202 SPORT IN ABYSSINIA. 



had spears, and the others guns : they completely sur- 

 rounded me, and one seized me by the wrist and 

 tried to drag me off. I snatched myself out of his 

 grasp and backed against a straw hut. Another man 

 kept pointing at me with a loaded gun about a foot 

 off my head, calling me s/iifter — which means robber. 

 At this moment a very tall Abyssinian pushed his 

 way through the crowd and came up to me, putting 

 his hand over his mouth, which was to give me to un- 

 derstand that I was to hold my tongue and not make 

 a noise. He took me by the hand and led me away, 

 the crowd hooting and shouting at me. One fellow ran 

 in front and aimed his spear at me, but the tall Abys- 

 sinian, who seemed to be my friend, raised his spear, 

 and the fellow took to his heels. As is very often the 

 case with most of these disputes, it all ended in smoke. 

 I got the straw for my bed after all, and went to sleep. 

 They came to me and told me I must take my tent 

 outside their village, but I replied that I would not 

 move it, and that it did no harm there ; so it stopped 

 there for the night. 



March 12. — To-day I made Petros sit outside the 

 door of the big round Abyssinian hut that I had taken 

 possession of during the heat of the day and " make 

 bazaar," as he calls it ; that is to say, he took my 

 handkerchiefs and beads and red cloth which I had 

 with me, and exchanged them for chickens and eggs, 



