A CURIO-DEALER 



119 



battle of Adua, where the Itah'ans were so disastrously 

 defeated. I paid several visits to his house, and 

 persuaded him to let me take his photograph in 

 Abyssinian military dress, wearing the cloak which 

 denoted his rank of Balambaras (commandant of a 

 fortress), and on his left wrist 

 the silver-gilt armlet presented 

 to him for valour in the field. 

 Although the best part of his 

 stock had been bought up by 

 the various Europeans on their 

 way home, he still had a num- 

 ber of interesting curios left. 

 Amongst other things I bought 

 several Galla weapons and orna- 

 ments, a curious shield, much 

 larger and of a different pattern 

 to the Shoan buckler, ivory 

 bracelets weighing several 

 pounds each, a straight, double-edged sword with an 

 ivory handle, like an ancient Roman gladius, a spear 

 with a very long and tapering head, hair-pins and combs 

 of bone, and wooden pillows differing in shape from 

 these used by the Somalis. He had also several illus- 

 trated books, but as these were not very good specimens, 

 and I was told I should be able to get much better 

 copies in Gondar and Tigre, I did not buy any. This 

 I much regretted afterwards as, although I tried my 

 utmost throughout my journey, I did not succeed in 

 finding a single illustrated book for sale. Once I was 

 told of one, and waited some hours while it was beine 



Balambaras Giorgis. 



