY C E R E M O N I ES .

form s and ceremonies — fetters of self righteous

b erl e s s -

ness lost in darkness and separated from the life of

,

God H ow is it t hen to be exp ected that they should

.

enlighten the s urroun di ng heathens May the L ord .

,

our faithful God soon cause His blessed li ght to s hine

,

upon E t hiopia and the numerous tribes of heathens Of

central A frica that His holy N ame in these strong
, ,

holds of darkness and death m ay alone be praised for

,

ever and ever

2 62 M O T I V ES F OR THE J O U R N EY .

past been anxiously looking for w ard to a j ourney to the

sea coast T h e obstacle s which my dear Brethren
.
,

Messrs Muller and Muh l ei sen wh o had been sent out

.
,

b y the Committee to assis t the S hoa Mission had met ,

at T a dj ur r a regardin g their proceeding to S hoa had

, ,

been a matter of sorro w to me and called forth such ,

endeavours on my part as m i g ht enable them to prose

cute their way to Shoa and comm ence their Missionar y
,

labours in that cou n tr y A speedy j ourney to the sea

.

coa s t was considered the best s tep which I could take

t o facilitate their proceeding to Shoa a ste p w hich had
been recom mended to m e by the Comm ittee in a L etter
which had inform ed me Of the departure Of the Breth
ren from E urope .

D esirable ho w ever as this step would have been on

, ,

my part y et the precarious situation of our Missi on in

,

Shoa prevented m e for a considerable tim e from taking

,

a step which would undoubtedly prove beneficial to m y

Brethren on the coast H er Maj esty s E mbass y arrive d
.
’

at the C ourt of Shoa with most valuable tokens of friend

ship to the King OfShoa T h e principal Obj ect of this .

E m bas s y was to form a T reat y of amit y and commerce

w ith his S h o an Maj esty A T reaty of thi s nature w as
.

of course of great importance to the external existence

of our Mission because ifonce concluded b y the Sove
,

re igns of Great Britain and Shoa it w ould incl ude a ,

footing for British subj ects in the domini o ns of Shoa .

But the qu estion was w hether the King although he

, ,

had first expressed his desire to j oin in friendship w ith

 TR EA T Y W ITH T HE K I N G OF SHOA . 2 63

’
Her Maj esty s Government could be per s uaded to sub ,

scribe to the ter m s of a T r e aty which would render this

‘

footing un doubted and uncontested So long as his .

Sh o an Maj esty s sentiments toward Great Britain was

’

not kno w n my external situation was also doubtful in

,

m any re s pects ; and had his Maj est y re f used to enter

i n t o an y connexion with the Briti s h the increase of ,

Missionary labourers in Shoa wo uld not have been a d

visable T hu s my departur e for the coast was pro
.

tracted by circumstances which it was not in m y po w er

t o rem ove althou g h I did all that I coul d to for ward
,

the Government s Obj ect W henever an Oppo rtunity w as

’

presented to m e .

T his state of uncertainty with rega rd to his S h o an

Maj esty s sentim ent s to w ard Great Britain w as how ever
’
,

removed by the term s of a T reat y whi ch Her Maj esty s ’

R epresentative Capt C W Harris concluded w ith

,
. . .
,

the Kin g of S hoa on th e l 6 th of N ov 1 8 4 1 after he .

,

had di s played g reat perseverance prudence and firm , ,

ne ss in overco m ing difficulties which will honour him

, ,

for ever in the annals Of Shoa .

A fter this T reaty had been signed an d seale d b y his

Sh o an Maj esty and Her Maj esty s A mbassador in Shoa
’
,

many doubtful question s with reg ard to m y o wn S it ua

tion as well as that of our Mission were removed and
, ,

my de s ire of proceeding to the coast was ane w excited

in my mind as the increa s e of E uropeans in the country
,

in g eneral and of Missionaries in particular could not

, ,

n o w be obj ected to by his Sh o an Maj esty after having ,

2 64 P R O P O SED R OU TE .

agreed in the treaty that British subj ects should not

,

be prevented nor molested in procee di n g to Shoa in ,

their respective business in the country and their move ,

”
ments over the country and beyond .

W h ile engaged in thin k ing of m y proj ected j our ney

to the coast I received the intelligence that our Breth
, ,

ren had m ade a second attem p t to penetrate into Shoa ,

but with the same disappointment as before At th e .

sam e time I received news of my o w n private matters

,

in Germany which contributed to my undertaking the

,

proj ected j ourney But as the arrangem ent of my pri

.

vate matters w ould requi re ti m e in E ur ope and as ,

therefore a S peedy arrival on the coast was not indi s

en s abl necessary I resolved upon ta k ing road to
p y ,
m
y
the coast of Massowah particularly a s m an y i m portant
,

obj ects m i g ht be attained by so doing A s a matter of .

great importance appeared to me the personal acquaint ,

ance Of the n ew Ab u na the head of the Abys s inian

,

Ch urch I was also des irous of taking a personal Vi ew

.

of the state of thing s in T igré man y favourable re

ports regar di n g our Mission there havi n g been carried
to Shoa An d lastly I wished to kno w whether the
.
, ,

road from Shoa to Massowah w as not practicable in ,

case any accident should happen b y which the route of

T a dj urr a might be ob structed .

My departure from Ankobar was appointed to take

place to day H aving last ni g ht prepared the member s
- .

of my establishment for my approaching departure b y ,

addressing them from the w ords of o ur Saviour in

266 AR R IVE AT A NG OL L A L A .

proofs of grace and mercy during a residence of three

years and from which I humbly hope and believe that
,

the seed Ofeverlasting life will be carried to the remote

and dark region s of Central Africa .

A lthough I had Obtained the King s permission to

’

leave his country y et I thought it prudent and proper

,

to take leave of h i m again and once more to expres s

,

my acknowledgment of the kindness w hich I had ex

p eri en c e d from his Maj est y for three y ears A S .

he w as at An g o ll al a his favourite residence I pro

, ,

c e e de d to that place where I arrived about mid day

, my -
,

people with the luggage being unable to keep pace wi t h

me I intended to take with m e as man y copies of the
.

ZE th i Opi c and A mharic Scriptur es as I could ; but to

my grief I found that m y beasts of b urden coul d not
carry the quantity of books which I had set apart for
m
y j ourney. It must be remarked that camels cannot
,

be used in this part of Ab y ssinia as the mountainou s ,

nature of the country and its cold tem peratur e does

, ,

n o t agree with an animal which seems to have bee n

creat ed for the particular benefit o f plain and hot

countries .

H is Sh o an Maj esty w as informed of my arrival at

'

A n go l l al a b y m y B ald ar ab a (Introducer ) Ayt o H ab ti ,

great master of t he T abiban (mechanics) and roy al ,

ph y sician in ordinar y His Maj esty sent w ord that he

.

was very bus y in making preparation s for his approach

ing expe dition against the rebelliou s Galla tribe of
 I NT E R V I E W W ITH THE K ING . 2 67

Y err er and that he could not give me an audience

until to morro w - .

M a r c h 1 1 1 8 4 2 E arl y this morning my B al darab a

,
-

m a d e hi s appearance re u e s tin g m i m m e dia t e attendance

q y ,

at the palace I found his Maj esty tal king w ith his Of
. fi
cers in the cour t y ard A S soon as he Observed me he
-
.
,

ordered me to draw near ; and took me to the eminence

from whence he usuall y g ives j udgment and fr equentl y , ,

also an audi ence Having inquired after my health

, .
,

b e repeated several times Y o u shoul d not leave me , ,

m y father as I shal l have no advi ser when you are

,

”
away . I ans w ered that the reasons which in du ced
,
“

me to leave his co unt ry for a short t im e w ere very

urgent and partl y intended for his o wn b en efi t
,
Well .
,

” “
then he said
, I will not prevent y ou from going ;
,

but I wish you to reflect on every thing that you want

for your j ourney and communicate to me yo ru w ants
,
*

becau s e I w i s h you to m ake your j ourney as a greeable

”
and short a s possible .

I therefore went home in order to reflect on what I ,

S ho ul d require from his Maj esty but I had no sooner

returned to m y house than Ayt o H ab ti appeared again , ,

and informed me that hi s Maj esty had ta k en a fancy to

my b e auti ful ri fl e gun presented to me by Capt H aines , .

and that h i s Maj est y had ordered h i m to express hi s

wish tha t I would leave it w ith him before I departed .

I replied that I had formerly given several handso m e

,

presents to hi s Maj esty and could not therefore give ,

any n ro rc that I w anted the gun for myself on m y

N2
2 68 C O V E T O U S N ESS OF THE K I NG .

dangerous j ourney ; and besides I coul d not part with

, ,

a present which I had received from a friend w hom I

valued and respected I hoped that this repl y would
.

induce his Maj esty to desi s t fro m his desire for m y

rifle ; but far fro m giving up t he m at t er he carried it ,

o n so long ,
that I became tired and disgu s ted and ,

parted with the beautiful weapon H e sent me a dou .

ble b arrel flint gun but so m iserabl y made that I w ould

-
,

not look upon the messenger who brought it T his he .

requested me to accept in s tead of the rifle which if , ,

I S hould lose on the road w oul d m ake him very sorry

,
.

I s ent word that the de s ire of hi s Maj es t y for my

,

ri fle had m ade me very sad ; y ea angry w ith him at , ,

the m om ent of my leavin g his country ; that it was a

bad practice dis g racin g hi s name in m y country to
, ,

deprive stranger s of the very property which they con

sider most valuable and that it would be far better for a
stranger not to bring with him an y article Of value to
this cou ntr y as the people an d especially the k ing
, , ,

would immediately deprive him Of it by means of daily

increasing petitions of the most anno ying and u n pl ea
s ant kind
.

T his strong language which I was obli g ed to use

, ,

had an e f fect thou g h only Of a te m porary nature

,
He .

sent another m essenger who inform ed m e that the

,

King be g ged me for Christ s and the Gospel s sake ’ ’

,

not to mention in m y country that the King of Shoa

had endeavoured to deprive me of m y property ; and
th at he had onl y advised me to leave the g un in his
2 70 F AR E W E LL V ISI T
j oin him on the road and go w ith him to his master at
,

Gon dar for whom he had received a L etter and a

,

few val uable presents from th e British Ambassador as ,

tokens of friendship and respect to the greatest P relate

of Ab y ssinia I had also given him a copy of the
.

JE th i Opi c N e w T estament w ith a letter which I had

, ,

written in case I should not b e able to go with him .

B ut this scheme of m y j oining the man w as after w ard ,

from man y causes en t irely fru s t rated

, .

All the Visitors having w ithdrawn I passed the even ,

ing alone being eng aged in thoughts and reflections on

,

my approaching long and important j ourney Kno w .

ing that I w as going to countries never before resorted

to by E uropeans and thinking that unusual dangers
,

an d hardships w ould be connected w ith such a j ourne y ,

I thre w m y self into the hands of Almight y God w ho ,

a lo n e could bring m j ourney to a happy issue although

y ,

I w as provided w ith every human means requisite for

such a hazardous undertaking .

M a r c h 1 2 1 8 4 2 —After day break a signal w as given

,

for the depart ure of his Maj esty on his expe di tion I .

therefore had no time to lose in acquainting his Maj est y

with m y w ants an d to take final leave of h i m
,
On . .

being introduced to hi m he repeatedly expressed his

,

regret at m y leaving him as he would t hen have no

,

one t o advise w i t h in his proceedings with the British

E mbassy . I replied that I felt grateful for the c o n fi
,

dence he had placed in me ; and that please God I , ,

wo uld make haste o n m y j ourne y so as to be able to ,

 T o THE KING . 271

re t urn in O ctober or N ovember With regard to .

t he B ri ti s h E mbass y I advised him to give decided

,

marks of di stinction to the R epresentative of H er Ma

j esty and to listen to all his requests and counsels as
, ,

t hey woul d prove m ost useful and beneficial to him .

H e then asked about my wants for the j ourn e y I .

onl y requested a good strong mule and a man to in ,

t ro du ce me to the Governors as far as his in fluence ex

tended on the road to Gondar Both requests were .

immediately granted : whereupon he begged me for a

blessing which I gave hi m ; praying tha t God the
,

Al migh t y Kin g of ki ngs would so dispose his heart ,

t hat he m i ght see k before all the w elfare of his own

, ,

soul and the soul s of his subj ects and then that He ,

woul d incline him to attempt such tem poral improve

ments as might become sub servient to the eternal hap
in e s s of hi s people When I had ended his Maj esty
p .
,

“ ”
said
,
Amen May God reward you ! I then walked
away and he set off on his expedition
,
.

Havin g returned to my hou se I had once more to ,

t ake leave of those t w o dear friends whose kindnes s

for more than ei g ht months had rendered my stay in
Shoa agreeable T hese friends w ere His E xcellency
.
,

the British A mbassador Capt C I V Harris and his

,
. . .
,

assistant Officer Capt D Graham I had taken leave

,
. . .

of t he other members of the E mbass y at Ankobar the

day before yesterday We bid farew ell with mutual
.

feelings of grati t ude for the k indnes s and assistance

w hich we had rendered each other in a forei g n an d

uncivili z ed co untry .
2 72 D E B R A B E R H AN .

H aving settled ever y thing necess ar y I set o ut fro m ,

An g o ll al a about ten 0 clock moving E N E toward

’
.
,

D ebra Berhan the Kin g s third favourite place of re

’
,

idence about seven m iles distant from An go ll al a T h e

,
.

road led over a level country which is peculiar to the ,

territories of the Galla tribes in the s outh Of Shoa as ,

I have rem arked in m y former descriptions of the Galla

countries Small hills generall y rise at th e extr em i
.

ties o f these large plains which are inhabited by i m

,

mense herds of cattle ; while the excellent soil of the

hills is u sed for cultivatin g such articles as are requi s ite
for the su bsistence of man .

D ebra Berhan received its nam e at the ti m e Of Zara

Jacob who is also called Constantine and who reigned
, ,

over Ab y ssinia fro m between A D 1 4 3 0 and 1 4 6 0 . . .

When persecuted b y the A dels he took fli g ht to the ,

l

lar g e fore s t at that time exi sting o n the place where the
V illag e of D ebra Berhan is now built Being at a lo ss .

concerning an outlet for his escape he saw a light ,

from heaven showi n g him a path and from this occ ur

ence he called the place D ebra B erhan i e Hill Of . .

”
light .

T his fabulous derivation of the name of D ebra Ber

han which was given me by a native di f
, fers s om e ,

what from another tradition which wa s comm unicated

t o m e by H ab ta Michael his Maj esty s principal ,
’

scribe who stated that it was wr itten in the famous

, ,

T a am ér a Mariam —
’
b ook Miracles of the H oly
V irgin — that at the time of Z ara Jacob a blind priest
,
-
,
2 74 R I V E R B E R ES A .

w i l l delay the matter till he is put b y the Ab una to

his last resource .

D ebra Berhan as I have already stated is one of th e

, ,

favouri t e places of the King of Shoa as the plain land ,

around is s uitable to his desire Of daily g all o ppi n g his

favouri te horses and also for hunting although there
, ,

is but little game aroun d T h e place an sw ers well too

.
, ,

for the number of horses mu l es and cattle which , , ,

alw ays follo w the roy al encampm ents D ebra Berhan .

was conquered b y the father of Sahela S el as si eh but

settled and secured a g ainst the inroad s Of the Galla s
by Men e l ek which is the family name of Sahela S elas
,

sieh this being his Christian name

,
.

D ebra Berhan contains a fe w hun dr ed houses with ,

about a thousand inhabitants In the south of the .

village the river Ber esa runs to th e north w est forming -

,

a t errace of high cataracts at a distance Ofabout three,

miles from the Vi llage T hese cataracts af . f ord one of

the most beautiful sights to be seen in Shoa T h e river .

having first run over the cataracts is carried int o a deep

basin the banks of which are extremely steep and high
,
.

T here is plenty of w ood aroun d this basin T h e w ood .

is royal privilege and fifty s laves are daily employed in

,

p rovidi n g wood for his Maj esty when he resides at

D ebra Berhan .

A bout one o clock we passed a place called Bollo

’
,

W o rki e where one of the most celebrated markets is

,

held on Saturday It is partic ul arly suitable for buyi ng

.

horses donkey s cattle and grain these articles being

, , , ,
 M AR K E T OF B O LL O W OR K I E . 2 75

supplied in ab tm dan ce by the Galla tribes in the nei gh

b o urh o o d of An g o ll al a But money in coin is not
.

much used in this market a s the Gallas being conten t

, ,

with barter or at least salt pieces which pass as money

,
-
, ,

still hav e a great a version to silver money A dollar .

at Bollo I V OI ki e is exchanged for s ixteen or eighteen

’

pieces of s alt an d consequently for a fe w pieces less

than at th e market Of A lio Amb a in the east of An ko
bar T h e Kin g receives considerable sums from the
.

duties paid on articles at the m arket Of Bollo W o rki e .

E ach article is charged according to its value as for ,

instance he who bu y s a horse has to pay half a piece

, ,

of salt to the King .

T h e origin of the name of Bollo W o rki e is un do ub

t e dl y from the Galla language in which Bollo mean s ,

“
hole or cave ; and W o rki e g old c o n se

quentl y ,
cave of gold T his na m e agrees with the
.

general belief and t ra di tion Of the Sh o an s that in the ,

caves at Bollo W o rki e immense treas ures of gold have

been concealed since the t imes of the ancient E mperors
of Abyssinia T h e S h o an s also say tha t in one of the
.
,

caves there is a deep lake w hich nobod y will venture to

,

cross al t hough the gol d is concealed be y ond it In

,
.

this lake according to the general b elief of the Abys

,

s inians devils reside O ne day th ey sa y a splendi d

,
.
, ,

m ule o rn amen t ed w ith gold

,
an d attended by a cat
, ,

came out from the cave but s oon disappeared I .

have no doubt that th e mar k et people who are fond of ,

relati n g and hear n stories for their am usement o n

 ’
2 76 P A S TU R AG E F OR THE K I N G S C A TTL E .

their long j ourne y have invented this tale But while

,
.

the comm on people have invented this story the priests , ,

who as m ay be expected are not behind in having

, ,

their S hare in all cases of superstition discovered a ,

T abot or H ol y Ark in the cave

,
It frequentl y hap
,
.

pens that the prie s t s in order to defend a favourite

,

idea pretend to have discovered a H oly A rk in a cav e

,

in which they have found a piece o f parch m ent on ,

which the Saint to who m the T abot is conse crated

, ,

has wri t ten that such or such a doctrine shall be a c

“
c e t e d or cursed T h e Abys s inians are never at a loss
p .

in contrivi ng lies when it suits their purp ose .

Bollo W o rki e like D ebra Berhan was formerl y in

, ,

po ss ession of the Gallas and T en n a Kallo the Galla ,

Chieftain of this d istrict is not yet forgotten b y the ,

Sh o an s who well rem ember the number of their f

,
a

th er s who were killed by T enna Kallo near Bollo Wor

kie and D ebra Berhan T h e river Beresa was at the .

time of S ah ela S el a s si eh s father the real boundary ’

,

be y ond which the Sh o an s durst not venture to go ,

without running the danger of being murdered by t he

Gallas al t hough m ost of the tribes near the Beresa
,

river paid tribute to Shoa but the settled boundary

w as the Beresa as is n o w the river T ch at sh a in the
,

south of An g o l lal a .

Bollo W o rki e is one Ofthe King s principal pasturage s ’

for a part of his numerous cattle in charge of herdmen ,

which are called Ab ell am from the Am haric verb ,

2 78 THE C H AS M OF T E G UL E T -
W AT .

tance bet w een the source and mouth Ofthese rivers

is onl y about 1 8 0 miles it is clear that the y m ust
,

have a sudden fall at certain points where nature has ,

produced other interesting appearances T hen you .

Observe from the point of the cataract high an d steep ,

banks Of the river for a considerable di stance and

extent It is a striking fact that these cataracts and
.
, ,

this deep basin like course o f the rivers are to be

-
,

observed tow ard T egulet the centre Of Shoa where

, ,

geology might be led to interesting inquiries and

results .

Having crossed the Go n ago n it I was conducted by ,

my people to a place where the y said that the ocean

coul d be seen W hen I drew near this curious spot I
.
,

was not a little s truck at Observing a chas m of the

earth about 200 y ards in length and three feet in
, ,

breadth T h e depth mu st be enormous as I coul d

.
,

not hear the noise of stones which I threw do wn It .

is natural that the Ab y ssinians S hould point to this

place as the residence o f evil spirits as it is indeed ,

a c ur ious one ; b ut probabl y there is more truth in

the report which states that one day when the A mharas
,

persecuted the Gallas they being unacquainted w ith

,

the dangerous localities fell into the chasm and,

perished in great numbers I believe this may be a .

fact as the spot does not appear on i ts surface to be

,

particularly dangerous ; so that y ou might approach

without any apprehension till yo u fell into the depth
b etw een the rocks T h e place allow s a small entrance
.
 C O UN T R Y AR O UN D T E G UL E T . 2 79

in the north ; but people say that the path is soon

lost in the subterraneou s w ater H appily the general .
,

road is a little distant from thi s dangerou s spot or ,

else it mi ght prove fatal to man y people especially ,

at night . T h e place is called T egulet Wat which -

,

m eans— the devouring depth of T egul et .

Soon after w e had crossed the Go n agon it w e crossed ,

ano t her ri vu let called L o gh ei ta w here w e had a bean

,

tiful V iew of the hill on which T egulet the former ,

capital was b u ilt

,
T here is no w a Village called
.

E t tegh e where I w as told there is such a distant

, ,

V iew that the lace became an A byssinian prover b the

, p ,

people say ing in an Am hari c rh yme : E tt egh e Gondar

”
t a i o o E c h e gh u e which means : At E tte gh e is the
,

E eh e gh u e seen at Gondar .

It has already been mentioned that the nat ure of ,

the coun try aroun d T egul et which is also the name

,

for the whole dist ri ct or provi nce around is of a very ,

part ic ul ar k ind forming num erous torrent s w ith S teep

, ,

and high banks and allo wing onl y a fe w accessible

,

road s for men and animals in ascen ding the hills which ,

are separated from each other by these tremendous

t o rren t s . Having taken in view this nat ural c o n
di t ion of t he country we c an u nderstand why t he
,

continual effort s of the numerou s Galla cavalry an d ,

tho s e of the Mah o m e dan s of A del w ere always dis ,

appoin t ed i n taki ng that part of Shoa and wh y the ,

Chri sti an name co ul d no t be exterm inated by t heir

ferocious horde s .
28 0 AR R IVE AT L OG H E I T A .

’
About four O clock W e arrived at a village called ,

L o gh ei ta where we intended to pa s s the night in the

,

house Of the C h e cka shum Governor of the soil or

-
,

ground as he is called in the s y stem of Sh o an a dm i n i s

,

t rati o n
. He received m e well having frequently heard ,

of me from people of A nkobar Check e shum pro .

-
,

perly speaking means overseer of the soil or ground

,
.

H e is appointed by the Mi sl e n i or vice Governor of ,

-

a provi nce and he must collect the tribute which a

,

vil lage owes to the Governor of the province U nder .

the C h ecka shum is the A mba R a s who merely ex

- -
,

e c u t e s the orders of his superior F or in s tance if a .

,

great s tranger is quartered in the vil lage he collect s ,

the quantity of provi s ions fr om the villagers at the

order of the C h e cka shum which is only then t he
-
,

case if the stran g er i s acco m p anied or conducted by

a royal servant called Afér o ,
If you have such a .

servant w ith y ou the Governors m ust receive you and

, ,

provide for y our dail y w ants O f course the a dvan .

,

tage is al w ays on the par t of the C h eeka shum as he -

,

c an order such a quantity o fprovi sions that not onl y ,

the stranger but al s o his w hole household wi ll be

,

supported for m any days Besides he al w ays expect s .

,

a present fro m the stranger .

H aving travelled for three years almost over the

whole kingdom of Shoa I m ust express m y entire ,

dissatisfaction with this custom In the first place .

,

it exposes y ou in a great measure to the beggari es of

, ,

the Superior of the village w ho wil l endeavour by ,

28 2 MON A S T E R Y OF ST . AB B O .

of this vill age to the Alaca Amda T zi o n who is the -

,

s uperior o f the convent at Mee dak (not far from

Ankobar to the south w est ) and w ho instr ucted and
-
,

guarded one of the roy al princes .

In the neighbourhood of the w est of the village of

L o gh ei t a is a monastery consecrated to one of the ,

most celebrated Ab y ssinian S aints S t Abbo whose ,

.
,

anniversary w ill be to morrow T his C loister was

-
.

established when the district w as still in the hands of

the Gallas of w hom man y w ere converted to Chris
,

ti an i ty b y the friars of the convent ; but this conver

sion w as of a very superficial nature T h e Gallas w ere .

circumcised baptized obliged to fast and to w ear a

, , ,

string of S ilk around their necks in S ign of separation

from Mah o m e dan s and P agans .

M a r c h 1 3 1 8 4 2 — Before starting I had a conversation

,

with the people who assembled around my tent imme

,

di a tely after d ay break on the principal topics of the

-
,

H ol y S cript ures I also distrib uted a fe w copies of

.

the Amharic and fE th i opic N e w T estament to the

priests of the village and to the monks o f St Abbo
,
. .

About seven 0 clock w e left L o gh ei t a in the dirce

’

tion N NE . I coul d not refrain from looking back

once more on the fertile di strict Of L o gh eita this ,

being a Bala Ma s eno ; i e a country w hich c an be

-
. .

watered by channels which the inhabitants have made

in their fi elds to w ater them during the dry season .

Irrigation is not uncommon in Ab y ssinia T hey .

 C O NV E R S A T I O N W ITH A P R IES T . 28 3

of cour se increase the value of the land with its pro

ri et o r
p .

’
About eight O clock we travelled through the dis
triet H o ol at D ech (two doors ) w hich name alludes to
-
,

the two gates or principal w ay s which yo u c an take in

g oing to Z al l a D engai-
and the pro v inces beyond T h e .

di st ri ct of H o o l at D ech is very rocky and hilly O n

-
.

the left of our road was N egarit Bar a small lake at -

,

t he foot of hills T h e nam e of the lake is taken

.

”
from the Am haric N egarit which signifies a dr um , ,

as the Sh o an s superstitiously believe that evil spirits

have been heard beating a dr um in t his lak e A .

priest of a nei g hbou ri ng village who accompanied me ,

for a con s iderable distance on the road led the c o n ,

versation to this subj ect H e asserted that lakes are

.

the general assembling place s of evil S pirits I said .

,

that he was not right accordi ng to the Sc ri pt ures in

p lacin g evi l spirits in lakes as hell fire w as
, stated
a s the place of devils and all S inful creat ures T heir .

residence I said i n lakes on earth w ould af

, ,
ford them
a considerable degree of ease and rest from the tor
ments which God in His j ustice had sent upon them on
account of their transgressions— that Mark v 1 3 .
,

on which passage his Opinion w as founded had a partie n ,

lar purpose fro m which we are not entitled to dra w the

,

conclusion that unclean spirits reside in lakes— that

unclean S pirits accordi ng to the Scripture s have only two
, ,

place s of residence namely in hell fire and in the h u , ,

rn a n h ear t an o r e, i n s t e a d o fsear c lri n g af

d th erc f tc r th c e vi l
28 4 R IVER G o o D o-B ER A T .

spirits in lakes w e should do better if w e inqui red

,

after their residence in the very centre of our thoughts ,

w ords and deeds— and that it woul d be better if we were

,

to draw near our Saviour in hu m ble prayer and faith ,

and b eg H im to cast out the unclean spirit s of o ur

lusts and worl dl y desires lest they should lead u s to
,

that hell fire which burns from all eternity F inally .

,

I adm onished the ignorant priest to read the pur e

Word of G o d contained in the O ld and N ew T estament ,

to i m print it on his mind in pray er and faith and then ,

to teach it to his countr y m en .

A bout nine O clock we crossed the river Goodo

’

Berat which rises in the famous range of mountains

,

which I have before mentioned It runs to the river

.

A dab ui in the west to which river forty fo ur rivulets

,
-

are said to pay their tribute of water But this is .

evidentl y an i m itation of the number of the fort y four -

Ch urches of Gondar In the same manner the Sh o an s

.

say that in proceedn from the coast of Massowah

,

fort y four rivers must be cros s ed before you reach Shoa

-
.

If we count ever y rivulet I should think that this

,

account would com e short of the number of river s .

T h e river Goodo Berat has its nam e from a powerful

-

Galla Chi eftain who in connexion with A m dich

, , ,

Merku r ri W o l dab and other less influential Chiefs

, , ,

had ta k en possession of the countries aroun d after ,

Gr a gn e had desolated thi s territory .

O n enquir ing about what th e peopl e kne w of the

origin Of the Gallas I learned that three sons of a
,
28 6 M O N AS T E R Y OF MA S K A L I E G H E D AM .

T he road of B esh ka tie led us to the district of

R odas which received its name from one of the ei g ht
,

sons of Al i a Mah o m e dan who took possession Of the

, ,

country around at the time of Gr a gn e in whose i n ,

t er est it w as to introduce people Of his religion into

the country W hen Al i di ed his eight sons of whom
.
, ,

R odas S ad ekas and Jonas particul arly distinguished

, , ,

themselves posses s ed the di strict till they were all killed

,

b y the intrudi n g Gallas who availed themselves of the

,

desolation which Gragn e had caused in Abyssinia a

circ umstance which reminds u s of Joel i 4 T h a t . .

w hi c h th e p a l m er w orm h a th l eft, h a th th e l o c us t
ea ten,
g e
e
.

Our road then led us to Maskali e Gh e dam which

”
means ,
M y cross is a convent T hough the monas .

t ery was close to the w ay side yet I had no time to ,

halt and take leave of Al aca W o l dab w ho has ,

b een a friend of m i ne for some time H owever I .

,

sent him a cop y of the fE th iOpic N e w T estament for ,

w hich he had expressed a desire w henever he had seen

me at A nkobar H e is one of those E cclesiastics who
.

use the A mharic Bible in teaching their pup ils T h e .

reason why I coul d not halt was because I had no ,

tim e to lo s e as I wi s hed before eveni n g to reach Zalla

,

D engai w here the Queen D o w ager resides

,
A travel
- .

ler in Abyssinia must al w ay s b ear in mind that he ,

must arrive in due time at the Governors with w hom

he intends to pass the night in order that the requi ,

site preparations may b e made be fore night fall An .

 PR O VINC E OF M AN S . 28 7

e rror of this kind is al w ays blamed by the people and ,

it puts the traveller as w ell as his host to great in co n

, ,

v en i en c e s as the V illagers not being aware in due time

,

of the arrival of a strang er are therefore unprepared,

.

In g eneral the Abyssinians have a dislike against all

,

night work as they go earl y to bed in order to get up

-
, ,

before or at day break - .

T h e nearer we approached Z alla D engai the more -

,

the large and plain province of Mans w as presented

to o ur vie w T h e people of Mans of whom I shall
.
,

s peak more fully after w ard have the character of being

,

brave daring and ignorant— a character w hich seems

, ,

to me to have been given them w ith some reason as ,

I shall state hereafter T h ey a re princ i pall y engaged

.

in breeding sheep the colour of w hich is ver y

,

dark ; a circumstance which sho w s that the pro

vince o f Mans must be high land as the black hair ,

protects the sheep better against the cold T h e Man .

sians u s e this black wool for w eaving cloth which ,

they call S ekdat and it mu st be rem arked that this ,

k ind of dr ess at once disting uishes a Mansian from

the other Sh o an s who w ear clothes woven Of cotton
, ,

which is c ul tivated in large quantities in the lo w er

co untries and which is generally of a good and silky
,

U po n inqui ring after the boundaries and extent of

Mans I had the satisfaction of being led to a res ult
,

which I co uld never obtain before although I had for ,

the last three years inqui red on every Opportunity abo ut

28 8 N O T I C ES OF T H E V AR I O U S
the geograp h ical di vision of the di f
ferent provinces of
the kingdom of Shoa It m ay therefore be i m agined
.

ho w much I was delighted with obtainin g information

on a subj ect which had pu z zled me for s everal year s ,

and w hich is so im portan t in sketchin g a correct map

Of the country I will state what I have learned from
.

good authorit y .

1 T h e m ost southern province Of Shoa inhabited

.
,

chiefl y by Christians is the province of Menchar Its

, .

northern boundary is the river Kassam and its southern ,

frontier is Mount Bokan Menchar is on the way to .

the H aw ash in the south and to the countries of ,

Gurague C am b at and S en t sh i ro
, ,
.

2 T h e province Of B ul g a (Bul ga and Menchar

.

together were formerl y called Fat ag ar ) is bordered on ,

the south b y the river Ka s sam ; and on the north by

,

the river Kabani w hich r uns t o the A del country to

,

w ard the Hawash .

3 T h e province of E fat begins w ith the northern

.

banks Of the river Kabani and extends as far as the ,

river R obi which rise s in the T arm ab ar range of moun

,

tains and runs to the A del country

,
.

4 In the nor th of the river R obi begins the pro

.

vince Of Gh e ddem w hich i s bounded by the province

,

of E frata in the north E frata is bordere d on the .

nor th by the river Be rko n a which separates the Sh o an ,

dominions from tho s e of the Mah o m e dan ruler of

Worra Kallo and Argobba It must h e rem arked that .
,

this is another Argobba not belonging to the King of,

290 AR R IVE AT ZA LL A D E N G A I
- .

W o ai t, which separates the Sh o an dominions in the

north west from the different Wollo Galla tribes
-
.

8. Between Shoa Meda an d th e river Jamma in the

south west is the province of Morat ; and bet w een the
-

rivers Jamma and W o n sh it is the province of Mora

b i eti e in the north west - .

9 Shoa Meda is a plain or level countr y of c o n

.

s id er abl e exten t ; but it is possessed by tributary pagan

Gallas man y villages Of whom however have been

,

lately converted to Christianity by the orders of the

King Of Shoa who com manded them to be circum
,

c i se d ,
to be baptized to fa s t to wear a string of
, ,

s il k around the neck and not to eat with Mah o m e dan s

,

or P agans .

A ll the country from Shoa to the H a w ash in the

south is inhabited b y P agan Gallas of whom I have ,

g iven a descri ption in my former j ournals T he y are .

all subj ected to the s w ay of Shoa T h e Mah o m e d an s .

,

who are under the Government of Shoa reside in the ,

eastern parts of the kingdom in Argobba tow ard , ,

the A del coun try .

After four o clock we arrived at Z all a D engai w here

’
-
,

Zen am a Work the m other of Sahela S el as s i eh reside s

-
, ,

Before w e reached the place I saw on the road a hill , ,

on which I w as tol d that the present King w as e du

c at e d and gu arded b y the A laca W o l dab w h o is not to ,

be confoun ded w ith the same name mentioned before .

It is a prett y little square hill on which his royal ,

highness had a beautiful Vie w o f the countr y around ,

 H O SPI T A L I T Y OF Z E NA MA - W OR K . 2 91

and on which many ideas and future schemes may have

been raised and planned in his mind .

O n arri ving at the foot o fthe hill on which th e

houses of Zen am a Work the Queen D o w ager are
-
,
-
,

b uilt we w ere stopt a fe w minutes and as ked who w e

,

were and from whence w e had come Having given

, .

a satisfactor y ans w er to these questions w e w ere ,

permi tted to walk up the b ill when the g ates of the ,

outer w all were imme di ately Opened H aving reached .

t he outside of the cour t yard I was ordered by the

-
,

D ech a g af
-
ari — the in t roducer through the g ates— to
sit do wn on a red skin which had been spread out b e
fore m e A messenger w a s then dispatched with my
.

compli m ents to the ro y al lady who as soon as she heard

,

Ofmy arrival sent w ord that s he would be glad to see

,

the man of W hom she had heard much for several y ears ;
but that as it w as already late she coul d not see me
, ,

then but w ould call me to morrow morning I w a s

,
-
.

t hen conducted to a house which I w as to occupy ,

during my stay at Zalla D engai But I preferred to

-
.

pitch my tent for many reasons T w o large pitchers .

of h ydro nrel t w o j ars of beer a s heep fo w ls eggs

, , , , ,

b read a j ar Ofhoney and man y other t hings were then

, ,

presented in such an abundance that I w as obliged to ,

send back the greater part of them lest my people ,

s ho ul d commit an y excess in enj oying the hospitalit y of

Our hostess Servants w ere also sent and ordered to
.

attend and provide me w ith whatever I should require .

M a r c h 1 4 1 8 42 —l l a vi n g expre s sc d my w ish to depart

,

0 2
2 92 I N T ER VI EW W ITH

early I w as called b y the Queen D owager to s e e her

,
-
,

and at the same ti m e to bid her farewell I wore my .

E uropean dress and the silver s w ord which her ro y al

son had given me with the request to wear it on all
occasions of state I w as introduced through four or
.

five gates till the D ech ag afari at last conducted me to

,
-

a small but nice looking room in which the old lady ,

was sitting on a bedstead covered with a carpet of di f

f e r e n t colo urs A great number of female servants
.
,

mostl y slave girls stood o n the left and right of the

,

lady while her male servants priest s and counsellor s , , ,

s tood at some distance from her T h e attendants of .

both sexes were well dressed ; and when I entered they

talked with their mistress in a familiar and eas y manner .

fl
T h e lady w ore a large white Abyssinian dress with very ,

few other marks of distinction T hou g h about six ty.

y ears of age she still appeared y oung and lively ; and

,

although she is except her ro y al son the most in uen

, ,

tial person in the kingdo m and governs nearl y the ,

half of Shoa in a very independent manner yet she ,

sho w s less of the stif fness ob servable in other Ab y s

sinian la di es of a much inferior rank She appears to .

be a person Of high attainments in the Aby s sinian ,

manner and qui te qual ified for the situation which S h e

,

holds in the Sh o an af fair s and seems t o deserve the

,

attachment and respec t which her subj ect s as well

as her ro y al son himself pay to her .

H aving paid m y respects to her I presented her w ith ,

a fe w presents consisting o f a coloured shawl a pair

"

, ,
2 94 O R IG I N OF T H E N AM E ZA LL A D E N G A I-
.

u nd erstanding in temporal af fairs according to the ,

promise of our Saviour Matt vi 3 3 , . . .

She then resumed the matter of the presents which

H er Maj esty had sent to the King of Shoa She ex .

claimed more than once : What astonishing thin g s

have w e seen in the tim e of Sahela S el as si eh ! F or
merl y w e onl y heard of these thin gs and Ofyour White
,

people ; but no w we have seen with our eyes and believe

”
w hat w e w ere told I said that they would see still
.
,

mor e astonishing things if Sahela S el a ssi eh follo w i n g ,

the example of the enli g htened Sovereigns of the White

people w ould go on in improving the moral and tem
,

poral condition of his subj ect s .

H aving already laid claim too long to the time of the

royal lady I thought it proper to discontinue the con
,

versation T hanking her for the at t ention and hospi

.

talit y w i t h which I had been honoured since my arrival ,

I left the room when she w ished me a happy j our ney

, ,

and promised to send one Of her servants with me to ,

introduce me to Ayto H abt a Michael the Governor of ,

Geshe on the northern frontier of Shoa I had no w

,
.

been in the zenith of honour happiness and external

, ,

abundance but on leavin g Zalla D engai I had to co n -

t end wi th many dif ficulties and dangers as will be seen ,

in the course of my j ourney .

T h e origin Of the name Z alla D engai is reported in -

the follow ing manner F ormerl y there w as a large stone

.
-

on the top of the hill where Zen am a Work resides Bad - .

people w ere S itting one day on the stone engaged in ,

 ’
THE QU EE N
-
DOW AG E R S ES T A B L IS H M E NT . 2 95

te lling li es an d in contriving tricks against their fellow

,

creatur es ; when on a sudden the s tone moved and

, ,

rolled do wn into the deep torrent which runs i n the ,

east of Zalla D engai toward the river Mo fer

-
T he .

people w ere killed ; and that others should take their

example for a w arnin g the place w as called Zalla D engai
,
-
,

”
which mean s verball y the j umping stone My former .

w ay of w riting S elat D engai woul d imply the meaning

S harp stone and must therefore be corrected
, .

I felt an intense col dness at Z alla D engai and the -

,

lady several times asked me whether it w a s so cold in

my country T h e w hole establishment of Zen am a
.

Work is arranged according to the model of the King ,

only on a smaller scale Her house is surrounded wi th

.

several w alls and y ou have to walk through many gates

, .

In the centre is a court yard which however is not equal

-
,

in extent to that at Ankobar In the eastern front of .

this court yard is a place of eminence where the lady

-
,

gives j udg ment to her subj ects as Sahela S el a s si eh does ,

at An kobar A nother large room has been selected as

.

the dining room for her governors and sol di ers T h e

- .

superiority of her son consists in the followin g — E ach

subj ect of Zen am a Work c an apply to the King for
-

j us t ice if her decision does not give satisfaction She

,
.

appoints her own governor s ; but alway s with the r atifi

cation Or approbation of his Maj est y She never un .

dertakes an expe di t ion ; but S h e is boun d to send a

contingent to th e royal army She must always k ee p .

h e r son in good humour by sen ding presents from time ,

2 96 I N F LU E N C E OF THE QU EE N D O W
-
AG ER .

to time particularl y of such articles as please him ; in

,

return for which he sends her other pleasing things .

