10 CONTEMPLATE A FLIGHT. 



perhaps, place our ambassador in a worse position 

 than what he seemed to be in, I restrained my 

 feelings, and retired to think over my situation and 

 what I conceived to be that of the mission in Shoa. 

 Having sent a short note by a messenger the day 

 before to Captain Harris, announcing my arrival, 

 I postponed taking any decided steps until I 

 received his answer, for I now contemplated 

 making my escape back again, to take the news 

 to Aden of the condition of our embassy, the 

 members of which were stated to be prisoners 

 like myself. 



I had not sat alone long, when some of the Wal- 

 lasmah's people came to tell me I must go to 

 Farree with them. I asked for my mule, but 

 found it had been taken away to have the benefit, 

 as they significantly told me, of the King's own 

 pasturage. There was nothing to be done but 

 to accompany them ; so telling some of the Hy Sou- 

 maulee to come to Farree the next morning to see 

 me, and if I were not there to go on to Ankobar, I 

 proceeded with my guides, or guards, to the same 

 house I slept in the last night; and the ready 

 smiling welcome, the little bustle to receive me 

 cordially, I met with from the good-natured 

 inmates, was some set-off to the brutal indifference 

 of the state-gaoler ; for such office also I found was 

 filled by the head of the customs of Shoa, the 

 Abigass, or frontier governor of Efat, the obse- 

 quious spiteful pluralist the Wallasmah Mahomed. 



