84 SPORT IN ABYSSINIA. 



cloth he was wearing ; and I scarcely know which 

 was worse, the smell of the Abyssinian's garment or 

 that of the dust. 



All the country we had been travelling through was 

 highly cultivated, and the ballagas were, as far as I 

 could see, breaking up fresh land every day for 

 sowing ; in fact, I should say that the whole province 

 of Tigre was in a very prosperous condition. It is a 

 great pity such a country as this, which to all intents 

 and purposes is close to Europe, should not be made 

 use of in some way or other. Cotton would grow in 

 most parts with great luxuriance ; it is grown in the 

 ■province of Walkait, and brought into the rest of 

 Abyssinia by large caravans, who exchange it for 

 grain, salt, etc. In the valleys among the hills I 

 believe all sorts of things would grow, and in a short 

 time I hope to send out seeds of all the English 

 vegetables, to make a trial of them at Gindar. There 

 is one plant which would return very high profits to 

 the growers, and that is cinchona, for quinine. Where 

 plenty of water is to be had I am sure this plant 

 would do well. Of course the great drawback to all 

 commerce in Abyssinia is the badness of the roads ; 

 in fact, there are no roads, merely paths across the 

 table-lands, and as a rule among the hills the roads 

 follow the dry watercourses. 



When Borum Bras, and his servants had had enoueh 



