94 MY LEARNED SERVANT. 



lie in return would endeavour to learn their Arabic 

 names, which language for some reason or other, 

 he seemed very anxious to learn. I found after- 

 wards that he thought it was English, and wished 

 to learn something of it, on purpose to understand 

 me when speaking iny own language, and thus 

 become the admiration of a circle of his acquaint- 

 ance burning with curiosity to know what I might 

 be saying. Walderheros was, in fact, the best 

 caricature I ever met of that spirit which prompts 

 empirics to employ unintelligible language to 

 increase the presumption of their extensive learn- 

 ing. If any of his friends were present, I could 

 never get a syllable from him but one or other of 

 about a dozen Arabic words he had picked up. 

 Everything was " ewah " (yes) or "la la " (no), 

 and how happy he was when circumstances 

 admitted of his saying " talile " (come), or 

 " rah " (go), and the grave satisfaction with which 

 he turned round to interpret to his simple gaping 

 companions the meaning of the conversation they 

 had just been treated with, was most ridiculously 

 absurd. When he met a real Arab it was still 

 better ; all impatience to display his vast know- 

 ledge of their language, every word he knew of it 

 would be pressed into service, whilst the wondering 

 auditor, who would have understood him well 

 enough in Amharic, with a vacant look would 

 probably turn to me, and say, " Arder rigal 

 muginoon fee ! " (That man is a fool !) 



