215 



CHAPTER XIV. 



Division of time. — My new servant, Goodaloo. — Thatching house. 

 — Islam assistants. — Kindness of Tinta. — Finish roof. — Feast 

 upon the occasion. — Remarks upon practice of eating raw 

 meat. 



The Abyssinians divide the day and night into 

 eight portions of three hours each, and as they 

 commence their fasts the evening preceding, it is to 

 be presumed that they begin a new day at sunset, 

 like the Jews and Arabs. Three hours after sunset 

 is leilet, "evening," all the time intervening 

 between nine o'clock and twelve being so called. 

 From " night's noon," or aculilielet^ until duro-oitshi- 

 art, "cockcrow," is another term of three hours, 

 and from cockcrow to iwart, " sunrise," is three 

 more; after twart is arrafat, or "nine o'clock;" 

 then aculican, " mid-day," between which and sun- 

 set is tuzziart, or 4t afternoon." 



During the first night after taking possession of my 

 new house, about the hour of" duro-oitshiart," (here 

 let the reader learn a little Ainharic), I was awakened, 

 by a loud thunder-storm, to the disagreeable discovery 

 that my new residence was not water-proof, for the 

 roof admitted a gread deal more rain than it threw 



