THE BORAN AND THEIR KING, ABOFILATO. 177 
It was weary work for the next three days trading with 
these Gere Libin, several hours often being required to 
conclude a single bargain. The natives wanted enormous 
prices for their animals, the chief articles they desired 
being cloth and brass wire. On the 14th of March 
several Boran came to the camp, the first we had seen. 
They brought much coffee with them, which they gave to 
us as a present, and appeared to regard us in a very friendly 
light. Of a light copper color, they resembled the Abyssin- 
ians very much in their long faces, broad foreheads, and 
generally intelligent cast of features, as well as in their 
height and good muscular development. Those that 
visited us at Aimola belonged to the Sakuyu tribe, and 
wore their heads shaved, with the exception of a little tuft 
of hair which they left in the middle of their head and 
twisted into a tiny little pigtail. The women wore a short 
apron and bib of cloth or leather, while the men clothed 
themselves in a pair of very loose short trousers and a 
cloak thrown over the shoulders, the material for these 
garments coming from Konso and Amara. The arms of 
people of both sexes were covered with brass, copper, and 
ivory bracelets, and many necklaces of beads were worn. 
Every man who could afford it wore also a huge brass 
ring on his index finger, made into the form of a large 
circular disk on top, that projected nearly half an inch 
from the finger. One man brought a bag containing 
thirty pounds of shelled coffee beans, which he sold at the 
low price of one piece of cloth. They said they got the 
coffee from the Jan Jams, a people living in a very cold 
mountainous country far to the northwest. Formerly the 
Boran were divided up into many different tribes, but 
now they are all united under one powerful king named 
Abofilato, who is the hereditary chief of Karayu Boran, 
these Karayu Boran having subdued their neighbors and 
T2 
