290 



A SHOAN SCRIBE, 



place to retreat to, be spoke to the outer gate- 

 keeper, who admitted us both into the intervening 

 space between the only two stockades which sur- 

 round the palace of Myolones. Walderheros and 

 the King's scribe, who had been sent to take notes 

 of the process and relative weights of the dif- 

 ferent articles used in manufacturing gunpowder, 

 also accompanied us, and I then found that my 

 system of weights and measures, by leaden bullets 

 and table-spoonsful had quite bothered them ; and a 

 most extraordinary report of the business had been 

 drawn up, which the Negoos soon detected to 

 be erroneous, and had expressed himself very 

 dissatisfied with them. They therefore now 

 applied to me to assist them in their dilemma, and 

 we accordingly sat down upon some large stones, 

 and occupied ourselves for some time in getting 

 a proper statement written down to restore the 

 Negoos to good humour, and my two friends again 

 into favour. 



A scribe, or " duptera," as he is called in Shoa, 

 appears to be an inferior order of priest, at least it 

 is their first degree, and which is acquired by 

 merely being able to read and write ; nor is it 

 requisite to pay a visit to Gondar, the seat of the 

 Abune, or Bishop of all Abyssinia, as is the case 

 when priests are to be ordained. The usual occu- 

 pation of the scribes is principally to transcribe 

 manuscripts for the Negoos, who has a most extra- 

 ordinary desire to be possessed of copies of all the 



