1 1 8 SPOR T IN ABYSSINIA. 



Jan. 30. — This morning we did not start till much 

 later, as the whole of the party were rather knocked 

 up by the march of the day before. The country was 

 very lovely that we travelled through. The path rose 

 until we found ourselves on a very extensive plain : as 

 we travelled over it, one of my gun-bearers pointed 

 out a place, south of the route we pursued, where the 

 king of Abyssinia had had a great battle with the 

 Gallas, on which occasion three hundred of the Galla 

 horsemen rode over a sheer precipice, nearly every one 

 of them being killed. I trotted on across the plain 

 towards Adiaboo, and the large peaked hill appeared 

 nearer and nearer. I forgot to say that, before we 

 started this morning, I managed to bag one of the wild 

 geese which we had seen, and stalked unsuccessfully, 

 the night before. These birds are most excellent 

 eating, and they and the partridges are nearly the best 

 food in the shape of game that is found in Abyssinia, 

 but the guinea-fowl are nearly always tough. 



It was market-day at Adiaboo, a much larger affair 

 than at Scmemmar the day before, and a considerable 

 gathering of people were here, all chattering and 

 making a great noise, it being the busiest time. I 

 asked some of the bystanders where K. was, and 

 where our camp was pitched. They pointed a little 

 farther on, and I soon saw K.'s tent and a " das " built 

 close by. A das is a sort of bower made of boughs 



