THE SOURCE OF THE NILE, 177 



when neceflity obliges to treat of grofs fubjefts, always 

 makes choice of the leaft offenfive language. 



All thofe, whether women or men, who have fiefs of the 

 crown, 3.VG obliged to furnifli certain numbers of horfe and 

 foot. The women were feldom obliged to perfonal atten- 

 dance, till Ras Michael made it a rule, in order to compofe 

 a court or company for Ozoro Efhher. At the end of a day 

 of battle each chief is obliged to fit at the door of his tent, 

 and each of his followers, who has flain a man, prefents 

 himfelf in his turn, armed as in fight, with the bloody 

 forefkin of the man whom he has llain hanging upon the 

 wrift of his right hand. In this, too, he holds his lance, 

 brandilhing it over his mailer, or miftrefs, as if he intended 

 to ftrike ; and repeating in a feeming rage, a rant of non- 

 fenfe, which admits of no variation, " I am John the fon of 

 George, the fon of William, the fon of Thomas ; I am the 

 rider upon the brown horfe ; I faved your father's life at 

 fuch a battle ; where would you have been if I had not 

 fought for you to-day ? you give me no encouragement, no 

 cloaths, nor money ; you do not deferve fuch a fervant as I ;" 

 and with that he throws his bloody fpoils upon the ground 

 before his fuperior. Another comes afterwards, in his turn, 

 and does the fame ; and, if he has killed more than one man, 

 fo many more times he returns, always repeating the fame 

 nonfenfe, with the fame geftures. I believe there was a 

 heap of above 400 that day, before Ozoro Lilher ; and it was 

 monftrous to fee the young and beautiful Tecla Mariam 

 fitting upon a flool prefiding at fo filthy a ceremony ; nor 

 was flie without furprife, fuch is the force of cufcom, that 

 no compliment of that kind was paid on my part ; and Hill 



Vol. IV. Z more 



