VISIT THE EMBASSIES 85 



usual Stockade, viz., a stone wall supporting a line of 

 high ;unl rather thin poles ; these are tied together, and 

 set with A number of sharp sticks pointing outwards, 

 like " chevaux de frise," with thorn bushes filling up 

 the intervals between the latter. Still proceeding north- 

 east, we now cross another stream, on the banks of 

 which are the royal quarries, traverse a stretch of rough 

 grass-land that borders the main branch of the river, 

 pass a camp of Abyssinian soldiers with little grass-and- 

 rush shelters, or pent - shaped tents for the men and 

 round, mushroom-like ones for the officers, and thus 

 reach our starting-point, the British Agency. 



On Tuesday, 2nd January, we paid a formal visit to the 

 Russian and French embassies. At the former we merely 

 sent in cards, as General Vlassow's wife, an Englishwoman, 

 was lying seriously ill. The chief building of the Russian 

 Legation was a long structure with white-washed walls, 

 raised on a platform and surrounded by a large, untidy 

 compound, with the camp of the Cossack guard in one 

 corner. The French Legation, a much more imposing 

 edifice, was some distance away on the road to Entotto, 

 the old capital. Here, after passing through a couple 

 of enclosures, we found ourselves in front of a gatehouse, 

 in which is the office of M. Kouri, the Consul, who re- 

 ceived us. After a short chat, he left us to the enjoy- 

 ment of our cigarettes and took our cards to the Minister, 

 who sent word that he would be pleased to receive us. 

 We were then led through two more enclosures to the 

 semicircular end of a large, oblong tucul, with no visible 

 windows, where it was so dark that at first we could 

 hardly see the chairs we were invited to take. As our 



