1 3 2 SFOR T IN ABYSSINIA. 



for love or money. At last a priest appeared who 

 was with great difficulty persuaded to lend us his two 

 donkeys until we could manage to buy from the 

 neighbouring villages two for ourselves. 



This afternoon I thought I would show the young 

 chief the use of the sword which I had bought in the 

 market at Semmemar, and so, asking him to let me 

 look at his own, I showed him the common one I had 

 purchased, at which he seemed rather to sneer. We 

 had got the best part of a goat in camp, and I hung 

 up the hind quarters, with part of the back attached, 

 on to a rope stretched between the two " dasses " 

 which had been built for us. The sword was very 

 sharp, and I managed to cut this piece of the carcass 

 right in half. I then asked him if he would do the 

 same, but he said he could not. I rather suspect he 

 would not, as he was very proud of his sword, and 

 probably thought that cutting a goat in half would 

 not be a deed worthy of such a weapon. I then cut 

 off another piece for his edification, and also to try to 

 induce him to show off, which, however, he refused to 

 do, and eventually retired to his followers and Bar- 

 rakee, no doubt to talk over what the Feringee had 

 done, and wonder why he had done it, and what was 

 the use of the feat. 



He came to me again in the evening — this was 

 another instance of native imagination of the power 



