226 A GREAT LUXURY. 



The high table land of Abyssinia, although 

 situated between the tropic of Cancer and the 

 equator, from its great elevation of ten thousand feet 

 or more above the level of the sea, possesses a climate 

 which is not less cold than that of the northern parts 

 of Scotland. Being a country but poorly wooded, 

 the chief supply of fuel being the dung of cattle, 

 an instinctive feeling dependent upon the pleasures 

 of a state of warmth, has taught the Abyssinians 

 that the flesh of animals eaten raw is a source of 

 great physical enjoyment, by the cordial and 

 warming effects upon the system produced by its 

 digestion, and to which I am convinced bon 

 ivivants more civilized than the Abyssinians would 

 resort if placed in their situation. Travellers who 

 have witnessed their " brunde" feasts can attest the 

 intoxicating effects of this kind of food, and they 

 must have been astonished at the immense quan- 

 tities that can be eaten in the raw state, compared 

 to that when the meat is cooked, and at the insen- 

 sibility which it sometimes produces. Eating raw 

 meat, therefore, a usual practice with the Esqui- 

 maux, and which among them is an absolute 

 necessity, by the Abyssinians is considered a 

 luxury, or in fact as a kind of dissipation, for 

 eating it in that state is only indulged in by them 

 at festivals, and it is then taken as a means of 

 enjoyment, and is not more barbarous or disgusting 

 than getting tipsy upon strong drinks. 



