128 SPORT IN ABYSSINIA. 



the Siemien from springs ; at least, this I think and 

 believe is the case, on the authority of an old servant 

 we had with us, called Hadji Mahomet, who came 

 from that part of the world. As we looked below us 

 we could see the inmates of some huts that were 

 clustered round the mountain engaged in celebrating 

 a marriage. All the company were assembled in a 

 large " das," or leafy bower, drinking and dancing, 

 and every now and then a shot would be fired off in 

 the air in celebration of the auspicious event. As I 

 looked towards the distant view which lay before us I 

 little thought that on my return journey I should be 

 as anxious to get home as I w^as then to explore those 

 regions. We waited till the sun set behind the moun- 

 tains of Walkait, and then came down the hill and 

 made for camp. 



H, and I very much wished, before leaving the 

 country, to try and get some black leopard skin, and 

 some of the silver-mounted shields which are made at 

 Adowa, and which are carried by the great chiefs 

 of the country. K. said that if we wrote out an 

 order and sent it to Adowa it would be attended to. 

 I wrote out a couple of orders, one for the black 

 leopard skins and the other for the shields, and we 

 both signed them and got John to transcribe them 

 into Amharic. While I was writing them he re- 

 marked that English writing was very quick and very 



