SPOR T IN ABYSSINIA. 2 5 



He also brought snaffle-bridles ; these were a great 

 deal better than the bridles of the country, ^\hich arc 

 dreadfully severe and pull any animal back on his 

 haunches with the least touch. This is rather dan- 

 gerous on a narrow path over a precipice, as some- 

 times, going uphill, by mistake a rider is apt to hang 

 on by the bridle instead of catching hold of either the 

 mane or the pommel. The mules took to the snaffle 

 very kindly ; in fact, it seemed quite a relief to them 

 to have this descriptk)n of bit in their mouths. 



As so much has been written upon mules lately, 

 with regard to their use as draught animals for farm 

 purposes and in other ways, I copy from my notes 

 made on my way home some memoranda of the 

 way these animals are treated and looked after in 

 Abyssinia. 



Everybody in Abyssinia rides a mule ; even the 

 king rides a mule, and has his charger led in front of 

 him. This custom is followed by all the nobles and 

 " swells " in the country. 



The saddles used on Abyssinian mules are made 

 with high cantels and pommels, and are well padded ; 

 a good sheep-skin Numbdah, or one made of old 

 cotton cloth, folded into many folds — the older and 

 the more ragged the better, as it is then softer — is put 

 under the saddle. On the march, when the halting- 

 place for the day is arrived at, they take off the 