Zen a m a Work has great influence with her son and

-
,

she has sometimes ventured either to dissu ade him from

an undertaking or to counteract his schemes without
, ,

havi ng been resented by the despotic Monarch She .

Often intercedes with him for persons who have been

disgraced by his Maj esty who esteems her so much
, ,

that he frequently s w ears b y her name ; and when he

appears before her he takes Of , fhis cloth to the loins ,

j ust as his subj ects do when the y appear in h i s presence .

His Maj est y is well aw are of the great advantages

af forded to him b y the female government and influence
of his mother She is a native of the provi nce of
.

Mans and is t he daughter Of one of the former inde

,

pendent r ul ers o f that country O n this accoun t the

.
,

M an si an s are more attached to her than to the King

him self whom the y scarcel y know and acknowledge
, .

T h e Man s i an s being an obstinate set of people w oul d ,

cause many distur bances to hi s Maj est y ifhe could ,

not govern them through his mother B esides he .

,

finds it convenient to thro w ever y thing on his mother ,

who sometimes dissuades or encourages him either to

leave Offan undertaking or to execute a scheme F ur
, .

th erm o r e it is pec uliar to the A byssinian character

,

to act throu gh a me diator or intercessor T he .

greater the pow er and rank Of the person I S t he ,

greater his mediator m ust be I have frequentl y

heard in Shoa that the people compared Zen am a
,
298

H am te, ,
TH E
Berre and H o o l o s é until the E f
R

at i an

Y m m ah a Y a so o s and A sfa W o o ssen t ur ned them out

-
IVER

fl
’

Kin g s
-
,
M O PE R .

of their possessions H am té displayed such bravery in.

w ar that A sfa W o o s en him self respected him

,
-
.

A bout ten 0 cloc k w e crossed the river Mo f er on its

’

j unction w ith a torrent called K a skash which rises at ,

the foot of Wof Washa T h e latter is the name of a

-
.

part of the range of mou ntains which I have several

times mentioned T h e W ater of the river Mo fer comes
.

fro m G o o a s a which is a part of the T arm ab ar range

,
.

T h e river Mo f er runs in a westerly direction and j oins ,

the river Jamma which falls into the A dabai and this
, ,

into the N ile T h e Mo fer separates the provinces of

.

T egulet and Mans as a b ove stated It is about t w enty

,
.

fi ve feet in breadth at the place where I crossed it I t S .

banks are extremely steep according to the g eneral ,

nat ur e of the Abyssinian rivers a n d ri vulets It carrie s .

w ater to the Jamma during the w hole y ear and receive s ,

m any tributar y rivulets .

H aving crossed the Mo fer w e had to ascend for a c o n ,

s i d er ab l e time T h e ascent was so steep and rocky that

.
,

w e were co m p elled to unload our animal s and the men ,

carried the baggage on their S houlder s for som e distance .

H aving reached the top w e sa w before us an immense ,

plain intersected only by small hills We had a beau

,
.

ti ful Vie w Of the countries which we had traversed the

prece di ng day s But we found the Mansian climate
.

very cold ; and the wind also blew strongly from the
east . Our general direction w as south south w es t - -
,
 S U B JE C T I O N OF M A NS TO TH E KING OF SH O A . 2 99

sometimes entir ely north T h e cold cl i m ate of Mans

.

renders the black cloth made Of w ool in di spensably

necessary .

Mans is the largest province of the Sh o an domi ni

ons ; but the Man si an s endeavo ur b y all means t o
keep up their in depen dence of Ol d T hey pay how .
,

ever gr eat respect to the Queen D owager who c o n si

,
-
,

ders thei r country her hereditary government T h e .

Man si an s pay ver y li tt le t ri b ute to the Sh o an cro wn I .

was t old that ten families only pay the tribu t e o f one
sheep in the course of a y ear T h e principal trib ut e .

which is requi red from Mans consi s t s in providing ,

S ekdat or black cloth which I have mentioned

, ,

before for the royal w ants His Maj esty uses thi s
,
.

black stuff for his tents or for charity to poor people

, .

Mans was en t irely in dependent of Shoa at the ti m e

Of Ghera who gover ned Mans w hen N e g assi
,
the first, ,

Sh o an King made hi m self independent Of the G O

,

v ern m e n t of Gondar T h e son of Gh era was Ke dam i

.
,

who had a son called H i ski a s H e had a son called .

Gol e who was engage d in war w ith Abi e the King of

, ,

E fat. Gol e was defea t ed and Mans b e canre connected

,

w ith the kingdom o f Shoa T h e daughter of Gol e w a s

.

I V o l a n s a the mother of Z en am a Work who is the

,
-
,

mother of the present King of Shoa H ence the .

attachment which the Man s ian s entertain toward the

Q ueen D owager .

T h e pro vince of Mans is di vided into three parts

Mamma L alo and G hera E ach part has it s own
, ,
.
3 00 C H AR A C T ER OF

Governor b ut I shall speak of this hereafter At .

present I w ill only mention the g en eal o gi e s o f those

rulers w ho formerly pos s essed independent province s
and governments un til the y were united to the Sh o an
Sovereignty
1 D e m etrios was the r uler of th e province of
.

Mo rab i eti e . H e w as succeeded b y his son W o l do o ,

whose son w as D echen At the time of D echen the

.

prov in ce of Mo r ab i eti e w as u nited to Shoa The .

daughter of D echen is B e s ab e sh the present head wi fe

,
-

or queen .

2 Ma s am er governed the province Of Morat

. He .

was succeeded by his son E saias whose son was Abisa ,

.

T h e son Of A bisa was T z e ddo o whose son w as H ail o o

,
.

At his time Morat w as conquered b y A sfa W o o s s en -

.

Sahela S el a s sieh has left the is s ue of these little king

in the possession of their paternal and hereditary g o
v er n m en t . H e was content w ith their ackn o wl e d g
ment of his royal s uperiorit y and with an annu al tri
,

bute b ut his Maj esty has lately abrogated this here

d itary system in Morat in con sequence of a fault which
Ay to Shunkor a descendant of the old famil y had com
, ,

m i tt e d against h im .Most probably the j udicious

monarch only waits for an Opportunity of doing aw ay
wi th all hereditary governments in his k ingdom .

3 T h e heredi tar y Galla Governors in Shoa Meda

.

are : E ro ; T o o l o o his son ; and W o dach at present Ayt o

, ,

O rganon who is in great favour w ith his Maj est y H e

,
.

t urned a Christian a fe w y ears ago the King himself ,

302 C H A R AC T ER OF

govern them ever y trifle cau ses them to be at variance

,

wi th each other . A little af front o r a small matter ,

that happen s on account of the boundaries Of their

fields raises such animo s ities betw een them that they
, ,

draw their s w ords and kill one another T hese continual .

contests and their self interestedness prevent them

-
,

from li ving together in one Vi llage E ach indivi dual .

,

or several families being the iss u e Of a great man ,

build their houses wherever they fin d convenient for

,

the sake of their property or for the p urpose o f more

,

easil y watching their fields O n this account therefore

.

y o u do not see large villages in Mans T hey do not .

figh t against a common and general enem y but only ,

“
against each other and therefore they say We will ,

not fight against the Gallas who do u s no harm ; b ut

w e fi g ht among o urselves Ou this account they
. .

’
refuse to go on the King s annual expeditions against
the southern Gallas It has frequentl y happened that
.
,

the y have killed their o w n governors or that they have ,

imprisoned or ins ul ted them if they ventured to restrain

,

their indepen dence and spirit of liberty His Maj esty .

cares little for this as he dare not vent ure to i n

,

crease thei r dissatisfaction with him O cca s ionally he .

b urns the hou s es of the m ost obstinate people ; but

this will not al w ays ans w er In short his po w er and
.
,

influence in that part of his dominions is very limited

and loose T h e Man si an s Openly declare
.
“
We know ,

”
little about Sahela S el as si eh N obody would ventur e
.

to say so in E fat His Maj est y w ell a w are of his

.
 fl THE MA NS I A NS

little in uence in Mans endeavour s to cover his w eak

,

ness by sa yin g that he does not requi re much fro m

,
. 3 03

the Man si an s as they are his relations hi s mother being

, ,

a Mansian as w e have seen above

,
.

I Vith respect to the i n h o spi tabili ty of the Man si an s ,

I can j u dge fr om m y own experience Although I had .

a man from the Ki n g and another from Zen am a Work

,
-

w ith me and although I Of fered mone y an d payment ,

yet the pettiest Governor of a hamlet woul d not all o w me

to pa s s the night in his house nor provide me with ,

what I w anted H e knew that I had royal messengers

.

wi t h me ; but he w ould not li sten to them w hen they ,

requested provisions in the name Of the King and

Zen am a Work -
.

T h e Man si an s are very ignorant and on this account ,

have become a proverb on the market place of Bollo -

“o rkie T h e Gallas say : Mansi e o ur G ash ié tha t

f
.

is to s ay the Mansian is a bli nd buyer he does not

,

look whether the salt piece is good or bad ; whether the

-

bullock which he p urchases is useful and good for him

or not It must be Obse rved that they have no im
.
,

portant market place in their own provin ce as their

-
,

un principled l ife woul d raise bloody quarrels on such

Opportunities and therefore the y must go to the market s
of BOIlO YVOI KIC and Geshe T h e learned Man s ian s are
- ’
.

chiefly engaged in using wi tchcraft and are therefore ,

feared wherever t he y go T hey pretend to be able to

.

charm s pirits from the water T h ey say that the Alaca .

of the evil spirits is in the lake Al o b ar which is in Mans , .

3 04 SOIL A ND P R OD U C T I ON S OF M A NS .

T hese and man y other things S how th at the Man si an s

mu st be an ignorant people ; and that the other Sh o an s ,

w ho call them co w s and donkeys o n account of their

ignorance are nearl y right if they themselves w oul d
, ,

onl y be better and superior in knowledge and moralit y .

A bo ut three o clock we crossed the river G o o r m en gn e

’
,

which r un s to the A dabai in the w est ; and about half

past three w e passed the river S an afil as fach T h e -
.

meaning of this strange name which onl y the Man ,

sians coul d give is verball y — H e cau sed the breeches

,

to be destro y ed .

T h e soil of Mans is chiefly black and principally ,

’
prod uces barle y wheat peas hog s beans St e Sheep
, , , ,
.

are in ab undance and can be bought for tw o or three

,

pieces Ofsalt Cotton an d p epper cannot be cultivated

.

in Mans being too high and cold a co untry Wh en the

,
.

eastern winds blow over the countr y it is S O cold that ,

o u c an scarcel y believe that y ou are in the interior of

y
Africa N otwithstanding this cold climate the fea
.
,

tures of the Man si an s are Of a prett y dark y ea black , ,

colour In fact ever y thing o f theirs is black as their

.
, ,

soil clothes sheep cattle and above all their quarrel

, , , , , ,

some mind T hey have a great aversion to the white

.

clothes of cotton of which the other Sh o an s are so

,

fond T he y use white clothes onl y as a covering at

.

night or on occasions of state

,
Wh en a Mansian .

di es his w hite clothes are claimed b y the priests who

, ,

consider themselves the legitimate heirs in this respect .

As w ood in Mans is ver y rare the y b uil d their hou ses ,

3 06 S O UR C E OF T H E R I V ER RET MA T .

is in the Go o asa range Of mountains in the east It .

had very little w ater at the present dry season T his .

river separates the di strict of Mamma from that of

L alo on which w e had n o w entered T h e western
,
.

boundar y of th e district Mamma is the river A dabai ,

and the eastern frontier is K ao t T h e present Gover

’

nor o f Mamma is Ayto Ga del o o to whom the Kin g ,

has married one of his n umerous dau ghters T h e dis .

triet of L alo is bounded in the north by the river

Af tan at in the w est b y the provi nce of Mo r abi e ti e and
, ,

o n the east b y Gh e dde m It is divided into L alo and

.

Igam T h e people of bo t h di stricts are in perpetual

.

feu ds with each other and last y ear in an e n gagement

about thirty men were killed on both S ides L alo .

is not so plain as the district Of Mamma which w e ,

traversed y esterday Mone y in coin is but little known

.

in Mans as the Man si an s say We do not heap up

,
“
,

dollars as the E fati an s do : w e heap up salt pi eces -

”
and plo ughs which w e b ur y
,
T h e more a man has Of
.

b uried plough shares the richer he appears in the eye s

-
,

o f his count ry m en T h e Man si an s seldom appear with

.

spears on the road instead of which they use big sticks

,

on their j our ney and w ith these the y beat on soundly ,

w hen they dispute on the road .

Abo ut nine o cloc k we crossed the river Igam which

’
,

had how ever b ut l ittle w ater at this season I w as .

struck at observing all the houses built at the foot of

steep hi lls s urro unding the ham lets like natural walls
, .

T h e reason Of this mu st be the coldness of the climate

 B L A C K S H EEP OF THE W O LL O C O UN T R Y . 30 7

and t heir perpetual feuds Behind these fortifications .

of hi lls the y c an defend themselves ; and besides they ,

are secur ed against the blowing of cold and violent wind s .

About ten O clock we crossed the river Af

’
tan at to ,

the bed of which w e had to descend about a thou

sand feet T h e breadth of the ri ver was about fifteen
.

feet It carries do w n t o the west a larger quantity of

.

water than the river Iga m mentioned above H aving .

crossed the Aft an at I sa w for the first time the large , ,

sheep t he skin of which is called L ovisa and much

, ,

valued by the Aby ss inians It was grazing in the field .

with other sheep Its b lack hair wa s so lon g t hat it

.

almost touched the groun d T his kind of s heep wants .

a cold cl imate and will never live in lo w er and warmer

,

regions Its skin is sold for fift een or t w enty pieces of

.

alt as it is seldom fo und a n d much demanded by w ar

, ,

riors I S hall Speak about this sheep at large when

.
,

descri bin g the country of the Wollo Gallas .

A bout eleven O clock we saw on the w est of our

’
,

route dow n into a large and deep basin in which the

, ,

rivers Igam and Aftan at and several others j oin and

form one river know n under the general name of
,

G h iri d which j oins the river Jamma near the village

, ,

K um D engai in Shoa Meda T h e Man s i an s t ake re .

fuge to this ba s in when they are attacked by a prevail

ing e n emy who cannot persecute them so far as there
, ,

is onl y one steep descent which they c an easily ,

defend against an ene m y .

Abo ut t w elve o clock we passed the river H o o l l a de h a

’
,
308 DIS T R I C T OF A G A NC H A .

and hal f an hour after w ard the river Gh e dam b o which ,

for m s the boundar y between the di strict Of L al o and

Gh é r a . T h e countr y from the river Gh e dam b o t o
A g an ch a belongs here di t arily to the Queen D o w ager -
.

Ag an ch a is a small di strict in the larger district of

Ghera which belongs at the same time to Sahela Selas
,

sieh first on accoun t of his mother Zen am a Work

, ,
-

and secondl y on account of his forefather N egassi the

, , ,

fi rst Sh o an King whose residence w as in A g an ch a

, ,

from which he w ent conqueri ng to T arm ab ar and fur

ther to the south east of E fat to Aramba and Ankobar
-
,
.

H aving crossed the river Gh e dam b o w e had a good ,

road and the same black s oil as y esterday Our general .

d irection was from north w est west to north north east- - - -

.

About one o cl ock we crossed the river A g an ch a from

’
,

which the district around has its name It is a trib u .

tary river to the Ghi ri d and rises in t he mountain ,

range which pours out its w ater over the w hole w est
o f Shoa .

Man y people followed my little caravan to fin d pro

t e c ti o n as the y said in m y compan y on their road to
, ,

Gondar T h e greater part o f them were going to

.

Gondar to receive hol y orders from the ne w Abuna ,

who I understood daily ordains about a thousand

, ,

people T h e candidates are obliged to be able to read

.

the [ E th iOpi c Gospel and to sing from the book of

,

Y are d and then the Abuna lay s his hands on them .

F or this the y must pay him one or t w o pieces of salt .

But it mu st h e remarked that nobody c an receive ,

3 10 T R A DI T I O N R ESP E C T I N G

b y right T h e V irgin pleased w ith this decision made

.
, ,

the regulation that shepherds should annuall y on the ,

festival of D ebra T abor and of her anniversary receive

-
, ,

from their countrymen lar g e quantities of D abo— large

cakes of white Abyssinian bread— as they had done her
j ustice But at the same time she destroy ed the villages
.
,

changing them into a lake like S odom and Gomorrah ,

which lake is called Al ob ar and is in the opinion of

, ,

the Sh o an s the dwell ing place of all evil S pir its par
, ,

t i cul arl y of their Alaca T herefore a Sh o an who

.
, ,

wants to l ay claim for having Obtained a considerable

degree of mag ical knowledg e and practice must have ,

gone to school w ith the Alaca of the spirits in lake

A l o b ar m the province of Mans But the fact is that .
,

such a cunning scholar swims several times in dif ferent

directions through the lake as far inwards as his stren gth
,

will allo w him and wi th this his lessons are terminated

,
.

H enceforth he has ab undance Of customers who will ,

pay an y price for his talisman ic wr itings or prayers .

T his impostor is called som etimes by persons from a

considerable distance in the country w ho put c on fi ,

dence in his charms An d w hat does he do He as k s

.

every body at some distance from the place where he

-
,

is to go ; about the character feature s situatio n rela

, , ,

tions and connections of the person who has called him .

O f course he then appears w ell informed of the cir cum

stances of the person who wishes to con s ult him T his .

deceived person is astonished at the w isdom w hich the

impostor display s regarding things w hich onl y the
 T HE L AK E A L OB A R . 311

A laca of lake Al o b ar c an have com municated to the

magician who then receives bullocks m ules sheep
, , , ,

s alt pieces dollars clothes & c in acknowledgment Of

, , ,
.
,

the pow er of divination with which he has been endo w ed

,

by the great lord of Al o b ar .

About four O clock w e crossed the river Ghi da o t T h e

’
.

country around appears to be volcanic the hills being ,

qui t e bare and lar g e pieces of rocks have been thro w n

,

down and scattered over the countr y T h e people .

pointed out a steep hill on the foot of w hich a T zab al e

,

was said to exist T zab al e means such springs the

.
,

water of which has been bles s ed by an Aby ssinian

saint and wil l therefore cure all sorts of diseases even
, ,

t hose which human skill is unable to heal T h e T zab al e .

near the river Gh i da o t is a s cribed to the blessing of the

,

Saint G ueb ra Man fo s Ke do s at whose anniversar y this ,

s pring is considered as gifted w ith a particular sanative

p ower . T h e priests prevent the p eople from using the
wa t er at an y other time except at the anniversar y of
,

G ueb ra Man f o s K e do s It cannot be questioned that

.

t here are some mineral w aters in Shoa w hich have in , ,

some cases produced a very extraordinary ef

,
fect but
notwithstanding the y must be governed by the same
ph y sical laws which w e find in the mineral wells of all
other countries .

O n the banks of the river Ghi dao t I saw for the fir s t ,

time that kind of yellow thorn the root of which is

, ,

used in manufactu ri ng yello w cloth which the y ,

call Woih a and which i s w orn by monks and by

,
3 12 AR R IVE AT AMA D -
W A SH A .

p eople who are in great distress Instead of this root .

,

they also use the bark of a tree called Woiha T h e ,

.

root or bark is boil ed in hot w ater together with the ,

thread which is then exposed to the sun

,
.

A fter five O clock w e arrived in the village of A mad

’

V a sh a the nam e of which is taken from the soil which

V
, ,

resem bles ashes T h e Governor is un der the special

.

command of the Queen D ow ager ; but not withstandi ng

-

he woul d not receive us at first B ut some hard word s .

made the man very smooth and civi l T h e first King .

of E fat is reported to have been born in Amad Washa -

.

F ari s the King of Gondar who resided for some time

, ,

at D air a stronghold in the neighbour hood of Amad

,

Washa had a daughter of the name S an b al t who was

, ,

married to a Governor by whom she had a son call ed

,

N egassi T his was the fi rst Sh o an Kin g who governed

.
,

first the district Of Ag an ch a of which Am ad I V a sh a ,

-

w as the capital at that time F aris ret ur ned to Gondar

.
,

while N egassi his grandchild hav ing made him self i n ,

dependent Of him prosecuted other schem es b y taki ng

,

from the Gallas the countries of Aj ab ar T arm ab ar and , ,

the places arou nd His successors increased their

.

do m inions i n the same way of conqu est b y defeat in g ,

and expelli ng the Galla s and by unitin g other Chr is

,

tian prov inces which were at that tim e almost i n depen

,

dent Of Gondar T hus if this account is correct the

.
, ,

descent of the Sh o an Kin gs from the royal blood of

the ancient line of the Ab y ssinian Kings is in co n t e st a
ble. Certain it is that Sahela S el a s si eh considers
,
3 14 T HH R I VER K A T C H E NE E .

T he banks of this defile are so steep and high that ,

the n atives w ould be able b y throwing stones upon ,

the invaders to check a w hole ar m y I c an no w c o n

, .

c e i ve w hy his Maj esty has so little fear of any ene m y

approaching from the north Of his territories A S .

this is the principal pass and entrance into the centre

of Shoa and as this defile is almost impassable at
, ,

le ast fo r an y Abyssinian army in the present state Of

military system the King has reall y nothing to fear
,

so long as the Governor of D air is attached to his

interests .

H aving descended about 3000 feet w e arrived at ,

the bed of the river Katch en e e which S eparates the ,

province of Mans fro m that of Geshe T his river .

rises near Ai am sa in the Annas mountains in th e ,

north east of Shoa

-
T h e K a t ch en ee is after w ard
.

called W o n shi t w hich falls into the Jamma that

, ,

famou s river S O frequently mentioned T h e whole .

bed of the K atch en e e from o n e bank to the other is

, ,

about eighty fee t in breadth ; but the real bed Of the

stream is only about twent y fi ve feet the whole bed -
,

being only full d uring the rain y season I n this bed I .

,

found the T hermometer about mid day 90 F arenheit

,
-
,
°

in th e sh a de T h e place where w e cro s sed is frequently

'

endangered b y the Wollo Gallas who being close on ,

the Opposite side o fthe r iver fo ll o w its bed to this ,

.

passage where the y plunder travellers particularly in

, ,

the evening T h e Katch en ee is j oined belo w b y the

.

rivers Ketama and W o ia which come fr om the north

,
 '

AR R IVE AT D AIR 315

of Shoa . T h e j unction takes places in the north

west OfD air of which I shall speak presentl y
, .

T h e provi nce o f Ge s he w as formerl y in the hand s

of an independent prince of the name of Au sab i e ,

who w as ta k en prisoner by A sfa W o bs se n the grand -

,

father Of Sahela S ela s sieh A lady of the name of

.

I VOOS h am a was in favour w ith Au sabi e A sfa W o o s sen .

-

knowin g this sent her valuable presents in order that

, ,

she m ight deliver over the prince treacherou sly She .

called Au s ab i e to her captured him and sent him to

, ,

A s fa W o o ss en who i m mediately took possession Of hi s

-
,

capi t al of D air and hi s whole territory Many stron g .

places have thus fallen b y means Of female craft and

it mu st also be mentioned that the Sh o an po w er has
,

increased b y female assistance T o this day his Sh o an

.

Maj esty marries the daughters of chiefs whom he w ant s

t o bring over to his side by means of fam i l y bonds .

L ately he went S O far as to solicit a marriage with one

of the p ri ncesses of E ngland ; but of course this
S in g ul ar idea was obj ected to b y Captain Harris Her ,
’
Maj esty s R epresentative in Shoa .

A bout three O clock we arrived at D air t he seat of

’
,

the Govern or of the frontier T h i s Governor is ordered

.

to be very particular in admitting strangers to the

stronghold . We therefore had to wait some time
before we w ere ad m itted to his presence His hou s e .

is b ui lt on the top of a hill which forms a complete

,

mass Ofrocks the bank s of which resemble pc rpen

,

d ic ul a r walls several hundred feet in height

,
T here . .

P 2
3 16 P LU N DE R I N G H A B I T S OF THE G A LL A S .

is onl y o ne way w hi c h leads to the top of the hill and ,

this is attended with great di fficulties T hey have water .

o n this hill and are able to plou h a co ns iderable ex

, g
tent o f field N o Abyssinian force is able to conquer
.

this stronghold .

A nu m ber of people going to Gondar were waiting

for my arrival in D air ; bu t the y were imm ediately
ordered by the Governor to start lest they m igh t ,

trouble me T hey left their good clothes at D air and

.
,
'

wore rags and she ep sk ins over their bodies being

-
,

apprehensive of the Gallas who plunder al m ost every

,

one the y see with a g ood dre ss T h ey were ordered to

.

go throu g h the territory of Abie a Wollo Galla Chief ,

tain with whom the Kin g of Shoa has been at en m ity

,

for m any years E ach individual must pay a piece of

.

salt to this Chieftain as passa g e mone y T his is the .

reason why he allows the Sh o an subj ects to pas s

through his country though he is at enmit y with the
,

King Of Shoa T h e road to Gondar throu gh the

.

territo ry of Abi e is much shorter but people carrying

valuable property c an never take this route nor wi ll ,

they be permitted by the Kin g of Shoa to ex pose

them selves to the plunderi ng Gallas on this road When .

talkin g w i t h the King about m y road he told me that ,

Abi e would plunder and perhaps k ill m e ; and therefore

he would send me through the territory of A dara Bille ,

the Chieftain Of the tribe L agga Ghora w ith whom he ,

was in friendship T h e King as w ell as m y self did

.
, ,
318 V ISI T TO THE G O V E R N O R OF D AI R .

Work w anted to return from D air H e promised to.

fl
give w hatever I should request .

’
W h enever I w ent to the Governor s hou se on the top
of the hill —m y tent being pitched at the foot of it— I
had great di i cul ty in finding my way through the
n umerous guardians o f the stronghold T hey have .

the strictest orders from the King to stand upon their

guard with unrelenting p un ctuality I understoo d
.

from good authorit y that his Maj est y bribes the watch
men wh o are appointed b y the King in a lineal suc
,

cession o f their families to keep a sharp eye o n all the

,

proceedings Ofthe Governor himself T h e Governor .

therefore mu s t be on the best ter m s w ith these w atch

men and he must overlook much rudeness which they
,

commit to w ard strangers A f ew

.
y ears ago these
w atchmen successfull y contrived to di smiss a Governor
w hom the y di sliked b y insinuating to his Maj esty
,

t hat the Governor intended to declare hi m sel f i n depen

’
dent and to j oin the party of his Maj est y s enemie s
, ,

in order to Obtain his Obj ects .

 C H AP T E R II .

DEP TU E F
AR D I —V ILL G E OF G OL T —E N T E TH E COU N T
R RO M A R A A R RY

O TH E VO
F G LL —TH E I I CH CT E — M OU N T IN O TH E
L LO A AS R AR A R A S F

IV O O C UN T
LL — I VE O G TI — RY W I TH
AR R D AT A RA I N T E R V I E VV A AR A

B ILL I —F I E N D LE E C EP T I N —L E A V E G T I —N OT I C E O E R OO
R Y R O A R A S F B R

L OO O TH E CH I E F O
B W O K LL O—A I V E N E G I D TCH F R RA A R R AT A SS A

V I IT TH E G OV E N O S I D I M U I E —
,

S U P I C I OU S B E H V I OU
R R ,
S HIS S S A R

L E V E N E G I D A TCH A
A E N T E TH E T E I TO
ASS ,
ND R R R RY OF C H A R SO

PE IL O U IT U T I ON — I V E A T N T TH E C P I T L O O
R S S A AR R T A A, A A F W RR A

B I M N — K IN D L E C E I V ED
A O TH E CH I E F I M N LI B N — O
Y R BY A A P PU L A

T I ON O T N T —E T E N T O TH E T E I T O
,

F A A I M A N LI B N
X F RR RY OF A

DEP A TU E F OM T N T
R R IVE TH E I V E
R A O A , AND AR R AT R R BA SHI L

BE R R OO A L G S G OV E N O O DE L
I TT CK S TH E T E I T O
A ,
R R F W A A, A A R R RY

OF I M N LI N—M K P F IN C N S E Q U E N C E E LIN Q U I H E
A BA R . RA O R S S HI S

IN T E N T I N O P C EED IN G O G ON D
O F E T E T TOW D
R O T AR , AND R R A S AR

G T I — E ON
A R A P E F E IN G TH E
R AS S O D
FOR O TH T R R R T A DJ U R R A R A T A

O F M — M K ET
A S S OH ’ A H T T OL — E TU N O G T I —IN T E AR OF O A R R T A R A R

VIE W D B L L E — S H P OC I T I C L P OF E S I ON
I VI I H
’ ‘
A AR A I HI Y R A R S S OF

F I E N D H I P—
R T E CH E U N
S O HIS T E TM EN T O
R A RO S A D C I VA R D L Y R A F

M R K PF
. OM H E OB
RA I M P I S N —P OV I DE N T I L
,
\V H R S AND R O S R A

DE LI V E N C E M K PF
RA OF R . R A .

M a rc h 1 8 L E FT D air about eight O clock 1 8 4 2—1

’
,

wi th very pec uliar feelings as I w as n o w on the frontier ,

Of Shoa and a long and dangerou s w ay was before

,

me D e s cen ding from D ai r into the bed of the river

.

Wa iat which separates the Wollo country from Shoa

, ,

I deeply sighed for the assistance of H im in whose

hand s are also a savage like people O n reaching th e -
.
320 D EP A R TU R E F R O M D A I R .

bed of the river we took an easterl y di rection follow ing ,

the course of the river T h e Sh o an s are partic ul arly

.

afraid of the place where we cro s sed a s the Wollo ,

Gallas frequentl y descend from thei r mountains and ,

lurk in the high g ra s s of the passage of the river .

O nly a fortnight a g o there were fifteen men killed ,

when the W o ll o s came t o an engagement with the

Sh o an s at this S pot .

We had scarcel y crossed the river when the Wollo ,

Gallas set up a c ry on their hills around most probably ,

believing that the Sh o an s had come to make an attack

on their country T hey must have observed our large
.

party of men and animals We had ta k en the greatest

.

care to avoid the di scharge of a gun althou gh there ,

was game in ab undance particularly birds which I had

,

never s een before in Shoa We drove on our anim als

.

as quick as possible in order to leave this dangerous

,

spot behind us We were fortunate enough to reach

.

t he district Me s aras er before the W o ll o s of Abie had

assembled in any number A bout four o clock p m
.
’
. .

w e reached the V illage of Golta where the petty G O ,

vernor of Me saras er resides T his district was c o n

.

quered a few years a g o by the brave Ayto Sam ma Ne

goos then Governor of Ge s he T h e poor m an i s n o w
, .

in p ri son on account of his bravery H e killed in bat .

tl e th e s on of B erro o L o o b o the ruler of W o o r a Kallo

,
.

H is Maj esty declared that he had not ordered his GO

vernor to fight w ith Berro o L o o b o and put him into ,

prison T h e p etty Governor of Mesaras er is under the

.
32 2 A D A R A B I LL E DEPE N DE NT ON R A S AL I .

A dara Bille if the y come from Shoa In the w e s t of

, .

o ur road was the river S h o t al m at which separates the ,

tribe L agga Ghora from that of L ag g am b o w hich is ,

governed b y the Chief A made T h e first district of .

A dara Bille s t erritory in which w e had entered is

’
, ,

called Sh an ghi e t H is whole territory is considerable

.
,

and A dara Bille himself has the name of a brave

w arrior .

A dara Bille is no m inally dependent on R a s Al i w ho ,

claims the whole countr y of the Wollo Gallas A dara .

w as the name of his father his o wn name being Bille ; ,

but it is customar y to mention the name of the father

and son together — A dara Bille is commonl y called
.

A bba D a gh e t
-
T h e meaning of this w ord is
. father ,

”
of height T his name has reference to his favour ite
.

horse which has the same name as the horse carrie s

, ,

the Chief V ictoriou sly over all heights It is c ustomary .

in Ab y ssinia particularly among the Gallas to call a

, ,

Chieftain according to the name of his horse After .

we had left the V illage of A damic D ima w e had a -

,

prett y plain road T h ough there are ver y mountain

.

ous regions among the Wollo tribes y et the general ,

character of their country is plain and level But it .

must be remarked that the country of the Wollo ,

Gallas is not so productive as that of the P agan Gallas

in the so uth of Shoa T h e Wollo country is high .

land and therefore the temperature is di f

, f
erent from that
of the southern t ri bes T hese are richer m horses cattle
.
, ,

and grain .
 C H AR AC T ER OF THE W O LL O G A LL A S . 323

T h e VV Ol l O Gallas are very bigoted and fanatic Ma

h o m e dan s but the Gallas in the south of Shoa are
P agans and a better set of people
,
T h e Mah o m e dan
.

reli gion has added a great deal to the depravity of th e

VVOl l o Gallas ; their corruptions being great eno ugh
when the y w ere still P agan s A principal trait of their
.

character is outw ard friendliness and civility w ith

, ,

w hich the y cover their in w ard artfulness T hey them .

s elves confess that a Wollo Galla is to b e compared

with a h y aena Another trait of the i r character is
.
,

e rfidi o u sn es s and rapacity A Wollo Galla wi ll seldo m

p .

keep his word and will be al ways most desirous of

,

getting your propert y T heir connexi on with Gondar

.
,

and N orthern Ab y ssinia in general has made them a c ,

q u a in te d with man y things unkno w n to the S outhern

Gallas but the acquaintance of a savage w ith any
valuable article wi ll almost al w ay s lead him to posses s
himsel f Of that article by any means T h e Wollo .

Galla s longing partic ul arl y for property will seldom

, ,

kill a stranger ; while the Southern Gallas being less ,

fond of property w o ul d kill yo u if you had not been

, ,

made the Mo gas a or favourite of a C hi eftain .

T h e Wollo Gallas are much engaged in say ing pray

ers and in blessing the co untry T hey observe a c u s.

t om which I have never seen w ith other Mah o m e dan s .

T hey assemble early in the morning say their prayers , ,

take cof fee and T o h ad (sort of tea) and smoke tobacco

, ,
.

T hi s ceremony is called W o dacb a It lasts on Wed .

n e s da
y and F riday till after midday T hey believe .
324 M O UN T A I N S OF THE W O LL O G A LL A S .

that they receive revelations from All ah (God) on the

W o d a ch a . O n s uch occasions they particularly requ est
from the Allah t hat he w ill give the m co ws clothes an d , ,

whatever they w ant ; that their Chief may find g old

and S ilver and that he may daily become stronger .

I once heard them praying in this manner .

O n our w ay this afternoon w e could see a great deal

Of the territory Of B err o o L o o b o the ruler of Worra ,

Kallo His territor y forms almost a triangle from

.

south west to north and north east

-
T h e hi g h est -

mountains of the Wollo country are Sako Ko rko rra and , ,

Y O11 . W e had all these mountains on our left T here .

i s perpetual hail on Sako but no snow T h e moun .

tain is very high and i s seen from a g reat distance

, .

K o rko rra is not qu ite so high a s S a k o R as A li e n .

cam ped o u K o rko rra when he intended to conquer

Shoa but h e w a s c o m pell e d to return h aving been beaten ,

by the Wollo Gallas who fell upon his troop s every

,

w here with their light cavalr y Y oll is stil l less high .

than Sako and Ko rko rra O n the w estern foot OfY oll
.

is Mec ana Selassie on w hich place the former rulers

-
,

of Ab y ssinia had for some t ime their residence T his .

w as probablythe native place of Abba Gregorius whom ,

Mr L udolf frequently mentions in hi s Wor k s

.

T h e Wollo Gallas are di vided into seven house s or

tribes ; namel y : Worra Him an o under the pre s ent Chief ,

Iman L iban Worra Kallo under t he s w ay o f Berro o ,

L o o b o L agga Ghora under A dara Bille or Abb a D agh e t ;

, ,

T eh o o l ad er e under Am ade or Abba Sh ao l Bo ran n a

, ,
-
,
326 I N T ER V I EW W ITH A D AR A B I LL E .

covered w ith an old carpet H e w as drinking and .

talking w ith his favour i t e people with whom b e ap ,

e are d to be more familiar than I have Observed with

p
great people in Shoa His dress was a com m on Galla
.

dress —a cloth of cotton —w ell done over with b utter .

W hen I approached him he made a b o w as if I had

, ,

been his superior H e used all sorts of c o m plim en

.

tary w ords and was in general so friendly civil

, , ,

and familiar that I could not recollect ever having

,

seen a Chieftain like A dara Bille H e ordered me .

to take a place o n t he ground by his side and began

l
,

t o ask many qu estions H e asked h o w many gun s

.

the King Of Shoa had received from the E nglish an d

then asked about ships waggon s manufacturi ng of
, ,

guns cloths & c

, ,
.His condescension made m e as
‘

free in m y expressions as if I had been speaking t o

an equal an d not superior His whole appearance gave
.

me the best impression H aving t alked wi th him a

.

long time I expressed the desire Of my going home ;

,

w hereupon he said G O you have now delighted me

,

”
mu ch w ith y our conversation .

T h e reception I had met with from A dara Bille

pleased me so mu ch that I w as going to recommend
him to the attention of hi s E xcellency C apt Harris .
,

whether he might not b e inclined to Of f er the E nglish

friendship to A dara Bille T h e favourable idea I had
.

received of him w as increased when I heard that three

rulers around had sought for his friendship T h e King .

of Shoa has latel y given him forty four villages in the -

 F R IE N D L Y R E C EP T I O N . 32 7

province of Geshe from which A dara Bille receives the

,

annual tribute for the purpose of securing the road

,

bet w een Shoa and Gondar A s the Ki ng of Shoa .

al w ay s sends his messages to Gondar and as all other ,

routes proved dangerous he thought it pru dent to gain ,

A dara Bill e o ver to his interest by giving him s uch ,

villages the produce of which is most valu able to him

,
-

bein g the T efwhich does not gro w in his o wn territor y

,
.

Berro o L o o b o the r ul er of Worr a Kallo in the east

, ,

of A dara Bille s tribe has given him his dau ghter

’
,

F atima in marriage and several villages s ui table for

,

t he c ul t ivation of cotton which cannot be cultivated ,

in A dara Bille s cold co untry B err o o L o o b o h as acted

’
.

from political motives in granting so much to A d ara .

Bill e H e w i s hed that this Chief should not j oin the

.

King of Shoa nor the w estern Wollo tribes in w ar

,

expeditions against Worra Kallo .

Imam L iban t he Chieft ain of the large tribe of

,

Worra H im an o like w ise gave a fe w vi llages to A dara

,

Bille to keep him in his interest T hese villages are .

particularly fit for the c ul tivation of red pepper and

wheat .T his position of A dara Bille bet w een three
influential rulers m ight I thought render hi m worthy
, , ,

of t he British friendship as he mu st be a pow erful ,

Chief .

T h e territor y of A dara Bille s father w as small ; b ut

’

hi s w arli k e son has considerably extended it L ast .

year the western Wollo tribes almost expelled A dara

Bille from his country ; b ut having again gathered an
32 8 DISSE N SI O N S OF THE W OL L O G A LL A S .

army he completel y defeated the invaders and took

, ,

possession of a part of the tribe L agg am b o .

T h e Wollo Gallas b y no m eans agree together O nly .

A dara Bille and B err o o L o o b o the Chiefs of the two ,

eastern tribe s j oin together in friendship 5 but all the

,

others are quarrelling am ong themselves T hese di s .

sensions of the W o ll o s are extremel y subservient to

the cause of Shoa and Gondar If the Wollo tribes .

were all united the r ul ers of Shoa and Gondar woul d

,

be scarcel y able to repul se them as their cavalry is very ,

n umerous and the best in Ab y ssinia T h e ac k no w .

ledgm ent of R as Ali b y the W o llo s is only nominal ,

and a mere custom of old although A dara Bille , ,

B err o o L o o b o and Imam L iban assist the R as with

,

troops .

H aving y esterday acquainted A dara Bille with m y

intention of going to Gondar to see the R as and the ,

fl
n ew Abuna I repa ired earl y to him thanked h i m for
, ,

his hospitali ty and took leave of him A t the same

,
.

time I presented to him a valuable shawl which I had

received from Capt Harris and som e tr i e s of my o w n
.
,
.

H e w as extremel y grateful and begged m e to make ,

h i m a particular frien d as he would do all that he

,

could for m e H e g ave me at m y request a man to

.
, ,

introduce m e to Imam L iban the Chief of Worra ,

H i m an o through whose territor y the road would lead

,

me to Gondar I then walked o f

. fthinking that I had ,

gained his sincere an d lasting friend s hip but in this I

w as miserab l y disappointed as w ill be seen afterw ard
,
.
3 30 S H EEP OF THE W OL L O C O UN T R Y .

The co untr y o f the W o ll o s is its native country I .

have alread y mentioned that this kind of sheep w ants

a cold climate like that of the Wollo Gallas T h e
, .

people take the greatest care of th is ani m al feeding it ,

w ith roasted barley and other food But the y take .

care lest it should get too fat as then its hair w o uld ,

fall Off A t home it is placed on a bedstead and cleaned

.

ev er y day w ith w ater Its hair w hich is of a black

.
,

colour is a c ubit or more in length T h e skin w hich

,
.
,

is o f a good qu alit y is sold for ten or twent y five

,
-

pieces of salt T h e w arriors who prin cipall y w ear this

.
,

skin have a ver y savage appearance in it

, .

