INTERVIEW WITH NEGOOS. 417 



After the usual salutations were made, and an 

 ox-skin had been spread for me, Walderheros, Tinta, 

 and other attendants who had accompanied me into 

 the room, were ordered to withdraw, and I began 

 to suspect some political matters were to be the topic 

 of our conversation. " KafFu wobar," (fevers are bad 

 things,) said the monarch, which Bethlehem trans- 

 lated rather unnecessarily, but it commenced my 

 examination as to the relative merits of gun-barrels. 

 I had to describe how they were manufactured ; 

 what was the differences between the plain and 

 twisted; in what manner the grooves on the rifle 

 were made; and whether long or short barrels 

 were most economical for service. As regarded 

 the latter query, the monarch showed his quickness 

 in detecting any anomaly, or apparent contradiction ; 

 for having before asserted that the best gun he had 

 showed me to-day was a strong two-ounce rifle, 

 double-barreled, I said that the long Arab match- 

 lock barrel was most inconvenient by reason of its 

 great weight, when he instantly took the rifle and 

 placed it in my hands, to show me that it was at 

 least twice the weight of the one I now contemned. 



From guns the conversation changed to the sub- 

 ject of dyes, which appeared to be of the next 

 importance in the mind of Sahale Selassee. The 

 scarlet colour of our country I told him required not 

 vegetables for its production, but either insects or 

 minerals ; and I suppose Bethlehem had previously 

 explained this to him, as he seemed satisfied with 



VOL. II. E E 



