200 LOOKING OUT 



imprecations upon the lives of their masters. This 

 practice has not a bad effect upon a listening 

 stranger, being a very pleasing characteristic of 

 the natural affection that ought to exist between 

 master and servant. 



Several affronts that Walderheros had received 

 about my economy, and the small establish- 

 ment I kept up, determined him at length to 

 put it to Tinta himself, if such a scandalous 

 little place I lived in was fit for a friend of the 

 Negoos, and as I supported this expostulation 

 by a direct request to have a proper domicile 

 appointed for me during my stay in Shoa, my 

 worthy balderabah undertook to see the Negoos 

 next day about the matter. This was so far satis- 

 factory to Walderheros, who could iioav talk about 

 nothing else but my new house, and a large garden 

 which was to be attached to it, and where, accord- 

 ing to his account, teff grass, jowarhee, and cayenne 

 pepper plants would all flourish most advantage- 

 ously, especially as regarded my expenditure. Ac- 

 cording to his account, there could be no question 

 about the success of my housekeeping. Every- 

 thing was propitious, and he amused me by the 

 manner in which he used to endeavour to convince 

 me how comfortable we should be. He had a 

 wife, and he had a slave girl, caught by himself 

 on some Galla expedition ; besides these, I w T as 

 to buy a donkey, and then there was himself, all 

 of whom were to work like horses, and save me 



