THE BANQUET 129 



lips. Each had his decanter of tej, covered with a piece 

 of silk, by his side, from which he took long draughts. 

 When the Emperor drank, those round held up their 

 garments to screen him from all chance of the evil eye. 

 During the meal, a priest stood on the Emperor's left, a 

 quaint survival of a custom mentioned in the oldest 

 annals of Ethiopia, his duty being to tell his royal 

 master when he has eaten and drunk enough. When 

 lunch was over, the curtains were drawn back, disclosing 

 to view the fine hall. This is 163 feet by 97 feet. The 

 walls are covered with blue paper and gold stars, and 

 the roof-timbers, which are supported by two rows of 

 sixteen lattice-work pillars painted white, are picked out 

 in the national colours. The attendants were busy 

 setting out round baskets, piled with flat cakes of bread, 

 in rows on the floor. The great double doors at the 

 end of the hall were then thrown open, and the hall soon 

 began to fill with guests, who, as they advanced towards 

 the Emperor with their right shoulder bared, bowed low 

 and took their places in little groups of ten or a dozen 

 round each basket. In the side aisle, next our left, 

 were seated the escorts and servants of the Euro- 

 peans present. Very smart were Captain Ciccodicola's 

 Tigreans with their tartan head-dresses. Our Somali 

 syces caused us much amusement. Being Mohammedans, 

 they could not touch food prepared by Christians, so sat 

 and looked on. They were evidently in a state of terror, 

 for the Somali's only experience of the Abyssinian is 

 when the latter raids into his country and exacts heavy 

 taxes, killing all who resist or do not pay up quickly 

 enough. Our men looked as though they thought that, 



