CHAP. XXXVI RETURN TO ADUA 



was not till I reached Italian territory that I found how 

 lucky ! had been to see so much ; for there I learnt that 

 the last European to visit the sacred city before me had 

 been totally unsuccessful in his object. He was an 

 Italian, who brought a strong letter of recommendation 

 from Ras Maconnen, then governor of Tigre ; but the 

 Nebrid received him with scant civility and, after keep- 

 ing him closely guarded for a couple of days, had him 

 escorted back to Adua without his having seen anything : 

 so that I was specially favoured in every way. 



The road back to Adua was in a terrible state from 

 the heavy rain, the mud being so deep that it was 

 impossible to get out of a walk. Before leaving Adua 

 I wanted to get some specimens of the silk embroidery 

 for which the place is famous throughout Abyssinia ; 

 but the art has much declined, and only two or three 

 old men still carry it on. I succeeded in getting a 

 burnous, but could not obtain a woman's complete dress, 

 except of very inferior quality. 



The Dedjatch returned in the evening, so next 

 morning the caravan was once more on the march, 

 while I called to say farewell to Ledj Marcha, and pre- 

 sented him with various little delicacies I could spare, 

 as well as a mule which had fallen lame. This last 

 gift he hardly seemed to appreciate, so that I regretted 

 not having accepted the $20 which a merchant had 

 offered me. Passing a big camp of soldiers, part of 

 the forces of the new governor of Tigre, we climbed 

 a steep hill and found the Dedjatch, with a crowd 

 round him, attending to various business in the open. 

 On my approach he had a carpet spread, and expressed 



