CHAP. XXXVI RETURN TO ADUA 



421 



was not till I reached Italian territory that 1 found how- 

 lucky ! had been to see so much : for llicrc 1 learnt that 

 the last European to visit the sacred city before me had 

 been totally unsuccessful in his object. He was an 

 Italian, who bnniyht a strong letter of recommendation 

 from Ras Maconnen, then governor of I i.L;re ; but the 

 Nebrid received him with scant civility and. after keejj- 

 ing him closely guarded for a couple of days, had him 

 escorted back to Adua without his having seen anything : 

 so that I was specially faxoureil in every way. 



The road back to Adua was in a terrible state from 

 the heavy rain, the mud being so deep that it was 

 impossible to get out of a walk. Before leaving .Adua 

 I wanted to get some specimens of the silk embroidery 

 for which the place is famous throughout Abyssinia ; 

 but the art has much declined, and only two or three 

 old men still carry it on. I succeeded in getting a 

 burnous, but could not obtain a woman's complete dress, 

 e.xcept of very inferior quality. 



The Dedjalch returned in the evening, so ne.xt 

 morning the caravan was once more on the march, 

 while I called to say farewell to Ledj Marcha, and pre- 

 senteil him with various little delicacies I could spare, 

 as well as a mule which had fallen lame. This last 

 gift he hardly seemed to appreciate, so that I regretted 

 not having accepted the $20 which a merchant had 

 offered me. Passing a big camp of soldiers, part of 

 the forces of the new governor of Tigre, wc climbed 

 a steep hill and found the Dedjatch, with a crowd 

 round him, attending to various business in the open. 

 On my approach he had a carpet spread, and e.xpressed 



