OF THE WALLASMAH. 47 



Mr. Scott and I were so astonished at seeing the 

 man whom wc thought to he far distant, that we 

 could not say anything. It would have heen a 

 great relief to my indignation if I could have told my 

 thoughts to the old scoundrel, hut this being out of 

 the question, I walked away as quickly as possible 

 from his presence, followed by Mr. Scott and our 

 servants ; and I do hope that our abrupt and un- 

 ceremonious departure annoyed him a little, and 

 thus retaliated in some measure for his contempt of, 

 and disrespect towards us. 



The politic Sahale Selassee, Negoos of Shoa, is 

 w r ell aware of the character of the Wallasmah, and 

 the value of having such an imbecile ruling over 

 the restless Mahomedan population of his kingdom. 

 A governor, indeed, of whom he may truly say, as 

 our Charles the Second did of himself and of his 

 brother the Duke of York, "That his subjects 

 would never kill him to make the other King." 



The inhabitants of Efat, much as they dislike the 

 opprobrious position of living under a Christian 

 monarch, never entertain an idea of revolting from 

 the Negoos to place themselves under the power of 

 that vindictive drunkard the Wallasmah Mahomed ; 

 whose only claim to their respect is his religion 

 and his descent from the hero of modern Abys- 

 sinian history, Mahomed Grahne, of whose exten- 

 sive kingdom of Adal this little province of 

 Efat, not so large as Middlesex, is all that has 

 remained to his family, and even that is now a 

 portion of the Christian state of Shoa. 