B erro o L o o b o s father w as Wati a Sh o cr a or w e a ver

’
, ,

w ho marr ied the daughter of E ndr is the Governor of ,

Gof B err o o was educated at the court of Imam

.

L iban the son o fAmade the son of R as G o o ksa

, ,
.

Imam L iban had a son who w as also called A made ,

and who w as the father of the present y oung Imam

L iban o fw hom I sh all speak after w ard Wh en the
,
.

great L iban w as dead B err o o fell into favour w ith his

,

son A made w ho made him Governor of Worra Kallo

,
.

H e then expelled Ali the son of E ndris from the , ,

countr y of Gof in the possession of which he w as con

,

firmed by his superior and friend Am ade Berro o is .

almost entirely independent 3 but he prefers to keep up

some sho w o f dependence o n the descendants o f R a s
G o o ksa H e frequentl y sends his contingent to the
.

troop s o f R as Ali w ho w oul d assist him if the King

,

o f Shoa or the other Wollo Gallas should become too

 AR R IVE AT N EG A SSI D A T C H . 33 1

strong for him A m ade the father Of the present

.
,

Imam L iban intended to attack Shoa but his sub se

,

quent death prevented him from exec utin g thi s plan .

N ot withstan di ng the King of Shoa havin g heard of

,

his death sent 1 00 dollars for a T e s car (festival for

,

pries t s and other people after a funeral ) and solicited ,

the friendship of his son the present Imam Li ban ,

.

About t w o o clock we arrived i n the district N egassi

’

D atch w here w e w ent to the hou se of Sidi Musie a

, ,

Governor of A dara Bille A s he w as not at home on .

o ur arrival we di d not venture to quarter ourselves in

,

his ho use ; b ut I pitched m y tent as I w as accustomed

to do W hen he came I com plimented him and re
.
, ,

quested him to assist us as lon g as w e shoul d reside

here ; but having gazed at me for a fe w moments he ,

went into his house wi thout doing or prom i sing to

,

do any thing for us H e then came o ut again sat .

,

down in m y tent and asked what I had in my ,

“
boxes I sai d Y o u are not ordered b y A dara Bill e
.
, ,

fl
your master to inqui re after the contents Ofm y boxes ;
,

”
but that y o u should assi s t and make me comfortable .

He w o ul d not however do an ything for u s till I gave

him a razor and some other t ri e s We coul d not b uy .

an y thing in the neighbourhood as the villages w ere ,

far o ff and as I did not like that m y servants should be

,

s cattered abroad in case of an y serious occurrence or

occasion for self defence -
.

I Ve had a very distant vie w fro m N egas s i D atch .

We saw fro m hence the high mountain Am b a ssel b e ,

33 2 V ISI T T H E G O V ER N O R .

t w een T eh o o l a dere
and Y e ch o o T h e stronghold of .

Am b as sel was for a lon g time in the hands of Gove

nors who rul ed by succession ; but the son of one of
these Governors fell in love w ith a w om an residin g
below in the plain T h e father having consented to
.

his son s m arriage arranged the solemn ities which were

’
, ,

to be celebrated in the plain belo w All the people of .

the fortress except the Ol d father went down but the

, ,

father of the bride killed them all H e then went up .

to the stronghold killed the old Governor and took

, ,

possession of the mount for himself and his de scen

dant s .T h e present Governor of A m b as sel is Al i
Boroo a Mah o m e dan
,
I have already stated that
.

man y strong places in Ab y ssinia have been t reacherou sly

delivered by female artfulness .

Jlfa r c h 2 1 1 8 4 2 — A s Si di Mu s ie o ur host had from

, , ,

th e very beginni n g Ofour stay with hi m given undoubted ,

signs of suspicion I had given orders to my people to

,

w atch b y t urns durin g the night Si di Musie alway s .

w anted to kno w what was in the boxes and had declared ,

that w e shoul d sleep free from all cares and appr eh en

sions as he and his people would come t o m y tent and
,

w atch the whole night A s he repeated from time to .

time his desire of watchin g I po s itively refused say , ,

ing that we w ould watch our s elves 5 an d protect o ur own

,

property against any attack that might be made upon

u s during the night A s h e doubted whether we coul d
.

defend our selves I show ed him the use of o ur gun s

, ,

w hich frightened him so m uch that he w oul d not come

3 34 E NT E R T H E T E R R I T O R Y OF C H A R S O .

A mbassador, that the y would not even touch them for

fear of being poisoned T h e report had been spread in
.

Shoa and around that the E nglish bayonets are poisoned

,

like arro w s O ur di r ec tion was north w est west

.
- -
.

About eigh t o clock we left the territory of A dara

’

Bille and entered the territory of the trib e C h ar s o

, ,

which is dependent on the Chieftain of L agg am b o .

T h e Governor of Ch arso is S a det an ka w ho is well known ,

from his plundering those merchants who Venture to go

through his country A s his capi t al Manta W o del
.
,
-
,

was close to the road we made all possible haste t o

,

pass b y this dangerous spot But we afterward fell .

in w ith one of his Governors E n sen n é as I shall show

, ,

in the cour se of this day .

I mu st confess that I seldom felt my mind so n u

eas y as o n the road this day and my heart was like , ,

M oses of old cr ying in secret to H im w ho is the leader

, ,

and w arden of his distressed I srael It is tr ue I had .

,

all the materials with which to make an honourable

defence but as a messenger o f peace I could scarcely ,

make use Of my w eapons against the life of my fello w

creatures thou gh I am convinced that every body i s
,

allo w ed to make his self defence in a proper w ay I

- .

therefore be gged the L ord not to lead me into t em pta

tion for the sake of His H oly N ame Y o u c an scarcely .

conceive ho w precariou s m y sit uation w as I shall .

never forget the dark and painful feelings with which

I travelled to day through the territor y o f S a detan ka
- .

What w ould o ur frien d s at home feel if th ey coul d ,

 SUP ER S T I T I O US N o T I ONs . 335

k now for a moment the dangers difficul ties sorro w s , , ,

and privations in which a Missionar y abroad is some

,

t imes placed ! T he y w oul d certainl y be more earnest

in pray er for the Mission cau se But the comforts at
.

home m a k e them too easil y forget the dis tressing situa

tion of their friends travelli ng in a savage countr y .

’
A bout nine o clock w e had the misfort un e to lose o ur
road as o ur gui de either did not or w ould not know the
,

exact w ay to the territory of Worra H i m an o “Then .

we asked the country people they led us to the road in

,

which we s hould have fallen into the hands of their Chief ,

t hough they cunningly concealed this from o ur kno w

ledge T hese people troubled me m uch w ith the ques
.

tion whether I coul d make rain o r fo r e t el fro m the

, ,

stars when the y woul d have rain I di rected them to

.

Him in w hose hands is heaven and earth and who wi ll

, ,

give us all that w e want for our temporal w elfare if we ,

first seek for the real welfare of o ur souls through faith

in Je s us Christ o ur only Saviour and Mediator My
, .

servants told me on this occasion that Sidi Musie ,

-

had a sked them yester day evening whether I di d ,

not know from the observation of the stars what w oul d

happen to me .

About ten O cloc k w e passed a place called C atara

’
,

where R a s Al i had his camp last year w hen he was ,

attacked b y the Wollo Gallas and lost several detach

ments F rom this point we descended into a dif
. ficult
defil e where I saw man y beautiful birds 3 but we did
,

not venture to discharge a g un as this w o uld have ,

3 36 PR E OA R I OU S SI T U A T I O N .

been the signal for a general assembly of the in h ab i

tan t s around We descended as quietly and as quickl y
.

as possible We forg ot eating and drin k in g on this

.

most beautiful spot as w e expected every moment an

,

attack from the rapacious inhabitan t s .

About twelve o clock we met on our road about thir t y

’

soldiers of the Governor E n s en n é who were all armed ,

wi th S hields and spears and had the appearance of at

,

tempting an attack on o ur C affil a as they at first c o n , .

s ider e d u s merchants I instantly ordered five of m y

.

musketeers to march in front of our ani m als while I ,

was in the rear with the others T h e soldiers imme .

di atel y with drew from the road and ga z ed at o u r i m ,

pos i ng weapons T h e bay onets particularly attracted

.

their attention T hey then sat down most probably to

.
,

consul t what they should do ; but none of them ven

t ur e d to molest or attack us and it seemed as if they ,

were more afraid of us than we of them But n o w .

our attention w a s directed to the V illage which we s aw ,

at some distance before us on the way side I learned - .

with the most p ainful feelings that there w as the

house of the famous robber E n sen n é a true companion ,

of S adet an ka I was told that he formerly resided

.

on a neighbour ing hill ; but that when he heard that

several c affil as passed the road wi thout payin g a V isit ,

to the robber dreaded so much he had his house built ,

close to the way side O f course n o merchant wil l

-
.

now vent ur e b y this road O ur situation w as n o w .

extremel y precarious and I felt something of the w rest

,
3 38 M ESS A G E T o THE G OVER NOR .

him if I had been acqua i nted w ith him for some time ,

a n d if I had not intended to reach before evening the

territor y of A dara Bill e which Imam L iban had given

,

him among his tribe ; and that as he himsel f w oul d

be aw are of the long di stance I had still before me he ,

would allo w me to go on lest night shoul d overtake me

, .

T h e ser vant w ent w hile w e rested u nder the tree in sad

expectation o fthe ans w er of the Governor His son s .
’

attention w as entirel y di rected to o ur guns aud he fre ,

qu entl y asked how man y men co uld be ki lled wi th one

mu sket T h e bay onets frightened him a great deal
. .

A fter a considerable time the servant returned sayi ng , ,

that E n sen n é had s w orn that he w oul d not have ai

lo w ed u s to pass if a servant of A dara Bille had not
,

been with u s T h e S ervant told him that he shoul d

.
,

have nothing to do w ith us as w e had so man y

,

dangerou s w eapons w ith us that w e could destro y him

,

and his w hole retin ue in an instant T h e son o fE n.

senn e retur ned and w e proceeded o n o ur w ay M y

, .

s ervants coul d not refrain from sa ying that it w as God,

who had inclined the heart o f that bad man to peace

to w ard us O ther ser vants said
. T h e God of o ur
,
”
master is g ood and will not forsake us
, .

Althou g h w e had got rid of E n s en n é y et w e looked ,

back from time to time fearing he w ould change his

,

mind in the mean time and send a messenger request

,

ing us to ret ur n We drove o n o ur animals as quick

.

as p ossible T o m y astonishment they coul d stand the

.

task although for some day s they had been much

,
 OR O SS T H E R I V ER M E L K A - C H I LL O . 3 39

’
harassed and had been travelling since six o clock thi s
,

morning In one w ord the L ord gave me to un derstand

.
,

that he had removed the dif ficulties and not myself .

About five o clock we descended into the bed Of the

’

river A della which rises at the foot o f Ko rkorra and

, ,

r un s t o the river B ash il o It separates the territor y of

.

the tribe C h ar s o from that of L ag gam b o About six .

o clock we crossed the river Mel k a chillo w hich comes

’
-
,

fro m the mountain Sako and separates Ch ar s o fr om the

,

tribe Worra Him an o We were compelled to pass the

.

night in the territory of Imam L iban as w e w ere almost ,

certain of an attack if w e rested in an y other tribe .

H aving crossed the river Mel k a chillo where there -

,

is more security for travellers its ruler being dependent,

o n Gondar and a relation of R a s Ali I proposed to ,

sleep in the w ilderness on the banks of the river as ,

there w as plent y o f grass for o ur s tarving animals and ,

plent y of wood and w ater M y people ho w ever

.
, ,

w o ul d not consent to this prOpo s al having been frigh ,

ten ed too much d uring the day time T h e night over .

took u s and a heavy rai n threatened to increase the i n

,

conveniences Ofo ur S ituation We had already marched .

from six o clock in the morning till night fall and had
’ -
,

not taken an y food and y et w e had to go on still fur

,

ther or rather totter though w e could not see an y

, ,

village in the neighbo urhood H owever I fo und my .

,

consolation and j oy in singing the German hym n ,

R ecommend thy w a y s and all th y so rr o w s to th e

fatherly care .
3 40 AR R IV E AT T A R T AR AM BA .

It is quite impossible for o ur friends in E urope and ,

those who are so fond of reading travels to c onceive ,

m y feelings under such distressing circumstances .

Separated from the whole world expo s ed to dangers , ,

indescribable di f ficulties and sorrows we had to pro ,

sec ut e our wa y in a hostile and inhospitable co untry .

H ow miserable shoul d I have been i f I had not kno wn ,

the fir e pillar the al m ighty covenant God accompan ying

-
,
-
,

me with His invisible presence

H aving ascen ded a hill for a long time w ithout ,

kno wing where the road would lead us we arrived to , ,

our unspea k able j oy at the village of T artar Amba which

, ,

I m am L iban had given to A dara Bille in S ign of

friendship As the V illagers were all asleep w e had
.
,

some d if ficult y to fin d an y one who woul d give u s shel

ter against the falling rain and still more who w oul d ,

g ive s o m e refresh m ent to our party almost dying with

hunger A fter man y vain endeavours an d attempts at

.

bein g received by the V illagers at last a Mah o m e dan s

'

’
,

heart was af fected at hearing of our situation H e got .

u p gave us his house an d so m e bread an d beer

, ,
H av .

i n g refreshed m y self with what o ur host had given in

haste I than k ed m y Heavenly F ather for the infinite
,

merc y H e had given me this day I lay dow n a s I w as , ,

on the ground and fell asleep ,

.

M a r c h 2 2 1 8 42 —W e started from T artar A mba

,

very late as o ur animals as w ell as ourselves w ant e d

,

an un usual rest Our di r ection w as then north w est

. . -
,

’
and sometimes north About eleven O clock w e passed
.
34 2 J N T ER V I E W W ITH

in the corner of the room I did not kno w at that time .

that the Imam L iban was onl y a boy of fo urteen y ears

of age and that he was still guarded by his L ators
,
.

H e was nicel y dr essed in a large white Abyssinian

cloth o f cotton wi th which he covered his face so that
, ,

I could scarcel y get a sight of his features H e asked .

me about the countr y fro m whence I had com e and ,

where I w as goin g to T hen his chiefs asked promis

.

c u o u s qu estions regarding m y o wn countr y its c u stoms , ,

ar ts 8 6 0
,
b ut in so hast y a manner that I could scarcel y
.
,

fi nish one subj ect before they tou ched another T he y .

w ere really like childr en T he y then pr esented me with

.

a book which a sol di er of the I m am had captured in the

,

last w ar of R as A li with Aubie in B e gem e der It w as

. .

an Am haric copy of the four Gospels printed by the ,

Bible Society and given b y Mr Isenberg to a sol dier

,
.

during his stay at A do w ah I read to them the 5 th .

chapter of St Matthew an d gave a fe w explanations

.
, ,

to w hich the y li stened w ith an attention which I di d

not expect fro m Mah o m e dan s It is highl y gratifying .

to find that the seed of eternal life which h as been

, ,

spread over Ab y ssinia b y o ur Mission in T igre has been ,

carried to the remotest provinces to w hich a Mis sionar y

has scarcel y access and we m ay confidently trust that
, ,

this seed which w e in our short sightedn ess consider

,
-

as lost will exhibit som e rej oicin g fruits at the great

,

day of revelation May we therefore contin ue o ur n u

.

wearied exertions to our poor Ab y ssinian fell ow crea -

t ur es in good hope that o ur labours wil l not be in

, ,

Vain as it i s not o ur cau se b ut the L ord s

’
, ,
 I M AN L I B A N . 3 43
’
Before leaving the Imam s room I begged hi m to
g ive me some inf or mation about o ur road to Gondar and ,

to render me such assistance as I shoul d require in

going thr ough his territory and be y ond H e replied that
.
,

he w as very sorry to i nform me o f the present i n se cu

rit y o f the road bet w een hi s territo ry and Beg em e der
and that the robbers had endangered the w ay so much ,

that latel y one of his o wn Governors on returning from

the camp of R as Al i had been attacked and compelled
to fi g ht hi s w ay through a band of robbers amount ,

ing to about t w o o r three hun dred men I replied that .

,

I had alr ead y been made aw are of the parties plun der
ing strangers near the river C h ech eh o ; but that this
intelligence disagreeable as it w as to me w ould not
, ,

prevent me from prosec uting m y wa y as I hoped that

,

the robbers w oul d not venture to attack my gunners .

“ ”
Well then he said, ,if yo u beli eve this yo u shall ,

have my perm i ssion t o start from here but I w ill at

all events order my Governor at D aunt to conduct yo u
beyond the river C h ech eh o where y ou wi ll find the
,

robbers less n umerou s, and w here you will be able

to make up y our business w ith them b y means of y our

As the son of the Governor of D aunt w hose name ,

is K araio o N aitcha w as in the room the kind Imam

-
, ,

ordered him to set o ut to mo rro w and to inform his

-
,

father of his orders for m y conveyance bey ond the

C h e ch eh o
. I thanked h im obligingl y and left the ,

roo m .
344 C O N VER SATI O N W ITH
After I had pit c hed my tent a servant w as sent to ,

attend me during my stay in T anta A large quantity .

o f beer h y dromel and bread was also brought

, , I had .

scarcel y refreshed m y self with a little of these provi

sions when I w as informed that the Imam was sitting
,

o n the w all opposite to m

y tent and that he wished to ,

s e e m e in order to ask some questions O n going .

to him he first asked me w hether the King of Shoa

, ,

had reall y received muskets cannons and other v al ua , ,

ble articles from the King of the W h ite people bey ond
the Grea t Sea I replied that this was quite correct
. .

that the Queen of a great nation called the E nglish , ,

h a d s ent to the Kin g of Shoa a R epresentative ,

with a present of 300 muskets 1 00 pi s tols two c an , ,

nons and many o t her articles of g reat value —

,
that the
Q ueen under w hose protection I had the honour to be
, ,

had sent these present s as token s of friendship and ,

not as tribute because she paid tribute to nobody

, ,

while millions o fpeople p aid tribute to her— that the

King of Shoa had sent letters to the Governor at A den ,

in Arabia who had acquainted the Queen with the

,

desire of the King of Shoa to j oin in friendship w ith

her ; whereupon she had sent those presents— that
though she possessed the greatest pow er wealth and , ,

happiness y et she earnestly desired that all other na

,

tions should advance to the same state of happiness ;

and althou g h she feared nobody y et she was concerned ,

in promotin g the welfare of all her fellow creatures

.
- .

Sh e w as I added particularl y desirou s of keeping u p

, ,
3 46 P O PU L A T I O N OF T AN T A .

be u seful to me in going through savage countries .

Most of them managed the b usiness so w ell in fir ing

quickl y and precisely that the Imam covered his face
, ,

and exclaimed w ith astoni shment that no Abyssinian ,

fo rc e could stan d again s t a few hundr ed soldiers of m y

countr y H e then added Y o u may go wherever you
.
,
”
lik e nobody will be able to rob yo u
,
.

T anta is a small Village containing abou t 6 00 inha

,

b it an t s. A market is held here every w eek an d many ,

articles are brought for sale T h e people of Worra .

H i m an o though originally Gallas seldom speak the

, ,

language of the latter I have ob served this with all

.

the Wolla tribes through w hich I have come since I

left Shoa Most of the inhabitants spea k the Amharic
.

better than the Galla and I have reason to suppose

, ,

that the Galla language will b e entirel y forgotten by

the rising generation as has been the case in the tribe
,

of T eh o o l a der e where a fe w persons onl y understand

,

the Gal la langu age T h e con tinual intercour se of the

-
.

Woll o Gallas with the Abyssinians i n the north and ,

the Sh o an s in the south seems to me to be the cause

,

o f this general reception of the A mharic among the

Wollo tribes But I doubt w hether the w estern tr ibes

.

are so advanced in the A mharic as the eastern tribes

are as these have less intercourse w ith the Ab y s s inians
, ,

and have been less dependent on the rulers of Gondar .

F urthermore I have ob served that the di alect of the

, ,

Wollo Gall as is a little dif ferent from that of the Gallas

in the south o f Shoa T he y have mixed up Arabic
.
 EXT EN T OF T H E T ER R I T O R Y OF I M A N L I B A N 34 7
.

and Amharic expressions w ith the p ure Gal la tongue ,

as w e may expect fro m Mah o m e dan s It would not .

therefore sign ify if this Galla dialect w ere to be com

pl etel y extin guished in process of time as the p ure ,

Galla will be preserved in th e south and south w est -

o f Shoa .

T h e territor y of Imam L iban ext ends itself pretty

far four or fi ve day s being requi red to traverse it from
,

west to east T h e Imam is considered as defender of

.

the Mah o m e dan faith and Head of the Mah o m e dan

,

party and this is th e reason of the attachment which

all these tribes ente rtain toward him H e is the R e .

presentative of the Mah o m e dan po w er in A byssinia .

H e is the Muh am e do as the y signifi cantly call him

,
.

A n d this w as another reason w h y I w oul d not endea

vour to r aise his desi re for British friendship and assis
tance as in my opinion the cau se of civili z ation in
,

A b y ssini a and the countries be y ond w ould rather lose

t han gain if the British sho ul d support the Mah o m e
,

dan pa rt y w hich w ould us e its n ew strength to prOpa

,

gate the same system of bigotry and fanaticism with

which the y are infected to all the other Galla tribes
,
-

whi ch have not y et fallen into their hands T hey would .

,

if po w erful enough immediatel y exterminate Christi

,

an i t in A byssinia Wherever they take a Christian

y .

district the y b urn the ch ur ches and compel th e inha

,

b itan t s to adopt Mah o m edan i sm .

T h e y ou n g Iman L iban has a co untenance expre s

sive of intelligence and his manners and behavio ur are
,
3 48 T A K E L E AV E OF I M AN L I B A N .

pleasing It seems to me that he will pro ve a brave

.

w arrior in the course of time His conversation is e n .

gaging though generally o n the s ubj ect of w ar and

,

war like people

- But it is possible that the present
.

distur bances of N orthern Abyssinia depri v e him of the

prospect and hope of future po w er and assign to him ,

the lot of in si g n ifi c an c e w hich is annually cast upon ,

man y of the Ab y ssinian r ul ers who rise and vanish ,

in a short time as is the case with all earthl y hap

,

pi n ess .

M a r ch 2 3 , 1 8 42 —
H aving selected a fe w pleasing
thin g s for the Imam I went to present them to him , ,

and ta k e leave of him T h e articles consisted Ofa colour .

e d hand k erchief a pair of sci s s ors a r azo r and a box of

, , ,

phosphoric matches T h e last pleased him amazingly .

,

and he expressed his sincere thanks H e took a fanc y .

to my percussion gun but with this I w o ul d not part

-
.

H e has about 1 000 match lock guns as I learned from - -

,

good authority His army which he c an raise in a

.
,

short ti m e is con s iderable b ut his re venues appear to

,

be ver y scanty T h e people are obliged to j oin the

.

army whenever the Chieftain requires and as this o c

c upi e s a g reat deal of their time they will not pay many ,

other tributes T h e soldiers must provide themselves

.

w ith spear s shields sw ord s and food dur in g the whole

, , ,

expedition T h e gunners only receive their w eap ons

.
'

fro m the Chieftain T his is the case in Shoa an d other

.

Abyssinian provinces ; but in T igre and Amhara they ,

have guns of their o wn .

35 0 S T R ON G H OL D OF M A G DALA .

in the w est Our direction w as north w est w est We

.
- -
.

had before u s a long descent which caused us many ,

dif fic ul ties T h e son of Ayto K arai o o Mai tch a w ent

.
-

be fore u s in order to inform his father that w e shoul d

,

arrive at D aunt to morrow - .

’
Abo ut eleven o clock w e reached the bed o f a river
running to the river Bash il o T h e bed w as dr y and .
,

w ater w as onl y to be had in some places We halted .

in the bed o f the river till the greatest heat of the day
w as over In the south w est o f T anta w e saw the
.
-

stronghold Of Magdala T his is a high and large hill

.
,

resembling the form of a squ are the banks of which ,

are high and almost perpendicul ar T here is a plain .

on the top w ith w ater an d a field for cultivation on

, ,

which the Imam has a garrison and keeps his treas ures ,

and in w hich he takes refuge when an enemy is too

strong for him N o Abyssinian force could easil y take
.

this stronghold T here is onl y o n e entrance which is

.
,

’
in the east About three o clock w e w ere overtaken b y
.

rain We met many people going to the market of

.

T anta w hich is held on Saturday

, .

’
A bout four O clock w e arrived at the bed of the river
B ashil o w hich rises in the mountains Of the Y e eh o o in
,

the north east taking up most of the contributing riv u

-
,

lets an d torrents of the countries around and carrying ,

its w ater to the N ile betw een G o dj am and Be g em e der It .

is a ver y fin e river with steep banks and a deep bed

, ,

betw een a range of mountains It is up w ard of 1 00 .

feet in breadth but its real w ater co urse is onl y about -

 THE R I V ER B AS H I L O . 35 1

t hi rt y feet Its depth w as halfa foot at the spot where

.

I crossed T h e prece di ng rain may have increased it a

.

little Its curvities ar e numberless as it must S ome

.
,

tim es t ak e a circuitous w ay to receive a ri vulet which ,

coul d not reach the Ba sh il o if this gatherer of the

water taxes w oul d not go to it T h e Ba shil o gave me
-
.

great pleasure in stu dyi ng the nat ure o fthe country ,

and reall y there is nothi ng more interesting for a tra

veller than the st udy of rivers and mountains .

A s w e coul d not reach the next Village be y ond the

river Ba shi l o before night a petty Governor w hose ao , ,

quaintance I had made on the road advi sed us to pass ,

the night o n the banks of the river an advice which ,

afte rward proved useful T h e onl y disadvantage of .

this stay w as that w e co uld not get any provisions

, .

M a r c h 2 4 1 8 4 2 —V e started earl y from the river

,
V

B a shil o as w e had a long w ay be fore us to D aunt w here ,

the F it Aurari (general of the advanced guard) Kar aio o

- -

Mai tch a shoul d receive and conduct u s to Be g em e der

,
.

But the w a y of P rovidence had put an end to o ur j our

’
ne
y
,
though w e w ere only fi ve da y s j ourne y from Gon

d ar From the river Ba sh il o w e had to ascend a grea t

.

deal th rough a complete wilderness the country having ,

been abandoned by the inhabitants for man y y ears O n .

arriving at the top of the mountain w hich we had been

ascendi ng a large plain called B alanta w as presented
, , ,

to o ur V ie w T hi s plain w as rich in cattle grass & c

.
, ,
.

and all that w e sa w gave the ap pearance of the luhahi

tants possessing considerable w ealth But this wealth .
 ’
3 5 2 MR . K R APE S R E L I N QU IS H ES H IS I NT E NT I O N

ho w ever w as to b e put an end to with t he occurrences

o f this da y H avi ng traversed the plain on its south
.

w estern boun dar y w e descended to the road which

,

should lead us to the house of Mai tch a K ar ai o o on -

the hill o f D aunt which w e coul d di stinctl y see already

,
.

O n a sudden we received the disagreeable and sad i n

t ell i g en ce from people w hom w e met on the road that
, ,

K arai o o Mai tch a had been kil led this morning ; and
-

that his son who had been sent b y the Imam on our
,

account had been imprisoned in consequence of an

, ,

attack which Berro o Ali g a s the Governor of Wadela , ,

had made upon the territor y of Imam L iban T h e .

people who gave us thi s news ran aw a y in great haste ,

in order to sec ure their propert y on the plain of D a

lanta be fore the troop s of Ber ro o Ali g as should lay
waste this plain .

My people w ere no w in great fear ; but I ordered

t hem to go on as perhaps this report might prove un
,

founded We had ho w ever scarcel y marched a fe w

.
, ,

hundr ed y ards further than w e met a female relation ,

of Imam L iban who confirmed the truth of the intel

,

li g en c e
. T h e lady had escaped from D au nt as soon as
the Governor had been killed and the soldiers of B err o o
Al i g as had taken possession of the place She had .

onl y one male servant with her and had been obliged , ,

as she said to leave all her propert y and even their

,

children to the enemy O n mentioning her chil dr en .

,

sh e shed a stream of tears and entreated us not to ,

p urs ue o ur j our ney an y farther b ut to ret urn w ith her ,

35 4 P L AI N OF D AL AN T A

u s, w e w ould have risked o u w ay to Gondar b y all

r

means b ut who c an tell what w ill happen to him on

the morro w
H aving returned to the plain of B alanta some of ,

my people ad vised to pass the night in one Of the vil

lages until w e shoul d learn w hether the enem y w oul d
,

reall y come b y the road on which w e had retreated .

"

But I strongl y obj ected to this plan because if the , ,

enemy once reached the plain he coul d easil y overrun

,

the Vi llages before w e should be able to escape w ith o ur

heavy baggage o fbooks and tired animals We there .

fore left the plain and ascended to the hills w here w e ,

quartered our s elves w ith the same man w ho m I had

provi dentially become acquainted w ith on the road ye s
t er day T here w as no fear of o ur being attacked before
.

night as the steep banks of the hills w ould prevent the

,

enemy s horsemen from galloping o n

’
.

When w e passed over the plain of B alanta w e fo und

the w hole popul atio n confused and perplexed T he y .

had alread y heard of what had happened at D aun t .

E very body w ho h ad a horse w as ready i f the enem y ,

should approach t o take flight

, Our host behaved
.

very kin dl y H e gave us provision w ithout w hich w e

.
,

had been since y esterda y H e w as very bus y in s endi ng

.

his cattle to the mountains be y ond the river Bash ilo ,

w here the enemy co uld not catch them so easily I .

asked whether the y w ould not make an y resistance in

,

favour of their present master the Imam L iban M y

,
.

host replied that poor people never fo ught as they

, ,
 PE R P L E X ED S T A T E OF T H E I N H AB I T AN TS . 35 5

w ould make s ubmission to ever y one w ho coul d conquer

the country H e added . T h e strongest shall be o ur
,

master P oor people think onl y of saving their cattle

.

and not of savin g their master w ho has to look o ut for,

”
himself .

D ur ing the night I examined m y luggage in order ,

to select those things whi ch w ere heav y and which I

coul d leave behind in case we shoul d be obliged to leave
the place in a hur l ) to morro w M y mind w as not a
r -
.

little excited at the thought of o ur being so near Gon

dar and being obliged to return to Shoa I coul d
, .

hardl y believe that w e were really on our retreat and I ,

had some h Ope that an occ urrence w oul d happen and

lead us to the place of o ur destination .

M a rc/ z 25 1 8 4 2 —After day break w e received the

,
-

ne w s that the enem y was advancing to w ard the plain of

B alanta I w as j ust consul ting with my host w hether
.

I sho ul d not send a letter and some presents to Beroo

A li g as and ask him for permission to go thr ough his
,

co untry and for a safeguard as far as Beg em eder

,
.

My host agreed wi th me ; but the question w as w ho ,

would take the letter an d conve y it through the pl under

ing arm y of Berro o Ali gas My Galla named Berkie .
, ,

offered to take charge of the letter T h e letter w as .

written and the servant ready to start w hen w e learned

, ,

that Berro o Al ig a s himself had not y et arrived at D aunt

-
,

and that only his pl undering advanced g uard w as -

moving toward B alanta U nder these circumstances I

.

wo uld not vent ure to expose my servant to th e danger

35 6 R E T R E A T B EY O N D T H E R I V ER B AS H I L O .

of losing hi s life tho ugh I after w ard w ished that I

,

had despatched the letter .

We left our host and retreated beyond the river

Bash il o which w e crossed but not at the place we did
, ,

the first time H aving crossed the river w e ascended

.
,

a steep mountain with the greatest difficulties and ,

n early lost some of o ur ani m als We h a d already lost .

t w o horses of burden in crossing the B ash il o at the

first time H aving arrived on the top of the mountain
.
,

w e lost o ur road as we had no guide w ith us and as

, ,

the whole countr y was a complete w ilderness though ,

it mi ght be beautifully cultivated At last w e arrived .

in the little V illage called G em b ar gh i e after having ,

suf fered mu ch from the fatigues of o ur going over the

mountains A s we found a spring of water near the
.

Village w e pitched o ur tent there and still entertained

, ,

the h Ope that w e might be able to prosec ute our road

to Gondar though a cir cuitou s w ay I had agreed
,
.

with m y host that in case he sho uld receive better

fl
ne w s from D aunt he shoul d give me inf
,
ormation of
it b ut his messenger never reached me nor did I hear ,

an ything more of m y kind host .

'
All o ur provisions except c o e e w ere gone and very
, ,

little could be procured in the Villa g e though I of fered ,

wha t ever payment they wanted We had therefore no

.

other choice than to look out for game w ith our gun s .

I pa ssed a ver y restless night being extre m el y di s sati s

,

fie d w ith m y return ; b ut after all w hat could I do ,

against the di spensations of Providence

35 8 R E AS O N S F OR P R E FER R I N G

sides the best plan appeared to return to Shoa throu gh

,

the territory of A dara Bille on whose friendship and ,

kindness I thought I could rely .

In the evening w e received the intell igence that ,

Berr o o Ali g a s had been invested w ith the government

o fD aunt by R as Al i in consequence o f the great
,

services which B erro o Al ig a s had rendered to the

R a s by his having captur ed U b ea and his arm y It .

w oul d appear from this information that Berr o o Al igas ,

had not attacked the territor y o f Imam L iban from

enmit y or a desire o f increasing his po w er ; but I
do ubted the truth o f this intellig ence as R as Al i ,

w oul d have acquainted his relation the Imam before , ,

he had invested B err o o Alig as wi th the government OI

D aunt which belonged to the Imam
,
It appeared to .

me that the invader s party had p urposel y contrived

,
’

this report in order to protract or avert the measures

,

which the Imam w ould take against the inva di ng army .

H o w ever I thought proper to inquir e Of the Imam

,

himself about this matter U nder these circumstances

.

I compared the road from A nkobar to T a dj urra wi th

that to Masso w ah and w as led to the followi ng con
,

elusions
1 A lthough the climate from Ankobar to Masso w ah
.

is s uperior to that o f the D anakil country ; and

al though there is everywhere plent y o f w ater and a ,

c ool and health y air o n the Masso w ah road y et the ,

T a dj urra road is more prefered b y the traveller .

2 It is true that the dif

.
, fic ulties arising fr om w an t
 T HE T A D JU R R A R OAD . 35 9

of w ater and excessive heat in the D anakil country are

very great but yo u do not meet with the di s t urbances
w hich almost continually happen on the road through
nort hern Ab y ssini a and whi ch either delay or consider
,

abl y endanger your route .

3 O n the T a dj urra road yo u have onl y to agree wi th

.

one guide and proprietor of camels which will carry ,

your baggage as far as E fat W hil e on the Massow ah

road y ou pass from the hands of one Chieftain in to the
hands of another each of whom wants a present for
,

the assistance which he gives y ou Besides as there .

,

is no road for camels yo u are obliged to proc ure y our

,

o wn beasts of b urden which cannot carry the same

,

quantity of baggage which a camel c an .

4 T hese beasts of burden cannot stand a j o urney

.
,

whi ch is almost three times farther from Ankobar ,

than that from T a dj urra Y our animals will di e and

.
,

o u will be exposed to man y di f fi c ul ties til l

y o u have
y
proc ur ed others .

T hese and other reasons led me to the concl u sion ,

that the T a dj urra road is notwithstandi ng its i n co n

,

v e n i en c e s and dif
fic ulties preferrable to the Massow ah
,

road ; and that t herefore t he road from T adj urra must

be kept open and secured .

T h e great services which Be rro o Al i g a s Governor of ,

Wadela and a part of the Y e eh o o has rendered to R a s

,

Al i consi s t in the followi ng facts w hich thro w a light

,

u pon the present state of things in N o rthern Ab y ssinia .

When the ne w Ab un a—Abba Sal ama—had arrived i n

3 60 DE F E A T OF U BE A .

T igre, U b ea declared war against R a s Al i his master , .

Joined b y Berro o the son of D ej aj Go sh o o Governor of

, ,

G o dj am he at tacked the R a s in B e g em e d er near D ebra

, ,

T abor . T h e R a s w as completel y beaten and co m pelled

to take refuge in a convent of Wadela But B err o o .

Ali g as who w as absent wi th his troop s during the

,

battle and did not kno w ab out t he defeat of his

,

master made a sudden attack on U b e a s camp w ho in

,
’
,

the afternoon of the battle w as overj oy ed at his Victory ,

and had given w ay to the excesses of intoxication .

Ub ea w as capt ured in his tent being quite in toxicated

, ,

and most of hi s troops were also i m prisoned by Berro o

Al ig as who was then assisted by those prisoners of
,

R as Al i w ho had in the morni n g fallen in t o the hands

of U b ea T hese were set at lib erty and imprisoned
.
,

those w ho had captured th em in the morni n g T h e .

R a s regained his po w er w hile that of U b e a w as totall y

,

overcome D urin g the captivity of U b ea the R a s

.
,

appointed Merso the brother of U b ea Governor of

, ,

S emien and T igre but the R as was requested by the

A b unas who had taken U b e a s part y and was i m prisoned
’
,

at the sam e time wi th U b e a to set his friend at libert y

,
.

T h e R as complied and summoned Merso to restore

,

his government t o U b e a hi s brother ; b ut Merso refused

to resign and sub m it himself to the orders of the R as .

T hus a new w ar arose bet w een Merso —w ho had at first

taken the part y of the R a s till his brother w as c ap
t ure d— and U b ea j oined b y the forces of t he R as W hen
,
.

the intell igence o f U b ea s captivit y a rrived in T igre the

’
,
3 62 L E AV E T A R T AR AMBA .

cannot send yo u to Gondar as all the roads w ill be ,

”
closed for some time It appeared that he wished
.

to send me to H o ai t in order that m y gunners might

,

assist in th e defence of the place ; but I woul d never

have consented to this except un der most perplexin g
,

circ umstances I learned afterward that the stronghold

.

had been attacked by B err o o Ali gas and hi s brother

F aris who j oined him at the time of my ret urn to
,

A dara Bille and that man y men had been killed on

,

both sides .

I too k leave of Imam L iban and retur ned to T artar ,

A mba where A bba G o o ali t the Governor of A dara

, ,

Bille s territory in Worra H im an o received me well

’
, ,

and provided me with provisions which had been very ,

scanty for several day s .

Al a r c ia 2 8 1 8 42 —Abba G o o al it our host treated u s

, , ,

k in dl y H e is a Christian In general there are

. .
,

m any Christians in Worra H i m an o ; and I was told

that there were man y in former times before A made ,

the father Of the present Imam by means of force and ,

persu a sion converted a great number to the Maho

,

me dan religion If Berro o Alig as w ho is a C hr istian

.
, ,

s houl d no w be V ictoriou s the cause of Mah o m e dan i sm

,

w ould receive a severe blo w in Worra H im an o A bba .

G o o al it was civil b ut at the same time a great begg ar

, .

H e wanted a mul e from me though he saw that all ,

m ul es w ere fo r my o wn use and for my servants

m
y .

We left T ar tar A mba about s unrise accompanied b y ,

a servant of Abba Go o al it We took great care to .

 A T TEMP TS TO SU BJ UGA T E S H O A . 3 63

avoid going toward the territory of E n s en n é the ,

famous robber in t he tribe C h arso which I have men ,

t i o n e d before We kept o ur route in the territor y of

.

“o rra H i m an o whi ch is bounded on the north b y

r
,

Wadela and Y e eh o o on the east by T eh o o l a der e on the

, ,

south b y Berr o o L o o b o s and A dara Bill e s countri es

’ ’
,

and on the w est by B eg em e d er T h e people know ing.

that I came from Shoa frequently asked me h o w many

, ,

o unces of g old I had received from the Kin g of Shoa ,

it being the general Opinion Ofthe Abyssinians in the

north that there is m uch g old in S hoa and that its
ki ng gives thi s metal to all strangers ; who leave his
country In some instances this report is true as the
.
,

kin g has given gold to some strangers b ut Shoa is not ,

the country where gold is found O ccasionally some .

may be found ; but the gold which comes t o Shoa is ,

brought from G urague and beyond where it is foun d ,

in the bed of rivers after the rain But no Sh o an .

s ubj ect is allowed to possess gold which is only in the ,

hands of the king who woul d severel y punish an y of

,

his subj ects who had any except the king himself ,

had given it .

T h e idea that Shoa w as a rich gol d countr y has i n

du c e d several rul ers of northern Ab y ssinia to attempt to
s ubj ugate Shoa but they never could s ucceed as the ,

Woll o Gallas took the part of the Ki n g of Shoa

against the invaders and as the di f,
ficultie s from the
natur e of the country are ve ry great His Sh o an .

Maj esty know s ve ry w ell that th e northern rulers have

R 2
364 M A R K E T OF TO TOLA .

alway s an e y e u pon S hoa and therefore he endeavours

to be on good terms with them and bribes those ,

governors wit h presents who might prove prej udi cial

to h im . Most probab l y he will g ive up thi s s yst em
of foreign politics since he has received great assistan c e
,

in the British friend ship which if he would onl y

, ,

make a proper use of it w o ul d make him king of the

whole of Ab y ssinia .

’
A bout ten o clock w e passed F ala where a celebrated,

market is held It is situated on a hill with steep and

.
,

high banks in the east and west In this direction a

.

wall of about three or four feet in thickness has been

built to close the road a g ains t an invadi n g army .

