1 20 SPORT IN ABYSSINIA. 



letters from home waiting for us, which of course we 

 were very pleased to get. Any scrap of news from 

 his own country and friends, to a traveller quite out 

 of the march of civilisation, is a great luxury. H. 

 had not come in when I arrived, as I had gone on 

 rather fast in front of him : there were also letters for 

 him, so I took them and walRed a little way out of the 

 camp to meet him with them, and never saw any- 

 body so delighted ; in fact, we were both in the best 

 of spirits. After I had read the letters, I asked K. 

 to come round the market of Adiaboo with me to see 

 the people, and also to look if there was anything 

 worth buying. 



The large tree, mentioned before, was the centre of 

 attraction, and those who brought horses with them 

 had them tied up under the shade of the tree. The 

 tree was hung all round with shields, some for sale 

 and others belonging to the owners of the horses ; as 

 every Abyssinian, whenever he goes even the shortest 

 way from home, always takes with him his shield and 

 his spear — just in the same way as an Irishman carries 

 his stick. I bought two shields for five dollars ; one I 

 gave to Goubasee, my gun-bearer, and the other to 

 Guyndem, my second gun-bearer : they both seemed 

 mightily pleased and proud, and said they would take 

 the greatest care of them. The shields were made of 

 the skin of a species of large deer ; they were thick 



