THE RAS'S QUESTIONS 



next day, for by morning, what with gorging and drink- 

 ing, scarcely a man could move ! 



At half-past ten the Ras sent for me. I found him 

 in the same place, but with a smaller escort and fewer 

 attendants. When we had inquired after each other's 

 health, he presented me with his fly-whisk, made of long 

 horsehair died red, with a rhinoceros-horn handle. This 

 was a great mark of favour, and it was often recognised 

 by different Shums on my journey through Gojam. I 

 then produced the magazine-pistol, and had great trouble 

 in making him understand its working. I fired five 

 shots into the ground just at the tucul door, and he 

 seemed pleased at the way it shot and made the dirt fly 

 up. Putting his hand into the folds of his shamma, he 

 took out a small four-chambered French revolver fully 

 loaded, and asked me which was the better weapon. 

 Next he showed me a new church he was building, of 

 which I got a photo, and I then suggested I should 

 take my leave ; but he would not hear of that, led me 

 back to the tucul, and called for more tej. He asked me 

 who was our Negus Negusti, and when I told him about 

 the Queen, he wanted to know her name, age, how 

 many sons and daughters she had, and if they were all 

 by one husband, how long she had reigned, and finally, 

 why we obeyed her ! To answer all of these questions to 

 his satisfaction, through two interpreters, took me some 

 time. Then the conversation turned on the Soudan : 

 What was the name of our general who had conquered 

 the Dervishes? How long had we been at Khartoum 

 and Kassala, and who commanded at those places now ? 

 Was it true that we had told the French to leave Fashoda, 