T his di fficult passa g e secures from the south the access

to the interior of the possessions of Imam L iban In .

the w est of F ala is the mount Am ora gadel which is a -

,

natural stronghold against the inroads of the Galla

tribes in the south w est In the east we saw a high
-
.

hill called Kemm er D engai which was produced b y a

, ,

former Imam according to a tra di tion which state s

, ,

that when the Imam w as resting on a stone he ordered ,

his servant to lift it up and that when the servant did

so the stone became a large hill
,
.

About three o clock we passed close to the marke t

’

place o fT otola in B erro o L o o b o s countr y T his i s

’
.

one of the mos t celebrated markets of Ab y ssinia We .

saw immense flocks of people com i ng from all quarters ,

as the market w as to be held the next day E ven the .

B oran n a Gallas Of the w estern Wollo tribes visit this

, ,
36 6 R E AC H T H E T ER R I T O R Y OF A D A R A B I LL E .

D anakils, might r un over to them w hen they are male

content with him .

About five o clock p m w e again reached th eterri

’
. .

tor y of A dara Bille and intended to pa s s the night in

,

the hou se of a Govern or called E dri s but on arriving

in his V illage w e learnt that in consequence of a quarrel
which arose bet w een him and his subj ects he had been ,

compelled y esterday to take flight T h e whole Village .

was still in confu sio n a circumstance which w as ex

,

t r em el y unpleasant to u s as w e had believed that as

,

soon as we had returned to the territory of Our great

friend and k ind host A dara Bille o ur di f
,
ficul ties an d ,

privations w ould be at end T h e behaviour of the V il .

lagers w as rude and daring and every appeal to A dara ,

Bille to whom w e represented their proceedings w as in

, ,

vain O ur guns however frightened and prevent ed

.
, ,

them from falling u pon our baggage l ike a vulture on

his defenceless prey I found it necessar y to put on a
.

sentr y ; and as m y people w ere ver y tired from the

fatigues of the day I w atched in my turn
,
.

F rom the Village where we had pitched the tent I ,

had a m aj estic View over almost all the territories of the

Wollo Gallas R anges of mountains run from south
.

or south east to north an d north w est E ach range is

- -
.

separated from the other by a plain a river or a torrent , ,

.

E ach range is inhabited b y ano t her Wollo tribe j ust as I ,

have observed in the country of the Galla s in the south

of Shoa T h e river or torrent serves the i n habitants
.

of the mountain to defend their territory against ano

 AR R IVE AT GA T IR A . 367

ther tribe T h e rivers r un chiefl y to the Bash ilo

.
,

which has the same destination as the river A dabai

in Shoa ; vi z to collect the tributes of water of a few
.
,

h undr ed miles around and to carry this tribute t o t he

great lord Abai or N ile I must confes s that the sys .
,

t em of the mountains and rivers of Ab y ssin ia alway s

replenishes m y mind with astonishment at the w isdom
of Him who has created all t hings with the best order
and organization .

M a r c ia 2 9 1 8 4 2—“711 m the man w ho had aecom

,
.

pan i e d me from T artar A mb a had left we started from ,

the Village where we had been treated very rudely A s .

o ur animals were tired from the continual fatigues we ,

had great di f fi culties in giv ing them their load s Sever a l .

mules were sore and coul d not be mounted I though t .

that if I sho ul d undertake thi s j ourney another t im e

I w ould pack up all my baggage on horse bac k but -
,

with a very light load I would be mounted mysel f on

.

horse bac k and my servants also A guide would sho w

-
,
.

me the road I woul d take such a quantit y of provi

.

sions tha t I shoul d not be obli g ed to halt at places

where there i s any danger and shoul d I accidentally ,

fall in w ith dangerous people I woul d mount my horse ,

and escape T his is the only w ay Oftraversing these

.

hostile regions .

l V e arrived at Gatira th e capital of A dara Bille at

, ,

t hree o clock I i m m ediatel y s e n t m y compli m en t s

’
.
,

and explained th e reasons of m y sp eedy and unexpec t ed

return He sen t word t hat I had done exceedin gly
.
,
36 8 V ISI T A D AR A B I LL E .

w ell in returning to him and that God had delivered ,

me from being plundered and murdered on the road to

Gondar At the same tim e he sent some refreshm ents
.
, ,

and promised to give all that I wanted as he W i shed to ,

make me very comfortable Can yo u fanc y this to .

have been th e langu age o f a man w ho himself w a s

going to plunder or to kill me in his o wn house After
an hour s rest I w as called to see him and w hen I ap
’
,

pe ar e d he used the same expressions as before and ap

, ,

e ar e d to be extremel y sorr y at my dis appointment in

p
the prosecution of m y j ourne y H o w could I s uppose .

that A dara Bille whose house I considered as my o wn

,

who al w ay s pretended to be the most sincere friend

of Sahela S el as si eh — who ass umed the greatest friend
l i n e s s— w ho sent ever y moment to inqui re after my
w ants — and who in one word treated m e w ith the
, ,

u tmost attention —ho w coul d I suppose that this man

was the ver y w orst m an whom I had ever seen in my

life
M y people as w ell as m y self hoped that w e sho uld
, ,

in a few day s b e within the boundaries of Shoa but

our Almi g hty Guide had intended to lead u s b y an Op
po s i te road and to try me with i ndescribable privations
, ,

hardships dangers and di fficulties

, , .

M a r c h 3 0 1 8 4 2 —When I intended t o leave Gatira

,

after sun rise I w as ordered b y A dara Bille to stay w ith

-
,

him till he had i nformed the Governor of D air and

, ,

through him the King of Shoa whether I should be per ,

m i tte d to return to Shoa or not as he had only received ,

 ’
3 70 A D AR A B I LL E S F EI G N ED F R I E N DS H IP
’
Bille s Governor of the frontier and that onl y A dara ,
’
Bille s servant had gone to D air where he most pro ,

babl y never mentioned my business .

T hinking that A dara Bille intended to detain me

for the pur pose of Obtaining from me some presents
in addition to those which I had given him on m y
first stay I n his ho use I gave him several valuable
,

things hoping he w ould allo w me to depart But of

,
.

course after he had once made up his mind to plunder

my whole baggage he w as not content w ith these
,
.

H is head w ife F atima the daughter of B erro o L o o b o

-
, ,

Chieftain of Worra Kallo sent for a looking glass ,

-
,

which she received .

In the afternoon a messenger from Berr o o L o o b o

arrived at A dara Bille s but for what p urpose I co uld
’

not ascertai n A dara Bille called me to his hou se

.
,

and introduced me to the messenger w ho was a man ,

of great influence and favour w ith B err o o L o o b o H e .

first asked what the E nglish had sent to the Kin g of

,

S h e a ? and then requested me to see his master at

A yn Amba b ut I replied that I wished to return to
-
,
.

Shoa wi thout any delay as I w anted to go to the coast

,

of T a dj urra and secondly that I had nothin g to g ive

,

his mas t er who was an influential and great Chieftain

,

of the W o l lo s .

M a r ch 3 1 1 8 42 —
A s I wished to depart fro m Gatira
I went to the house of A dara Bille to obtain permission
but I w as told that the W o dach a w as not y et finished .

.I have made mention be fore o f this religiou s ceremony ,

 A ND T R E AC H E R O U S T R E A T M EN T . 371

which makes the people quite mad In the afternoon .

I w a s called by A dara Bille I took the liber t y of

.

begging hi m to let me go to D air or to A dami c D ima ,

his Governor of the fr ontier till the messengers should

,

arrive ; but he ans w ered that I shoul d never mention

,

this subj ect before t he arrival of the messengers that

he w as ver y sorry about m y dela y but that he coul d ,

not help me as he was afraid of the anger of the

,

King of Shoa I saw now clearly that I coul d not

.

rely on hi s friendship and that he was goin g to play

,

me s ome trick ; but he Observin g that I w as di s s at i s

,

fi e d w ith hi s behaviour again assumed a frien dl y air

,
.

Apr i l l —A s thi s day was F rida y I co ul d not see ,

t he Chie ftain before thr ee o clock on account Of the

’

W o da ch a whi ch he stric t ly Observes

,
I had seen this .

m orning a messenger of the King of Shoa who had ,

lately been sent to Gondar to the E tch e gh u e (Head of

the mon k s ) and who was now on his return to Shoa
,
.

Al though he had been absent for five months yet ,

A da ra Bille di d not prevent him from prosecutin g his

wa y nor state that he first w anted the permis s ion of
,

the King of Shoa before he could depart to D air bu t

on t he contrary the messenger had been ordered an d
,

encouraged by A dara Bille to depart immediately I .

mentioned this case to the Chieftain ; b ut he said that

this man was an old acquaintance of his and that he ,

was the King s messenger whom he could not prevent

’
,

from depa rt in g whenever he li k ed I then complained .

of the little food which h a d been given to m y animal s ,

 ’
3 72 A D A R A B I LL E S F EI G N ED F R I E N DS H IP

w hich the c unning robber had ordered his servants to

place in his o w n stable .

T h e proceedings of A dara Bille began to excite my

s u spicions which I coul d not conceal from som e of
,

m m ost faith f
ul servants I thou g ht it ver y remark
y .

able that wherever I went I w as accompanied b y a ser

,

vant of A dara Bille w ho appears to have g uessed what

,

I inten ded to do ; nam el y to escape at night E very

,
.

movem ent of my self and servants was w atched over ;

an d when I wanted to bu y something the watchmen ,

“
said Wh y disperse yo u th e m o n ey Man y sayings of the
,

people coming to m y ear s m ade me still more dubiou s

,

of A dara Bille s proceedings A man who begged for

’
.

charity before our doors wanted a dollar which of

, ,

“
course w as refused H e then said
. Y o u do not know
,

whether yo u will leave this place in safety or w hether ,

”
o u wi ll become a beggar like m y self I could not
y .

forget these words though I thought that the man

,

had contrived them to stir up m y liberalit y .

U nder these circ um stances I j udged it proper and

necessary to secure my baggage against an y attack
which A dara Bille m i g ht Openly attempt upon it b e ,

cause I could not think that h e w ould act so cunnin g ly .

I thou g ht that if he had m ade up his mind to plunder me ,

‘

he w ould do so Openly and for that w e w ere prepared

every m oment w ith our gu ns as A dara Bille was w ell
,

a w are of But he Ob serving that I looked throug h h i s

.
,

s cheme feigned still greater courteousness and a m ity

,

than be fore as the moment w as not y et arrived to

,
 ’
374 A D A R A B I LL E S F EI G N ED F R I E N DS H IP

not know that w ithout this change m y long j ourne y a fter

w ard w ould have been still more painful and precario us .

About ten o clock the messengers arrived ; but I

’

w as s urprised at learning that the Governor of D air

had given no positive ans w er regardi ng m y ret urn .

O f course he had never been asked about it But I .

was still more astonished at learning from my man

that he had been imprisoned on the frontier and had ,

not been permitted to go to D air in compan y w ith the

servant of A dara Bille T his circumstance of which
.
,

nobody would give me any explanation increased my ,

suspicion When I asked the messenger of A dara

.

Bille about the ans w er w hich he had received from the

“
Governor of D air he w as silent and onl y said
, Y ou
, ,
”
h ave no other friend or relation except God .

I then decided to escape d uring the approaching

night . I packed up separatel y those things which
w ere of value and whic h w ere not too heavy V i z the
, ,

mone y most Of the clothes instruments important

, , ,

papers & c w hile I left the ammunition box having

,
.
-
,

taken as m any cartridges as I thought w ould b e suffi

cient on the road I also left most of the books
.
,

w hich I kne w he w ould not touch I intended to leave .

the house silently at m idnight so that I might be able

,

to reach the frontier of Shoa a bout daybreak I di d .

not expect an y resistance on the frontier on the part

of Adam i e D ima w ho w ould easil y have been frightened
,

b y o ur w eapons .

B ut A dara Bille hastened to anticipate m y plan ,

 A ND T R E AC H E R O U S T R E A T M E N T . 375

by the execution of his artful scheme H e called me .

abo ut three o clock p m an d said that the Governor

’
. .
,

of D air did not obj ect to m y retur n to Shoa if cir c um ,

stances had prevented me fro m proceeding to Gondar ;

and that he had instantl y despatched a messenger in ,

forming the King of my embarrassment o n the road ,

and my return to Shoa A dara Bille communicated .

this news to me w ith s uch cheerfulness and confidence ,

that he made me hesitate regarding the execution of

“
m y plan for the coming night H e said Be rej oiced .
, ,

because y o u will go to morro w yo u w ill leave me for

-

”
ever . I thought it pru dent to delay my escape till
the next night in case he should not fulfil his promise
,

of sending me o f fin the morning Besides I had a .

,

sick servant w ho could not go wi th u s this night I

,
.

asked A dara Bille in a positive manner whether I

, ,

should be o f f to morro w and he s w ore by the life of

-
,

Sahela S el a ssieh that I should I then w al k ed o f

,
f .
,

quite satisfied H e i m mediately sent a servant with a

.

fresh s upply of provisions which he said would serve

, , ,

me on m y road to Sho a O ne hour had scarcely elapsed

.

before he sent again s ay ing that if I w anted an ything

, ,
“

more I need only point it out and it s hould imme ,

d iat el y be presented to me .

A s I wi shed to depart earl y th e next morning I ,

went to bed about eight O clock in the evening and ’

,

ordered my servants to do th e s ame Already slumber .

i n g I was a w akened by a servant of A dara Bille who

,

i nvited me to call upon him as he w ished to take a ,

 ’
3 76 A D AR A B I LL E S F EI G N ED F R IE N DS H I P
final leave of me as he w oul d probabl y be in bed or
,

b us y when I should start in the morning T his invita .

tion being given so late pu zz led me a little and I

, , ,

intended to refuse ; but thinking that this w ould be

the last annoy ance which A dara w ould give m e I g o t ,

up inten di ng to settle the business as qui ckl y as pO

,
s si

ble At the same time all the servants w ere invited

.
, ,

except one who w as to watch the baggage We con

,
.

s ul te d w hether w e sho ul d take our arms with u s or

not ; but w e decided that A dara s house w as so close ’

,

that our appearance in arms w ould be improper par ,

t i cul arly as it w as the last ti m e w e s hould see the

Chieftain We therefore w ent without our arms
. .

When A dara Bille saw me entering the room he ,

made a b o w and said that I had given him infinite

,

pleasure in accepting his invitation T h e only reason .

,

he said wh y he had called me so late w as becau se he

, , ,

would probably be busy to morro w and unable to tak e -

,

a personal leave of me ; and because he was desirou s

once more of m y conversation which had alway s de ,

lighted him H e then asked whether he coul d see

.

with my spectacles ; and when I told him that most

probably he coul d not as his e y es w ere not w eakened
,

like mine he begged m e to allow him to t ry H e

,
.

attempted ; but Of course could not S ee anything H e .

“ ”
then said Y o u have told me this before
,
and r e ,

stored the spectacles H e then w anted to try my

.

boots ; but in this also he w as disappointed though I ,

had told him that every boot mu st be made according to

 ’
3 78 A D AR A B I LL E S F EI G N ED F R I E N DS H IP

ever to see the small cottage in which my servants

,

w ere confined I was then separated from them an d

.
,

conducted to my private j ail T here I w as ordered to .

.

give up all my clothes and the content s of my poc k ets , .

A s I hesitated to do this m y guards declared that the y ,

'
w ere orde red b y A dara Bille to put me to death if I ,

did not instantl y give up all that I had w ith me At .

the same time they snatched from me m y Abyssinian

cloak I appealed in vain to the j ustice an d friendship
.

o f A dara Bille Give up the treasures which yo u

ha ve with y ou w as the continual clamour of the
,

“
plundering soldiers Y o u must die imm ediatel y if
.
,
”
y o u conceal the least of y our property T h e female .

slaves w h o w ere grinding meal in a corner of the

,

room b egan t o lam ent and c ry alou d

,
Wh en the .

soldiers endeavoured to take o f fmy boots shirt an d , ,

trou sers I obstinately refused till they at last desisted

, , ,

most probabl y not knowi ng ho w to take them o f fw ithout

cutting them to pieces H o w ever they examined m e ve ry .
,

closel y in order to discover whether I had an y money

,

o r any thing else U nfortunately a dollar w ith the ke y s

“

.
,

of m y boxes and m y penknives w ere di scovered and

, ,

immediately taken Also a s m all c o py of the E nglish

.

N ew T estament wi th some notes of the day wa s found

and taken t hou g h I entreated them to leave this which
, ,

I con s idered a greater treasure than an y thing else as ,

it contained the Word of God But whatever fell into .

their hands they w oul d not give me back I remem

,
, .

bered the procee din gs of the raging mul titu de to w ard

 A ND T R EAC H E R O U S TR E AT M E N T . 3 79

my Savi our before P ontius P ilate H is example w as the

only treasur e which strengthened me in this dr ea dful
moment when even m y l ife was at stake
,
I en .

d e avo ur e d several times to remind them of death an d ,

the j udgm ent hereafter ; but the y had neither eyes nor
“ ”
minds for this application Give up your mone y
.
,

was their cry A short time afterward one of my

.
,

boxes which the y could not open was brought in and

, , ,

I was ordered to open it I patientl y performed this

.
,

when th e box was tak en to A dara Bille w ho examined ,

its contents and afterward sent it back with the order

,

that I should shut it up again F rom that m oment I .

never sa w the box nor an y other part of m y propert y

, .

A s it was ver y cold and the little fire w as not Of

,

much use I ventured to ask for m y Ab y ssinian cloak

, .

A sol di er acquainted A dara Bille with m y requ est and ,

the cloak was restored I could not ascertain an y thin g

.

of m y poor servants that night : the slaves who w ere ,

with me in the room did not venture to communicate

,

with me T h e only consolation w hich they gave me

.

was that I S hould not be m urdered and that m y

, ,

people w ould not be sold as slaves as I had expected ,

.

A s it was already very late and being tire d and tor

,

m e n t e d with an xiet y I la y do wn on the ground ; but

,

s leep fled from my eyes My mind was engaged in

.

sighing after the support of H im w ho knows the

af f
lictions of Hi s servants and chil dren I begged Him .

to prepare m e for a happy entrance into the kingdom

of heaven if this s hould be my last night on earth
,
.
 ’
38 0 A D AR A B I LL E S F EI G N ED F R IE N DS H I P

The room w as full of watchmen others w ere posted ,

around the outside of the house while others w atched ,

the fence and w alls A dara Bille probably being afraid

,

o f m y escape A soldier lay over m y legs another

.
,

close to m y head and one on either side : these lay

,

u pon the ends of m y cloak Believing that I had .

fallen asleep as I m ade no movement the soldiers b e

, ,

gan to tal k in the Galla L anguage which they probably ,

thou ght I could not understand Some of them dis .

approved of A dara Bille s behaviour which w ould co m

’
,

promise him in the whole country ; while others said ,

that he had done right in plundering the White Man .

O thers thought that I should be killed lest Sahela ,

S el a ss ieh and R a s Al i should hear of what A dara Bille

had done ; but other s advised that I should be sent to
the road of T eh o o l a der e and Y eeh o o w hen I should ,

either die of fatigue on the road or b e killed b y the ,

R aia Gallas Y o u may suppose that this conversation

.

w as not ver y pleasant to me ; but I in w ar dl y said to

m y H eavenl y F ather Men are all liars not m y wi ll
, ,

nor theirs shall be done b ut onl y T hine , .

Ap r i l 3 1 8 4 2 — 1 arose this morning with the feelin gs

,

of a prisoner But I considered my self a pr i s o n e r of

.

th e L o r d wh o se cau se I w a s sent to promote in Abys

,

sinia and resolved h o w ever H e shoul d d i sp ose of m y

,

life to s ubmit w ith resignation as neither life nor

, ,

propert y belonged to me but only to Him I asked , .

for one of m y servants to b e admitted to m y prison in ,

order that I might have the compan y of one who

 ’
38 2 A D AR A B I L L E S F EI G N ED F R IE N DS H IP

had been murdered and that the y themselves w ould be

,

sold as slaves T heir heart s w ere moved to w ard the

.

F ather of all merc y w hen they saw me w alking into

their room .

When the people of the V illage heard of m y being

still alive the y came in great n umbers to express their
,

sorro w at my painful con di tion T here was not o n e .

person who spoke or acted rudely to w ar d me even

the soldi ers who w ere not very tender last night w ere
, ,
’
no w discontent w ith A dara Bille s procee di ngs of which ,

the whole tow n disapproved Most of them w ept and .

,

said H e has neither father nor mother nor friends ;

, , ,

and he w ho pretended to be his friend has plundered ,

him May God prove his friend

. O ther s said All ,

earthl y things are perishable Y esterday he w as a .

”
prince but to day he is a prisoner -
I took the Op .

p o r t un i t
y of speaki ng to them about the fr ailt y of all

h uman happiness and that the onl y t r ue happiness is

,

communion w ith God .

It af forded me infinite satisfaction at having regained

my little N e w T estament T h e sol dier w ho had taken .

it from me brought it back to me and said

,
F orgive , ,
”
me and pray for me
,
I sho wed i t to the assembled
.

“
m ultitude and said T his i s my greatest treas ure
, , ,

becau se this book sho w s me the w a y to my eternal hap

”
pi n e s s w hich no robber c an take from me
, .

S everal persons brough t me some food as m y daily ,

allo w ances w ere now reduced so much that the y w ere

quite ins uf fi cient for m y sel f and servants Among .
 A ND T R EAC H ER O U S T R E A T M EN T . 38 3

o t her s F atim a the Chi ef s head wife took an interest

, ,
’
,

in m y di stressin g situation She sent a servant to tell.

me that she could do nothing but w eep and that she

had endeavo ured to di ssuade A dara Bille from plunder
ing me but had been unable to prevail on him In
,
.

fact everybody pitied me O nly A dara Bille was un

.

pit iful as all m y goods had fallen into his hand nobody
, ,

sharing with hi m except those Mah o m e dan priests who

,

pretended to have obtained a revelation on the W o dach a

that A dara shoul d plun der me Many persons asked .

me anx iou s l y how I should b e able to reach my coun

,

“
try O thers said
. D O not b e afraid A dara B ille will
,

not kill yo u y our propert y onl y is lost but not y our ,

l ife Y o u are the first stranger whom he has plun

.

”
dered h e has never done so before O thers said .
,

D o not be an g r y because Satan has entered into

,
”
A dara Bille s heart
’
.

T h e robber did not ret urn this evening from his ex

c ur s io n. W hen it was dar k I w as ordered to retur n ,

t o m y prison ; b ut my servant s were allowed to stay in

o ur house under a strong g u ard Of soldiers .

Ap r i l 4 1 8 4 2 — I w as allo w ed to ret urn from prison to

,

my servants I learned t hat A dara Bille had very much

.

regretted that he had n o t pl undered me be fore I wen t

to Iman L iban I heard also that some Chiefs had
.

sent to him t o know wh y he had allo w ed the White

Man to go through his co untry w ithout having killed
or plundered h im .

’
A da ra Bille arrived about t en o clock ; but I wa s
 ’
38 4 A D A R A B I LL E S T R E AC H E R O U S T R E A T M E N T .

not admitted to his presence though I frequentl y asked ,

for an audi ence w ith him My boy D im t za R o oph ael .

-

w as ordered to b e the me di ator bet w een hi m and m y

s elf i n carr ying messages from one to the other
,
I .

solicited ver y earnestl y for a small sum o f money to ,

purchase provisions on the road but the robber

replied that it w ould not signi fy if I had to beg for
my dail y bread O nly one of my w orst mules w as l eft
.

for me ; but I co ul d not mount the animal and w as ,

afterw ard compelled on the road to sell it for food and

a lodging at ni g ht which the Chief of a village had
,

of fered to me when I w a s in the greatest necessity I .

made a fur ther request for my papers F ortunately .

,

m y Amharic D ictionar y which I had collected in Shoa

,

w ith great trouble was restored to me with a few let

, ,

ter s In fact most of the paper which was written on

.
, ,

was restored while the blank paper w as kept by the

robb er T h e loss of paper after w ard put me to great
.

inconveniences as I w as obliged in consequence to

,

abridge my remarks on the road and to write on reeds , ,

which w ere S poiled by the rain .

Ap r i l 5 1 8 42 —W e w ere still u ncertain w hat w ould

,

become of us R eports were spread this morning that

.
,

A dara Bille w oul d keep m y servants as his slaves and ,

send me o f f alone to a road of w hich nobody co ul d

give an y information T his report drove my people
.

almost t o despair and made my o w n heart ach e so

,

mu ch that I could not refr ain from w eeping w ith

,

them T he y said that the y w ould rath eI di e than b e

. .
38 6 M AN LY BEHAVI O UR OF A B OY .

’
gave up all hope of the boy s j oining o ur part y It .

a ppears that he had hidden himself when w e left the

house N ow I understood why A dara Bille before I

.
,

was plundered al w ay s honoured him s o much and

, ,

preferred him to m y other servants May the L or d .

deliver him from the snares of S atan and from the ,

u ncleanness and dishonest y of hi s heart and may the

seed of everlasting life which for t w o y ears has been
,

so wn in his mind preserve him from the temptation

,

of apostac y to Mah o m e dan i sm

A s a contrast to this boy may be mentioned the
-

manly behavi o ur of another who was called by A dara ,

Bille before we left Gatira and asked whether he would

,

remain with him or not T h e robber flattered him

.

with tender w ords and w orl dl y prefer m ent ; but the

boy w ept and declared that A dara should kill him on
,

the spot before he w oul d leave his master w ho had in ,

s tructed h i m in the Word of G o d T h e robber then .

asked whether an y of m y servants w ere slaves who

, ,

w ould in that case have been considered as actual pro

pert y and immediately taken b y the robber
, T h e b oy .

ans w ered in the negative but seeing that A dara w oul d

not believe him he took dust fr om the ground and
, ,

scattered it in the air say in g that if he had not spoken

, ,

truth he w ould become like the dispersed dust T h e .

robber then sent him back to me A dara Bille knew . ,

that I had no S laves as I had frequently told him that

,

w e hate slaver y ; but A dara thought that I should fol

l o w the practice of Greeks A rmenians and other , ,
 ’
'
CR L E L C O N DUC T OF A D A R A S S O L DI E R S . 38 7

A byssin ian pilgrim s who sometimes take slaves to th e

,

coast to pay their passage money -

.

I must not forget to remark that A dara Bille before ,

o ur depart ure this morning dispatched the general of

,

his gunners to the King of Shoa w ith three match

loek guns It was evidently his intention to cover his
-
.

diabolical deeds with the s ho w of outward submission

to the King of Shoa in case his Maj esty s hould hear
,

of the robbery which he had committed against me .

But how wi ll thi s messenger and A dara Bille be aston

i s h e d when they learn that I have written to his Ma
,

j esty from the L a k e Hai k describin g the behaviour of

,

A dara Bille If his Maj est y has no share in the whole

.

contrivance of A dara Bille I have no doubt that my ,

property wil l be restored .

A s long as Gatira w as in our S ight we frequently ,

looked backed to see whether the robber mi g ht not send

a messenger wi t h orders to o ur coun ter marching t o -

complete our destruction We marched as fast as we.

coul d and as quick as o ur guardi ans woul d allow us

, ,

a s we were entirely in their hands We were as de .

fenceless a s any one coul d be We were really without .

st ave s mone y or ch ange of clothes accor di ng to Matt

, , ,
.

x O ne of my servant s coul d not walk well in c o n

.
,

sequence o f a sore in his legs ; but the soldi ers drove

him on and w hen he remonstrated they said
,
A re , ,

you not our cattle with which we c an do a s we like

,

A s well as I coul d asce rta in from the position of t h e ,

sun m y compass having been ta k en b y the robber w e

, ,

5 2
38 8 M EE T W I TH TAH IR ,

m arched north east east It was no w evident that A dara

- -
.

Bille intended to send us to the road of T eh o o l a der e I .

was quite indifferent re g ardin g t he way a s I could not ,

lo s e any thin g more and indeed I could only profit from

bein g conducted to a road hitherto untrodden by E u
r o e an s
p I was so strengthened and consoled in m y
.

m ind by the word

g iven to A braha m Gen xii l t hat ,
. . .
,

I could dism iss all my apprehensions of the unknown

road its dangers and hardships I went on with a
, ,
.

mi nd as cheerful and comforted as if no serious m atter

had happened H o w truly says the Apostle John that
.
,

fa i th i s th e v i c to ry th a t o v er c o m e th th e w o r l d But .

t hi s fa i th m ust be a wor k of God in our hearts .

O ur road led us continually over a level country ,

which however was but little cultivated In general .

,

nature seem s to have refused to the Wollo Gallas that

fer t ile country and that state of we al t h which the
, ,

Gallas enj oy in the sou t h of Shoa T hi s is perhaps .

t he reason of the t hievish charac t er for which t he

'
W ollo Gallas are tr uly blamed We s aw very few V il
.

lages an d the pop ulation canno t be considerable in thi s

,

par t of A d ara Bille s territor y We cro s sed several

’
.

riv ul ets which presented to us their cool and deliciou s

,

water .

In the aft ernoon we w ere j oined on the road b y the

robber s chief priest who w as returning to his Vi llage
’
, ,

not having obtained any new revelation concernin g my

party as all o ur propert y was lost His nam e is T ahir
,
. .

O n m eeting me he gave his compliments w ith a smiling

, _
390 L EA V E T H E T ER R I T O R Y OF A D A R A B I LL E .

of our host T ahir When say ing good b y e I expressed

.
,

m
y thanks for his hospitalit y which I could not n ow
,

re w ard as he w as w ell aware H e said N ever mind

, .

it does not signify I have m y share in the property

.

wh ich A dara at my advice on the W o dach a has taken x

”
from y ou H e lau ghed an d w alked o f
. f T his is some
,
.

thing o f the character of the Wollo Gallas namely , ,

friendly cunningness and rapacit y .

A bout eight o clock we crossed a riv ul et and about

’
,
’
ten o clock we left for ever the territory of A dara
Bille having entered into that of B erro o L o o b o We
,
.

fi rst passed T otola the celebrated market place of which

,
-

I have spoken before T otola mean s properly spea k

.
,

ing the w hole beautiful valle y an d district into which

,

we had entered having left the country of A dara I t

,
.

is intersected in the mi ddl e b y the river Gherado w hich ,

runs from south to north w est to the river B ash il o O n

- .

both sides of the valle y is a range of hills more or les s

elevated and covered with j uniper trees T hese hills
,
- .

are covered wi th hamlets and Villages T h e whole .

scenery is so beautiful that I cannot recollect ever

,

havi ng seen such a fi n e s i gh t in Ab y ssinia Y o u c an

'
~
.

scarcely imagine that yo u are in Africa T h e cool cli .

mate—the fresh and healthy air t he green plain ,

watered artificially by aqueducts from the river — the

activity of the inhabitants in cultivation— the quantity
of cattle grazing — and the mul titu de of travelling mer
chants whom yo u meet o n the road with their goods
all these and man y other things give the place an
 THE R IV ER B E R K ON A . 39 1

E ur opean appearance It is a g reat pity that such a.

magnificent district of ten or fifteen miles is not in th e

hands of a better people and government I waited .

several times to rest on th e wa y side to see more of thi s

pretty scene b ut o ur soldiers drove us on repeatedly ,

“
say ing Ar e yo u not o ur cattle with which we can do
, ,

a s w e please T h e principal market places of Worra

Kallo are T otola An ch arr o R eggh e D aw e Kallo
, , , , , ,

and Fell an o .

Our guardians said that they w ere ordered to aecom ,

pany us as far as the river Mill e where there is a w oo d ,

l ike wi lderness in which they eviden t ly intended to pl un

,

der the rest of o ur clothes and thus leave us to cer ,

tain death But P rovidence w atched our lives Abou t

. .

tw elve o clock we cros s ed the ri ver Berko n a and entered

’
,

into the territory of T eh o o l a de re w hich is governed by ,

Amade or A bba Sh ao l
,
T h e latter is the nam e of the .

Chieft ain s favourite hor s e which has given him the same
’
,

name T h e B erko n a w as not more than twenty fee t

.

in breadth at the par t where w e crossed Its sources .

were pointed out to me as rising at the foot of a hill

called Boroo abo ut six miles from the place where
,

we cros s ed the river N ear the hill Boroo is a vil

.

lage called Kombolcha therefore the people gene

rally say that the sources are at Kombolcha where ,

t here is a marsh groun d T h e Berko n a w as on o ur .

p assage at a ver y lo w height of water being about a ,

s pan in de pt h It runs first to the south then turn s

.
,

round to the cast near Ayn A mba and finally j oins

, ,
39 2 D ELI V ER ANC E OF MR . K R AP F

the Haw ash in the country of the A dals N o t far from .

our passage the Berko n a forms a cataract Most

,
.

of the waters of Worra Kallo j oins the Berko n a a very ,

important fact which shows that w e had passed thi s

,

forenoon the watershed being between the river Ghe

,

r ado which runs to the river B ash il o which g oes to the

, ,

N ile whil e the B e rko n a goes to the east to the H aw ash

,
.

T h e continuation of the range of mountains observed

in the east of Shoa is con s equently the range which
runs through Worra Kallo toward A m b a ss el leavin g ,

t he Berko n a in the ea s t and th e B a s hil o in the west

,
.

T his m ost i m portant fa ct throws a g reat light upon our

maps of Abyssinia because the water s hed of a coun
,

try i f it i s once correctly known thro w s a light upon

, ,

many other subj ects which are in question .

Before we crossed the river B erko n a we m e t very ,

p rovidentially a merchant coming fro m T otola T his m an .

being s truc k with the appearance of a white stranger

on foot without any mean s of defence dre w n ear ,

to us as if he w ere concerned about our situation and

miserable appearance Seeing this I endeavo ured to
.
,

walk a little before our guardians in order to speak

,

to hi m at s ome di s tance I acquainted him with wha t

.

had occ urred to m e at A dara Bille s and of his sold i er s

’
,

being ordered to cond uct u s to Ali G o n g o o l a Governor ,

of A made the Chieftain of the tri b e of T eh o o l a dere

, ,

into whose territory we had entered after we had cro s sed

the B erko n a I must no t forget to re m ark that th e
.
,

only thing w hich w e could learn fro m the soldiers r e

394 D E L I V ER A N C E OF MR . K R AP F

We approached Mofa the capital o fAmade which

, ,

is b uilt on a steep and high hill from which there i s ,

a pretty Vie w of the la k e H aik of which I shall s peak

,

after w ard T h e sol diers of A dara Bille observing that

.

we were marching to w ard Mofa strongl y obj ected to

it and a quarrel arose betw een u s We declared that
, .

we had nothing to do w i t h Ali G o n go o l who was not ,

the lord of the country ; but the y replied that they ,

had received orders from A dara Bille to deliver us into

the hands of Ali G o n g o o l who w ould send u s with a
,

large escort to the river Mille and to the wilderness

bet w een T eh o o l a dere and Y eeh o o A S the quarrel ran .

high and the soldiers drew their swords to c ut us to

,

pieces w e cried out to the people of a hamlet close to

,

the way side Several V illagers i m mediately appeared

.
,

an d inquired what was the matter with u s We en .

treated them to conduct u s to th e house of Amade in

order that we might acquaint h im w ith our circum
stances T h e villagers having learned o ur misfortunes
.
,

promised to comply with our wish but th e soldiers o b

j e c te d so vehemently that w e w ere on the eve of en
,

g aging with them with t h e w eapons which the stony

field furnished us In order however to avoid an e n
.
, ,

a e m en t with which the duty of my messa e of peace

g g , g
in the Missionary cause would not at all agree I pro ,

posed to the soldiers that they should di s patch one of

,

their companions to infor m Ali G o n g o o l of our refusal

to proceed to him T his was done ; and his answer
.

w a s that as w e had already appealed to Amade w e

, ,
 FR O M A D A R A B I LL E . 39 5

shoul d go to him and be content with what he should

,

decide in our bu s iness Al i G o n go o l acted prudently

.

indeed as his master w oul d undoubte dl y have p unished

,

him if he knew that he had executed orders received

from an y other Chief b ut by himself and had refused ,

people w ho had appealed to him .

J o yf
ull y therefore w e went to A made who havin g
, , , ,

heard what we told him of A dara Bille declared that ,

he was a very wicked m an because he had not only ,

done wrong in taking our property but had al s o ,

of fended him by sendi ng his soldiers through his terri

to ry to which he had no ri g ht A made also declared
,
.
,

t hat if the sol di ers of A dara Bille di d not instan tly re

turn he w oul d put them in prison Concerning our
,
.

selves he said that w e S hould be at liberty to go or

, ,

stay w herever we li k ed A dara Bille was blamed by

.

every body who heard of our being ro b bed by hi m .

T hough Ma h o m e dan s of the same nation a s A dara

Bille yet they with one accord pitied our miserable
,

situation and took part with us T h e sol diers of A dara

,
.

Bille walked o f f i m mediatel y witho ut having been ,

t reated in the least as messengers of A dara Bille We .

had regained our precious liberty of which we had ,

b een deprived since our imprisonment on the 2 n d of

April .

With feeli ng s of hearty thank s givings to m y pro

t eetin g F ather in Heaven I left the court yard of ,
-

A m ade who al t hou g h he did not pro vide u s wi t h food

,

a s we had expected ye t had rendered u s the mos t i m

,
39 6 D EL I V ER A N C E OF MR . K R APF

portant service in a most satis factory and speed y man

ner H a d I know n that the m atter would have been
.

decided b y Amade to m y satisfaction I would not have ,

dispatched a servant to the A laca of the C onvent of

H aik for the purp ose of inform in g h im of the circum
s tance s which had occ urred to me in A dara Bille s house ’
.

I had dispatched my man before w e s aw the Chieftain

A made thinking that the soldiers might perhaps pre
,

vail on convey ing us to Ali G o n g o o l who I kn e w would ,

treat me according the secret order s sent to him by

A dara My m an pretending to have so m e busines s in
.

the j ungle availed hi m self of thi s opportunity to e s cape

,

to H ai k while the soldiers were unaware of his ab

,

s ence and disclosed our plan only when it was too late
,

for them to prevent its execution H avin g appeared .

before Amade they were ou t done in every respect and

, ,

instead Of returnin g in triumph to their master with

our clothes and other trophie s of Victory they were ,

obliged to return with g rief at the strange escape of

their cattle as they had called us
,
.

A lthough I had n o w a lon g and difficult j o urney b e

fore m e y e t I thought very li t tle of it my mind being
, ,

enga g ed in expressin g m y indescribable feeling s of j oy

at the deliverance from the hands Of the robber A dara
Bille What m ust be the j oy and happiness Of those
.

w ho have been innocently condemned to lon g s lavery

or impri s onment If those who are still averse to the
abolition of the slave trade or who are only coldly c o
,

operating w ith the abolitionists could feel what I have ,

39 8 SOIL OF T E H OOL A D E R E .

better order and their people s ubmit themselves more

, ,

having been acc ustomed to Obedience for a long time

to the descendants of one ruling famil y T his is e vi .

d en tly the case in the tribes of Worra Hi m an o and

T eh o o l a d ere .

T he nature of the territor y of T eh o o l a der e is most

conspicuous and excellent and gave me the appearance
,

of tho s e Galla countries which I have traversed in the

south of Shoa T h e soil of T eh o o l a dere is excellent
.

for cultivation if there w ere onl y hands enough to

,

cultivate the blac k fallow ground I was told t hat the .

pop ul ation of this tribe was very considerable s ix year s

ago but that it was considerably thinned first by the , ,

cholera which raged six years ago alm ost over the
,

whole of Abyssinia an d the countrie s b ey ond secon dl y ,

by a fam i ne which laid w aste so man y tracts of Abys

sinian provinces ; and finally by a w ar in which Al i
, ,

Marie the former Chieftain of this tribe w a s engaged

, ,

with the Chiefs of Worra Kallo L agga Ghora and , ,

Worra Him an o who assisted the present Chief of

,

T eh o o l a dere against Ali Marie his relation who was

, ,

entitled to the government by right .

T h e aspiring character and bravery of A l i Marie

was feared and contem plated with j ealou s y by all the
'

Chieftains around ; and therefore i t was considered

practical o n their part to plunge him into ruin Had .

he been able to maintain his po w er he would un ,

do ubtedly have united all the Wollo tribes and have

introduced a better system of government for which ,
 C H AR A C TER OF A L I M AR I E . 3 99

he was w ell quali fied But at the same time he woul d

.

have become a very dangerou s neighbour to the Chris

tian r ul ers of Ab y ss inia as he showed great attachment
,

to the Mah o m e dan religion in which he was educated

, .

H e is continually moving about from o n e place to an

other H e has been t wice in Shoa where he has been
.
,

wel l received and dismis s ed by the King with large pre

sents He has made several attempts to regain his
.

power in T eh o o la der e but without any considerable

succes s as the before mentioned Chieftains anxiously
,
-

watched his proceedi n gs and movements His capital .

wa s on t he mount Gatara opposite to Mofa in the

, ,

south east I saw from Mofa the walls which he has

-
.

bui lt on his almost i m pregnable stronghold H e has .

di stin g uished himself by personal co urage and bravery ,

and I was assured from good authority that he ha s ,

kill ed in one battle nearly 300 men w ith his own s w ord
bu t not w i t h s tanding his e f forts of prowess he co ul d not ,

stand against the prevailing forces of three powerful

Chieft ains of t he neighbourhood P erhaps he will ava i l
.

hi m self of t he present confu s ion in Abyssinia to re g ain

t he poli t ical i m portance which he enj oy ed for a lon g
t ime among the Wollo tribes because it is well k nown
,

in A byssinia that a man of influence m ust neither

,

boast nor de s pair as he who is great to day may be

,
-
,

m i s erable to morro w
-
An d tru ly A byssinia is t he co un
.

t ry which mos t remind s u s of the frailty of throne s ,

sp lendour honour s and weal t h

, ,
.

