AS AN ARTICLE OF FOOD. 175 



England have I seen who have certainly fallen 

 victims to the foolish fear that they would eat 

 too much salt; and I believe that disposition to 

 scrofula, the national disease, is chiefly owing to the 

 vegetable diet of our children not being sufficiently 

 attended to in the matter of this simple condi- 

 ment. Be that as it may, the Abyssinians suffer 

 considerably in their health from the difficulty of 

 obtaining salt. They are dreadfully subject to that 

 species of vermes, called tapeworm, and every 

 month are obliged to have recourse to a vile drastic 

 cathartic called "cosso," to get rid of the unplea- 

 sant cause of this complaint, and all owing to the 

 want of sufficient salt in their food. To this cause 

 may be attributable also that tendency to form 

 large spreading ulcers which the slightest bruise 

 upon their bodies occasions ; and the dreadful 

 ravages which syphilis makes among them. 



The supper grew gradually to a close, and as the 

 viands disappeared, matter for conversation seemed 

 to increase. As the appetites of the party were 

 appeased, I noticed little choice bits of the fowl 

 that remained at the bottom of the " wort" basin, 

 were taken out by the fingers of the lady of the 

 house, and being rolled up in a mass of bread, far 

 too large for the mouth, were successively handed 

 to all around. Each one as he received the com- 

 pliment, slightly rising from the ground, kissed the 

 joined wrists of his own hands, as he offered to sup- 

 port the hand of Eichess, whilst she held the morsel 



