238 ISLAM AND OTHER 



the other hand, it appears to be a principle of 

 religion almost, among the Mahomedans, to conceal 

 the riches they possess, so that appearances are not 

 to be trusted. Had I not known that the more 

 wealthy of their religion invariably invest their 

 money in slaves, to supply the Dankalli and Hurrah 

 dealers, I should certainly have inferred from the 

 scanty and very limited stores placed before the 

 saleswomen of that faith in Aliu Amba market, 

 that the Islam inhabitants of Shoa were exceed- 

 ingly poor. Many of these women sit for a whole 

 day, offering, in exchange for anything in the shape 

 of corn that may be offered, a thimbleful of " col," 

 (antimony used for blackening the edges of the 

 eyelids,) a few lumps of gum myrrh, a handful of 

 frankincense, or a little shumlah, the blue and 

 red threads of unwoven cloth, brought from the 

 sea-coast, and which is used in forming the orna- 

 mental borders of their large body cloths. Some- 

 times their scanty stock is increased by three or 

 four lemons, or as many needles. On the contrary, 

 the Amhara (the name now given only to 

 Christians of this country) bring an abundance of 

 cotton cloths, of cattle, of corn, and are the only 

 money-changers I saw, some of them sitting behind 

 high walls of new and good-conditioned salt-pieces. 

 Trade, in a great measure, is carried on by barter, 

 an exchange of commodities being much more 

 general than purchasing with ahmulahs ; except in 

 the case of cattle buying, when the price is gene- 



