Across Widest Africa 



699 



day as a deposit security in 

 banking concerns of Menelik's 

 empire 



It is also said that Menelik 

 has considerable sums of money 

 buried at Ankober, in the moun- 

 tains northeast of Adis-Ababa, 

 and also at Mongoresa. 



Many of the men seen after 

 leaving the capital wore caps 

 made from the skin of the gu- 

 resa, a beautiful big monkey, 

 which possesses a silky coat, 

 black under the arms, not unlike 

 a small "zouave," while all round 

 the lower portion of the body 

 the hair is equally long, but of 

 the purest white. The face is 

 framed in a white beard, and the 

 magnificent long tail has a big 

 white ball-like tuft of hair at the 

 end. 



One of my Abyssinian sol- 

 diers — these Abyssinians have 

 the instinct of destruction in a 

 marked degree — shot one of 

 these monkeys one day, for 

 which I severely punished him. 

 The poor monkey was wounded, 

 and fell upon the trail from its 

 high perch on the top of a tree. 

 In intense pain, the poor animal seemed 

 just like a human being in its dying mo- 

 ments, and the reproachful expression of 

 its face haunted me for days. 



I do not believe that I have ever seen 

 more beautiful monkeys than these 

 guresa, and I could never restrain my 

 admiration for their marvelous powers 

 of jumping from one tree to another, 

 and for their intelligence in using the 

 swing of the branches in order to be pro- 

 pelled amazing distances through the air 

 by the impetus. The skin of the guresa 

 has a considerable market value in Abys- 

 sinia. 



Abyssinia is a great country for mon- 

 keys of all sizes, but perhaps the totos, or 

 dog-faced, long-nosed monkeys, are the 

 most common. Irritable to a degree, ill- 

 tempered and vicious, these brown bristly 

 haired brutes grow up to a good size. 

 Although, like all monkeys, they can be 



GAIvLA WOMAN SELLING BUTTER: ABYSSINIA 



amusing, they were always quite repul- 

 sive to me, as they were neither beautiful 

 nor graceful. 



Of the priests, of whom there are 

 probably 6,000 in Abyssinia, Mr. Landor 

 has nothing kind to say. "Depravity was 

 plainly depicted upon their features." 



The author was nearly four weeks 

 traversing the highlands of Abyssinia at 

 elevations of from 8,000 to 5,000 feet. 

 He found the country rich in game, ele- 

 phants, giraffes, lions, leopards, ostriches, 

 hyenas, and antelopes being plentiful, 

 while innumerable flamingoes, cranes, and 

 red gazelles were continually being seen. 



He was astonished to find very few 

 musical instruments in Abyssinia. Be- 

 yond the drum, a kind of violin, and the 

 kheras, all of which they play very badly, 

 there were no typical musical instruments 

 of any importance. 



From Abyssinia the author passed into 



