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CHAPTER XVI.

SECOND VISIT TO AXUM-LOSS OF MY DIARY-AND
JOURNEY TO THE TAKAZZE.

April 10th.-Less fortunate than the poor comedian whom Gil Blas saw soaking his crusts in the fountain, we breakfasted on dry crusts, but had no fountain to moisten them in. However, about 6 A.M. we reached Axum, and at once went in search of the High Priest, whom we found seated under a great wicker-work umbrella, superintending the building of a house. He was accompanied by a large party of priests, and his five sword-bearers, who seemed never to leave him. I told Nebrid Yasu that I was angry with Ras Bariaü, and had come to stay with him till my brother and K. should arrive from Adowa. He received me kindly, but as neither Mustafa nor I could speak Abyssinian, and nobody there understood Arabic, our conversation was mostly confined to signs and caresses, by which the old gentleman endeavoured to express his friendship. Hearing that I had been on the road all night, he bade me go to his house to eat and rest, which I was very glad to do, as I was far from well and in want of food. He then gave Mustafa a number of eggs-which one of the priests mysteriously produced from the folds of his

robe—and, having made our salaam, we retired to the house to have them cooked.

When Nebrid Yasu returned home, he awakened me, and proposed that I should visit "Caleb's Cave,” a curious excavation on the side of a neighbouring hill, which had apparently been an underground tomb, with three chambers; but I could find no clue to its date or history. Towards evening, I rode out in the direction of Adowa to see if there were any signs of the arrival of my brother and the General. It was not long before I espied a party of native horsemen pricking across the plain, who, as soon as they saw me, galloped up, firing off their guns, shouting, and waving their swords and spears in the air, with all the warlike and apparently hostile demonstrations with which most of the African races delight to welcome a friend. From these men I learned that K. and C. were already on the road to Axum, with an escort furnished by the Ras, of which they formed the advance guard. I therefore made them accompany me to Axum, where we found the Nebrid, with a large party of priests, engaged in drinking tella. Indeed, some of the company had already managed to consume so much of this mild beverage that they were rather the worse for it, and I should think there were few guests present who had not drunk the best part of a gallon; everybody was therefore very gay. Presently, General K. and C. entered the hall, accompanied by all our servants. They said that they had had the utmost difficulty in getting away from Adowa, but that when the Ras

found I had really kept my word and was gone, and that they were prepared to follow, he at last sent them the guides, porters, and escort he had so often promised, and begged they would not speak ill of him to the King. There were, however, still no signs of the baggage from Guddofelassie; and Captain R. had remained behind at Adowa, to try to recover it and bring it forwards. Father Louis, also, had decided to stay with him till he could procure a sufficiency of porters to carry all his things; and my brother had left Baulo to be Captain R.'s personal attendant, as his other servants were all natives. Poor Baulo! when he saw his master going away, believed that his last hopes of ever again beholding his beloved "Gerusalemme" were for ever departed, and his tears fell fast.

We asked Nebrid Yasu to give us a different hut to sleep in from that we had before occupied, and were accordingly conducted to a large round house of mud, which Ras Bariaü had just had built for his own use; but though it was quite new it was already swarming with fleas, and we slept no better than before: probably our guards and servants who lay outside were better off than we were. It not unfrequently happens that the master is less happy than the man.

April 11th.-We were all up and preparing for the road at daybreak. I was careful to have my quinine, gun-tools, shooting boots, toilet apparatus, diary, and other necessaries which were required daily, all placed in a great double camel bag, called in Arabic, a Zekibeh, so as not to disturb the other baggage on the

march; for the native porters will often refuse to carry their loads if they are in any way altered after they have once been given to them, and there is endless quarrelling at every re-distribution of burdens. Even now, notwithstanding the small number of our party, and the reduced state of our outfit, we were obliged to employ, five-and-twenty or thirty men, besides mules, to carry the baggage; and we had no small difficulty in getting them. Nebrid Yasu, however, lent us one of his mules; and at last we got fairly started on our way for the country beyond the Takazze, of which we had heard many wild stories during our enforced stay at Adowa.

Outside Axum a great crowd of natives had collected to see us, and as we were passing through it, one of the porters threw down his burden and refused to go farther. Wassie, who, as I have before remarked, was of a peculiarly combative disposition, immediately flew at him like a bulldog, and in a moment the whole crowd was in commotion-spears, swords, and stones were brandished in every direction; our servants clubbed their guns, which were fortunately not charged, and a free fight ensued, of which the dauntless Wassie was the central figure. Above all the clamour rose the shrieks of the women, who, collected on a rising piece of ground, gave vent with one voice to the shrill wail with which they lament their dead. The old Nebrid, who had accompanied us thus far, put up his umbrella, and without stopping to say good-bye, vanished from the scene. K., C., and myself, fearful that mischief

might ensue, forced our horses into the crowd, laying freely about us with our whips to separate the combatants; but my horse plunged and reared so much that I had to dismount lest he should trample on some one, for the natives were far too busy exchanging blows to take any heed of his hoofs. At last we succeeded in separating some of the principal combatants, who clung to each other like polecats, and ordering the servants to close up behind the porters, so that none might run away, we got clear of the crowd and continued the march. Poor Wassie had been rather knocked about, having taken a prominent part in the affray; but he was still cheerful, though apparently very much disappointed that K. had wrenched his spear out of his hand before he could stick it through a few of his antagonists. As Punch says, "Different people have different opinions."

We now rode south-west, between two ranges of prettily-wooded hills, which gradually converged; and after about a couple of hours' march we gained a stream and halted, for K. was so sick and ill that it was with difficulty he could sit in the saddle. Probably he had overtaxed his strength in the struggle of the morning. After an hour's rest we continued the journey, and traversed a great valley bounded on either side by mountains of grey granite. At the further end there was a deep ravine, with a stream at the bottom, the banks of which were clothed with a tangled mass of the most lovely tropical foliage I ever saw. Graceful palm-trees pushed their way up to the light through

VOL. I.

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