528 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



at the wild people you fpeak of, who are going after you, tho' 

 it is better to meet them coming this way, than when they 

 are going to their homes ; they are commanded by Welleta 

 Yafous, who is your friend, and is very grateful for the medi- 

 cines you fent him atGondar : he has not been able to fee you, 

 being fo much bufied with thofe wild people ; but he loves 

 you, and will take care of you, and you muft give me more of 

 that phyfic when we met at Gondar." I again bowed, and he 

 continued, — " Hear me what I fay ; you fee thofe feven people 

 (I never faw more thief- like fellows in my life), — thefe are 

 all leaders and chiefs of the Galla — favages, if you pleafe ; 

 they are all your brethren." I bowed. " You may go through 

 their country as if it were your own, without a man hurting 

 you : you will be foon related to them all ; for it is their 

 cuftom that a ftranger of ditlin&ion, like you, when he is 

 their gueil, lleeps with the filler, daughter, or near relation 

 of the principal men among them. I dare fay, fays he 

 archly, you will not think the cuftoms of the Galla contain 

 greater hardlhips than thofe of Amhara." I bowed, but 

 thought to myfelf I Ihall not put them to the trial. He then 

 jabbered fomething to them in Galla which I did not under- 

 ftand. They all anfwered by the wildeft howl I ever heard, 

 and flruck themfelves upon the breaft , apparently aflenting. 



" When Ras Michael, continued he, came from the battle 

 of Fagitta, the eyes of forty-four, brethren and relations of 

 thefe people prefent, were pulled out at Gondar, the day af- 

 ter he arrived, and they were expofed upon the banks 

 of the river Angrab to ftarve, where moft, I believe, were 

 devoured by the hyaena ; you took three of them up to 

 your houfe ; nouriihed, cloathed, protected, and kindly treat- 

 ed them." " They are now in good health, faid I, and want 



nothing 



