y^ SPORT IN ABYSSINIA. 



he had to go with his soldiers and followers to attend 

 the feast of Baptism. On this day all the population 

 of the town go down to the river and bathe ; the 

 priests pray, and I believe bathe also. After we 

 had taken breakfast Brou told us that if we went a 

 little way out of camp into the town we should see 

 the priests and procession returning from the river. 

 We stood on the top of a high mound, and very soon 

 heard a most discordant braying of horns in the 

 distance. The procession now approached, the priests 

 bearing the sacred image of the Virgin, with a canopy 

 held over it ; little boys were walking in front with 

 incense. They were singing a monotonous chant al- 

 ternately, the Avomen all taking it up at one time and 

 the men at another. Borum Braswouldeselassie and 

 his horsemen were in front of the procession, galloping 

 about with their horses and firing off their guns. 

 The whole thing, except for the horsemen, looked 

 very much like a Roman Catholic procession. They 

 marched past us up to the church, and we saw them 

 no more. K. said that on occasions of this sort 

 the Abyssinian horsemen play a game called gotix, 

 so I begged of him to send a message to Borum 

 Braswouldeselassie, asking him to send some of his 

 soldiers to play the game, in order that we might see 

 it. About three or four came out on a flat piece of 

 ground, which was the market-place, and commenced 