T c h o o la de r c i s rich in woo d and g ras s for ca tt le

, .
4 00 C LIM AT E OF T E H OOL A D E R E .

T he climate is finer as the country is low er than that

,

of the western tribes although there are s o m e high

,

mountains In geo g raphical and historical respect

.
,

it has a certain celebrity which I will presently men

,

tion I have already mentioned that the river B erko n a

.

rises in the territory of T eh o o l adere T h e lak e H aik is .

also situated in this territor y T his lake is one of the .

m ost i m portant lakes of A byssinia Its Christian po pu .

l ation gives it still more i m portance A former great .

king of Abyssinia had established his seat in this coun

try as I shall mention hereafter Before I enter how .
,

ever into a de s cription of this lake I must m ention ano

, ,

ther called Ar dibb o which I have never seen marked

,

on the maps T hi s lake is in the tribe of Imam F aris

.
,

whose capital i s in Gh e rfa T his tribe is S ituated b e

.

t w een the country o f the D anak il in the east and ,

Worra Kallo and T eh o o l a der e in the west Imam F ari s .

i s said to be frequently en g aged in war with B err o o

L o ob o H e is in the possession of a few fi eld piece s
.
-
,

which he has bou ght fro m merchants trading to Mocha .

H e is on good terms w ith the D ana k il and his terri ,

tory extend s as far as a j o urne y of four day s fro m

A ussa .If a traveller could succeed in penetratin g to
A by ss inia by way of A ussa the former capital of the ,

Kings of A del he mi ght be able to obtain mo s t valu

,

able information o f the countries between the D anakil

and those Wollo tribe s through which I have travelled .

H e might be able to throw m uch li g ht on the g eo gra

ph y of these countries of old and by this means he ,
4 02 R EP O R T S R ESPE C T I N G T H E E N G L IS H .

Shoa I learned from my host that a report had spread

.
,

over the country that a E uropean had arrived in Shoa

w ith a box in which he carried h is King O thers re
, .

ported that the King o f the Mah o m e dan s had arrived

,

in Shoa and that the Mah o m e dan rul ers of these

countries having heard of the report were going to ,

send a message to the king who came from the east

, ,

to offer their a ssistance to him again st the Christians .

T hese report s evidently allude to the arrival of the

British E mbass y in Shoa O ther parts of Ab y ssinia
.

are full of strange reports regarding the E nglish .

 C H AP T E R III .

{R R I V E TH E L A K E H A I R —DE SC R I P T I ON OF TH E L A K E —V I S I T T O A
AT

CON V E N T ON A N I S L A N D I N TH E L A K E —N OT I C E S OF TH E E A R L Y
H I S TO R Y OF TH E IS L N D —P OP U L A T I ON —A CCO U N T OF TH E M ON K S &
A C.

DEP A R TUR E F R OM L A K E H A IR —A R R IV E A T TH E V I LL A G E OF
,

B OR A —H I G H M OU N T IN S IN TH E VI C IN I T Y O F B OR A —OR I G IN O F TH E
A

N M E T E OOL A E R E L E AV E B OR A N C R OS S TH E R I V E M ILL E
A H D -
,
A D R

TH E M OU N T I N A M B S S E L — A R R I V E A T TH E D I S T R I CT O F ‘ VOR R A
A A

K AL L O A N D H A L T T TH E V IL L A G E OF L E E B S O—K IN D R E C EP T ION
A

DEPA R TUR E FR OM L E B SO—C R OSS TH E R I V E R E R G E B B O—F E R OC IOUS

,

CH A R A CT E R OF TH E R I A G LL A S—CO FF EE T R EE ON TH E B A N K S OF
A A

TH E R I V E R E G B B O—CH A R CT E R O TH E Y E C H OO PE OP L E — R E
R E A F

M A R K S ON B Y SS INI N H OS P I T A LIT Y —S IN G U L A R CU S T OM O F TH E
A A

Y E C H OO W O M E N —I M M E N S E P L A IN S IN TH E Y E C H OO C OU N T R Y —C R O S S

TH E R I V ER M E S —M A NN E R OF P L N T IN G PEPPE R — A R R IV E A T TH E
R A A

V I LL G E O F M E R S A flH OS PI T A B L E R E C EPT ION —CON V E R S A T I ON “ 1T H

A 7

M A H OM E D A N S —DEP AR TU R E F R O M M E R S A —S U PE R S T I T I O U S C U S T OM S
— R R IV E A T TH E V I LL A G E OF S H E L T E —D IFFI CU L T I E S IN P R OC UR IN G
A

A CC OM M OD T I ON—M A R K E T OF W OL D A I A—V I LL A G E OF G OOD D O— A P

A

PE A R A NC E O F TH E C O U N T R Y — A R R IVE A T TH E V ILL A G E OF S H A L
V I T H A “( OM N — L E A V E S H L —A F T E S OM E DE L A Y
'
C ON V E R S A I O N I I A A R

R E A CH TH E P R OV IN C E O F A N G OT —C LI M A T E OF A N G OT — AR R I V E AT

TH E V IL L A G E O F S A R A G D E L —L E A V E S R A G D E L N D R E CH TH E
A A A , A A

V ILL G E O F B E L B E I
A .

Ap r i l 7 , 1 8 4 2 — T H I S
morn ing the merchant w i t h w hom
I had passed t he nigh t started early from his home to ,

visit the market of An ch arro which I have mentioned ,

before He promised to send s ome intelligence to Shoa

.

through m erchants of Alio A mba in E fa t whom he ,

4 04 AR R I VE AT L AK E H AI K :

woul d see at An ch arro I regretted that I was unable

.

to give hi m a C opy of the H oly Scriptures a s he had ,

expressed a great de s ire for it ; but I will sen d s ome

copies through people going from Shoa to the lake
H aik T h e V illa g e the nam e of which I have un fo r
.
,

t un at el y for g otten consists chiefly of tra di ng i n h ab i

,

tant s who are all Christians T heir trade is carried

,
.

on from Gondar th rough Worra H i m an o to the countr y

of B erro o L o o b o and to the territory of the Y e eh o os ,

w ith articles which are found at Gondar .

H avin g taken leave of o u r friend we directed o ur ,

course to the la k e Hai k T h e road led u s through a

.

most beautiful and fertile valley bein g rich of trees , ,

grass and rivulet s T h e soil was chiefly black but i t

,
.

is scantily cultivated for the reasons which I have b e

,

fore mentioned . T hey principall y cultivate maize of

di fferent ki nds.

My j oy on arriving near the S hores of the lake was

indeed great as I had been desirou s several y ears of
,

V isiting the Christians on the lake and as the large ,

mass of water reminded me ag ain of the water stock -

of the R e d Sea to which I had so often committed

,

myself in form er times and to which the end of m y

,

j ourney would brin g m e ag ain H ow great wi ll be the .

j oy of a Christian when having overcom e death and

, , ,

triumphed over this Visible world he arrives on the ,

stream of heavenly happiness an d when he is with ,

those Christians who w ill enj oy this happiness to all

eternity !
4 06 V I LL A G E OF D EBR A M AR I A M

fl
-
.

D ebra N a g o o dguad,
-
(hill of th under) is distant from ,

the north w estern main lan d about 2 60 y ards and

-
,

might easil y be battered b y ri e men T h e anchoring -

.

place is called Mad g eb at a and the Village where yo u

-
, ,

mu st halt before crossing over to the island is called ,

D ebra Mariam (hill of Mary ) T his village is chiefly

-
.

inhabited b y the w ives of su ch priests who are married ,

as by an ancient la w no female is allo w ed to enter on

the island All the inhabitants around are Mah o m e
.

dans who are not prevented ho w ever from Visiting the

,

island b ut their wives are under the same restrictions

as those of the Christians A number o f acacia trees .
-

are observed near the anchoring place bet w een the ,

village and the lake T hese trees af . f

ord a pleasant
shade to those who mu st w ait for the rafts ta k ing them
over to the island T h e eastern mountains of the lake
.

are inhabited by the trib e Worra Babbo which is -

,

governed b y the Chief Al i A dam w ho is dependent on ,

Iman L iban T here is but little wood around the

.

lake except in the so uth east w hich is far o f

, ffrom -
,

the i s land ; but the inhabitant s of the islan d cross

the lake on rafts to fetch w ood Beyond the tribe .

Worra Babbo is another tribe in the east called C h af

-
fat , ,

and is i ndependent In the east of C h af

. fa t is the

country o f the D an aki l .

T h e old A laca D eb ill e at last ret urned I w as de .

lighted at seeing him again I had made his ac q uain .

tance a y ear ago when he called upon me at Ankobar

,
.

I se n t at that time a cop y of the A mharic N e w T esta

 V ISI T T H E IS L A N D OF D EBR A N A G OOD G N A D . 4 07

ment to the church of the island I also gave h im a .

co
py of the E thiopic N e w T estament when I met him at
D air. T h u s m y name w as pretty well kno w n in Haik ,

as w ell as the obj ect of my stay in Shoa T h e Alaca .

took me over to the island on a raft composed of a ,

thick stratum of reeds T h e raft was about t w el ve or

.

fifteen feet in length and about three or four feet in

,

breadth T h e whole strat um of reeds is tied together

.

wi t h ropes at both ends and in the middle T w o

,
.

r owers m oved this c ur ious machine which carries ,

about six men over to the island T h e depth of the .

water increases w ith the di stance fro m the shore .

A bo ut one hundred yards from the main land the w ater

is ver y deep till almost close to the island I w as told .

that on most places of the lake the bottom cannot be

fo un d ; but although I w oul d not obj ect to this I ,

doubt whether they have ever taken the tro uble to

examine the depth of their lake especiall y as they are
,

unacquainted w ith the plum met .

T h e western and northern winds raise high w aves on

t he lake ; while the winds blo wing from east and south
are prevented by the high mountains from di splaying
t heir ful l po w er over the w ater heaps of the lake A s
-
.

to the rise and formation of the lake I am at a loss ,

h o w to explain as I co uld not learn w hether there is

,

an y volcanic action in th e neighbourhood nor could I ,

discover volcanic traces from the nature of the country

arou n d I could not ho w ever exam ine the eastern and
.

s outhern shores being too far o f

, ffrom the island and
4 08 A B UN D A N C E OF W A T E R B I R DS
-
.

I do not venture to j udge from rocks scattered around

the Village D ebra Mariam a s the s e may be a scribed to ,

the destructive power of the Vi olent annual rains In .

m
y opinion an ob s erver s hould be careful in draw in g
,

a conclusion for the ex istence of former volcan o s from

hi s perceivin g stones scattered aroun d as it is well ,

known which I could prove by facts that the rain s

, ,

have de m olished considerable hills A traveller of late .

,

who has not h o w ever been in A by s sinia d uring the

rainy season seems to me to have been grea tly mis
,

ta k en when he seemed to observe nothing but vol

c an i c traces in Shoa .

It m u s t be rem ar k ed that the name Haik i s a

,

”
general expression and m eans in fE th i o pi c sea
, ,

“ ”
or rather shore I should thin k that this la k e i s
.

in a s traight line from An k obar perhaps a little more ,

to the east I di d not ob serve that there w ere any

.

shells on the shore nor did I hear that there were on

,

other part s of the coasts T here is plenty of grass in.

the w ater where it i s not of considerable depth ; and

,

t his is t he place where the water birds are gathered in

i m men se numbers s o that one shot would af
,
ford a great
booty to the s p ort s m an if the prej udi ces of the in h abi
,

t ant s of the island w ould allow you to fire a gun .

T heir convic t ion of the sanctity of the island in c o n s e ,

en c e of T ecla H aim an o t s having resided on it and’

q u ,

blessed the water seem s to have produced this prej u

,

dice T h e same prej udi ce would be in y our way if

.

yo u attempted to ki ll a bird on the island though I ,

4 10 NO TIC ES OF T H E E A R L Y H IS T O R Y
line which is derived from Men el ec the son o f Solo
, ,

m on b y Maqueda the Queen of Saba At the time of

, , .

King Ai zo r the Je w ish part y is said to have been po w er

,

ful in Ab y ssinia and when the King died Gideon and

, ,

his w ife J udith leaders of this part y are said to have

, ,

killed 400 roy al princes on the mount D amo in

T igre w hich w as at that time the state prison for
,
-

the royal iss ue H ow e ver Ai zo r s son called D el

.
,
’
,
'

N ao d found means th rough the assistance of the

, ,

nobilit y which adhered to the famil y of Men el ec to ,

escape to Shoa As I do not find an y place mentioned

.

and selected for this prince in Shoa I might not Ob ,

j cet to his having resided on th e Island of H aik as this ,

w as indeed one of the best places he co uld choose for

his securit y .

A bout 4 00 y ears after w ard the I sland w as Visited by,

Icon A mlak as I w as informed ; although this w oul d

,

not quite agree w ith the time when Icon Amlak is

”

generally admitted to have l ived ; V i z 1 2 6 8 T his . .

prince w as restored to the po ssession o f the ancient

dominions Ofthe S o l o m o n ean famil y b y T ecla Haima
not the celebrated founder o f the order of friars of
,

D ebra L ibanos i n Shoa H e had the seat o f his em

'

pire at T egulet which seems to have been made the

,

capital of Sh e a b y the descen dants of D el Nao d if -

,

h e did not reside there himself .

Icon Amlak expelled the w omen from the Island ,

’
establishing there a monks cloister which received ,

lands around the Island 333 tracts o f land Were .

 OF T H E IS L A N D OF DEBR A N AG OOD QU A D , 41 1

grante d to the church of St Stephen and 333 other .

,

pieces of lan d w ere given to the Convent But all .

t hese benefits have no w been wi th dr awn by the Gallas ,

who posses sed the m selves of the whole co un try around .

T hese Gallas ho w ever w ho are Mah o m e dan s and

, , ,

speak onl y Amharic and belong t o the tribe of T eh o o

,

l a der e are at peace w ith the H aiki an s

, yea they ,

respect the inhabitants of the I sland as it proves a ,

refuge for them and their prop erty in time of war w ith
other tribes T h e m on k s hire tract s of land fro m the
.

Gallas which they cul t ivate for t heir daily maintenance

,
.

T h e islanders must provide the Chief of T eh o o l ad ere

with g e sh o —a plant used b y the A b y ssinians instead
o f o ur h Ops in preparing beer —lemons and also ,

mone y ; as the Gallas aroun d believe that i m mense

t reas ur es are hidden on the Island T h e monk s of t he .

Convent appear to be very poor at present as their ,

former benefits are gone Several princes of Ab ys si

.

ni a however s uppor t the Convent

, , T h e King of Shoa .

also sen ds mone y and clothes to H aik fro m t ime to

time probabl y in remembrance of his ancestors havin g
,

being preserved on that island from the slau g hter of

D am e and in the hope of obtaining a particular bless
,

ing from the prayers of a monk s congrega t i on which ’

,

has the reputation of extraor dinar y h oliness and h ea

ven l y mindedness
-
.

T h e pop ulation of the Island amo unt s as I was tol d ,

b y the Alaca to 3 5 0 souls consisting of monks priests

, , , ,

scholars and servants Before the G allas abri d ged

, .

T 2
4 12 T R AD I T I O N R ESPE C T I N G T E C L A H AI M A N OT .

them of the ancient benefits the pop ulation amounted ,

to upward of 1 000 soul s

. .

Abba Salama who converted the H a iki an s to Chris

,

t i an i ty brought a T abot (holy ark ) from Jerusalem

,

with m any other curiosities such a s pieces of the Cross , ,

of Christ an d the sponge m entioned in the Gospels

,

but King Zara Jacob sent these things to the high

-

mount Ge sh an o of which I shall speak after w ard

, .

A buna Y a s o o s w ho came 4 00 y ears after the H a iki an s

,

had been converted to Christianity blessed the lake by ,

expelling all the evil S pirit s residing in the water .

T hese took flight and establishe d their residence in the

lake Ardib b o .

It may be expected that the most celebrated Abys

sinian Saint T ecla H aim an o t cannot be missing in a
, ,

place where the i g norant s uperstitiou s an d cun ning , ,

priesthood wants his m iracles to give some ad di tional

holiness to the place to deceive t he simple lay man
,
-
,

and to cover their hypocris y w ith the co w l of an odd

fellow like T ec la H aim an o t When he arrived on the .

western shore of the l ake he pulled o f fh i s shoes and

, ,

walked o n the water like Christ did as mentioned in

the Gospel of St Ma tth ew A rose tree grew up on
i

. .
-

the spot where he h ad l eft hi s shoes T h e large pitch er .

,

in w hich T ecla H ai m an Ot brewed his be er is still exist ,

ing and also the place where h e prepared hi s bread .

B oth obj ects were show n to m e T h e ve s sel has been .

manufactured from iron which is co vered with clay , ,

and preserved from falling o f fby means of a skin tied

4 14 AC C OU NT OF THE M O N K S, & C .

nom o f the Con v ent I have obtained fro m the Alaca

y ,

the following information —E ach friar receives daily

one cake of bread from the common baker w ho receives ,

the meal w ood & c from the common stock ; and a

, ,
.
,

q uantit y of beer from the common bre who use w here the ,

vessel of T ecla H aim an o t still renders excellent servi ce .

T h e common funds are very scanty at present so that

if an individual should w ant more he mu st provide i t ,

at his o wn expen ce but these additions must b e pre

pared publicl y in the common bakehou s e o r bre whou se ,

to w hich the materials mu st be delivered T hey are .

not allo w ed to prepare food & c in their o w n hou ses,

.

and if any w ere to transgress this regul ation he w oul d ,

be excommun icated b y the A l aca Clothes are also .

given from the common stock E ach Monk has a S hare .

in the lands which are how ever at pr es en t in the

, , ,

hands of the Gallas T hese lands are heredi t ary b ut

.

the son cannot obtain the share of his father unless he ,

become a Monk A married man may live a long time

.

o n the Island ; b ut as soon as he turns Monk he mu st ,

divorce his w ife Priests and D eacons are not bound to

.

do this but the y must leave their wives o n shore an d ,

only V isit them at certain tim es E ach Monk o r P riest .

has a few boys whom he u ses as his servants and edu

, ,

cates for priests or mon k s that they m ay be received

,

into the O rder of the Convent and become sharers in ,

the common benefits T h e principal business of the

.

friars is to say the pray ers prescribed by their book

Strangers and visitors are accommodated at the p ublic
 OF THE C O NV E NT OF H AI R . 4 15

expen c e but they c an onl y be introduced b y the Alaca

; ,

whose ser vants w atch on shore and inform him o f the ,

arri val of V isitors T his is particularl y the b u sine s s of

.

the ste w ard whom the Alaca has located in the V illage
,

o fD ebra Mariam to which a stranger has first to go

, .

T hen the ste w ard cries o ut from the shore to the Island ,

where other servants of the Alaca have to w atch .

T h e leaders of the whole establishment are as follo w

1 T h e head Ofthe whole island
. 2 T h e A l ac as of . .

the Church and Convent 3 Afa Mamer 4 Me g ab i . . . . .

5. Safari 6 T amaki E ach is s ubj ect to the person

. . .

superior to himself .

T here may be abo ut 1 00 houses each being for a ,

Monk wi th a fe w boys E ach house has a little garden

, .
,

s urrounded by a fence T h e streets are very narrow ;

.

b ut the whole appearance of the I sland which I should , ,

think is about 5 000 feet abo ut the level of the sea

, ,

certainl y af fords some of the finest scenery in Abyssinia .

T h e climate is very agreeable being neither too hot nor ,

to o cold T h e heat is al wa y s tempered by the sea

.

breeze Indeed the I sland appears to be s uitable for

.
,

persons who wish to live a sorrowless life w hich is the

principal thing desired b y an Ab y ssinian saint or mon k .

I V ere these Islanders real Christians in their doctrines

and lives the y w ould undoubtedly be able to contribute
,

a g reat deal to t he propagation of Christianit y in Abys

s inia and beyond it but at pre s ent the y are in my ,

j udgment com p lete h y pocrites being a proud ignorant

, , ,

b eggar like raving and worldly minded peopl e wh o

-
, ,
-
,
4 16 ACC O UN T OF T H E M O NK S ,

cannot be th e s a l t of th e e a r th All m y conversation

.
,

tending to the reception of the Word of God and the ,

conversion of o ur hearts to the living God and Saviour ,

were instantl y counteracted by their turning the dis

cours e to the miracles of their saints t o the san ctity of ,

the Convent in consequence of T ecla H aim an o t having

,

resided on the islan d an d to begging for property

, .

T h e A laca D ebil l e is the b est o fall being less ignorant

,

and less beggar like H e is respected by the G allas

-
.
,

whom he knows ho w to treat properly H e is ver y Open .

to explanations derived from the light of the pure Word

of God I dare say that he would have liked me t o
.

stay with him for so m e ti m e : indeed he requ ested m e ,

to do so although there was no prospect of his bein g

,

re w arded for h i s hospitality as I was without any means

, .

A quantit y of the Holy Scriptures might be deposited

on the I s land as people from all quarters of Aby s sinia
,

are contin uall y flocking to the Convent and as the ,

route to T igré leads by w ay of H aik which is only ,

s even or ten day s j ourney distant from Ankobar

’
.

I have for g otten to rem ark above that the raft s ,

crossing over to the m ain land are every evening placed

on the Island for the sake of precaution ; S O that the
islanders are alw ay s secured ag ainst a sudden attac k .

A fter sun set the rowers cea s e fro m work T hey loo s en
-
.

t hen the ropes and take the reed s to the Island where ,

they tie them up again on the next morning when ,

the y are qui te dry A stran g e N avy indeed which is

.
,

to be seen here i n its first and weak beginning !

4 18 D EP A R T U R E FR OM L A K E H AI K .

from the island to the main land the rafts not moving ,

on Saturday and S unday o n acco unt o f the sanctity of

,

these day s I w anted to pass the night in the hou se

.

of a D ebtera but he positivel y refuse d me saying , ,

that he w as too poor to gi ve me an y thing to eat in the

eve n ing I kne w that he told me a falsehood T o
. .

speak the truth the H aiki an s ha ve not recommended

,

themselves in treating me properly except the Alaca ,

D eb ill e altho ugh the y kno w me ver y w ell from A nko

,

bar and w ould be certain o f a g ood re w ard on my

,

ret ur n to S hoa .

I first despatched three o f my servants with letters

to Sh e a as I could not take them all to Massowah
,
.

It was a heartfelt sight when the three men too k

leave of me having been companions from the begin
,

ing of m y tribulation T hey w ept excessively and I

.
,

could not mysel f refrain from shedding tears T he y .

then w ent do w n o n their knees begging for pardon , ,

if they had given O f fence in an y way ; and then req uir

ed a bl ess in g from me T hese moments w ill not very
.

soon be ef faced from m y memory T he y w ere ex .

t re m ely sorry for m y sending them back although ,

t he y knew that I co ul d not pro vide for them o n the

road At last they went thei r way and w e prosecuted
.
,

ours in the direction of north east but being already

-

too late to go a considerable distance w e w ent t o the ,

village Bora in the district W o r dai distant about five

, ,

m i les from the lake Here w e found a D ebtera who

.
,

received u s kindl y and provided us w ith whatever his

 H IG H M O UN T A I N S OF BOR A . 419

circumstances woul d admit H e is the onl y Christian

.

fl
inhabitant of the place all the others being Mah om e
,

dans ; I sh al l not forget to re w ard him if he comes t o

An kobar as he has done his dut y to ward his fellow
,

crea tur e in afi ction and povert y H e stated that h e .

had seen me at Ank obar and that he w as glad of

,

havi ng been enabled to render me a little ser vice and ,

of making hi s personal acquaintance w ith me .

Several high mountains w ere Visible in the neigh

b o urh o o d of Bora to the north and north w est the -
,

highest of which is Sag erat on the northern foot of

,

which the river Ba shil o w as said to rise T h is would .

not be far from the sources of the Berko n a S agarat .

belongs to the territory of Imam L iban and the source s ,

were to b e placed b etween the territory of Iman L iban

and that of Y e eh o o I have no doubt that the high
.

mountain of S ag arat and the whole ridge of hill s

,

branching to so uth and north form the w ater shed in,

this part of E astern Ab y ssinia and is e vidently the ,

contin uation of the famo u s range of mo untains which

I have frequentl y mentioned in m y Jour nal .

T eh o o l a der e is said to have derived its name from a

priest called T eclo coming from God and w ho lived
, ,

in t he co unt ry before the Gallas had taken possession

of it A s he was a man of great influence and princi
.
,

pall y feared and respected for his magical reputation ,

the country w as called T eh o o l a dere the word T eclo ,

havi ng been corrupted into T eh o o l A dare is for A dar a .

-
he rested — passed hi s time —T ec l o o A dare — T ecl o
4 20 THE R I V ER M ILLE
‘

passed his tim e (in th is country) P erhaps the whole .

s tor y has been contrived by an idle monk of Haik in ,

order to give more celeb rity to the Convent w hich had ,

formerly enj oy ed an influential man like T eclo In .

general th e learned Aby ssinians bein g fond of m ys ti

,

c al interpretations are prompt to find out a meanin g

,

for every thing unconcerned whether their explanation

,

is affec ted or forces a laugh or not

,
.

Ap r i l 9 1 8 4 2 — T hi s m orning about six o clock we

’
, , ,

left Bora and our kin d host D ebt era A tko o H e gave us
,
.

s ome provisions for the road F rom Bora we had to .

descend a little into the pretty valley of the river Mille ,

which rises on the northern end of the m ountain Mofa ,

and runs toward the country of the A dal s T his river .

separates the territory of T eh o ol a dere from that of A m

bas s el and Y eeh o o T h e course of t he river Mille to
.

the east and tha t of the river B ash il o in the we st ,

,

sho w s that the mo untains of Mo fa and S a g arat form

the watershed and are the continuation of the famous
,

ran g e which surrounds E astern Abyssinia li k e a girdle .

In th e eas t of this range y ou enj oy a milder climate ,

which gets h ot t he m ore you descend toward the coun

try Oft he D an akil T his descent takes place over little
.

hills and valley s almost i m passable on account of thorns

and other kind s of wood .

We crossed the river Mille about seven o clock It ’

.

runs through a most beautiful valley being rich in ,

trees and grass and a g ood soil for c ultivation ; but

,

n ot w iths t anding this the valley i s neither cultivated

,
42 2 THE M OU N T A I N A MB AS S E L .

Mah o m e dan Most Of his subj ects have turned Maho

.

m e dan s . H e is completel y independent as no Ab y s ,

sini an force c an compel him to make s ubmission to an y

o n e of the principal r ulers o f Abyssinia H e show s .

ho w ever great attachment to the Muh am e do i e to ,

. .

Iman L iban who is considered the head Of the Ma

,

h o m e dan part y Ali Boroo has latel y sent a detach

.

m ent of troop s to assist the Im am against the invading

forces o fBerro o Alig as and of his brother F aris Gover ,

nor o fY e eh o o (not E dj o o ) .

T h e mo untain Am b as s el has several high and pro

minent peaks and extends from south to n orth with
,

a little east It is about nine or t w elve miles in extent

.

from so uth to north Its banks in man y places resem

.

ble w alls of an immense hei ght and I doubt whether ,

the ball of a cannon of the best calibre would reach

the top o f the mount T his stronghold w o uld be of
.

the most decided importance in a better militar y s y s

tem o fAb y ssinia i n order to secure its eastern fron
,

tiers against the Gallas an d D anakil who co uld be ,

conquered with the greatest ease b y a small detach

ment o fregul ar troop s starting from Am bass el In .

general my road from Shoa to T igre has convinced me

,

that E astern Ab y ssinia is almost unconquerable and ,

would be so if its r ulers once adopted the E uropean

military s y stem .

Having crossed the river Mille w e entered into the ,

districts of Seeba an d G o o m b i sa thro ugh w hich the ,

Mille r uns whereupon it is lost in the sandy deserts

,
 AR R IVE AT W OR R A K A LL O . 42 3

of A del Both di stricts belong to the tribe o fAmbas

.

sel Having passed the district of Seeba w e traversed

.
,

the district of VVo o ch al e in which w e travelled through

,

a village called b y the strange name S ekd at teh erk -

.

O n enquiring after its meaning I learn ed that the ,

inhabitants formerly used and manufactured clothes

from the w ool of black sheep which is called in ,

A mharic S ekd at but having become acquainted with

co t ton and the manufacturing of it the y relinquished ,

the u s e of black clothes w hich the y then c onsidered as

,

T e h erk i e rags ; th u s dishonouring the improved state

,
. .

of the skill of their countrymen Having t raversed .

W o o ch al e we came to the district of Worra Kallo in

Y eeh o o w hich m u st be well di stingu ished fr om I V o rra
,

Kallo in the W0 110 countr y w hich is governed b y ,

B erro o L o o b o as I have stated above

,
.

l V e halted a l ittle in Worra Kallo in order to beg

for some provisions a s we w ere very hun gry In a
,
.

vi llage
,
called L e eb s o w e met tw o Mah o m edan s who
, ,

had lately arrived from their pil grimage to Mecca .

T hey spoke favo ura bl y of the E uropeans whom the y

had seen in Masso w ah and Jidda T h e large Indian .

vessels had particularl y astonished them O ne of the .

H adj ees asked wh y the Christians did not allo w a

,

w oman who had brought fort h a child to go o ut of her

house before fort y day s had elapsed I replied that .
,

t his was an A b y ssinian practice derived from the ,

Je wi sh law which was not Observed b y us except s o

, ,

far as the N ew T es t ament approved of it T his matter .

4 24 K I N D R E C EP T I O N IN THE

led u s to an explanation Ofthe di f ference bet ween the

w ord of man an d that of God I w as sorry that I .

could no t give him an Arabic Bible as he understood ,

the A rabic langu age prett y w ell .

A s it w as late when w e arrived in the village and ,

having been overtaken b y a vi olent rain w e took the ,

liberty of entering into the n earest house on the way

side and asked the proprietor for a night s lodging
,
’
.

H avi ng entered the hou se I obser ved a tall man nearly ,

naked sitting on the ground in his room His long

,
.

black hair dark face grave posture and in fact his

, , , , ,

whole appearance gave me the i m pre s sion of a head

’
breaker and hangm an s servant fr om whom w e had
, ,

l ittle to exp ect H e looked upon u s wi t h fierce and

.

ferocious eyes and did not s peak a word nor return

, ,

our salutation I was really a little afraid of h im

. .

H owever I attempted to gain his heart by enterin g

,

into a conversation show ing no sor t of fear I first

, .

related the di sastrou s occurrence with A dam Bille ,

which af fected him so much that he became more open ,

and familiar an d felt some com passion for our af

,
flicted
condition I asked for a night s lodging when he
.
’
,

ordered me to sit do w n on a S kin which he him self

fl
s pread on the ground and bid his w ife prepare supper, .

When this was ready he invited m e and my servan t s

,

to partake of it which consisted of a fiery pepper soup

, ,

r a w m eat and te bread While w e sat at table he

,
-
.
,
.

s everal times made excuses for not being able to t reat

u s be t ter as he had been obliged to leave his country
‘

,
426 D EP A R TU R E F R OM L E E B s o .

on e day w e w ere entirel y di sappointed that I shoul d

, ,

n o t care an xiousl y for the w ants o f the next day .

A pr i l 1 0 1 8 42—E arly this morning w e departed

,

from L eeb so moving tow ard Mersa a celebrated village

, , ,

inhabited chiefly by merchants of the Y ech o o country ,

into which w e entered y esterday afternoon o n arr ivin g

at Worra Kallo H aving proceeded o n o ur w ay for
.

about half an hour we w ere overtaken b y a heavy rain ,

w hich comp el led us to seek for shelter under trees no ,

hous e being visible in the whole neighbourhood T h e .

second rain y season — bet w een F ebruar y and April

appears to be heavier in these regions than in Shoa .

P erhap s the mountaino u s cou ntr y which must be al w ay s

,

clouded contrib utes to this phenomenon

,
It is a fa ct .
,

that where there is high land in Shoa the rains are ,

more frequ ent and heavier We w ere in a large valle y

.
,

a complete wilderness though it might nour ish man y

,

tho usand of inh abitants T h e acacia trees and b u shes

.
-

w ere in such ab un dance that w e lost o ur road several

times and w ere entirel y at a loss ho w to extricate o ur
,

selves T h e mountains arou n d w ere quite clouded so

.
,

that w e w ere un able to fin d and correct o ur di rection ,

w hich w as pointed o ut to u s b y o ur kin d host at L eeb so _

.

We did not kno w whether w e shoul d not fall into the “

h ands of the Gal las an d D anakils who dw ell o n the ,

ea stern end of the wi lderness ; or whether w e sho uld

b e attacked by ferocio u s beasts against which w e had
,

no weapons o f defence F ortunatel y how ever the rain

.
, ,

ceased and th e clouds w ere di spelled and with these

, ,
 CR O SS T H E R I VER E R G E BB O . 427

o ur mbarrassments w ere di spersed as w e c oul d no w

e ,

distinguish the mountain w hich w e sho uld p ursue i

.

H owever the violent rain had made the sl igh t soil so

,

slipper y that I fr equ entl y fell do wn T h e vapourou s air

,
.

besides and the thorns made o ur w alki ng ver y i n co n

v en i e n t .

A bout nine o clock we crossed th e river E rgebbo

’
,

which runs to the coun tr y of A del as is the case w ith ,

all the rivers rising in the east of the famous range of

mo untains in E astern Ab y ssinia P robabl y there is a .

large river do w n belo w toward the country o fA del a ,

river which may take up all the rivers brooks and , ,

rills of which w e passed several since w e passed the

,

river Mill e y esterday T his river which probabl y r e

.
,

c e ive s the w aters of Y eeh o o L asta and Ago w is most

, , ,

likely the upper course of the river A nazo marked on

the maps It may be t he general conductor o fthe
.

mighty reservoir of water which is contained in the

mountain range so frequently men t ioned T he H a .

wash takes u p all the w aters coming from the east

of the water shed of S h oa and YVo rra Kallo ; why
should we not therefore be allo w ed to suppose that ,

a companion of the H a w ash takes up the n umero u s

wa t er tributes o fY e ch o o and L asta collects these tri ,

butes to one common stock and conve y s them to the ,

coast ; b ut that the long j ourney through the sand of

A del prevents it from reaching the R e d or Indian Sea ,

a s i s al s o the ca s e with the Hawash H ad I been able .

t o take my ro ute through the co unt ry of the ferociou s

428 H AR A C T E R
'
FE R C CI o I s C

R aia Gallas as I intended to do I should have o h

, ,

t ain e d more particulars for or agains t this Opinion .

T h e Gallas have int ruded them selves around the

whole eastern girdle of Abyssinia bet w een the D anakil ,

and Abyssinians T hey live at enmit y wi th both these

.

nations although they have adopted the Mah o m e dan

,

religion In the east of t he great plain which w e tra

.

versed there are several tribes which pay tribute to the

,

Governor of Y e eh o o 3 namely the Chorr e L ogana and

, , ,

B o o rra tribes It mu st be observed that the Y e ch o o s

.
,

are not Gallas nor P agans as it would appear from Mr

,
.

Bruce s work At least at present they are Christians

’
.
, , ,

and Speak Amharic and I di d not find that their fea

t ures are the same w ith other Gallas P robably Mr . .

Bruce who although th e best w riter on Abyssinia yet

, ,

is som etimes greatly m istaken took those tribes which ,

are dependent on Y e eh o o for Y e ch o o s themselves In .

the north of these tribes tow ard L ast a and A gau are
the An a and R aia Gallas who could not be subj ected
,

by the Abyssinians on account of their m ountains ,

which appeared from a di s t ance to extend to the very

sky T h e R aia Gallas of whom I shall speak fre
.
,

quently hereafter are the m ost ferocious set of people

, ,

pl underin g an d murdering for the sa k e of pleasure .

T hey are divided into s everal small tribes which dwell ,

in the higher and lo w er countries of their mountains .

T h e mountain ridge which the y inhabit probably ex ,

tends a hundr ed miles from the south to north east - .

T here the y w atch the opport unity of carry in g terror

4 30 R E M AR K S ON

to the great w ealth which the y enj o y T he y have every .

thing that an Abyssm 1an w ants in abundance T hey .

have a beauti ful soil for cultivation a soil w hich w ill ,

produce all that the y w ant .

H aving been in c irc umstances which rendered me

independent as w ell as entirel y dependent on Abyssi
,

nian hospitality I am able I think to be a competent

,

j udge of W hat that hospitalit y is w hich b y man y writers

,

has been overrated A s long as yo u have propert y an d

.
,

appear to be a great m an in their e y es y ou will be w ell ,

received every where as the y c alculate upon a payment

,

more th an double the valu e o fw hat yo u receive T he y .

also expect that the stranger will give a handsom e pre

sent in r eturn If h e does not give a present he w ill
.
,

certainl y not m eet with a civil recept i on shoul d he

come again to the hou se of the same host Ab y ssinian .

hospitalit y is intended in most cases w ith the vi e w of

, ,

obtaining great profit It is tru e that in Shoa and in

.
,

some other places a travell er has little to reflect ho w he

shall re w ard his host he being compelled b y ro y al
’

orders to treat the stran ger well If yo u are a poor

,
.

man yo u may in some cases be w ell received b ut the

,

Ab y ssinian in his hospitalit y merel y seeks his o w n in

fl
’
t ere s t .H e gives yo u to eat and drink for his soul s
sake as he say s T h e Ab y ssinians believe that if they
,
.

give a fe w loaves of bread an d s ome horns of beer to

an aficted stranger God w ill admit them to His par
,

tic ul ar favour and that H e w ill forgive all their sins

,
.

O thers w ill receive yo u for the sake o f curiosit y a s ,

 A B Y SSI N I A N H O SPI T A L I T Y 4 31

the y perhaps seldom or ever see a w hite man believing ,

that he comes from Jerusalem T hey think that the .

reception o f s uch a stranger into their hou se wi ll

give them an Opportunity o f asking qu estions about
this hol y cit y questions which are sometimes so
foolish and childi sh that yo u c an scarcel y listen to
,

them When the stranger leaves the house he must

.
,

give a blessing which in the opinion of Ab y ssinians

, , ,

has a par tic ular e f

fect against dev ils gins ants locusts , , , ,

mice fami ne w ar sickness & c becau se he came from

, , , , .
,

Jeru salem O thers will give y ou food or a lodging

.
,

for the night becau se the y expect medi cine from y ou

, .

O thers perhaps will receive yo u because as they s ay , , ,

y ou have no father nor mother nor relations in the

, ,

country T hese are the principal motives o fAb y ssinian

.

hospitality .

An d then what do the y give y o u ?

,
P erhap s the y
wil l allo w y ou to sleep in a stable with their cattle
perhaps they will give yo u some teffbread an d pepper -

soup which almost sets your lips on fire ; or perhaps

,

they w ill give yo u a fe w horns of h y dromel and beer .

But they wi ll never slaughter a sheep when y ou come

to them in a poor appearance ; though if y ou appear
to be rich the y w ill not hesitate to slaughter the best
,

sheep and largest bullock as the y are certain o frec eiv ,

ing double the val ue Whoever goes to Ab y ssinia .

,

should be warned against relying o n the hospitality of

the c unning Abyssinians I t is better if yo u have your.

o wn means but i f y o u lose these yo u m ust not despair ,

4 32 A B Y SSI N I A N H O SPI T A L I T Y .

as you will fin d under God s direc t ion as much as y ou

’

, ,

absolutely want till yo u reach the coast T his is my .

impartial Opinion of Ab y s s inian hospitalit y which I ,

have experienced in good and bad days D o not rely .

o n Abyssinian hospitality but make yourself as inde

,

pend en t o f it as yo u c an ; but if yo u must rel y on it ,

you may be sure that you will find what yo u w ant daily ,

till you c an help y ourself .

If a traveller shoul d fail in procurin g his dail y food

from the inhabitants o f a village th rough which he
passes it is advi s able for him to go to the church of th e
,

p lace which
,
m ust feed a stranger who is a Christian .

Y o u may go there without an y he s itation because most ,

chur ches have the benefit of lands for that purpose .

Y o u sit do w n at the entrance— called D echa Salama

till the priests as k yo u what yo u want At all events .
,

’
they cannot refu se y ou a n ight s lodging if they should ,

be wi cked enough to give yo u no food But if yo u Once .

obtain a lodging for the night y ou ma y then go through

,

the village and find a little bread or some hog s beans ’

with which y ou must be content if you wish to travel

in Abyssinia T h e good water and healthy cli mate w i ll
.

m ake up for the comf orts of other countries In gene .

ral it is customary for a traveller to sit down on the

grou n d at public places where the villagers c an see you ,

and if an y one wil l receive yo u he will come and c alI,

yo u. Should y ou w ait however for a considerable time

without havi ng been called by an y one yo u m a y then ,

attempt to ask for a lodging in a h ou se y ou choose ;

4 34 SI N G UL A R C U ST O M OF THE Y E C H OO W O M EN .

first pow er of Africa and its flo urishing state would be

,

Of the most decided advantage to E uropean s pec ul ators

of all kin ds .

