80 SPORT AND TRAVEL PAPERS 



his friends to come forth, for they had hidden themselves 

 when our party first came in sight. After the usual shaking 

 of hands all round, repeated more than once, we squatted 

 down in a circle, and handed over our presents, which they 

 at first refused, but afterwards took, hegging everything else 

 they saw besides. The men were of the general Abyssinian 

 type, clothed in short, tight canvas trousers, with " quarrie " 

 (national toga with red stripe) , or canvas tunic ; two were 

 armed with rifles, the others with shield and spear. We 

 now heard that our minstrel camel-boy, who with the inter- 

 preter had been left with the Dembelas since morning, had 

 very nearly met with an untimely end. The stupid boy, 

 having foolishly twitted the Dembelas about their religion 

 which is Christian in name the insult had so roused them 

 that they had insisted on his being shot then and there. 

 After putting forward every kind of excuse and apology, the 

 interpreter had only with the very greatest difficulty prevented 

 this summary execution being carried out, getting it commuted 

 to a sound thrashing with a courbatch. The unfortunate culprit 

 had just been unlashed from the whipping-post the trunk 

 of a dome-palm and looked very piano, as if he never would 

 sing again those love-songs with which he was wont to wile 

 away many a long, weary mile. A glass of whisky all round 

 to cement our friendship, and then the shoum asked for 

 the book, and holding it in his hand swore that he would 

 answer for our safety on the frontier for one fortnight, after 

 which we also swore something, but what it was neither Gr. 

 nor I could ever make out. The chief warned us not to go 

 to his village again without first letting him know, as with- 

 out an escort of his own men it would be very dangerous 

 to do so, and then we parted and left in opposite directions 

 for our several homes. Next morning our camp was once 

 more moved down to the frontier, in the vicinity of which 

 we hunted with only moderate success for about ten days. 



The messenger whom I had sent after Gr. returned two days 

 later, having missed him on the road. Three weeks afterwards 

 this man was taken out of our camp by a lion, his injuries, 

 however, being fully avenged by the death of the king of beasts, 

 as later told in Baily. It was getting too late in the season; 

 the big game, owing to the scarcity of water, all the rivers being 



