A TIG RE CHIEF 38 j 



me and my intentions ; the Emperor's letters, however, 

 seemed to reassure him a Httle, and he gradually became 

 more civil, though my coming without a guide still 

 excited his suspicions, as was evidenced by his frequent 

 references to the fact. A small brother of his, who 

 accompanied him, seemed a very sharp youth, and con- 

 stantly put in a few words of advice. They both 

 handled my rifles in a business-like way, and their 

 questions were to the point. After they had left, a man 

 of the name of Abdar Hamman came to see me, and 

 we had a long talk, in the course of which he gave me 

 much interesting information. Among other things, he 

 told me that he was a native of this place, and had 

 been made a prisoner by the Dervishes and carried to 

 Khartoum thirteen years ago. There he had gained 

 the confidence of the Khalifa, and was sent by him with 

 letters to Menelik, who received him and his followers 

 well, and gave them mules and a tent for their return 

 journey. After the fall of Omdurman, he had apparently 

 proved useful to our intelligence officers, and, when 

 things had quieted down, he set out for his own country, 

 but had twice to abandon the journey through sickness. 



That evening, a present of fowls and eggs, bread 

 and milk, limes and " turengo " (shaddock), a fruit I 

 had not seen previously in Abyssinia, in addition to 

 bundles of fuel, arrived from the Kanyazmatch. He 

 also came to see us off next morning, and said it was 

 only a short march to the foot of the Sabandas range, 

 where the guide he was sending v/ith me would be 

 relieved by another. After some persuasion, I got them 

 to sit for a group ; but it was evident they did not like 

 2 c 