Moving to w ard Mersa w e met multitude s of people

,

going to the market of G o o b h ara a vil lage throu g h ,

which w e had passed yesterday I ob served a very .

strange custom of the Y eeh o o w omen whom we m et on

the road T hey either t ur ned backward or turned
.
,

their faces to the g round Stan di ng still on the way side

,
-
.

Belie ving that this arose from the fear which the y had
at seeing a white man or that it was a trace of modesty
,

customary in their tribe I inquired the reason ; and

,

I learned that in doing so they request a blessing from

,

the traveller who has to addr ess the m wi th the w ords :

,

May God have mercy upon yo u ; or May He bless ,

and preserve I observed afterward almost the

same custom in the Wag country though only in the ,

male sex .

I have already mentioned that the i m mense plains ,

of the Y e eh o o country w oul d admit a more n umerous

population ; but on examining thi s matter m ore ful l y I ,

foun d that they leave them uninhabited on p urpose .

T hese plains w hich are complete w ildernesses are nar

, ,

ro w i n the w est toward the foot of the m ountains but ,

very considerable in breadth toward the east and the

Galla countr y T horns an d other kinds of w ood gro w
.

up on these plains in such ab undance that y o u c an ,

scarcel y find your road th rough this thorny wi lderness ,

which is dreaded o n this account b y large w ild beasts .

 M A NN E R OF P L A NT I N G PEPPE R . 4 35

T hus naturally fortified against the inroads of the Galla s

of the east on points where t he only entrance is presented
to these savages the Y eeh o o people do not feel inclined
,

to d eprive themselve s of this thorn y stron ghold by

means of cultivation for which they have room enough
,

in other places Beside s the cultivation of s uch a

.
,

wil derness woul d require g reat exertions which the ,

laz iness of the Aby s sinians will not attempt unle s s ,

the u t most necessit y co m pels them T h e climate in .

these plains is beautiful neither too hot nor t oo cold

,

the ai r being always refreshed by the winds blowi n g

from the mountains T here i s plen t y of water poured
.

out from the vein s of the neighbour ing m ountains .

About t w elve o cloc k we crossed the river Mersa

’
,

whi ch carried in its narrow bed s uch a m a ss of water

that w e had great di fficulty in passing the river T h e .

heavy rain which fell thi s m orning had caused this

swelling of the river which at other times cannot have
,

m uch water Much cotton i s planted on the banks of

.

the river But I was particularly str uck with the m an

.

ner i n which the natives plant t heir red pepper T hey .

di g small pieces of ground near t he river w hich they ,

s urroun d by a fence In t his the youn g pep per pl ant

.

is placed and covered wi t h reeds which however do no t

, ,

touch the top of the plants as they s tand very close,

toge t her T hese reeds are frequently s p rin kled with

.

water which drop down on the plants g radually T hi s

,
.

treat m ent eviden t ly contribute s to the s pee d y and lux

u ri an t growth of the plant When it has g rown abo ut
.

U 2
4 36 AR R IVE AT T H E V I LL A G E OF M ER SA :

a foot in height it is transplanted into another tract of

,

ground I was told that a pep per plantation of onl y

.
,
-

about ten or t w elve feet in circumference will bring in ,

to th e proprietor a revenue of two or four dollar s a s ,

he i s enabled to plan t a larg e field with the previou s

produce of but a small garden .

H aving crossed the river Mersa we immediately s aw ,

the villa g e of the same nam e before us We had al .

ready been m ade aw are that Christian merchants resided

in this village ; but my principle was not to inquire
much on my own account about the relig iou s dif feren
c e s of a place as the principal thin g that I wanted was
,

such ho s pitality as woul d s ati s fy my nece s sary daily

wants and because m y duty as a m essenger of God s
,
’

Word should be exerted toward Christian s as well a s

Mah o m e dan s without an y predilection or choice of my
,

own I could com pare m ys elf with the birds of the

.

wi lderness which w ithout any choice or kno wledge fly

, , ,

to the branch of a tree they happen to reach and gene ,

rall y find o u the ground below what is requisite for

them In the same manner I went into the next house
.

and accepted with than k s giving whatever was presented

to me for my bodily wants an d wherever the L ord gave
m e an open door and an Open heart to deliver the mes

sage o f Hi s Word I spoke freely of H i s infinite grace

,

and love to sinner s revealed i n Christ without asking

, ,

whether the peo ple of the house were Mah o m e d an s or

Christians .

We entered into a little house in M ersa close to the

4 38 C O N V E R S AT I O N W ITH MAH OME D A NS .

While w e w ere enj oying oursel ves with what was

given b y our hostess several Mah o m e dan s entered the
,

room O ne of them began the con versation b y asking

.
,

whether I knew at what ti m e God would send them

either fam ine or cheapness I said that God kept this .
,

secret to him s elf and that whoever S hould attempt to

,

disclose it by means of his natural know ledge wou ld ,

t ur n a liar and of f
end God besides he w ould lead his ,
”
fello w creatures to unwarrantable errors
-
Well then .
,

t he Mah o m e d an s replied thus yo u kno w nothing

,

” ” “
about this subj ect N o I said nothing at all but
.
, ,

I kno w about another more i m portant fam ine and

cheapness of our soul s of which I am going to tell ,

”
y ou . I then spoke about the natural corruption of
sinful m an who unless he seeks for his salvation throu gh
,

Jesus Christ the only S aviour w ill be lost for ever

, , .

W hile I was conversing w ith these people , a Mah o m e

1

dan Sheik came in H e first said to me Shave y ou r

.
,

head . T his led us to the sam e topics on which I had

j ust been speaking ; but the Sheik interrupted us by ,

addr essing our hostess an d requestin g her to send us

away She said that she w ould not do S O as w e w ere
.
, ,

an af flicted people I said Why do you trouble the

.
,

woman on my account because I am a Christian ? If

o u believed what our Gospel say s H e w h o Z o v e th G o d
y ,

l o ves h i s br o th er a ls o — yo u w o uld not say what y ou

”
have . H e then arose and walked o f fin anger .

Another Mah o m e d an who came in i m m e di atel y got ,

aff ecte d when I returned his salutation in the Amharic

 S U PE R S T I T I O U S C US T O M . 439

words yemas ghen —May God be praised

E g s ia b h e r
T h e Mah o m e d an s although the y onl y speak A mharic
, ,

wi ll never use an y other expression than the A r ab i c

“ ”
E l hamd lill ah in order to di stin guish them selves from
- -
,

t he Christians I then said Whom shall I praise but

.
,

God who dail y does me good in body and mind ; and

,

not only me but also tho s e who do not know Him and
,

b elieve on His Son Jes u s Christ who is the only Savi our ,

”
and Mediator between God and man .

A pr i l 1 1 1 8 4 2 — VV e left o ur k ind hostess about seven

,

0 cloc k A H Before starting I had an opportunity of

’
. .
,

observing a superstitious custom w hich i s common to

Christians as w ell as Mah o m e dan s T h e woman of a . .

neighbour sent to our hostess for the staff of Moses ,

as they call a kind of acacia wood T he y believe that .

a staff of thi s wood s w ung before a woman in labour ,

will considerabl y promote her del ivery Moses is said .

t o h ave used a staf f made of this sort of wood when

he st ruck t he ro ck in the wilderne ss ; and in like man
ner the H oly V irgin is re ported to have u s ed it .

I al s o ob served anot her extravagant superst ition ,

which we could scarcely expect from Mah o m e dan s .

T hey pay great respect to certain trees T here was a .

t ree in Mersa which they particularly hold i n g reat r e

ve r e n c e . My people de s iri ng t o sit do w n under its
shadow were i m m ediately dr iven aw ay lest the A dbar
, ,

s ho uld be angr y A dbar mean s keeper or watchman

.
.

T h e y grease t his t ree and p erfor m religious ceremonie s

,

under i t N obody dare touch or da m age the tree wi t h

.
~
4 40 S U PE R S T I T I O U S O PI N I O N S .

out risking a severe punishment We s aw on our road .

yesterday a large tree a wan z a which was greased

, ,
.

T his superstition is common to Mah o m e d an s and

Christians and partic ul arly to the P agan Galla s from
, ,

whom the Abyssinians appear to have adopted many

heathenish customs and practices T h e Sh o an s acknow .

ledge man y thin g s as A dbar T hus for instance a .

, ,

leo p ard has been frequently s een in the forest of Afer

b e in i near Ankobar on a tree close to the monaster y of
, ,

T ecla H ai m an o t O ne day I expressed a wish to

.

let this bea s t feel the po w er of my rifle ; but the

mon k s having heard that I wished to kill the leopard ,

and t hat I had agreed w ith people to let me kno w when

fl
the beast was on the tree came and beg g ed m e not to
,

de s troy th e leopard a s he wa s an A dbar or protector

, ,

of thei r m onastery I said O n this account I wi sh to

.
,

know w hether he can stan d against m y ri e in order ,

that you m ay give up an idea which is hi ghl y disgrace

ful to a Christia n who shoul d be better instructed from
,
”
the Word of God Many people in Shoa tol d me
.
,

that leopard s are A dbars as they S how the road to fugi

,

t iv e s who endeavour to escape fro m the captivity of the

Galla s Would you imagine that su ch gross supersti
.

tion and i g norance could really exist am on g a Christian

nation I could scarcely b elieve it m y self if I had not
heard the matter from so m any people .

We travelled toward W o l dai a the capital of D ej as ,

j
m a d F aris Governor of Y eeh o o
, O n our road we met .

a n umber o f priests coming from Gondar by way of

4 42 I N H O SPI T A L I T Y OF T H E PE O P L E OF S H E L T E .

answered fWhat have yo u to do in o ur hou se

,
‘
Y ou
cannot stay w ith us we have a sick person in our
”
room w alk o f fimmediately We then went to another
.

house b ut w ith no better s uccess as the proprietor told

, ,

u s that he could not receive any one a s his ho u se w as ,

full of people and cattle We said that w e w ould only

.
,

trouble him for a place to sleep upon at night as we ,

could not S leep in th e open air on account of the rain ,

and as there was no chur ch in the village to which we

could go A s we still went On asking for a night s
.
’

l odging he said I have told you once that I have no

, ,

”
room for yo u therefore yo u must leave m y room .

” “
Well then I said I w ill go and the same God who
, , ,

gives a place to a bird where to rest upon will provide ,

for us While w e w ere talking with the man w e w ere ,

called b y the people who at first exc used themselves with

having a sick man in their house T hey gave us a house .

which was empt y the inhabitants having j oined the ex

,

p j
e dit i o n of D e a sm a d F aris
j We felt very grateful for.

t h e per m ission they gave u s to pass the night in th e h o u se .

Some neighbours having heard from m y servants the

mischief which had befallen us on the road brought ,

a few loaves of bread and a little beer T hey also .

lighted a fire it being cold in consequence of the rain

,

which fell on o ur arrival and warmed some water to ,

w ash o ur feet a m atter which a kind and civil host in

,

Abyssinia dare not overlook .

A pr i l 1 2 1 8 4 2 — A s w e w anted to pass the day in

,

W o ldai a w e w ere in no great h urr y to leave the vi lla g e

,
 M AR K E T OF W OL D A I A . 4 43

of Sh elte \V o l daia being not very distant O n o ur road

, .

we m et a great many people who were goin g to the ,

market which is held this day at W o l dai a T hey came .

from all quarters We saw many hundreds of donke y s

.

and m ul es loaded with salt pieces barle y cloths & c

-
, , ,
.

A dollar is exchanged at W o l dam for thirt y six or forty -

pieces of salt consequentl y double as mu ch as in Sh e a

,
.

I observed that the Y eeh o o language varies in many

t hing s from the Sh o an Am h aric which dif fers in many
,

t hings from t he dialect of Gondar which is considered ,

the p urest Amharic A s to the rest I could understand

.
,

t he people of Y eeh o o as well as the Shoah s I was .

sorry that I di d not see D ej a sm a dj F aris who w as ,

on an expedition with his brother Berr o o Ali ga s agains t

Imam L iban the head of Worra H i m an o B e rro o Aliga s
,
.

and Pari s was the reason of my return to A dara Bille ,

an d n o w I was obliged to go through their country .

Par i s was described as a man of great kindness an d

hos pi t ali ty who if I had seen him woul d have given
,

me a m ule or money At least I was told so b y his

,

s ubjects ; but I do ubt this as he w ould scarcely have

,

gi ven me any thing because I could not give him a

,

present H o w strange are the way s of P rovidence

.

When I did not want him he and his brother were in

,

my way and when I wanted him he w as not at home ,

.

W o l daia is a considerably large town situated in a ,

p lain wit h s li g ht hills It may contain a few thou s and

.

inhabi t ants P ro b ably Pa r is ha s chosen the p lace in

.
,

order t o b e a t ha n d a gainst the inroads of the ea st ern

4 44 UN K I N D N ESS OF T H E N EG AD R AS .

fl
Gallas T h e houses differ but little in construction from
.

those in Shoa .

O n account Ofthe insecur ity of the road we had ,

been a dvised by some people to j oin a c afl a going to

L a s ta and Wag A s we did not know the day of its
.

departure we were told to apply to A tko o the N e gad

,

R a s (head of the merchants) in W o l dai a and to ask ,

hi m about this m atter T r u sting that he would give

.

us the best i n formation and w oul d perhap s allow us to

,

stay in his house a day or two we went to h im ; but ,

we w ere i m mediately refused adm ittance into the house .

H e was s itting in the house yard ; but probably thinking

-

“
that we did not kno w h i m he said T h e N e g ad R as
, ,

”
is on the m arket : he i s not here though the neigh ,

bour s had told us that he was at hom e U pon endea .

vo u r in g again to enter the gates h e cried out and said

,

I have told you once that the N egad R a s is not here .

A t the same time he ordered his servants and many

ferocious dogs to drive us out of his si g ht We w ent .

fl
’
away very sa dl y indeed and grieved at the m an s un
,

c o uth n e s s
. We resolved however to prosecute our
, ,

way without c arin g any more about the departur e of

the eaf la or the in s ecurity of t he road I must c o n .

fe ss that the rude b ehaviour of this man m ade m y hear t

weep ; but at the same ti m e it led m e to cast myself
u pon H i m who is a mercif ul F ather to all those who m

the w orld turn s out and who w as my only friend and

,

protector in an unknown countr y where I had neith er

’
,

friends n o r fun ds .
4 46 A PPE AR A N C E OF THE C O UNT R Y .

us a vessel for making the cof f

ee because it w ould make ,

the vessel unclean .

A fter w e had left W o l da ia w e seldom met Mah o m e ,

dans who are not very numerous in the Christian

,

country of Y eeh o o T hey are still less in the co untr y

.

of L asta and Wag .

Starting fro m the Village of G o o ddo I made the a c ,

qu aintance of a man from the Village of Shal near the ,

district of Angot H e came fro m the market of

.

W o ldai a and was on horseback

,
H e inquired after .

the countr y from which we came and where we were ,

going O n learning that w e came from Shoa he said

.
, ,

T h e Sh o an s are the best Christians of A b y ssinia and ,

their k in g is the best ruler T his remark w as made

by man y people of L as t a Wag and T igre Both the , ,
.

kin g and the people are in favourable rep utation with

the rest of Ab y ssinia T h e king s generosity is kno w n
.
’

every where ; therefore the y flock from all q uarters to

Shoa principally monks and priests
, .

O ur r oad led u S over a very fine country extremel y ,

adapted for cultivation the soil being that of our,

E uropean g ardens In the w est w e had al w ay s the

.

si g ht of high mo untains ranged from south to north

,

and north east About t welve o clock we crossed the

-
.
’

river A l a which rises in these mountains and r un s

, ,

tow ard the country OfA del It carries a considerable .

quanti ty of water in its narro w bed and during the ,

great rainy season must be impassable Being late .

,

and the clou ded peaks of the mo untains menacing the

 ARR IVE AT T H E V I LL A G E OF SH AL . 44 7

approach of rain w e thought it best to look o ut for

,

shelter in due time We beheld the village of Shal

.
,

t he name of which w e had heard previ o usly from the

man whom we had met on the road H e had lef t us .

before we crossed the river Al a We did not kno w .

his name nor did he invite us to pass the night with

,

him nor had w e asked him for an y favour of this ki nd .

O n entering the V illage w hich consists of single ho uses

,

s ca tt ered over a considerable distance it happened that ,

we dir ected o n c o m se to the very hou se belonging to

'

t he man whose acquaintance we had made before H e .

himself had not yet arrived having some business to ,

sett le else w here His w ife w oul d not allow us to take

.

our seats wi t hin t he room before her husband had

given us permission to enter T hus w e waited patiently .

in t he court yard being still unacquainted w ith the

-
,

proprie t or of t he ho use At la s t he came and proved

.
,

t o our astonishment to be the man whom we had met

on t he road We of course depended upon a good
.

reception and treatment as this m an appeared to be ,

af fec t ed to w ard us on the road But we were too ras h .

and sanguine in our expectation for the man frowned

upon us and as k ed w h o had told us that this w as hi s
,

house an d scolded his w ife for having allow ed us t o

,

t a k e shelter in th e house y ard He then m ade apolo -

.

g ie s for be i ng unable to treat a great man like m y self ,

by slau ghterin g a s hee p or bulloc k and advised u s t o ,

t a k e our lodging in th e ch urch which was very far off , ,

an d,
a s we learned aft erward without p riests I ,
.
44 8 C ON VER SA T I O N W ITH A W O M AN
ans w ered that I did not w ish to be treated as a great
,

man ; bu t that I w ould be content with a little food

and a small S pot where to sleep upon H avin g several .

times represented to him that we w ere very tired from

walking — that the rain was approach i ng— that all
other houses were far o f f— that he him self had ex
pressed g reat affection on the road— and that the
Chri s tian R eli g ion commanded hospitality tow ard
Christians in partic ul ar — the man gave in took us into ,

his house and t reated us with a kindness which we

,

did not expe ct after this long dispute T his occurrence .

confirmed m e in the opinion which I had formed on

som e previous occa s ions that a traveller in m y sit ua
,

tion must not be afraid in man y case s of assum in g

fi r m ness and i m portunateness a s the continual begga
,

ries of the Ab y ssinians have rendered the heart of many

givers almost inflexible .

I cannot conclude the description of m y experience s

of this day without mentioning the trul y eminent
,

questions w hich the wife of our host asked me whe n

our conversation had turned to religious matters T h e .

woman having frequently heard me say that we should

live according to the will of God asked em p hatically , ,

”
What is the wi ll of God ? I answered We s hould ,

love God with our whole heart and our fello w creature s
,
-

”
as o ursel ves She then a s ked ; H o w c an we love God ?
.

I repl ied If we see how much God ha s loved us before

,

i n givi ng u s H i s Son Jesus Christ as o ur Saviour and

”
Mediator . W h o is Jesu s Christ S h e asked ; and
45 0 DIS T R I C T OF SAN K A .

T h e di strictof San ka s uf fered much in w ar a fe w

years ago when D ej aj F aris was fighting against his
,

rival D ej aj B e do o l F ari s had been im prisoned by

.

Ha s Al i in D ebra T abor but he found m eans to escape

from prison and to ret urn to Y eeh o o w hich had been ,

given by the Ha s to B e do o l d uring the cap t iv ity of

F aris T his brave warrior had scarcel y arr ived in his
.

former territory when most of his subj ects j oined his

,

party H e gave Be do o l a bat tle in Sanka and killed

.

him ; b ut he b urnt at the same t ime the V illages

around .

A bout ten o clock we fin i s hed our tiresome work of

’

ascen di ng to the higher country We rested a little .

o n a spot where t w o high w ays requ est the traveller

,

to decide which he will choose for his j ourney T h e .

nor t h w estern high w ay lead s to L alibala and Gondar

-

while the north eastern road wi ll bring y ou to S okota

-

and Antalo H ad I been furnished w ith proper means

.
,

I w oul d have changed my mind an d t aken the route

to L alibala and Gondar as I h a d more than one motive ,

to see the latter town ; b ut m y miser y and af fli ction

compelled me to prosecute the north eastern route -

toward T igre as this would lead me quicker to Mas

,

s o w a h the end of my j o urney

,
.

H aving scarcely proceeded on o ur march again aft er

the rest we had taken on a sudden w e heard the ,

outcry of several men run n ing in a hurry after u s .

B earing in mind the dreadful remembrance of Adara

’
Bille s robber y w e thought of no other occurrence
,
 ACC U SAT I O N AGA INST MR . K R AP F . 45 1

than that we should now be entir ely deprived of the

rest of our property which the generosity of o ur robber
,

had left on our bodies T h e men ca m e on and requested

.

us to retm n to the place where w e had rested as there

'
,

were j ud g es who would decide on the crime w hich w e

had committed O n asking what we had done we
.
,

were told that we had persuaded four S laves at Sh elte

to run away fro m their master ; and that these sla ve s
must either be w ith u s or that w e must know where,

they had gone to P erceivi ng that the matter had no

.

reference to our bein g plundered and observing the ,

p eople r unning to g ether from the fields to stop us I ,

complied with their dem and and returned in good ,

confidence that I could prove my innocenc y in this

accusation . O n returning to the place where th e
j udge s were the accusation was repeated b y the people
,

of Sh elt e saying that I was the brother of the Abuna

, , ,

to whom the s lave s belonged T h e Abuna had a num .

ber of Shangalla slaves with him when he was in the

camp of U b ea in Be g e m e der but w hen U b ea w as i m
’
risoned by er r o o Al i g a s troops the A b una s slaves
’

p B ,

were also i m prisoned by the Y e eh o o soldiers w ho ,

per formed th e achievement of U b ea s captur e T h e ’

.

sold i er who im p risoned th e slaves of th e Abuna was

a native of Sh el te and according to the Ab y s s inia ,

right of war he had taken them home T h e s laves

,
.

having d isappeared j ust at th e time w hen I w as in

Sh e l te t he p eo p le s aid that nobod y could have persuaded
, ,

the m but m yself bein g th e brother of the Abuna

,
.
 ’
45 2 MR . K R A PF S R EP L Y .

A gainst this impeachment I advanced first a n , ,

abrid g ed narrative of the whole of my j ourney from

Shoa particularly of m y accident with A dara Bille
, ,

a narrative which at once gained the heart of my

j udges ; secondly I explained that slavery accordi ng
, ,

the Word Of God is a crim e against mankind and

, ,

therefore strongly forbidden in my country ; thir dl y ,

that I had neither seen nor conversed with slaves in

S h elt e ; fourthly that my host in Shal wi th w hom I
, ,

had passed the previous night could w itness that I ,

had nobody with me except m y o w n servants whom ,

the y had seen in Shal ; and la s tly that t hey had not ,

found here an increased number of m y party Both .

j udges and accusers seemed to feel the force of these

arguments and the quarrel ended by the j udges de
,

c l ar i n g us excommunicated if w e had not spoken the

truth .

D isagreeable and anno ying as this occurrence w as to

us y et it turned to o ur great advantage for had we
,

not been detained w e sho ul d have t raversed the di s trict

,

of Angot and then we should not have found a villag e

,

on the road be fore night in a cold and dangerous ,

wildernes s T hus frequentl y m any circumstances are

.

insignifi cant and disa g reeable but in cour se of ti m e are

,

found t o be very providential indeed 0 that my .

heart w ere more thankful to Him whose gracious hand ,

was to be seen so manifestly dur ing the indescribable

misery and distress of my j ourney
We w ere no w in Angot w hich appears to be a large
,
45 4 AR R I VE AT THE
Gallas T h e beauty of the prospect w hich I had of thi s
.

plain and th e high mountains of the R aias bey ond is

, ,

trul y indescribable T h e plain must be very considera

.

ble in breadth and a river runs through it from what I

,

could see and learn from the natives If this be true .

,

and I believe it is it must be the river Mille mentioned

,

above T his I suppose takes up all the waters of the

.
, ,

Y e eh o o mo untains an d r uns bet w een Angot and the

,

R aia mountains north east east where it receives the

- -
,

w aters of Angot L asta and Wag and perhaps also

, , ,

the w aters of YVo fil a and a part of T igre whereupon it

attempts to reach the coast but it is prevented by the ,

sand and the rising countr y tow ard the coast I i n .

qui red much about this plain but people told me that
they did not go over to the R aia Gallas and therefore ,

di d not kno w whether there wa s a large river but that

there w as water r unning through the plain T his .

information compelled me to suspend my j udgment of

the subj ect till other travellers shall thro w more light
,

on the matter It frequentl y happens that travellers

.

for m their o w n idea of a subj ect and turn their Ob ser ,

v a ti o n s or informa t ion accor di ng to these their pr e c o n

c ei t s
,
w hich is rather a loss than an advantage to geo
graphy .

H aving reached the Village of S ar ag a del we learned ,

that there w as no other vi llage on the road for a di s

tance of about fifteen o r eighteen miles A s it was late .
,

the rain approaching and w e w ere tired w e resolved to

, ,

pass the night in this V illage We entered into a ho use ; .

 V I LL A G E OF S A R A G A D E L J -
w

but the in habitants immediately set their dogs at us I .

w ith dr e w a little and sat down on a ri s ing ground

, ,

where the rocks af forded me a little s helter from the

cold rain which began to fall M y servants went .

throu gh the vill age to seek for a n i ght s lodging P en ’

.

sive and grieved at the hardness of man to w ard hi s

fello w creature I sighed after the assistance of H im
-
,

who had not hitherto forsaken me on m y pil gri m age .

My servants w ent from hou se to house ; but all their

endeavour s were in vain till at last a sick Ol d man o f
,

fered his cow stable if we would be content w ith it ,

w hi ch of course we thankfully accepted T h e old m an .

introduced us to the stable and ordered his children to

li ght a fir e as w e were trembling with col d H e then
’

.
,

had som e bread prepared for us T here w as nobody in.

,

the room except our selves and the cattle which di d us ,

no harm except that they attracted those disag reeable

,

t yrants of which I have s po k en before and which ,

would frequently have rendered our ni g ht s entirely

restles s had not the fati g ues Of the day produced such
,

an overwhel m ing s leep that w e did not feel th e tormen

tors I sometimes checked the m by leaving the room
.

and staying out s ide in the cold for a few minutes .

Ap r i l 1 4 1 8 4 2 — VV e left S ara g ad el about seven

,

O clock and moved to w ard the mountains of L asta still

’
, ,

ascen di n g till about nine o cloc k O ur road led us to a

’
.

co m ple t e wilderne ss very different from those we had

,

pa s sed a few days ago i n t he lower country of Y c ch o o .

T here we had ple n t y of w ater a warm climate and, ,

45 6 D ES O L A T E A PPE A R A N C E OF THE C O UN T R Y .

could alw ays find the road when w e had deviate d But .

this w as not the ca s e on the high land of An got an d

L asta Coldnes s want of water and dif, fi culty in fi n d ,

ing our true direction was painfully felt b y our whole

,

party T here was not one lar g e tree and nothing but
.
,

grass called g o o as sa in A m haric With thi s gras s

, .

they cover the roofs of their houses A country where .

there is this sort of g rass fri g htens the Abyssinians as ,

the name reminds them of a country being cold T h e .

countr y where you find the g o o a ssa requires a height ,

of 8 000 Or feet above the sea .

T h e Sky was clouded when we traversed the wilder

ness a circumstance which rendered our situation still
,

worse as we could not di s tinguish and make out our

,

di rection fro m the peaks of the mountains H owever .

we went on bein g convinced that t he road m ust lead us

,

to some place or other We s aw no village no culti .

,

v a t e d land no cattle no b east except some foxes no

, , ,

travellers in fact no t hing but desolation and we Our

, ,

sel ve s seem ed abandoned F ew places ever gave me such .

a melancholy i m pres s ion as this w ilderness an impres ,

sion which I can scarcely forget After a walk of three .

or four miles on a sudden we ob served at a distance

,

through the mist coverin g the w il derness a number of

people who were s ittin g on the ground on the S ide of
,

the w ay which w e had blin dly taken T h eir appear .

ance w as not agreeable to us as we took them for ,

lurking robbers of who m we had been warned y ester

,

day at S arag a del T o our great j oy however they

.
, ,
45 8 A PPE AR A N C E OF THE C O U NT R Y .

ally descen di ng on our route which led us again through

,

a tract of country entirely abandoned by inhabitants .

I must re m ark that we began to descend after we had

,

left the merchants mentioned above .

T h e wilderness through which w e now travelled had

a very di f ferent appearance from what I observed this
m orning . We now found more w ater ; we had fine
s cenery for o ur e y es j uniper trees ko l q u all acacia
-
,

were in abundance and sometimes w e found it dif fic ult

to extricate ourselves from the abundance of thorns .

But w e sa w no inhabitants w e met no travellers nor

did we see any wild beasts but beaut iful birds of t h e
,

fines t plumage F ortunately we coul d find our road

.

easier than had been the case this m orning w hen the ,

grass and mist prevented u s from k ee ping up the di

rection pointe d out by o ur host in S ara g a del .

T h e present population of L asta seems to be almost

nothin g having been destro y ed by famine war and
, , ,

sickness as I w as told by the natives whom I asked

,

about this subj ect R as Ali w as blamed for having

.

ravaged the countr y several y ears ago in the most bar

barous manner T here w ould be much room for the
.

maintenance of a numerous population ; b ut it woul d

require an ac t ive hand till the thorny groun d could
,

be made arable A single farmer m i g ht n o w po s sess

.

himself of as much ground as he likes I S hall never .

forget the refreshing w ater which I drank out of the

rivulets w hich run to the north west in small but deep
-

beds un der the shado w of a thicket of w ood so that ,

 P O P UL A T I O N OF L AS T A . 45 9

the sunbeams c an never tou ch the water an d which ,

is therefore agreeably cool T heir co ur se is north w est

.
-

t o the river T a ca zze a cir cumstance which shows that

we had thi s m orning passed the watershed as soon a s
we had passed the cold wil derness T h e country of .

L asta is high and hill y in the east and west ; and

therefore the running of th e w aters mu s t force their
way to the no rth n orth west F rom the point where
- -
.

we travelled to day we s aw no more a rivulet r unning

-

to t he east till we reached the frontier of T igre to

Massowah Havin g left the country of Angot we
.
,

crossed only such waters as belong to the water

stock of the river T a c azze But I have no doubt that .

the high mountains in the east of L asta W o fila and , ,

E nderta pour out many rivul ets to w ard the country of

,

A del as is the case with the eastern mountains of

,

Y eeh o o W o rrakall o and Shoa

, ,
T h e space of a j ournal .

does not allow me to dwell upon a subj ect which would

give occasion for w riting a volum e about the s yste m
of water s and mountains of E astern Ab yssinia .

A bout five o clock in the evening we reached a vil

’

lage called D e l dei which means in Amharic bridge

, ,
.

I n m any respect s there is some truth in thi s nam e a s ,

this village really present s the passage y ou must take

either in going to the country of Wag in the nor t h ,

or of Y eeh o o in the south It leads you in bo t h

.

cases to uninhabited tract s of country It is th erefore .

t he general as s e m blin g place of m erchants goin g fro m

-

Sokota and VVo f i l a to VVOl da i or vice versa In D el d e i

,
.
,

X 2
460 AR R IVE AT TH E
the market people j oin together in order to frighten ,

the robbers of the road w ith an i m posin g party T h e .

robbers especially lurk on such days when the mer

chants return from W o l daia or S okota We met a .

company of m erchant s but our plan was now positively

aga i nst j oinin g their part y who wi s hed us to take the
,

road to S o k ota the capital of the Wag count ry which

, ,

w e endeavoured b y all means to avoid having heard of ,

the rapacious character of the Governor of Wag .

We entered the fir s t hou s e which w e saw in D el d ei

on the w ay s ide T h e do g s made a tremendous howl
.

ing and the hou s e wi fe as usual forbid us staying in

,
-
, ,

her room till s he had obtained the consent of her hu s

band who was absent Knowin g that this wa s the cu s
,
.

tom O fthe country we waited in the cour t y ard while

,
-
,

so m e of my servant s went to beg in the m ean time .

O n their return the y brought a fe w handfuls of hog s

,
’

beans When the husband arrived and heard of stran

.
,

gers askin g for a night s lodging h e first obj ected to

’
,

our passing the night in his house sayi ng that there , ,

had been a sick man w ith whose di sease we mi ght b e

,

infected if we entered his house I said that I w as not

.

afraid of this an d that it would not at all sign ify ;

,

whereupon he b id u s wal k in and have so m e supper .

P resently I heard a lamentation in the house of our

nei ghbour ; and on asking what was th e matter I was ,

told that a man had run aw ay fro m his wife and chil
dren and had made himself a Monk and was gone to ,

D ebra L ibanos in Shoa T h e wif

. e had j ust received
 C H AP T E R I V .

D P TU E F
E AR R R OM B E LB E I —C ON V E N T —D E S T I
OF S H A MA D O M A R IA M
TUT E PPEA A R A N C E OF TH E C O U N T R Y — A R R I V E A T TH E V ILL A G E O F

E N A L K — C ON V E R S A T I O N I V I T H A P R I E S T — K IN D R E C EP T I ON B Y
A TH E
G OV E R N OR O F E N A L K A L A N G U A G E A N D CH A R A CT E R O F TH E A G A U S
.
fi

— DEP A R TU R E F R OM E N A L K A N O T I C E S OF L A K E A S H A N G H E —A R R I V E
AT TH E V ILL A G E O F L A T —A PP R E H E N S ION OF A N A TTA CK FR OM
TH E T R OOP S OF W OL D M E D H E N — IN T E R V I E W W I TH H I M—U N E X
A

PE C E D K IN D R E C EP T I ON — A R R I V E A T TH E D I S T R I CT O F BO R A —C ON
T

V E R S A T I N W I TH TH E G V E R N OR OF A V IL L A G E —P A S S TH E R I V E R
O O

S H M S H E H O —A B U N D A N C E O F FI S H — A R
E I V E ON TH E F R ON T I E R OF R

TH E I V A G COU N T R Y —K IN D N E S S OF TH E G OV E R N OR — A R R I V E A T TH E
R I V ER T Z N A —R E C E I V E U NF V OU R A B L E N E W S R E S PE CT IN G TH E
A ~
A

S TA T E OF TH IN G S IN T I G R E—A F T E R CON S I DE R AB L E D IFFI CU L T Y ,

R R IV E
A AT TH E V ILL A G E OF BI V OI N I —K IN D L Y R E C E I V ED B Y A
A
V

M ON K — A R R IV E A T A N T A L O C H U R C H OF S T G E OR G E — C ON V E R S A
~
.

T ION W I TH A P R I ES T ON R E LI G IO U S S U BJ E CT S — N OT I C E S R E S PECT IN G
TH E T OW N OF A N T A L O D E PA R T U R E F R OM A N T A L O— I M M E N S E
fi

FL OCK OF B AB OON S —S I TUA T ION OF C H E L I C A T —A R R I V E A T AD I G R A T

—V I S I T TH E CHUR CH OF S T C H I R K OS — S I TU A T ION OF A D I G R A T
.

V I LL A G E OF M A M B R OT — IN H OS P I T A LI T Y OF TH E T I G R I A N S—L E A V E
E

M M B E R OT A N D A R R I V E A T B E H A T —CH A R A CT E R OF TH E PE OP L E
A ,

O F S E N A FE V I L L AG E
~
OF S H E M A S A NU V I SI T TH E A L CA OF TH E fi
A

CHU R CH OF S G EOR G E —C ON V E R S A T ION W I TH H I M ON F A S T IN G

T .

L E A V E M E S H A I K H — D I S P UT E W I TH TH E G OV E R N O OF S E N A F E R -v

A R R I VE A T T K U N DA W E LL R E C E I V ED B Y T H R
E G OV E R N OR — DEP R A

TU R E F R OM T E K U N D A A N D A R R I V A L A T R K E E K O—A R R I VA L T
, A A

M A S S OW AH .

—
Apr i l 1 5 1 8 42 E A R L Y this morning w e departed fro m
D el dei, taking an easterly direction toward W o fil a and
 C O NV E N T OF S H A MA D O M A R A M I . 4 63

t he lake A sh an gh é We di d not like to go to Sokota

.
,

havin g heard of the bad character of the Governor of

the A gaus L ast y ear he robbed a F rench Gentleman
.
,

who intended to go to Shoa T his gentleman had a .

fine s w ord which the Governor w anted to buy but as

,

he would not bargain w ith the Governor he w as angry , ,

a n d sent his servant on the road to rob and kill h i m on

his way from Sokota T h ey w ounded hi m w ith a
.

lance w hereupon he fell to the ground and the rob

bers taking him for dead took his luggage and clothe s , ,

and returned to their master T his fact is true and .

,

was aft er w ard related to me by the servants of the

Governor of Wag About six o clock w e hal t ed on th e
.
’

banks of the river T erar i where we finished the re ,

m a in d er of the bread which our host had given u s

yesterday evening .

O n our road to W o fil a was the Convent of S h a m a do

Mariam which is in g reat reputation with the Abyssin
,

ians W e did not visit the Convent T h e principa l

. .

convents distingui shed for sanctit y are in Axu m T zi o n ,

L alibala and D ebra L ibanos

,
Our road led u s .

t hrough countries quite destitute of inhabitant s al ,

t hough the good so il would admit a considerable degree

of c ul t ivation T h e ground w as overgrown with gras s
.

and thorns and intersected with rills and brook s

,
.

T h e road was hill y but not rocky W e could see in

,
.

t he north north west Of L asta the high mountain s of

- -

S e m ien the peaks of which presented to us the a p pear

,

ance of large towers T h e hilly cou n try of L a s ta a n d

.
4 64 A PP E A R A N C E OF THE C O UNT R Y .

W a g,as far as we could see had exactl y the appear ,

ance of a ragin g and stormy sea presenting numerous ,

hills of waves w ith a large S pace bet w een each w ave

, .

We observed onl y a fe w ham lets on o ur road n amel y ,

Ahio T artara and A t e m i e Galla

, ,
In T artara we were .

frightened by a man who was ploughing close t o the

way side He s ai d that the road to W o fil a w a s in fested
- .
,

by rob bers and that we should do better to sta y with

,

h im and t o j oin a caf

,
fil a going in a f e w days to W o fil a .

H e repeatedly a s ked what goods we carried w ith us as ,

h e wished to bu y something from us When we told .

him that we had no g oods at all as we had b een rob ,

bed in the Wollo country he said I kno w you have

, ,

”
gold with you A s I was exceedin g l y weary I felt
.
,

inclin ed to accept his invitation ; but my servants r e

sisted sayin g that they distrusted the man w h o
, , , ,

under the pretence of hospitality might prove at last ,

a second A dara Bille and I think that they were right

,

in advising me to prosecute o ur road A traveller .

must cert ai nly take care in these regions of w ickedness .

T here are very f e w ham l e t s on the road T h e ground .

fl
is full of grass thorns and b u shes ; but this is exactly
, ,

the country which suits the purpose of the g angs of

robbers We left the m a n an d said that we did not
.
, ,

“
care to go w ith a c afl a H e la ughed and said Well .
, , ,

o u may go the road is safe but do not go too much

y ;
to the east else yo u will fall into the hands of the
,

”
R aia Gallas ; an advice in which he w as quite correct .

We travelled to day al m ost in an easterl y direction

-
466 C O NV E R S A T I O N W ITH

us . He w alked o f f but instantly returne d bringing

, ,

w ith him a loaf of bread and a small j ar of beer which , ,

he presented to us H e then said I have no hou s e of

.
,

m y ow n as I am a stranger having com e from A ntalo

, ,

in T igre b ut I will speak to the Shum (Governor ) of

this village who will probably quarter and feed you
,

”
w ell for this night H e then sat do wn and wished
.
,

to have a conversation w ith me H e commenced by .

“
say ing ,
I am a great S inner but I think that the
a cquaintance of a man from Jer usalem will do me a
”
great deal of good I said I am as w ell as y ou a
.
, , ,

great sinner though coming from Jerusalem and even

,

though y ourself had been in Jerusalem it would do you

no good I wil l sho w you the way to get rid of all
.

y our sins and ho w

,
y ou may find a S hare in the J er u
”
salem of heaven w hich is far s uperior to that on earth
,
.

T his subj ect t urned our conversation to sin an d the ,

way in which w e may obtain forgiveness of o ur sins

through faith in Jesus Christ w ho will not onl y forgive ,

us our sins if we sincerel y repen t and believe i n H im

, ,

but who will g ive us also the spirit of grace to preserve

u s from com mitting sins T h e priest then w ent home ; .

but immediately came back again bringing wi th him ,

an fE th io pi c P salter to which was annexed a little

,

boo k called W o o das si e Mariam (Praise of the Holy

V irgin ) I strongl y di sapproved of their practice of
.

confounding and connecting the erroneous word of

m en with the pure Word of God t o which o ur conver ,

s ation w as no w turned .
 A P R I ES T OF E N A L K A . 467

T he priest having heard that the Governor of E n al ka

had arrived went to him and interceded with h im for
,

a night s lodging for u s T h e Governor came ou t t o

’
.

t he t ree took o f
,
fhis clothes to the loins in sign of ,

“
respect made a bow and said
,
Would you no t do
, ,

better to come to my house and stay with me ? I will

”
give you all t hat I have O f course w e accepted t he
.

invitation wi th the greatest pleasur e and thankfulness .

T his tran s action rem i nded me of the hospitable beha

t i our of A braha m T h e Governor himself spread ou t
.

a sk in and bid me si t down H e t hen ordered a fire .

t o be li g hted ; but as it wa s not cold I reques t ed him ,

n o t t o do so Som e beer and bread was then brou gh t

.

t o u s till the s upper was ready H e frequen t l y s a i d .

