SHEIK TIGH. 129 



Walderheros for my boxes, to be brought at once 

 to the Governor's house, previous to their being 

 forwarded to Farree, where the Kafilah with which 

 I had come up, and which was now on the eve of 

 starting, afforded the opportunity of my proceeding 

 to the sea-coast. Here was another practical proof 

 of the value of the commercial treaty, and bitterly 

 I commented, as may be supposed, upon the worth- 

 less parchment, I felt quite assured that it would 

 be of no use applying to our Ambassador for redress, 

 so considered it would be best to submit in peace, 

 and made no objections, therefore, to my boxes 

 being taken to the Governor's house. 



Not having made up my mind though, for all 

 that, to leave the country, I determined, after I had 

 left Tinta (the name of the Governor) to go and 

 consult with a sincere friend of mine, an Edjow 

 Galla named Sheik Tigh, who had shown himself 

 possessed of the kindest disposition by his dis- 

 interested and patient attendance upon my sick bed 

 during the short period I had resided in Aliu 

 Amba. He was a Mahomedan mollum, or scribe, 

 for his occupation was writing copies of the Koran, 

 which he used to sell to the slave merchants who 

 came from the more barbarous countries around 

 Shoa. Either on account of the trifling sum that 

 these manuscript Korans can be purchased for in 

 Abyssinia, or the excessive neatness with which 

 Amhara Mahomedans write Arabic compared with 

 even Arabs themselves, these Abyssinian copies are 



vol. ir. K 



