132 



A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap, xii 



waiting, close to the audience chamber, and rode home, 

 arriving at 3.30. So ended one of the most interesting 

 ceremonies it has ever been my luck to witness, I had 

 heard and read so much about the disgusting sight of 

 men gorging themselves on huge lumps of raw meat 

 crammed into their mouths, reeling about in a state of 

 intoxication, and the general orgie which ensued at these 

 feasts, that I went prepared for a curious though far 

 from edifying spectacle. I came away, having seen 

 nothing to which the most sensitive spectator could object, 

 and filled with wonder that^such a vast number could be 

 entertained with so little fuss and kept in such perfect 

 order. 