“
to me ,
Y o u are a great man you are a priest yo u
”
co m e from Jer usale m : I m u st take care of you Bu t .

I soon perceived the cause of his ci vil ity t o w ard u s .

H e wanted tali s mans aga i nst sickness and evil S piri ts .

H i s L ady wa s very s ick and he probably t hough t ,

that a m an of Jerusalem woul d be able to cure her i n

a m agical manner A s soon a s I s poke again st the
.

uselessness and s infulnes s of talismanic wri t ing s t he ,

Governor s civili t y con s iderabl y abated Had I conde

’
.

s cended to the s uperstitious and perverse practice s of

t he people as probably man y travellers in my situation
,

would have done I should in man y cases have m et

,

wi t h a better rece p tion and have avoided many priva

,

t ion s and har d shi p s to m ys elf ; bu t h o w would t hi s

a ree w i t h m du t y and character of a Mi ss ionary
g y
4 68 L A N G U AG E OF THE W AG C O UNT R Y .

T he village of E m e lka belon g s to the di strict of

W o fil a being dependent on the Governor of Wag
, I .

have forgotten to remar k in m y notes of y esterday ,

that the V illage OfD elde i is the frontier of the govern

ment of D ej asm a dj F aris All the country in the north
.

of that V illag e is governed by th e Governor of Wag ,

which is the countr y of the A gau s L asta was formerly .

in the hands of the Governor of Wag but F aris c o n

quered it and has been confirmed in his government
,

by R as Ali L asta i s bordered in the south by Angot

.
,

Y e eh o o and Wadela in the west by Be g em e d er ; in

,

the north by W a g ; an d in the east by A ngot and the

R aia tribes T h e countr y of W a g is dependent on
.

R as A l i ; but this dependency appear s to be very loose .

T h e capital of the Governor of W a g is Sokota W o fil a .

dependent on him as already m entioned

,
T he .

principal places in the s outh east of W o fil a are Zelg e

-
, ,

Bora and the lake A sh an gh e T h e language spoken

, .

in W o fil a is that of T igre by which it i s bordered in

,

the north east ; while t he language of Wag is totally

-

different from any language in Abyssinia so that I ,

could not understand a word of it It has neither .

affinity to the fE thi o pi c and Am haric nor to the Galla ,

language It is totally a differen t tongue I have

. .

b een infor m ed that t he other tribes of W a g which ,

reside toward the sour ce s of the Ni le have a language ,

which is not understood by tho s e A gaus whose count r y

I have traversed T hey told m e that the whole Wag
.
,

country is divided into seven houses or tribes ; but

4 70 N O T I C ES OF L AK E A S H A NG H E .

w ater F rom what I heard ho w ever I must conclude

.
, ,

that it is not so large as lake H aik at all events there

is no island in it I was told t hat there are many
.

villages around the lake where there is a weekly

,

market held If I am not mistaken I heard that the

.
,

largest village where the market is held is called

, ,

W o fil a close to A sh an gh e
,
T his is at the same time
.

the name of the w hole district or province O n the .

eastern S hores of the lake are Gallas and therefore ,

great care must be taken which road yo u go in these

hostile regions I afterw ard very much regretted that
.

I allo w ed the people on the road to discourage m e with

their statements of the insecurity of the access to the lake
from having seen this interesting part of the country ,

as I was not more than eight or ten miles from the

lake But the desire of getting rid of his miseries
.

and hardships frequentl y prevails on a traveller to let

man y opportunities escape which if he availed him
, ,

self o fthem w oul d aft erward af

, ford h im the greatest
pleasure from the favourable success w hich might have
crowned his scientific endeavours I was told by a .

native that there is another small lake at some dis

,

tance from the large one ; b ut I have forgotten it s

name .

’
About twelve o clock w e arrived in the village of L a t ,

which is of considerable extent I do not recoll ect .

having seen such a large V illage since I left the country

of Y eeh o o P robabl y the name of W o fil at is to be
.

d erived from the A mharic Wof L at which means a f-

at ,
 AR R IVE AT T H E V I LL A G E OF L A T . 471

bi r d . But I do not know to what this origi n of the

nam e refer s .

we onl y intended to rest a little from the fatig ues of

o ur road t o inquire after o ur route to the lake A sh an h e
, g ,

and then to go further ; but the Alaca of the Church of

S t George who pretended to have seen me at An k obar
.
, ,

begged me to stop H e delighted us wi th a cake Of

.

’
bread and a quantity of ho g s beans I learned from .

him t hat the Governor W o l da Me dh en had encamped at

I V o fil at close to the la k e A sh an gh e in order to collect ,

t he annual tribute Of the people consisting of sheep , ,

cows b arley ho g s bean s & c F rom the description

, ,
’
, .

w hich the Alaca gave me of the soldiers of W o ld a

Me dh en I was not induced t o go to the lake under

,

presen t circu m s tances although our route to Antalo

,

wo ul d have been thereby shortened A compass w ould .

have been useless as the very route which w e had n o w

,

t a k en to avoid g oing to A sh an gh e after ward t ook u s t o ,

t he Governor of whose soldiers we were apprehensive .

Havin g stopped a considerable t ime with t h e Alac a ,

we expressed o ur desire to depart We had however .

, ,

s carcely marched a few hun dr ed y ards from the villa g e

when we saw a m an runnin g after us who proved t o ,

be the j udge of the vi llage He said I beg yo u t o

.
,

res t wi th m e this night I w ill give yo u whatever y ou

”
wan t . Seeing his civility I could not refuse g oin g ,

wi t h him t o hi s house w here he o f f

ered bread and
,

honey wa t er He then asked m e whether I wa s ac

- .

u a in t e d w i t h magic and tali s manic wri t in g s I fi rst

q
.
4 72 U NK I N D R E C EP T I O N

asked him for what purpose he enquired H e replied .

,

that hi s w ife had been sick for several years and had ,

used many charms writte n by their countrymen but ,

that they had all proved useless ; and that havin g heard
that a man co m in g from Jerusalem had passed b y he ,

had endeavoured to see him to ask h i m for a talism an

,

“
promising a better ef fect I said . If I had know n ,

that this w as the reason of y our calling me back from

the road I S hould not have accepted Of y our hospita
,

l i ty as I cannot accom plish a request which the Word

,

”
of God considers foolish useless and s inful,
On,

hearin g that I s poke a g ainst magical charm s he was ,

instantly so mu ch reduced in his civility that he left ,

the room and never returned to loo k after us H e said

,
.

“
to others ,
What has been the use of m y bring i n g
this man here H e cannot char m ; y ea he is Opposed ,

”
to it . T h e Alaca also began to be discouraged and ,

the whole party altered their sentiments so much that ,

they declared I w as a Mah o m e dan and should be o r ,

d ered to leave the house In the evening when I

.
,

asked for a place to sleep upon in the room I w as told ,

to g o to bed without the doors of the house I said .

,

that their treatment was extrem ely i m proper part ic u ,

l arly as they had invited and called m e back from the

road However I slept in the Open and cold air ; and
.
,

as I di d not know till now that this treatment arose

from m y having refused talismanic w ritings I kep t ,

s ilence about the rude behaviour of thi s people .

Ap r i l 1 7 1 8 42 —Before day break our host came out

,
4 74 A PP R E H E N SI O N OF A N A TT A C K
to Antalo which w as still far Of
, f We then asked
.
.

whether this w as the route to Bella Georgis to which ,

they ans wered in the affirmative O n as k ing about the .

residence of the Governor w e learned that he had not ,

yet moved from the villages of A sh an gh e .

’
Ab o ut ten o clock we crossed another river the nam e ,

of w hich I could not ascertain Its course w a s north .

north w est and it carried do wn a considerable quantity

-
,

of w ater Before w e reached this river we could

.
,

scarcel y find o ur w ay through the thorns and bushes ,

which caused u s man y difficulties in advancing to w ard

the ri ver O ur clothes w hich w e w ere obliged to pre
.
,

serve as w ell and as long as possible as we had no ,

others w ere considerabl y damaged in this thorny

,

j ungle .

A bout eleven o clock we reached an other river We

’
.

halted a little and collected a qu antity of ripe fruit of

,

the w anza tree w hich appeased our appetites a little

-
,
.

F rom thence we passed b y a vi llage situated on the foot

o f a high mountain w hich we had no w to ascend ,
T he .

country of W o fil a appears to be better inhabited and

cultivated than that of Angot and L asta Since w e .

had left L at we observed man y v illages and tracts of

,

land w ell cultivated ; but the reason is that the des ,

t ru c tio n of R a s A li s w ar had not extended so far

’
.

We reached the top of the mountain after mid day -

.

Our passage w as sometimes ext remely dif ficult and nar

ro w T h e banks of the moun tain had sometimes the
.

appearance of high w alls of rocks a Slip from whence ,

 F R O M T H E T R O O PS OF W OL D A ME DHE N . 475

would cause certain death T ow ard the end of o u r

.

ascent w e obser v ed several houses close to the w ay si de -

.

We unders tood that the y belonged to a Governor who

is char g ed w ith watching the road N obody troubled .

us as we had nothing that attracted their attention ;

,

b ut S hould a traveller pass by with m uch l uggage he ,

would certainly be detained b y this Governor .

Hav ing reached the top of the mount ain w e learned ,

tha t the Governor W o l da Me dh en w ith his troops had

moved this morning from Zel g a and that he was ex ,

e c te d in Bella Geor g is this afternoon T his was bad

p .

new s to us how ever w e hoped that w e sho ul d be able

to pass b y before his arrival We marched as quickly .

as possible although w e were so tired that w e could

, ,

s carcely m ove our legs havi ng comm enced our march

,

before day brea k We had t w o roads before us one

.

leading east and the other north east T h e position of

,
-
.

Zel g a where the Governor was said to h e appeared to

, ,

me precisely east I therefore proposed to take the

.

route of north east thinkin g t hat the distance from

-
,

Zel g a might b e so considerable that we sho ul d not meet

the Governor But in this I w as perfectly mistaken
. .

We went on as quic k ly as w e could but unfortunately

we m et no one who could give us better information of
,

the Governor s movements We at la s t saw a lar g e

’
.

village to w hich we di rected our step s but on a sudden

,

we w ere s topt b y the deep and w all like ban k s of a -

torren t We had then to turn east ward ; bu t havin g

.

travelled abo ut t hree miles more w e reached the ban k s,

4 76 I N T E R V IE W W ITH

o f another steep hill fro m which we coul d see do w n

,

into a little valle y where a part of the Governor s

,
’

troops were encam ped E scape w a s now i m possible as

.
,

they had seen u s on the top Ofthe hill E very a t te m pt .

to escape w ould only have raised more s uspicion an d ,

woul d perhap s have produced th e worst consequences I .

said to my servan t s ,
A s we cannot escape it i s better ,

for us to go directly to the Governor and acquaint h i m

w i t h o ur situation : perhap s his heart will be affected ,

”
and God will prevent him from doing u S mischief .

S o w e accordingly went O n de s cending the valley to

.

inquire after the Governor s tent we observed some’

,

people coming toward us We thought that they were

.

soldiers coming to plunder us before we co ul d reach

the camp ; but one of them was a pries t who had a ,

green field near the w ay s ide and thin k ing we w ere

-
,

soldi ers he cam e to excomm unicate whoever should

,

w alk over his field We told the priest who w e were

.
,

and that we wanted to see the Governor and begged ,

him for a man to accompan y us to the Governor s tent ’

.

T o this he consented O n leaving he requested me to

.

say the L ord s P ray er with him I di d not refuse and

’
.
,

I can say that I prayed from all my heart It w as .

really a con s olation in m y critical S ituation .

In moving to w ard the place where the Governor was

said to b e S itting un der a t ree I was frequentl y re ,

quested by soldiers o fthe Wag countr y to give them

a blessing T he y either kneel or lie on the ground
.
,

till the blessing is pronounced ; and have a strong b e

4 78 I NT ER VI E W W ITH

versation H e asked what I h ad w ith me I replied

. .
,

that I had nothing but a little book which I took out ,

of m y pocket and s ho w ed to him He asked what

.
,

book it was ; to which I replied that it was a copy of

,

the N e w T estament in the language of my country .

H e then asked whether its contents agreed w ith the

,

N e w T estament of his countr y I said . Certainl y it ,

does and translated 1 John i when h e exclaimed with

,
.

“ ”
great j oy ,
I see ! I see ! I see ! it is the same I .

then gave a short explanation of the contents which ,

particularly attracted the attention of the priest w ho ,

appeared to me to be a man of much understanding .

T hey then as k ed about Jerusalem w hether it w as true

,

that children di d not die there I said that they die

.
,

there as in all other countries when the hour of death

is come by the appointment of God It mu st b e re .

marked that pil grims coming fr om Jerusalem tell their

Abyssinian countr y men many falsehoods F or instance .
,

they make them believe that children do not die in J c

ru s al em — that at the A b una s ordination a dove w aves
’

over his head in S ign of the reception of the H oly

,

Ghost— that the water of the Jordan is as white as

lime— that the house of the P atriarch at Cairo is co m ,

posed of gold— and that at E aster a light falls from

heaven over the H oly Sep ul chre at Jerusalem T h e .

Ab y ssinians will frequentl y ask you about these things ;

but it w ill al w ay s have a bad ef fect i fy ou tell them
o u have not been in Jer u s alem as the w ill not lay
y y ,

any stress on y our arg uments and I trul y regret that

,
 W OL D A ME D H E N . 4 79

I have never seen Jerusalem Many think yo u are no .

Christian if yo u tell them that y ou have not been in

Jeru salem .

Havi ng finished the conversation the Governor ,

ordered me to take my restin g place any where in the -

open air till he would give me leave to depart to mor

,
-

row I walked o f
. fwith feelings Ofthe greatest j o y and
thanksgiving to my heavenly Gui de after havi ng been ,

for some time in great apprehension from the Governor

and his troop s .

Ap r i l 1 8 l 8 42 — With the greatest anxiety I waited

,

for daybreak being anxiou s to learn the result of my

,

application to the Governor T h e i m pression which his .

b ehaviour h a d given me yesterday was favourable and ,

I coul d no t think tha t an y thing of a disastrous nature

would happen L ast evenin g he s ent a piece of bread
.

for each of our party His people ho w ever s howed .

some rudene s s Of behaviour which did not signify s o ,

lo n g as I had the good will of their ma s ter in m y

favour H ere it w as that I heard a true account of the
.

robbery committed against the F rench gentleman before

mentioned I m us t confess that this communication
.

caused ver y painful feelings in my mind particularly ,

when the reporter a s ervant Of the then Governor of

,

S okota told m e tha t he was one of the robbing party

, ,

that the y had intended to kill the gentleman but that he ,

aft erward made his escape and that therefore it w ould

not si g nify if I S hould be murdered in his stead I could .

re st but li t tle during th e night and I got up several ,

48 0 T AK E L E A V E OF W OL D A H ED E E N .

tim e s and recommended my life and that Ofm y ser

,

vants to the protecting power of my h ea venl y F ather ,

w ho made me experience this morning that my poor

and humble prayer had not been in va i n .

A fter sunrise I repaired to the Governor s tent to

’

take leave of him H aving waited a long time amidst

.

a crowd of gazing and annoy ing soldiers who watched

the access to the tent I was at last introduced by the,

father confessor whose kindness I h a d already experi

-
,

e n ce d T h e Governor appeared to be in good humour

.
,

and without any bad intention a g ainst me or m y s er

vants H e comm enced the conversation by s aying that
.
,

he would have as k ed me for a pair of s pectacles if I ,

had been able to comply with his request I replied .

,

that it woul d have afforded me great pleasure if I had ,

been able to return his kindness w ith an y thing plea s

ing to h i m but that my circumstances would not
allow me to do so H e then gave orders to his favo u
.

rite servant to provide me for his soul s sake as he said ’

, ,

with tw o m a de g a s of barle y to be given me in a vill a ge

*
,

on the road I thanked him and then bid hi m farewell

.
, ,

havi ng fir st at his request given h im a blessing

, ,
.

T h u s the m an who recalled to our minds the remem

brance of A dara Bill e pro ved to be a la m b compared
,

w ith that robber We had endeavoured y e s terday to

.

avoid this dangero u s place ; but to day w e were glad -

that w e did not succe ed .

M a d e ga is a m e a sure use d i T i gre q ual t si

n , e o x te en K un n a i n S ho a,

w h i c h con ta i ns a b o ut fif
ty p ou d i weigh t
n s n .
48 2 E N T E R T H E D IS T R I C T OF BOR A :

co untr y full of thorns and grass We saw ho w ever no .

village nor di d w e meet an y inhabitants I w as struck

, .

a t the great number of partridg es which I have no ,

w here seen in such an abundance as on this mo untain .

O ne charge w ould have provided u s w ith food for

several day s ; b ut o ur w eapons were in the hands o f
A dam Bille T h e country around w as extremel y hill y
.
,

and reminded me of Geshe in northern Shoa T o r .

rents run bet w een the high and steep mountains whi ch ,

w ere full of thorns and trees of various ki nds of w ood .

H aving reached the top o f the mountain w e had a ,

prett y Vi e w of the provin ces of Wag and S emien T h e .

mountains of S em i en appeared to be elevated to the

sk y till the clouds with dr ew their tops from o ur con
,

t ém pl ati o n O ne of the highest mountains of Wag is

.

Biala on the eastern foot of which Sokota the capital

, ,

o f Wag w as said to be
,
H ere resides the present
.

Governor T a ferri w ho sends from hence his of

, ,
ficers
at certain times over the w hole countr y to collect tri
b ute .

’
A bout ten o clock w e entered the dis t rict of Bora the ,

name of w hich is derived from t he white stripes which

mark all the hi lls around E ach strat um of rocks pre
.

sents a w hite and some w hat grey appearance to the eye .

T here are several large caves which might give shelter ,

to several hundred men .

In the first village OfBora w e met the Governor ,

W o ld aa Michael H e w as sitting under a tree b y the

.

w ay side holdi ng a consultation w ith his people

,
.
 I NT E R V I E W W I T H TH E G O V ER N O R . 48 3

O bserving the people from a distance I conj ee ,

ture d that there w as a Governor among them an d ,

having been treated w ell y esterday by the Governor

Wolda T eclo I threw a w ay all the apprehensions
,

which I had enter tain ed in L asta O n approaching .

the place where the consultati on w as held I endea ,

v o ur e d to avoid the people by going m y way with

o ut asking w ho the y w ere o r w hat they w ere
,
doing .

B ut the Governor sent his servant who requested ,

me to w ait o n his master whose robber li ke appear

,
-

ance instan t ly deprived me Of confidence H e asked .

from w hence I came and what w as m y business I

, .

tol d him that I had been in Shoa to teach the Word

o f God,
as I w as a Christian priest coming from a
countr y called E ngland S ituate d bey ond Jerusalem
, .

At first he w oul d not believe that I had been in Shoa ,

as he had not heard that I went there by w a y of Wag ,

and it appeared he did not like to hear that there w a s

ano t her road b y way o f A del When I related to him .

what misfor tunes had befallen me in A dara Bille s ’

“
he laughed with hi s servants say in g We should have
, ,

been delighted at seeing y ou w ith y our property

w e should have liked yo u much indeed and w ould ,

”
have bought every thing from you H e then w anted.

to try my spectacles my boots in fact every thing he

,

s aw
. F ortunatel y however nothing suited him
, , He .

then asked whether I knew the n e w Abuna and whe

, ,

ther I had been in Jerusalem and seen all the wonder

f ul things of which they had heard from pilgri m s
,
On .

Y 2
48 4 THE R I V ER S H E MS H E H O

departing one of my servants was called and asked b y

,

him upon an oath whether I had no bafta (white cloth )

,

whether I had nothing at all for sale ; and whether I

was not acquainted w ith ma g ic My servant Ofcourse .
, ,

ans w ered in the ne g ative to all these questions ; and

we w ere then allo w ed to depart .

I have never seen a country where people talk so

much of gold as the people of Wag T heir conversa .

tion immediatel y turns to this subj ect T hey believed .

in earne s t that I had plenty of gol d w ith me as I had ,

no other bagg age W hen I asked whether if I had

.
,

plenty of g old I should m ake s u ch a m iserable appear

,

ance in which they saw me they answered It is true

, ,

ou have no mule and o u beg for y o ur dail y bread

y y ,

but this is the cleare s t proof of y our carryi n g gold

with yo u because all people ac t as y ou do if they
,

”
travel with this precious metal in their pockets .

A bout twelve o clock w e passed the river Sh em sh eh o

’

w hich r uns to the T ac azze It carries m uch water in .

its bed w hich is surr ounded on the banks with beauti

,

ful trees T h e ri ver is full of fish and w e saw about

.

t hirty na k ed men bus y in catching the fish with their

hands It is well know n that fi sh is a substitute also
.

in Abyssinia for all other kinds of meat during the

time of fasting I understan d that the n ew A buna
.

h as forbidden the eating of fish during the time of

fasting .

F rom the river Sh em sh eh o which comes from the ,

east w e had to ascend thro ugh a wil dern es s the thorns

, ,
48 6 AR R IVE ON T H E F R ON T I E R
he S how ed some compassion for me When I le ft his .

room he gave me a servant who w as to provide me

, ,

with food and a lodging for the night T h e servant on .

learning that I w as a priest quartered me in the hou se ,

of the chief priest of the vi llage who w as no bad man , .

We w ere made comfortable and treated civill y ,

in every respect T h e inhabitant s o fthis district as

.
,
’
w ell as the Governor s servants and soldiers appeare d ,

to be very religious in their o wn w ay T he y came one .

after the other to be blessed b y me Man y had th e .

s uperstitious idea whi ch I have ahe a dy mentioned that ,

m y blessing would preser v e them against the stroke of

s w or d s spears and gun b all s and therefore the y
, ,

most anxi ousl y begged me for a blessing A preacher .

of the Gospel might be able to obtain a gr eat influence

in this country if he could understand the A gau lan
,

guage to which how ever no attention has y et been

,

paid b y Ab yssinian scholars But on the other hand a .

, ,

j uggler might also set hi msel f up as a great m an in

this country A s to the language o f Wag I suppose
.
,

it w ill b e s upplanted in the cour se o f t ime either b y the

A mharic or by the T igre lang uage w hich is spoken by
, ,

most Of the A gau s It will depend o n the prevalence

.

of the government of T igre or of Amhara .

T hu s w e had arrived o n the frontier Ofthe Wag

countr y which is decidedl y one of the most important
,

and interesting provinces of E astern Ab y ssinia It .

w oul d admit a larger pop ulation and a high degree of

c ul tivation of the soil if a better government ruled this
,
 OF THE W AG C O UNT R Y . 48 7

countr y It w ould be necessar y ho w ever for s uch a

.
, ,

government to do aw ay w i t h the system o f annually

plundering their o w n subj ects as this is the very mean s
,

to destro y comm erce order c ultivation ofthe ground

, ,

and every improvemen t of human societ y At present .

the Governor comes ann uall y with his tro ops and takes
a wa y what he pleases an d the consequence is tha t the ,

inhabitants conceal their treasures and take flight t o ,

the mount ai n s ; where upon the Governor destro y s their

houses and fields A s Wag is a countr y intersected by
.

deep dales torrents and steep hills which only allow

, , ,

certain passages to their tops and as the rivers of Wag

,

w oul d be defended and their store houses w ell pre

,
-

served o u the top of their almost impregnable hills ,

the inhabitants w ould be able to check the s trongest

invading arm y as has been the case frequently in the
,

annals of Abyssinia R a s Al i on his last expedit ion

.
,

which he several y ears ago attempted agains t Wag is a ,

remarkable instance of this H e invaded the co untr y

.

w ith a considerable arm y b ut fi nding the natural b ul

wark of the country too strong he ret urned being c o n , ,

tent with devastating th e se districts which admitted of

access T his natural fort ification is the reason wh y the
.

people of Wag yield onl y a ver y loose allegiance to

the r ul ers of Gondar w hy they thro w o f ftheir y oke
whenever the y please an d wh y the y u se a haught y lan
guage toward the rest of Abyssinia T h e chief Gover .

nor o fWag is said to be in the possession of several

tho usand match lock g uns a repor t which ma y be true
- -
, ,
48 8 T AK E L EAV E OF THE G O V ER N O R .

as he can obtain every thing that he w ants from M as

s owa h .

The prin cipal m arket place of Wag is Sokota the -

,

capital of VV a g s Governors It s merchants carry their

’
.

g oods to W o l d ai a the capital of Y e eh o o and go an d

, ,

fetch other g oods from A ntalo or even from Massow ah ,

.

T hey are pr incipally e n gaged in carrying salt piece s to -

the south of W ag a business which proves of great

,

profi t to them as the value of salt pieces increases in

,
-

the southern countries .

T h e A gaus chiefly c ultivate barley w heat red pepper , , ,

and maize T heir houses are of the same c onstruction

.

as those of other Ab y ssinians .

I w as told that gold is foun d in the coun try of Wag

but I cannot say whether thi s report is tr ue or not .

I was frequentl y a sk ed whether I k new h o w gold was

to be discovered in mountains and h o w the works in ,

m ines are managed T hey entertain like all other

.
,

A b y ssinians the idea that white people only come to

,

thei r coun t ry in quest of gold ; and that a white man

know s the places where there is gold .

Ap r i l 2 0 1 8 4 2 — E arl y this morning I w ent to the

,

Governor to thank him for his kindnes s and to take ,

leave of h im O n being adm itted to his presence he

.
,

appeared still more civi l to m e than yesterday I did not .

venture however to ask him for provisions and he did

, , ,

not of fer any thing of his own accord H a ving at his .

request given him a ble s sing I started from the camp , ,

and mo ved to war d the river T zana which separates the ,

4 90 N O T I C ES OF G U ER R A ME D H E N .

meet w ith less di f fi c ulties and pri vations But it w as .

evidentl y the will of o ur invisible F riend to let the

miseries remain on o ur sho ul der to the last moment of
o ur arrival o n the coast .

fl
G u eb ra Me dh en w as a favourite o f S ab ag a di s who ,

married one of his daughters to him When Saba .

gadis died and Oub e a took possession of T i gre Gue

, ,

bra Me dh en took i ght to the hi gh mountains of

the R aia Gallas w ith w hom he lived till the ne w s of
,

Oub ea s captivit y reach e d h im in his impregnable strong

’

hold . He then collected a considerable force and ,

expelled the Governor o f S ill o a who w as of Oub e a s ,

’

p arty Sillo a is that distric t o fE nderta which w e

.

had entered having crossed the river T zana

,
G ueb ra .

Me dh en j oined the cause of B al ga darai a grandson of ,

R e s W o l da S el assi eh w ho hav ing heard of Oub ea s

,
’

imprisonment b y R a s Al i attempted to make himself

,

master of T igre as I have mentioned above

,
.

T h e man who had apprised us of the state o f things

in T igre like w ise informed us that the expelled Gover
,
“

nor o fSil lo a had collected a n ew force and w ould pro ,

bably come to an engagement with Gueb ra Me dh en .

H e therefore advised u s to reach A ntalo if possible

’

, ,

before the road should be disturbed and rendered i n

s ecure by the fighting parties and before starvation , ,

which is al way s the consequence of such dist urbances ,

w ould render o ur situation still more precariou s .

H avin g crossed the river T zana which r uns in a ,

deep b ed betw een a range o f mountains on both its

 fl
H A LT I N T H E V I LL A G E OF B R A

bank s w e had a lon g and di i cul t ascent be fore u s

,

T h e cry of the A gau plo ughmen reso unded strongly in

the dale Ofthe T zana and made u s sometimes believe
O . 49 1

that there w as a body of troop s engaged in fightin g or ,

a brisk quarrel bet w een some parties I ob served the .

same c ustom in man y parts of E nderta When .

ploughing the y make as m uch noise as possible in

, ,

order to dri ve on their b ul locks with which they c on

,

verse as ifthey w ere rational companions A travell er .

unacquainted w ith the c ustom or not un derstanding

,

the language w oul d imagine that there w as a quarrel

,

or a plundering par t y at hand and give way to unne

,

c e ss ar
y apprehensions .

Having arrived on the mountain which w e had been

ascen din g sin ce w e left the river T zana w e halted in ,

t he village of Bora being th e first village in the province

,

of E nderta Here w e learned that G uebra Me dhen

‘

had moved his camp to the east to w ard the Village of

,

S h ebr ara We resolved to go and see the Governor

.
,

havi ng foun d fro m experience that it is better t o travel

under the protection of the Governor of a district or
province Our road led u s over rock y hills dales and
.
, ,

torrents which we cared little for as we wished to

, ,

reach the camp o f Gueb ra Me dhen before night I .

c an u nderstand wh y the Gove rnors of Wag and E nderta

or di narily live in peace with each other : the frontier

of bo t h provinces being of such a nature that the di th ,

c ul tie s of ma k ing inroads or entering these countries

for th e purpose of conquest are almost insurmountable .

492 D EP A R TU R E F R O M S H E BR A R A .

H aving arrived in Sh ebrara w e learned that G uebra ,

Me dh en had moved still further to the east We w ere .

t herefore compelled to give up our intention Ofreach

ing him to day ; besides it was already evenin g We
-
,
.

then looked for a lodgin g for the night but every

body in the village m ade an excuse by saying that the ,

Governor had tak en their property an d rendered the ,

people unable to receive strangers as they had scarcely ,

food for their Own w ants With sorrow ful hearts and
. .
,

sometimes weeping we w ent from hou s e to hou se till

, ,

at last we found a host who gave u s shelter and food

for the night which w as a ra i ny and cold one
,
.

Ap r i l 2 1 1 8 4 2 — S oon after day brea k we departed

,
-

from Sh eb rara We di d not how ever take o ur dir ection

.

to the camp of Gueb r a Me dh en as we had been warned ,

b y our kind host not to go there intelligen ce havin g ,

been received that the R aia soldiers had killed some

people travelling fro m A ntalo to the Wag co untry .

Our host accompanied us for a considerable distance

throu g h a by way by which we were able to avoid the
-
,

Governor s camp But this b y way soon led us into a

’
.
-

wilderness where we entirely lost our r e a d

,
.

A bout ten o clock we traversed a large w ood y plain

’
,

where we found several r ui ned villag e s but no in h abi ,

t ant s whom we could as k about o ur road We went .

o n in this w ilderness t ill abou t m idday when w e fo und ,

another village li k e w ise ruined but not a single person

, ,

able to S how u s the road We still proceeded on in .

an easterly direction ; but w e saw nothing b ut thorn s

4 94 AR R IVE AT THE
my poor starving people exhausted me so much that
, ,

I laid dow n on the ground to rest w hatever might ,

b ef al u s in this precario u s situ ation .

All around being as still as night and seeming des ,

titu te and l e st w e heard the p ur ling of some w ater in

,

the neighbourhood Creeping up and dow n through

.

high grass and thorns w e reached a small rivulet

, .

T his discover y produced a greater cheerfulness in o u r

minds than the discover y o f the sources o f the N ile

,

w ould have given as w e no w w ere in h Ope o f getting

,

o ut o f this dreadf ul and endless w ilderness We first .

refreshed ourselves by drinking of the delightful w ater

,

of the rivulet and then follo w ed its northern co urse

, ,

in the cheerful conviction that it mu st lead us to our

’
lost re a d About five o clock w e had the unutterable
.

j o y to fin d a r oad crossing the rivulet and leadi ng up

to a mountain from w hich w e thought w e shoul d be
,

abl e to see or to learn something of the position of

A ntalo . T h e road w as prett y large and trodden b y the ,

paces Of men and animals and w e had no more doubt ,

of this being the way to A ntalo H aving w alked about .

half w ay up the mountain w e w ere met b y a small ,

compan y of p eople w ho proved to be some priests and

,

soldiers of the Governor G ueb ra Me dh en T hey had .

set o ut from Antalo for th e purpose of j oinin g their

master in t h e camp T hey w ere astonished at finding
.

us quite alone w ithout a guide or a caravan in the present

state of disturbances T hey regretted that w e had not

.

visited their master w ho they said w oul d probabl y

, , ,
 V I LL A G E OF MAW OI NI . 495

have given me a mule T he y then confir med us in the

.

t ruth of o ur w ay which w e then prosecuted as cheer

,

ful l y and as quickl y as o ur tired legs w o ul d allo w On .

arriving at the top of the mountain w e sa w a large ,

valley and man y villages in it w e accordingly di rect

,
.

ed o ur cour se to w ard the valley and took shelter for ,

the night in the Church of St Michael in the village .

,

of Maw o in i as the Vi l lagers w ould not receive us

, .

T ired as I w as from the uncommon hardshi ps of this

day I laid do wn at the entrance of the church to
,

sleep when I w as called upon b y a monk who had

, ,

arrived from D ebra T abor a fe w months ago He ap .

pe e red to be no bigoted monk and seemed to be c o n

,

cerned at o ur helpless con d ition H e called me to his .

little cottage which he had b uilt close to the church

, ,

and gave me of the hol y bread which nobody w ho is ,

not in hol y orders c an either see or taste T his bread .

fl
is properly called m akfel t i e portion baked only
. .

’
for those priests who take the L ord s Supper It is .

made of the size of a small l e af and prepared from ,

corn o ur It weighs a little less than a po rm d T h e

- . .

priests are onl y allo w ed to eat this bread when the y

’
have finished the L ord s Supper as nobod y can partake ,

of this who has not fasted T his sort of bread is never

.

sho wn to lay men and is considered one of the greatest

,

my s teries and privileges of the priesthood T h e mon k .

put it secretly in my pocket lest m y servants shoul d

,

s ee i t although they were not even allowed to come

,

near the cottage of the hol y hermit H o w ever I a fter .

,
496 C O NV E R S A T I O N W IT H

w ard show ed it to my people who were astonished at ,

findin g it common bread and at its having been wi th

,

held from their Sight and considered a great mystery .

V entur ing to eat of it they said that it di d not dif

, ,
fer
from any other sort Of brea d It must be added that .
,

this bread is prepared b y the male sex or b y Old ,

w omen who grind the flour and bake the l e av e s

,

O r di naril y the man must be a deacon As the priests .

go daily to the L ord s Supper they receive dail y a por

’
,

tion of this bread ; but they must eat it fasting O f .

course I had no obj ection to partake of this bread as ‘

the fatigue of my j ourney had made me uncommonly

hungr y At another time I would not have accepted
.

the gift as t he bread was very badly baked and nothin g

, ,

but hot dough but hunger being the best sauce I ate ,

with great appetite and m y people w ere of the same

,

mind .

T h e monk asked me m uch about the time of the ap

e ar an c e of T h e o d o t o s whom the A b y ssinian s expect as
p ,

the founder of a kingdom of peace and happiness on

earth I said that I knew nothing about this person
.
,

as I did not think it m y duty to ask about th e hour or

ti m e when the Kingdo m of God will be established on
earth but to pray and labour that it might first come
,

in my o wn heart and then am ong my poor fellow

,

creatures who did not enj oy the k nowledg e and the

,

living faith of Christ P reach the Gospel in the whole

.

” “
w orld I said
, , then y ou w ill have a S ign that God s ’

”
kingdom is at hand .I could n ot obtain their correct
498 L E A V E T H E V I LL AG E OF MA W OI N I .

pepper soup for o ur supper

- T he y said that the y .

w ere not ri ch as Oub e a had taken their propert y and

, ,

related to u s some instances of his cruelty in pulling

o ut the e y es and cutting o f f the hands of man y of his
su bj ects .

Ap r i l 2 2 1 8 4 2 —T h e terrible noise of the singing

,

priests and still more the fleas which are alw ay s the
, ,

greatest tort ur e to those who pass the night in churches ,

had annoy ed me so much that I w aited for the break ,

of day w ith the most ardent desire As soon as it .

dawn ed w e got up an d departed having taken leave

, ,

o f the priests last evening O n o ur road which w as .

,

exactl y w est w e saw plent y of Villages r uined b y

,

Oub ea o f w hose barbarit y the whole country bears

,

w itness .

A bo ut nine o clock w e crossed a rivul et called

’

G umalo It runs through a dale of steep banks O n

. .

the w estern ban ks w e saw a Village w hich w e took for ,

A ntalo as the priests o f Ma w o in i had told u s that

,

A ntalo w as qui te close and that we w oul d reach it in

,

the forenoon but I fr equentl y fo un d that priests and

monks in Ab y ssinia have not the least idea of di s
tances H aving crossed the rivul et Gumalo w e had
.
,

to ascend considerabl y till w e reached the village like ,

wise called G um alo T h e banks of the bed of the

.

rivulet are w ell cultivated as the soil can be w atered ,

at all times F rom Gumalo w e marched so uth west

.
-
,

and w ere led to an immense plain with some slight

elevations O n arriving at this plain w e got a sight
.
,
 AR R IVE AT A NT A L O . 4 99

of Antalo situated at the foot of a mo untain the soil

, ,

of w h ich presented a red appearance T h e plain ho w .

,

ever w as considerably low er than the S ituation of

,

A nt alo and the nearer w e approached the tow n the ,

more we had to ascend When w e fir st saw it w e

.
,

thought it nearer than i t reall y w as as is frequ ently ,

the case w hen a traveller calc ulates distances from a

plain H e is often greatly disappointed and it r e
.
,

q ui res more practice in calcul ating distances than one ,

would commonl y think .

’
We arrived at Antalo about four o clock Being .

unable to find a lodging for the night w e repaired to ,

the C h ur ch of St George w hich w as splen di dl y built

.
,

b y Ha s W o l d a S el assieh who is well kno wn b y Mr

,
.

T h e priests of this
’
Salt s Mission to this r uler .

church dif f
ered much from those who m w e had met in
other chur ches on our road T he y w ere better dressed ;
.

but the y ass umed a greater air of h au gh tin ess par ti cul arl y ,

the Al aca w ho looked do wn upon m y poor appearance

,

with much disdain H e w o ul d not allo w me to pass the

.

night in the little house called D echa Salama at the en -

,

trance o fthe ch ur ch in which strangers are usually qu ar

,

t ere d Ho w ever he proc ured me a room in the neighbour

.
,

hood ; b ut this w as ful l of w omen and sol diers who ,

’
at fir st w ould not listen to the Al aca s orders and the ,

women began to lament crying out Woi G iptzi woi,

“
Giptzi E gyptian E gyp tian ! T h e E uropeans
are a ll called E gy ptians the geographical knowled ge
,

of th e Ab y ssinians regarding other countries being ver y

5 00 N O T I C ES R ESPE C T I N G T H E

scanty indeed H o w ever they have latel y begun to

.
,

kno w the difi er en ce between the E nglish F rench and , ,

Germans .

O nl y one of the prie s ts came to see me in m y room ,

who entered into conversation on religious matters .

He kne w the R ev S Gobat well and S po k e favour ably

. .
,

o f him .H e gave m e two piece s of salt requestin g ,

that I w ould buy some h y drom el or Abyssinian honey ,

w ine H e also gave u s so m e bread which with what

.
,

was sent us by the other priests w as sufficient to serve

us for our supper in the evenin g My people w ent .

roun d the town ; but nobody would give them any

thing ; so that we should have really starved if we
had refused to go to the church Be s ides nobody .
,

would give u s a lodging for the night I must c o n .

fess that I had conceived a m ore favourable idea of the

hospitalit y of the T i g ri an s but I was wholl y dis
appointed P erhaps i f I had possessed property I
.
,

should have been received better .

T h e circumference of A ntalo is considerable ; but

the greater part of the houses have been ruined .

Merso the brother of Oub e a who m this t y rant ap

, ,

pointed Governor o f Antalo after Cassai the son of , ,

S ab a g a di s had been i m prisoned de stroyed a great

, ,

many of the hou s es of A ntalo It m ust have been .

before a prett y town Its fo under was R as W o l da

.

S el a s s i eh who has chosen a suitable place for his

,

capital Belo w Antalo is an im m ense plain through

.
,

which several brooks run T his plain ser ved for the
.
5 02 L E AV E A N T AL O F OR CHE L I CU T .

w oul d onl y make them the means o f obtaining his

o wn obj ects principally to get from them the same
,

pleasin g thin gs w hich he kno w s have been given to the

King of Shoa .

I had intended for man y important reasons to pro

, ,

c e e d from A ntalo to A d o w ah but th e distance of

three o r four days devi ation from my route the way ,

bein g through starving and distur bed countries and m y ,

ardent d esire to reach Massowah and the end of my ,

miseries and hardships w ould not allow me to make

,

this devi ation fr om my road although I knew that I ,

shoul d depri ve m y self of m uch valuable information

respecting the state of the country w hich I might have ,

been able to collect at A do w ah .

Ap r i l 2,3 1 8 4 2 —At a ver y e arly hour this morn ing

.

w e set out for C h eli cut about six or eight miles from
,

A ntalo. A body of soldiers who w ere goin g to j oin,

B al g a dar ai a on hi s march to A do w ah accompani ed u s ,

for a considerable distance T h ey w ere in very goo d .

h umour an d had great hopes of a favour able result of

,

their master s expe di tion O ur road w as prett y plain

’
. .

