soo TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



and LudolPs dictionaries were lying upon it. Yafine was 

 fitting by me, and was telling me what news he had picked 

 lip, and he was well acquainted with Ayto Aylo, from feve- 

 ral commiflions he had received for his merchants in Ara- 

 bia. A contention of civilities immediately followed. I of- 

 fered to Hand till Aylo was covered, and he would not fit 

 till T was feated. This being got over, the firfl curiofity 

 was, What my books were ? and he was very much aftoniih- 

 ed at feeing one of them was Abyffinian, and the European 

 helps that I had towards underftanding it. He underftood 

 Tigre and Amharic perfectly, and had a little knowledge of 

 Arabic, that is, he underflood it when fpoken, for he could 

 neither read nor write it, and fpoke it very ill, being at a 

 lofs for words. 



The beginning of our difcourfe was in Arabic, and em- 

 barrafTed enough, but we had plenty of interpreters in all 

 languages. The firft bafhfulnefs being removed on both 

 fides, our converfation began in Tigre, now, lately fince 

 Michael had become Ras, the language moll ufed in Gon- 

 dar. Aylo was exceedingly aftonifhed at hearing me fpeak 

 the language as I did, and faid after, " The Greeks are poor 

 creatures ; Peter does not fpeak Tigre fo well as this man." 

 Then, very frequently, toSaleh and the by-flanders, "Come, 

 come, he'll do, if he can fpeak ; there is no fear of him, he'll 

 make his way." 



He told us that Welled Hawaryat had come from the 

 camp ill of a fever, and that they were afraid it was the 

 fmall pox : that Janni had informed them I had faved many 

 young people's lives at Adowa, by a new manner of treat- 

 ing them ; and that the Iteghe defired I would come the 

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