3i8 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap. 



over the remains of a favourite horse which had carried 

 him all through his campaign in Sennar ; during this 

 it was wounded, but lived till its return to Gondar. The 

 building had two entirely separate walls, the outer one, 

 which was 30 inches thick, having a space of 4 inches 

 between it and the inner one of -^^i inches. It was 

 built of rough stone plastered over ; six brick-arched 

 doorways led to the interior, which was 15 feet in 

 diameter. A tree had taken root in the walls, part of 

 the dome had fallen, and, with a neglected church 

 enclosure for background, it had a most picturesque 

 appearance. There was one circumstance about the 

 ruins of Gondar which puzzled me greatly : I could find 

 no traces of wells, or indeed of any large tanks for the 

 storage of water ; those whom I questioned said it had 

 always been fetched from the stream below. It seems 

 curious, that a place on whose fortification a long line 

 of powerful rulers • had expended much treasure should 

 thus have been at the mercy of any enemy who was 

 clever enough to divert the water-supph', for this could 

 easily have been done at some distance from the city. 



On the third day of my stay the market was held, 

 but it was a very poor one, and I could not get half 

 the supplies I wanted for my men. At sundown on 

 the same day the Canterbi, who had been so arrogant 

 on the way, came to see me. He clasped my hand in 

 both of his, and, raising it to his lips, kissed it, pressed 

 me to move up to his house, and, when I said I had 

 only been waiting for his return to start for the Soudan, 

 announced his intention of coming with me. This was 

 indeed a chancre from his manner at the last interview ! 



