GOVERNOR OF THE TOWN. 231 



then allowed to bring whatever produce they 

 choose. I also understood that the people of the 

 town were exempted from any imposition of toll 

 for such articles they exposed for sale. 



After amusing myself for some time, watching 

 the proceedings at this place for the " receipt of 

 custom," and had witnessed a decision in this 

 counterpart of the ancient Piepoudre courts of 

 feudal times, I left Tinta for a while to stroll about 

 the market. 



Excepting the dress and appearance of the 

 people, the articles exposed for sale, and the lan- 

 guage in which the transactions were carried on, 

 the Abyssinian market, in its more prominent 

 character, exactly resembles similar assemblages of 

 people in English towns ; the same confused hum 

 of voices, busy ever changing figures crossing and 

 recrossing, stooping to look at wares, or pushing 

 through the crowd to make way to the seats of 

 those selling that which they may require. All is 

 bustle and apparent confusion, over which loud 

 cries of hawking sales-people reach to the very 

 outskirts of the town. 



I pushed along with the rest, followed closely by 

 Walderheros, carrying the goat skin bag over his 

 shoulder, in which to carry home the ahmulahs we 

 were in search of, in exchange for our dollar. For 

 a moment as we passed, groups would suspend 

 their conversation to turn and look at the novel 

 figure that had intruded among them, and 



