Vol. XII, No. 3 



WASHINGTON 



March, 1901 



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ABYSSINIA-THE COUNTRY AND PEOPLE 



By Oscar T. Crosby 



ON leaving Paris in December, 

 1899, I went first to Constanti- 

 nople, a*s I wished to journey 

 across the interior of Turkey down the 

 Mesopotamian Valley ; but on my arrival 

 at Constantinople our representatives at 

 the American legation informed me that 

 not less than thirty da5's would be re- 

 quired for obtaining permission to go 

 into the interior. Passports to the great 

 sea-coast towns of Turkey are had as 

 readily as those for any European city, 

 but the Ottoman Government is unwill- 

 ing that travelers should penetrate into 

 the rather loosely governed portions of 

 Asia Minor unless provided with other 

 special letters insuring as far as possible 

 the safety of the bearer. The necessary 

 delay being greater than I cared to make, 

 I left Constantinople for Cairo. 



The Austrian captain of the Egyptian 

 vessel piloted us for five davs across the 

 Mediterranean without making any as- 

 tronomical observations whatever. 



Arrived at Cairo, a fortunate chance 

 gave me acquaintance with Sir Rennell 

 Rodd, Secretary of the British Agency, 

 which means, substantially^ Secretary 

 of the Egyptian Government in Cairo. 



This gentleman had made the journey 

 to Addis Abeba a few years ago at the 

 head of a mission whose object was to 

 cultivate the friendship of and obtain 

 treaty with the African monarch. From 

 Sir Rennell I obtained the first detailed 

 information as to how I might get into 

 Abyssinia, and through the kindness of 

 other British officers stationed at the 

 arsenal I was enabled to buy a few 

 rifles and some ammunition. The sale 

 of fire-arms generally is strictl}- con- 

 trolled in Cairo, as it is in most oriental 

 countiies. 



In Cairo, too, I was able to have packed 

 in wooden cases a stock of excellent 

 provisions, the selection of which was 

 largel}^ suggested to me by the provision 

 merchants who had supplied several of 

 the Nile expediiions of troops. An ex- 

 ample, however, of the importance of 

 detailed knowledge was given me when, 

 on getting into the interior and being 

 required to use the small Abyssinian 

 mule for transport, I found it necessary 

 to cut down these boxes, which in Cairo 

 were supposed to be quite the right size, 

 and which had been satisfactory enough 

 on camels, and probably would have 



