366 HONESTY OF THE DANKALLI. 



respecting the character of the inhabitants of the 

 interior. 



When Mahomed Allee took the last Kafllah of 

 stores for the mission to Shoa, four thousand 

 dollars and some musket cartridges were forwarded 

 in similar packages ; by some means the Tajourah 

 people became acquainted with the fact, and when 

 they heard of shot boxes being among those left 

 at Errur, unable to be carried up, they jumped to 

 the conclusion at once, that these boxes must also 

 contain dollars. This led to their endeavour to 

 prevent me seeing the boxes until they had per- 

 fectly satisfied themselves of their contents ; and 

 finding nothing but the presence of what, in their 

 possession, would convict them of the dishonest 

 action, they had left the articles untouched, and 

 then, making a virtue of their disappointment, 

 commented loudly upon the integrity and good 

 faith of the Dankalli people. 



Care having been evidently taken of the property 

 to protect it from the weather, and the man and his 

 friends behaving so civilly to me on the occasion 

 of my visit, I promised him, on my return to 

 camp, a half dollar's worth of blue sood for his 

 wife, and a coloured cotton handkerchief for a 

 son who was to be circumcised in a day or two. 

 On such occasions, as in Arabia, all the personal 

 riches and household furniture of the family are 

 paraded, and a great entertainment provided. 



So much for the boxes I found in this place, 