N ot f ar from Antalo w e saw an immense flock of

baboons c all ed in A mh aric R at ch ie of a somewhat
, ,

white colou r T hey w ere close to the w ay side I was

. .

surprised at the good order in which they marched ,

some large ones w al ki ng b efore an d behin d each l in e ,

w hich they formed A fter a fe w m oments th e y halted

.

a little and gazed at u s as if they w ere about to make

,

an attack u pon u s T he y marched roun d a small

.
 SI T U A T I O N OF C H E L I C U T . 5 03

elevated spot and then crossed o ur road where they

, ,

again halted a l ittle till they w alked up to a larger hill

,

in as perfect order as if they had been ranged in a

square T h e noise which their movements produced
.

exactly resembled t he bustle of a small body of horse

marc h ing over a grass plot I thought it w oul d be
.

w ell w ere the A b y ssini an sol di ers in their m i litar y

movements t o imitate these brutes in the reg ularity of
their m arch and continual cir cum spection and recon
n o i t r in T hi s ki n d of monkey is generall y acknow
.
g
ledged by the Ab y ssinians as a sort of more ferociou s
ape .

C h eli cu t is sit uated in a little dale intersected b y

a ri vul et which provides the town w ith w ater T his .

situation in E urop e woul d give rise to the establish

ment of numerous man ufactories b ut in A byssin ia
nobody thinks or exerts himself to mak e use of the
benefits arising from the nat ur e of the countr y T h e .

i nh abitants are ready to accept wi th the greatest

eagerne s s pleasing things as presen t s ; but they have
lit t le desire to manufacture them by hard labour .

H aving heard that there was I n C h elicut an Armenian

who w orked in leather I called upon him ; but I
,

foun d him suf f ering in his eves I did not vent ure to
.

ask him for a supply of any thing as I w as aw are ,

of hi s being a poor man ; but even the offer of a

piece of bread or a horn of A b y s s inian beer which
, ,

at all even ts he possessed w ould have delighted me

,

more than an y thing else but he appeared d uring his

5 04 T H E V I LL AG E OF AR ENA M AR I A M :

stay in Ab y ssinia to have adopted the same unkind

and inhospitable man n ers w hich the greater part of
the Ab y ssinians Observe tow ard an unfortunate tra
veller .

F rom C h el i cu t we took our di rec t ion to A digr at e .

O ur road was pretty plain S ometim es w e had to

.

ascend a slight hill But although we had no w a

.

better road compared w ith that in L asta and Wag ye t ,

we w ere considerabl y inconvenienced from not having

plenty of w ater which we had found in abundance in
,

those countries Besides this the heat of the valleys

.
,

of T igre w as an addition to those inconvenience s w ith ,

w hich our j ourney through that count ry had abounded ,

from the inhospitable reception of the na t ives and ,

from the rumo urs of w ar and di ssolutenes s of the

s oldiers .

T h e approach of the evening reminded us of o ur un

pleasant b usiness of begging the people for a night s ’

lodging F or this purpose we halted in a village called

.

Aren a Mariam at some distance from the w ay side

, .

H a ving waited for some time on a place where most of

the V illagers could see us and guess our demands w e ,

were invited by a man who was bleeding a S ick bullock

before his house H e sent us to a wretched cottage
.

close to his house T h i s cottage which served as a

.
,

stable for his cattle at ni g ht w as surrounded by a stone

,

w all and only a part Of the roof was slightl y covered

,

w ith g rass A s the proprietor had invited u s of his

.

o w n accord his dut y w as to treat u s w ith some atten

,
5 06 I N H O SPI T A L I T Y OF THE T I G R I A NS .

crossed thi s river w e met a man who hearing of our

, ,

distress for want Of food gave us a little basso T his

,
.

is the flour of barle y which is first roasted on the fire

,

in a vessel of clay and then ground When mixed up

,
.

w ith w ater it is no bad food ; and it is quickl y prepared

,

w hen y ou are on a j ourney We accepted this present

.

from the m an w ith cordial thanks as o ur scant y repast ,

of yesterday evening had left us nothing fo r this day ,

an d the villages w ere far o f f from the w ay side so that

w e sh ould have tasted nothing at all to day if P rovi -
,

dence had not inclined this man to provide us w ith as

m uch food as w as requisite for our starving bodies .

H aving refreshed ourselves w ith the w ater of H aika

mesal and w ith the basso we continued o ur march in
, ,

the cheerful confidence that H e who feeds the birds ,

w ould al s o feed u s in the evening the approach of

‘

w hich al w ays caused painful feelings in o ur m inds ,

S ince w e had experienced the inhospitali t y of the

T i g ri a n s
. Had w e possessed som e property we should ,

not have been at a loss for ifthe T i gri an s see property ,

they w ill sel dom be inhospitable Such was the case .

w ith those travellers who overvalued Abyssinian hos

i t a l it But let these persons travel w ithout money
p .
y ,

or w ithout articles passin g for m o n ey a n d y ou will find ,

~

that they will give another but more correct idea and
,

description of Ab ys srn ran hospitalit y .

A bout midday w e were met by a man w ho informed ,

us w ith tears in his eye s that he had been deprived b y

, ,

soldiers on the road of his provisions his s w ord and , ,

 IVE T H E V I LL AG E 5 07
“

AR R AT OF MA R E R K A .

his cloth We w ere sorry that W e could not hel p him

. .

A t the same ti m e our sorro w and apprehension s of

perhaps sharing the same fate in the course of the day ,

caused u s to look w ith anxiety and timidity after those

places which w e thought dangero u s and where w e might ,

fall in with a roving party of robbers But our hea .

v en l
y F ather who well kne w that our su f
,
ferings had
already been considerable graciousl y preserved and ,

protected us and brought us to a village called Ma

,

b erka where althou g h a stable full of fleas w as given

, ,

as our lodgi ng and a soru loo k and other unkin d

,
'
,

t rea t ment w ounded our heart s yet w e w ere content ,

wi t h a fe w horns of beer an d some paste called tello ,

b eing confident that w e w ere dail y advancing nearer to

t h e sea coast .

T ello is prepared from the flour of barley T he .

barle y is f i rst boiled in a little hot w ater and then ,

roasted i n a vessel of cla y It is then gro und and the

"

.
,

flo ur is m ixed up w ith water or oil or the A byssinian , ,

pepper soup It is indeed a very miserable and di s

-
.

g usting dish ; b ut nece s sity had taught u s to despise

nothing .

A pr i l 2 5 l 8 4 2 —T his morning at a ver y early ho ur w e

,

left Mab e rka and halted a few hours aft erw ard in the
,

village of Atzb i e where I learned that a E uropean had

,

been there a fe w days ago Before entering the villa g e

.
,

I Observed an elevated s tone about fift een or ei ghteen ,

fe e t in heigh t which appeared fro m a di s tance to be a

,

broken obelis k It therefore attracted m y curiosi t y

. ,

z 2
5 08 O B E L IS K AT A T Z BI E .

and induced me to go near I found pieces of it

.

scattered over the ground ; but I coul d not observe any

inscription or hieroglyphic figures O n as k ing a villager .

about the meaning of this s tone which w as evidentl y ,

erected for some pur pose I w as told that there w as a

, ,

celebrated convent in the village consecrated to the

H oly T rinit y ; and that the stone had been placed
there in order that a mur derer w ho should take refuge
,

to the convent and once reach the stone should not be ,

persecuted b y his avenger I then asked the man .

w hether he had seen the obelisks at Ax um H e re .

pli ed in the affirmative and said that the y were erected

,

by people w ho wanted to go to heaven and fi ght a b attl e

w ith God Almighty Such are the strange opinions of
.

the natives concerning these astonishing remnants of

ancient architect ure .

H aving left Atzbie the attack of fever which had

, ,

commenced this morning increased It w as occasioned

, .

most l ikely in consequence of m y sleeping la s t night

outside the house on the w et groun d in the cold, and
without s uf ficient beddi ng T h e fleas had tormented
.

m e so much that I w as compelled to risk sleeping o ut

,

side the house Happily w e were met b y the same

.
,

m an who had y esterday given us some basso A s his .

village w as close to the w ay side he observed us after ,

w e had passed b y the Vill age and ran after u s and , ,

called us to his house T his invitation w as certainl y

.

most provi dentiall y not onl y b ecause w e had ta ken a

,

w rong route tow ard the Shoho coun try but st ill more ,
5 10 V I LL A G E OF M AS A OT .

T he white appearance of the mo untains of this di s

triet struck me much havi n g nowhere ob served it b e ,

fore Our road was generally plain and I shoul d think

.
,

camels might be able to go from A t zbi e to A ntalo .

In the evening w e halted in the village of Mas ao t .

A s the vill agers w ould not receive us w e w ent to the ,

Church of St Michael the priests of which proved to

.
,

be very light minded and frivolous in their conversa

-
,

t ion and manners .

Ap r i l 2 6 1 8 4 2 —A S there w as a priest in Masao t w ho

, ,

promised to leave the place in a few da y s on a j ourney

t o Sh e a I availed myself of this opportunity to wr ite a
,

f ew lines to Capt H arris H er M a e s t

j y
’
.s R epresentative ,

in Sh e a to inform him of my safe arrival in T igre T h e

,
.

priest promi sed to take charge of my letter .

We intended to take our direction to w ard S enafe to

the Shoho countr y but w e w ere advised not to do so
in the present circumstances of the u nsettled state of
things in T igre We therefore marched tow ard Adi
.

’
grate A t nine o clock we reached the market G o o il a
.
,

a n d halted at midda y in the vill age of A o ddi H ere

g .

we went into a house to beg for some food a s we were ,

exceedingl y h ungry T ello mixed up with oil and red .

,

pepper was again of

, fered to us ; but it had a better
taste than formerly T h e man who received us into .

his house bitterly complained of Oub e a s t y ranny last

,
’

y ear against the di strict when he plundered and b urnt ,

their houses .

T o o ur right w e saw the high mountain H aram at ,

 M O UN T H A R A MA T . 5 11

where Cassai made hi s defence before he was imprisoned

by an artifice of Oub e a who swore eight times before
.

ninet y priests that he would do no harm to Cassai if ,

he w ould surrender himself and his s tronghold Cassai .

di d so but w as i m m ediately put in chains and the

priests who reminded Oub e a of his solemn oaths were
, ,

also imprisoned .

In the evening we met the Governor of a district

near Adi g ra te We vent ured to remind h im that we
.

w ere afflicted strangers and appealed to his k indness ,

but on hearing that I was an E nglishman he avoided ,

having anything to do with me as he li k ed the F rench , .

H e knew w ell the dif ference of both and was acquainted ,

with the E uropeans of A do w ah H e said Go to any .

,

”
ch ru ch you like We w al k ed Of
'
f and went to a chur ch ;
.
,

b ut there was no priest We therefore a s ked after the .

Superior who understanding that we wanted to rest

, ,

w ith him instan t ly left the hou se preten d ing to have

, ,

some business without His wife bid us go to another .

house as she had no room for our accommodation her

, ,

house being full of cattle O n her hu s band returning .

and fin ding us s till s itting before hi s door he s aid I , ,

have told y ou once that I cannot quarter you this night ,

as I have plenty of cattle in m y hou s e : go awa y i n

” “
s t a n tl
y Well
. then I said you are a priest as, ,

well as I am Y o u kno w that the Word of God order s

.

Christians and par t icul arly p rie s ts to be k ind toward

, ,

s t ranger s especially toward the afflicted If yo u will

,
.

not receive m e I will go this moment but yo u must

,
5 12 AR R I VAL AT AD I G R A T E .

kno w that God w ill j udge between me an d yo u if yo u

like y our cattle more than y o ur distressed fello w crea -

t ur e We then went o f f .

A s the man w ho had provi ded u s in the afternoon

with tello had also given u s a l ittle flour for us e on
,

the road we w ent to another hou se in order to mak e

,

some bread But the w oman w hom w e begged to pre

.

pare the bread made onl y three small cakes and threw ,

the rem ainder of the m eal into o ur bag refusing to ,

m ake an y more In the mean tim e the priest sent

.

word that we might rest in his house We accepted .

his invitation but not till he had called us t wice in

, ,

order to make h i m feel o ur dissatisfaction at his b eh avi

o ur . P robably he w as frightened at what I said to h im
on leaving his house I di d not ho w ever spea k in
.
, ,

anger but in a spirit o f sorro w at m an s wickedness

,
’

and worldly mindedness .

T h e priest introduce d us to a stable in w hich w ere ,

about 1 00 head of oxen and co w s besides a great num ,

ber of sheep We had to look o ut for a place lest the

.
,

co w s should kick or trample us under their feet in the

course of the night T h e priest di d not give us a
.

morsel of bread and w e coul d scarcely obtain from

,

him a little w ater to quench our excessive thirst as t he ,

water was brought from a distance .

Ap r i l 2 7 18 4 2 —W e departed earl y from the village

,

of Ma sh agh eri a Mariam where w e had rested last night

-
, .

About nine o clock w e arrived in A di grate I w ent to

’
.

t he Ch urch o f St Chirko s which I was told had been

.
, , ,
5 14 AR R I VAL AT B EHAT .

to sell some grain b ut what could w e give in return ?

My head servant Atko o agreed to sell his belt say ing
-
, , , ,

it w as better to do so than to starve We then bou ght .

some barle y and hogs beans A fterward we w ent to ’

.

the Church of Mam b er o t but as there was no p riest ,

w e could not pass the night in the church We then .

endeavoured to beg for a lodging in the V illage but all

our petitions were in vain till a man o f fered a stable
, ,

w hich was suf ficient to shelter u s against the coldness

of the night and the wild beasts O ur s ituation daily .

became w orse w ith the increase Of the inhospitality of

the T ig rian s We had travelled through a very hilly
.

country which w as not mu ch cul t ivated probabl y for

, ,

want of water
Ap r i l 2 8 1 8 42 —
.

,
W e left Mam b er o t w ith sunri se Ou r .

direction w as north east We marched through a very

-
.

rock y territor y and but little cultivated and peopled

,
.

Here and there w e saw a hamlet on the w ay side I n .

the V illage of D a ga di we got some bread and beer .

From t hence our direction was c as t We arrived at .

Behat about three o clock p m We intended to stay

’
. .

here till the ne xt day in order to inquire aft er o ur road

, ,

and to collect some provisions for our j ourney throug h

the Shoho country ; b ut when we applied to the p ri n
c ipal priest w hom w e met on our way w e g o t the rude
, ,

answer T here is the r o ad do not stop here rest

”
somewhere else We have no room for y o u
. T his .

roughness made u s S O sad that w e resolved to use o ur ,

utmost endeavo urs to leave T igre as quick as possible .

 C H A R AC T ER OF T H E P E O PL E OF SE N A F E . 5 15

Behat is a large villa g e s ituated in a plain Before we

, .

entered this plan we had a very di f

, ficult an d steep de s
cent H aving passed the villa g e we had to ascend
.
,

again and to march toward T e lt al a part of the Shoho ,

country H aving reached the summit of the moun

.
'

tain whi ch w e had been ascending since we left Behat

, ,

we came to another exten s ive plain w hich was much ,

c ul tivated and peopled being surrounded by Villages,

.

T his plain is the eastern boundar y of T i g re beyon d ,

whi ch plain In the east there are no more Christians

O n our road we had heard from a merchant that the
people of Senafe were very bad and fanatic Mah o m e dan s
and that w e could not travel close to the Shoho countr y
without a guide or some other kind of protection H e .

therefore advi s ed us t o go to one of the nu m ero u s vil

lages around and to wait for the mark et people who
,
-
, ,

comin g from a market in the nei g hbourhood w oul d ,

pass Senafe to morro w and with them we should go

-

to T ekun d a w here the Governor Ayt o H ab ta Michael

, , ,

would send us to Masso w ah T his intelligence was .

most prov idential and indeed saved our lives becau se

, , ,

had we not k no w n this we s houl d have contin ued our

,

m arch and should either have been entirely stript by

,

the people of Senafe or k illed b y the Sh o h o s as w e

, ,

did not know t he road and s hould have been led to the
,

Shoho village s which we should have ta k en for villag e s

,

of T igre .

H avin g obtained this i m por t ant infor m ation w e ,

wen t t o the Church of St Georg e i n the vill a g e of S h e

.
,
5 16 C O NV E R S A T I O N ON F AS T I N G W ITH

masana T h e Alaca of this Church is a blind pri est

. .

H e showed much intelligence in reasoning H e kne w .

of the E nglish and F rench H e also knew Mr Isen . .

berg . H e said that the E ngli s h did not fast ; to

,

which I replied that as Christ had neither ordered

,

nor forbidden fastin g the E nglish did not comm it sin

,

if they omitted fas t ing as nobod y w ould be j ustified

,

before God b y means of fas t ing that w e did not h o w

ever prevent an y one from fastin g if he wished to do ,

so of his o w n accord ye a it m i ght be useful if c o n , ,

n e c te d with pra y er and meditation but that it would

be sinful as soon as w e had the least idea or intention
of being saved by fastin g T h e Al aca then said that .
,

fasting had been ordered b y the 3 1 8 fathers assembled

“
at N ice I replied . Supposin g this to be true we
, ,

are not obliged to observe thei r re g ulation s as theirs ,

is not the Word of God w hich never recommends fast ,

”
ing as an inviolable commandment .

D uring the conversation the man sho w ed neither ,

passion nor anger When it was terminated the

.
,

priests took their last regular and copious supper it ,

being the evening of Maund y T hursday when the -

,

A b y ssinians particularl y the priest s are obliged to

, ,

abstain entirely from food till E aster mornin g bVe .

also received a share of their meal T h e Alaca then .

ordered us to go t o t he V illage of Me sh a ikh where a ,

frien d of his had promised to give u s a lodging for the

ni g ht an d so send us o f
,
fwith the market people to
’ ’
T ekun da distant a fe w hours j o urne y from St George s
,
. .
5 18 DISP UT E W ITH THE

party w ell know ing the Sh oh o s w ould kill us and take

,

Of fOur clothes instead of the mone y T h e qu arrel w as .

renew ed but the Shoho w ould not consent to m y

departure It was decided b y the leader to send a
.

messenger to t he Governor at Me sh aikh but I was

against this measure as it w oul d have kept u s too
,

long on the spot and I w ould not have the people

,

wait on m y account I of fered a piece Of cloth which

.

I had w orn around m y head to protect it against the

pow erful heat of the sun I threw this pcice of clot h .

fl
at the S h o h o s feet and said
’
T his is all that I c an
, ,

give you If y o u wi l l not accept this I w ill go back

.
,

and ta k e another road whi ch does not lead me through

”
your country T h e leader of the c a i l a encour a ged
.

him to be cont ent w ith the piece of cloth which was ,

worth about five pieces of salt b ut he still refused till ,

a general tumult was raised on account of the c affil a

having been detained so long T he y then allo w ed us .

to depart .

T his occurren ce rem inded me of m y having again

met that set Ofpeople which are bey on d all doubt the
,

w orst on earth I remembered the en dl ess quarrel s

.

which the Sh oh o s had g iven me four y ears ago w hen ,

I travelled through their country to Ado w ah At that .

time I had som e valuable goods and could not expect ,

that they would not allo w me to pas s w ithout a con

s id erab l e charge but on this occasion when I possess ,

ed nothing at all I thought that the y w ould have had

,

compassion on me B ut I was completely di sappointed

.
 G O V ER N O R OF SE N A F E . 5 19

in this e xpectation T hese people have ent irely thro wn

.

aw ay all human feeling s and appear to find the great

,

est pleas ur e in tort uring the ir fello w creatures In -

.

one word if yo u see a Shoho yo u must think y ou

, ,

have before y ou as it w ere the ver y devi l on earth It

, , .

is u seless to give a mild opinion of thi s peo pl e as even ,

the strongest expression will appear to be too mild in

the e yes of those w ho have dw elt wi th the Sh oh o s and
D anakil by frequent experience .

Havin g settled the b u siness w ith the Shoho of Senafe ,

we proceeded on o ur road with the c af fil a throu g h a

stony and woody wilderne s s being continuall y appre ,

h en sive of a bod y of S h o h o s attacki ng us from the

east of our route T his w oody wilderness which w as
.
,

f ull of j uniper trees -

is exactly the place for a gang of
,

robbers as the y could break forth on all sides from

,

the wood and catch y ou up in the narrow rocky r e a d .

About nine o clock we found a well of good water

’
.

Here w e hal t ed till the w hole part y had assembled ,

and t hen the caf fil a s eparated each in di vi dual taking ,

the di rec t ion to his o w n village Some took the dirce .

t ion to Halai in the north ; while we proceeded with

,

s o m e people to T ekun da which i s at present the usual

,

starting place fro m T i g re to Arkeeko I understood .

t hat an arrangement had lately been made between

t h e n e w i a ib Of A rke eko whose nam e i s H assan
’

, ,

and A yto H a b t a Michael the G overnor of T e kun da

, ,

t h a t the H ala i rout e s houl d be g iven u p and tha t of ,

T c kun da substituted I t a p pears that t he Governor of

.
5 20 AR R I VAL AT T E K U ND A .

Halai had a qu arrel with the N aib who opened another , ,

an d I must add a much better route to T igre

, .

We arrived at T ekun da after ten O clock T he

’
.

Governor H ab ta Michael seeing our ver y poor a p

, ,

e aran c e took ve ry little notice of us at fir s t ; as di d

p ,

also his brother W o lda Gaben H e asked whether I

,
.
,

w as an E nglishman and whether I knew Sam uel G O ,

bat and Mr Shimper U pon my ans w ering in the

. .

affirmative he becam e a little more civil and gave us

, ,

a little bread and some hogs beans When he heard ’

.

that A dara Bille the Chie ftain of L agga Ghora had

, ,

robbed me he said T here are several Mah o m e d an

, ,

pilgrims wi t h me subj ects of that Chieftain ; wi ll you

,

”
not take revenge and take of their clothes ? I
“
replied ,
N o I cannot do this and by no means on
, ,

this day being Good F riday because Christ died for

, ,

all mankind the holy for the unhol y and for His
, ,

enem i es to h e ar their gui lt to reconcile them to His

, ,

F ather and to give the spirit of love and peace in the

,

H oly Ghost S eeing therefore His example of love and

.

resignation before me I cannot deprive these pilgrims ,

of their propert y althou g h yo u give me the per m ission

,

to do so Besides they are strangers and have no

.
, ,

” ’
share in their master s robbery and wi c k edness .

I then became acquainted with the pilgrim s wh o ,

w ere really subj ects Of A dara Bille T hey had arrived .

a fe w day s ago from Mecca but were ob l iged to stay

here one of their part y being sick I told them that
,
.
,

they might inform A dara Bil le of m y havin g advanced

5 22 D EP A R T U R E F R O M T E K U ND A .

to m ar for the Shoho g ui de to receive half a dollar

y ,

and the other hal f is given to the Governor ; b ut I

b elieve the Ab y ssinians pay onl y half a dollar to the
guide and nothing to the Governor H owever I would
,
.
,

not bargain about this as the Governor sho w ed me

,

much kindness in my distress .

M a y 1 1 8 42 —T his morning the Governor set t led the

,

matter w ith the Shoho guide and wi shed u s to depart

but the Shoho w an t ed his mone y to be paid before
moving from T ekun da T o this I w oul d not consent
. .

T hen the Shoho requested me to make oath that I

w ould not leave him in the lurch at D o h o n o I replied .
,

that whether I made oath or not it w ould be the same ,

thing as it w ould depen d on the man who w ould lend

,

me m one y at Arke eko or Massow ah ; that if an y one

would lend me mone y I wo ul d pay him w itho ut taking
,

an oath ; and that if no one w ould lend me mone y the ,

oath w ould be u seless as I could not pay h im It

,
.

w ould therefore be better for h im not to press this

m atter b ut to go w ith me to D o h o n o believing on my
, ,

w ord .

A t length the Shoho gave in and w e immediately ,

l eft T ekun da After w alking about a mile w e reached

.

a w ell which is the spring of a river running to the

,

S amb ar T h e people of T ekun da must go thus far to

.

fetch their w ater T ekun da is a small hamlet S ituated

.
,

on a hi ll ; b ut it is now important on acco un t of the

communication w ith the sea and I believe I am the ,

first E uropean who w ent this ne w rou te which h o w ,

 BUR IAL G R O U N DS . 5 23

ever falls into the old road aft er you have travelled
about ten miles I w as deli ghted w ith having seen the
.

beginning of a river which run s from thi s point as

,

far as the sea some distance from Arke eko but the
river is dr y during the hot sea s on and the traveller ,

fi nds water only at certain places A s far as I could .

ascertain wi thout a compass it runs first from south to

,

north then to north east east We had a ver y good and

,
- -
.

plain road through a w oody wil derness It is mu ch .

superior to the road of H alai which leads over t he ,

di fficul t moun t of Sh um f e i to O n the T ekun da road

.

y o u descend by de g rees an d the road might be trodden

,

even by cam els if it c Oul d be improved a little by

,

rem ovin g some roc k s in the way .

We saw several b ur ial grounds on our road O n .

passing by o ur guide always recited certain pra y ers

, ,

the nature of which I could not ma k e out as he did ,

not understand either Amharic or A rabic T h e appear .

ance of graves in the wilderness also produced a deep

i m pression on my own mind .

A bo ut eleven o clock we arrived at that part of the

’

T e kun da road which j oins that of H al a i a I imme .

di a t ely knew this ro ute an d we after w ard ca m e to a

,

few hi g h trees where the camel s are u sually discharge d

,

and sent back to th e coast I recollected the s pot .

well where four years a g o I had three day s quarrel

, , ,

with t he S h o h o s for the hiring of bulloc k s to carry my

lu gg age u p th e mount S h u m fe ito A t that ti m e they .

wan t ed t w o doll a r s for e ac h bulloc k ; whereas th e

5 24 D ISP UT E W ITH THE S H OH OS .

customar y charge w as onl y halfa dollar I saw here .

,

at a distance of abou t S ixt y yards under some trees a ,

large wild goat looking after us fearlessly It would have .

made u s a good an d delicious dinner had not A dara

Bille deprived us Of o ur fi re arms I requested o ur -
.

g uide to halt under these trees for the purpose of par

tak ing o fthe hogs beans which the Governor of T ekun da
’

had given me T h e remembrance of what had occ urr ed

.

to me four years ago was quite fresh and at the same ,

time I felt thankful to the F ather of all mercies that I

w as not then o n m y coming from E urope exposed to
the hard sh ips o f m y present j our ne y as at that tim e I ,

S ho ul d not have been able to have borne them While .

I w as engaged in these contemplation s three Sh o h o s ,

approached an d asked me in their usual boisterous and

,

noisy manner for a dollar because the y w ere great an d

, ,

influential men among the Sh o h o s I pointed at a .

stone on the ground saying that was all I co uld give

, ,

them After a long dispute no more mention was made

.
,

of the dollar but no w they wanted some cof fee which ,

w as also refused F inall y they allo w ed u s to depart

.
, .

We rested at night not far from H am h a m m o We .

slept u nder so m e large trees near the water A .

'
beautiful ly cool air refreshed us and we w ere n o t in ,

the least molested as nobody was With u s except the

,

guide T h e trunk of a large tree w as set on fire whi ch

.
,

burnt the w hole night and served to frighten the wi ld

,

beasts w hich abound in this large torrent of the

,

S am h ar .
5 26 A L A R M ED BY A PA R TY OF S E C H OS .

’
drank th e more I got thirsty ; and the fe w hogs b eans
,

which m y people still carried with them did not satisfy ,

m y appetite A fter night fa ll I had requested from the

.
-

gui de to let u s have a rest an y w here in the wilderness ,

as it w as al m ost im possible for me to move an y fur ther ;

b ut he declared that he could not stop on accoun t of
the B edouins an d the wild beasts and that we should ,

go further on till he woul d point o ut a proper spot I .

said All this d oes not signify let us only rest a few
, ,

hours H o w ever I continu ed marching for some

,

time but as the guide w ould still not listen to me I ,

“
laid do wn on the ground and said Y o u may no w do
, ,

as yo u like y o u m ay stop or go for my par t I will not

”
move from here till I have rested a fe w hours He .

then gave in an d we rested on the sand onl y a fe w

,

y ards from the way side In this sit uation w e were most
.

fortunate I did not think that the Bedouins strolled

over the wi lderness at s uch an earl y hour —about
.

’
t w o o clock in the morning But a p arty of S h o h o s .

passed the very road where w e were S leeping P roba .

bly they w ere of Waia a Shoho place a few miles dis

,

tant fro m us H appily the y did not observe us pro

.
,

bably taking our figures for stones Besides the y were .

,

talking so loud and makin g S O much noise that they

, ,

did not hear the snorin g of my p eople O nl y the .

gui de and my self aw oke from their nois y conversation ;

but w e kept silence as much as possible till the y had ,

passed altogether I w as in a ver y melancholy and

.

apprehe nsive situation at this moment as I did not ,

 AR R IVE AT A R K E E KO . 5 27

know whether the y were friends or ene m ies I could .

not ho w ever expect that a Shoho who i s an enem y in ,

the day wo ul d be a friend at n ight A s soon as they

, .

had passed by w itho ut observing us w e re solved to ,

depart T h e moon j ust rose being in her w ane T h e

.
,
.

idea that we were so close to the coast and that any ,

unfortunate occurrence should happen gave u s co urage ,

and strength to reach the coast as quickl y as possible .

B esides hunger thir st and w eariness drove us on

, , , ,
.

T h e immense plain of A rkeeko annoyed u very m uch s

.

W e sa w the place from a di stance ; but although w e

exerted ourselves to the utmost it still appeared distan t
,

and unattainable .

A bout nine o clock A M we reached the wells of

’
.

w ater close to Ar ke eko We fir st paid a hearty wel

.

come to this water as o ur s was all g e n e We then

,
’
.

moved almo s t half lamed toward the hou se of the

, ,

Governor whom we happened to meet on the road

,
.

H e ordered his servants to g iv e us a room and to make

u s co m fortable T his was done and I laid do wn on a
.
,

small bedstead w ith the inde s cribable feelings of j oy ,

thanksgiving s and adoration to m y heavenl y F ather

, ,

who had enabled me to overcome so many hard shi ps

who had graciousl y watched and protected my l ife in
so man y dangerous and critical moments —w h o had
fed me in the wilderness and d eserts and preserved m e ,

from starva t ion — who had s up p orted m e i n so many

temp t ation s of body an d m i nd— wh o had g iven me s o
many i n visible and sp iri t ual con s olations —a n d who
5 28 AR R I VAL AT

had upheld me with His strength in my w eakness and

helplessness T h e glory be to Him for ever and ever
.

M a y 3 1 8 4 2 —A S already mentioned we arrived this

, ,

morning at Arkeeko and w ere apparentl y w ell received

,

b y the N aib H assan I first inquir ed whether there was

.

a n E nglish vessel bound for A den in the port of Mas

fl
s o w ah T hey said that an E nglish schooner had left
.
,

the harbour th ree day s ago She had brought over .

Mr Cof . fin from A den A S I u nderstood that Mr

. .

C o i n w as at Arkeeko I went immediatel y to him

, ,

althou gh I coul d scarcel y move m y legs H e gave me .

some interesting ne w s from E urope and E gypt B ut .

w hat af f
ected me most w as the inte ll igence that the ,

Brethren Muller and Muhl ei sen o n who s e account I ,

had partly made the j ourney had returned to E gypt ,

and that m y dear bro t her the R e v W Kruse at Cairo

,
. .
, ,

had been deprived by death o fhis amiable intell igent , ,

and piou s wi fe .

Being qui te moneyless I hinted to the Govern or of

,

Arkeeko that I w anted to borro w some money But .

the N aib avoided all mone y business either because he ,

is no fr iend to the E nglish as they have no Consul in

,

Massow ah while other nations have ; or because he

,

w anted to take a large profit by making me w ait fo r a

,

f ew da y s w hen circumstance s w oul d have compelled

,

me to draw money at the risk of a great loss .

M a y 4—T h is morning I left Ar ke eko for Masso w ah .

I w ent by land but m y feet w ere so bad that I pre

ferred taking o f fm y shoes and stockings and going bare ,
P IN T ED
R BY L . S EE L E Y TH A M E S D I TTON S UR R E Y .
 T HE

CHR I ST I AN S FAMI L Y L I BR ARY

’
.

E D I T ED BY T H E R E V . E . BI C K ER ST E T H .

Gus t ifiub l ifibt h ,

W | L B E R FO R C E — T h L i f fW il l i W il b f .
e e o am er o rce . By
hi R b t I
s so ns c W il b f c MA o A hd er saa er o r e , . . rc ea c o n o f

th e E t R i d i g fY k h i
as d S u l W ilb n o or s re, an am e erfo rce ,

M A A hd
. . f Su y W i th P o rt i t
rc e ac o n o rr e . ra ,
a new

E diti b i d g d p ic e 6 i l o th
on a r e , r 5 . n c .

V o l um es prcbic usl p iBui sbeU .

L UT HE R .
—L th u er, a n d th e Luth eran R ef
o rm a ti By on .

t h e R ev . Jo hn S C OTT , MA . .
, of H ull . I n two v l with
o s.

p o rt r a i t s p r i c e , 125 . in c o l th .

PA Y S O N —T h L i f e o ft h e E d w a r d P a y so n D D

fl
, e R ev . ,
. .

R e vi d b y th
se e R ev . E . B I CK E R S T ETH P ric e 5 5 c lo th . . .

L l FE O F C H R I S T .
—A H a rm o ny o f the G o s p el s , on

the s y s em t o fG r e s w el l t
w i h R e ec i o n s f
ro m t D o dd ri d ge .

Ed ite d b y th e R ev . E . BI CK E R S T E TH . W i th M a p p r i c e ,

65 . in c o l th .

C AL V IN .
—C lvi a n an d th e S w i s s R efo rm ati o n . By the
R ev . J O H N S c OT T M A l th , . . W it h P o rt ra it p r i c e ,
65 . c o .

SERLE — T h C h i ti R_
b ce W ith S l t e r s an em e m ra n r . e ec i o n s

f thro m th W iti g fA b e S e l e Edit d b y t h

e o er r n s o m ro s r . e e

R E B Cev T. P i 5 i c l o th
. I KE R S ET H . r ce 5 . n .

L E C H R I C H MO N D — T h e Li f
e ft h R e L g h R i h
,
o e v. e c

m on d ,
MA . . By th e R ev . T . S G R I MS H A W
. E ,
M A Po r . .

t it p i
ra ,
r ce 65 . in c o l th .

PAS C A L A N D A D A M S
—
T h T h u gh t o R l ig i
.
e o s n e on

fB P
o l ; d t h P iv t T h ug h t f t h e R e T
. as c a an e r a e o s o v . .

A da m s . P r ic e 5 3 . in c lo th .

C OW PE R .
—T h e Li f f W ill i C ow p e o am er, E sq . By
TH O MA S T L O W it h P t i t p i e 5
AY R . o r ra ,
r c 5 . in c o l th
 T HE C H R I S T I AN S ’
FAM I L Y L I B R AR Y .

Pl C T ET .
—T h e C h ri s ian t Th e l gy o o of B en e d ic t P i c t et .

T ran sl a e t d b y t h e R ev . F R EY . R OU X . P ri c e 65 . in c o l th .

T HE R I C H M O N D FA M I L Y —D o m e st i c Po rt rai .

tu re ; or M em o i rs o f t h r e e o fMr R ic h m o n d s C h i l d ren
, .
’
.

W i h t E g vi g pri
n ra n s, ce 65 . in cl o th .

DR . BU C HA N A N ,
—M L ife
em o i rs o ft h e an d W ri ti g n s

OfC l a u d iu s B uc h an a n , D D By H U G H P E
. . AR SO N , D D . .
,

D ea n o f S al i s b ury W . i th p t i t p i 6 o r ra ,
r ce 5 . i n clo h t .

C H U R C H H | S T OR Y _ —
Th e H i st o r y o ft h e C h ur c h of

t
C h ri s ,
ro m t h e A p o s
f t o li c Ti m es to t h e R is e o ft h e Pa p a l
Ap t o s ac y f
ro m M il n er . P ri c e 65 . in c o l th .

BR A I N E R D ,
-
D a v i d B r a i n e rd c o m
T he Li f e o ft h e R ev .
,

p il e d fro m t h e M em o ir b y Pres i d en t Edw ar d s By th e .

R e v J OS I A H P R A TT B D
. P ri c e 5 5 i n c l o t h
, . . . .

T HE D IV I N E A T T R I B U T E S .
—T h e A tt i b ut
r es o f

G od, s el e c e t df ro m C h a rn o c k , G o o d w i n , B at e s , an d W is
h ea r t . By t h e R ev W W I L S ON , D D
. . . .
, V ic ar of H oly
R h o o d, S o uth a m p to n . P ri c e 5 5 . in c lo th .

T H E S C R l PT U R E S _ —A
S c ri p ture H elp ; d es i gn e d to
a s s i s t i n re a d i n g t h e B i bl e p ro fi t a b l y B y t h e R ev . . E .

B I C K E R S T E I H W i th m ap s p ri c e 5 5 i n c l o th
'‘
.
, . .

N EW T ON ,
—A Li f e o ft h e R ev . Jo hn N wt e on , wi h Se t
l ec ti o n s f
ro m h i s C o rres p o n d e n ce . P t it p
o r ra , ri c e 5 5 .

T H E L O R D S S U PPE R ’
,
—A T ti rea se on th e L d or
’
s

S upp er ; by th e R e v. E . BI C K E R S T E TH . P ri c e 5 5 . l th
c o .

T H E T E S T I M O N Y O F T H E R E FO R M E R S
S el ec te d fro m J ew ell C ran m er B ra d fo r d R i d l ey B e co n
, , , , ,

P h i l p o t & c W i th P rel i m i n a ry R em ark s o n t h e G ro w th

, .

o fP o p er y B y t h e R ev E
. BI C K E R S T E TH P ric e 65 c l o th
. . . . .

Q N pR AY E R ; —A T r ea ti se on Pra yer . B y t h e R ev E . .

BI C K E R S T E TH . P ri c e 5 5 . in cl tho .
 T HE C H R I S T I AN ’
S FAM I LY L I B R AR Y .

PR | V A T E D E V OT | O N s — T he B k o f P i v te D e ,
oo r a

v ti ;
o t i i g c l l e ti o f t h
o ns con a n n t v lu bl e a o c on e m os a a

E ly D ev ti
ar ft h e R e f e o d th i S u c e
ons o o rm rs an e r c sso r s

i nt h e E gl i h C hu h B i g t h e T ti
n s y ft h e rc . e n es m on o

R ef i th i P y
o rm e r s Edi ted b y t h e R e E B C
n e r ra ers . v . . I

P i ce 5 i cl t h
KE R ST E T H . r 5 . n o .

—
O N BA PT l S M A T t i e _
r ea s on B a p ti s m d es i g ne d as a ,

h l p t th d u I p v
e e t
o e e m ro em n o f t h a t H o l y S a c ra m e n t ,

d i i t d i th h u c h
as a m n s e re n e c r o f En gl an d B y t h e R ev . .

E BI C KE R
. ST E T H . P ric e 5 5 . in cl o th .

MA R Y JA N E G R A H A M ,
-
A M em o ir o f M i s s M ar y
J an e G R A H A M l a t e , of S t o k e Fl e m in g D ev , on. By t h e
R ev . H A R L E S B R I D G E S M A V i c ar o f Ol d N ew to n
C , . .
,

S uffo l k S i xt h Ed iti o n w i th p o rt ra it p ri c e 65 i n c l o th
.
, , . .

T HE C H U R C H ,
—
E s s ay s o n t h e C h urc h . M D C C C XL .

By a L AY MAN . P ri c e 5 5 . in c lo th .

A FFL l C T | O N _ —P e ac e o r t h e C h r i s i an M o urn e r
f t ; Se
l ec g t P a ss a es f
ro m v ar i o u s A u h o rs t . Ed ite d by Mrs .

D U M M ON D
R ,
wi h t a P refa c e b y DR UM t h e R ev . D . K .

M ON D B A ,
. . M i n is t e r Of T ri n i ty C h a p el Ed i n b ur g h , .

P ri c e 5 5 . in clo h t .

T H E JE w s _ —A H i t s o ry o ft h e J ew s , F ro m th e C a ll Of

A b ra h a m t o th e p res en t ti m e . By th e R ev . J W . . B R OOK S ,

MA .
. Vi c a r o fC l a r eb r o
’
, N tt o s . P ri ce 65 . in clo th .

FA M | L Y PR A Y E R S ,
—
p lete c o ur se o f Pray ers
A com

f
or Ei gh t W ee ks w it h a dd it i o n al P ra y e rs suit e d t o t h e ,

F t a s s an d F ti v l
es a s o ft h e C h urc h , an d t h e Oc c a s i o n s an d
C i rc um t
s a n c es Of a f
am i y l . By t h e R ev BI C K E R . E .

S T E TH ,
R t
ec o r o fW a tt o n, H e rt s . In o o l s c a p 8 vo p ri c e
f .

5 5 . in clo th .

G OO D A N D E V I L S PI R IT S .
—P i i p litir nc a es and

Po w ers i n H eave nly Pla c e s . By C H A R L OTT E E LI Z A B ETH .

P ri ce 5 5 c lo th . .
 U n ive rs ity o fC a l if
o rn ia
S OUT HE R N R E G I ONA L L IBR A R Y FAC I L IT Y
3 05 De Ne v e Drive Pa rkin g L o t 1 7 Bo x 9 5 1 3 8 8
L OS A NG E L E S , C A L I FO R NIA 9 009 5 -1 38 8
R et urn thi s m ate ria l to the li b rary fro m i
wh c h it was b o rro we d .