STAY AT AL1U AMBA. 51 



still smiling faces, and a friendly welcome, in a 

 strange country, from whatever cause, does the 

 traveller's heart good, and encourages him to 

 proceed on his undertaking. 



We halted for nearly two hours at Aliu Amba, 

 not being able to get away before, as a sheep had 

 been killed, and our servants were determined to 

 take advantage of the hospitality of the towns- 

 people. When their hunger was satisfied, they 

 brought us our mules, for which we had been 

 asking some time in vain, as Mr. Scott and I were 

 anxious to breakfast, if we could, at Ankobar with 

 Dr. Roth, and Mr. Bernatz the artist to the Em- 

 bassy. A large concourse of the principal people 

 of the town accompanied us across the market- 

 place to the edge of their little table hill, from 

 whence they w T atched us until shut out from view 

 by the sinuosity of the narrow road, which occu- 

 pied the summit of a ledge separating the slopes of 

 two small rivulets, running in opposite directions 

 around the hill of Aliu Amba, to join each other 

 in the valley in front. 



We now rode between two delightful natural 

 hedge rows of a low thorny bush with dark green 

 leaves, and bearing clusters of a black sweet berry ; 

 over which trailed in most luxuriant profusion a 

 very sweet scented jasmine; and pushing its way 

 through this mass of vegetation, high above all, 

 flowered the common hedge rose of England. Its 

 well-remembered delicately blushing hue, so unex- 



