XXVI MY EX- G UIDE 'S ESC A PE 291 



After dark Basha Kassa came to me and informed 

 me he had orders to return to Burey at once, and that 

 he was to be sent to Adis Ababa in chains, in order to 

 be punished for not allowing me to shoot where I liked. 

 As he had already been convicted once for rebellion and 

 looting, things were likely to go hard with him, and he 

 therefore begged me to write to the Emperor on his behalf. 

 I had by this time ascertained beyond doubt that he had 

 only carried out his orders, and that it was the Gojam 

 officials who had misinterpreted the Emperor's letter. 

 It was therefore quite contrary to my ideas of justice 

 that Basha Kassa should be punished. Accordingly 

 I wrote to the Emperor and to Captain Harrington, 

 explaining the matter as I understood it, and saying 

 that, far from being displeased with Basha Kassa, I 

 had given him and his men presents on parting from 

 them. These letters, together with one for England, 

 I did up in as imposing a packet as possible, which was 

 to be taken by the Dedjatch to the Emperor. I also 

 wrote out duplicates of the ones concerning Basha 

 Kassa, and these he sent off by a man he could trust, 

 as he feared the others might not arrive in time. And 

 it was well he did so, for when I met Captain Harring- 

 ton in London on my return home, I learnt that these 

 letters only overtook him after he had started for the 

 coast, and just in time to prevent Basha Kassa being 

 publicly flogged in the streets of Adis Ababa, a fate 

 which had quite lately befallen the governor of a district, 

 who had stopped Majors Bright and Austin in their 

 survey-work for the delimitation of the western frontier. 

 Early next morning a younger brother of the Dedjatch 



