3IO A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap. 



palace. On either side were high, narrow buildings, 

 the flat roofs of which served as platforms between 

 embattled walls, the outer one to the north being the 

 main wall before described, and the only portion of it 

 which I found to agree with Bruce's account already 

 quoted. The building- on this side had doorways at 

 irregular intervals facing the courtyard, and was said to 



have been used as a storehouse for the Emperor's ivory 

 and other valuables. The opposite side had been 

 divided into eight narrow rooms, where the Emperor's 

 concubines are supposed to have lived. At the west 

 end was a guard-room with a kitchen next to it, but 

 the wall at the eastern extremity of the court was in 

 ruins. 



Leaving this building, we made our way southwards, 

 past numerous piles of masonry, some so much shattered 

 that their original form could no longer be made out, 

 while others were still in good repair. Among the 



