THE ABTSSINIANS. 158 



garment resembling the Roman toga, which they fold gracefully round the body 

 in divers fashions. In general the forehead is high, the nose straight, or even 

 aquiline, the lips thick, the mouth somewhat pouting, and the chin pointed. The 

 head is dolichocephalous, and covered with slightly frizzled, almost woolly, hair, 

 often arranged in little tufts, which the Mussulman slave-dealers call " pepper- 

 corns." Like most other Africans they are rarely bearded, but in common with 

 them have the habit of lowering the eyelids, which often gives them a treacherous 

 and deceitful appearance. The colour of the skin varies greatly, from the deep 

 black of the Negro to the pale complexion of the Mediterranean coast peoples, but 

 is generally of a darkish yellow hue, clear enough to admit of blushes being 

 observed. Most of the women when young are very graceful, but their beauty 

 does not last long ; they are shorter than the men, their height, according to 

 Hartmann, rarely exceeding from 4 feet 11 inches to 5 feet. 



The Abyssinians, both men and women, are subject to internal parasites, probably 



due to the practice of eating raw flesh, common to all the natives, excepting those 



of the northern province of Seraweh, whose diet consists almost exclusively of 



vegetables. In the last century Brace's account of these feasts of hrondo, or 



steaks cut from the living animal and eaten with pepper and pimento, were 



discredited ; but his statements have been confirmed by all subsequent explorers. 



To free themselves from these internal pests, the Abyssinians make decoctions of 



the kusso leaf, bitter barks, and various other herbs ; but they prefer to expose 



themselves to this disorder rather than abandon their savoury brondo. Leprosy, 



amongst other diseases, is very common in the kwallas, and more especially in the 



Felasha villages. Like those of Europe and South America, the Abyssinian 



highlanders, and especially the women, suffer much from goitre. According to 



Dr. Blanc, an Englishmen who was for some time a prisoner of King Theodore's, 



the women frequently die in parturition, whilst in the neighbouring countries they 



pass easily through this trial. Wounds heal slowly, the slightest contusion 



often causing bone diseases of long standing, although amputation of the arms 



and legs, and even the mutilations of eunuchs, are rarely mortal, and in general heal 



rapidly. The peoples of the upper plateaux dread the feverish atmosphere of the 



kwallas as much as Europeans, and rarely descend below a height of 3,000 feet 



during the rainy season. The danger these mountaineers run under the deleterious 



influence of this damp heat is the best safeguard of the lowlanders against the 



attacks of the Abyssinian marauders. When the "king of kings " has occasion 



to punish one of these lowland peoples, he despatches a band of Galla warriors, 



accustomed to a similar climate in their forests of southern Abyssinia. However, 



the elephant hunters and slave dealers, whose pursuits bring them to these regions, 



are said to brave the miasmas with impunity, protecting themselves successfully 



against the marsh fever by daily fumigations of sulphur. 



Most European observers describe the Amharas and Tigrés as distinguished by 

 their great intelligence, much natural gaiety, and easy address. Although untutored 

 in elocution, they express themselves with a remarkable fluency, rendered the more 

 impressive by their commanding height and appropriate gestures. Yain, selfish, 



