WAHAMA SUBJECTS OF SHOA. 477 



Dankalli, and inquiring, I found that they belonged 

 to some members of the Wahama tribe, who 

 by permission of the Negoos, or King of Shoa, 

 Sahale Selassee, occupied the country between 

 the Hawash and Dinnomalee. They paid as a 

 tribute annually one ox for every hundred head of 

 cattle in their herds, and were also accustomed 

 to give to the King whak little ivory they chanced 

 to pick up from the heads of elephants, naturally 

 deceased. The King, as on every other occasion, 

 we spoke about him, either among ourselves, or 

 with others, was the subject of the warmest com- 

 mendation. His liberality and justice were the 

 theme of every one so far, and here some arms and 

 clothes, recently bestowed by him upon this tribe, 

 were brought to us for our inspection and admira- 

 tion. Although some portion of these people still 

 lived in the wigwams of their own country, sur- 

 rounded by a low hedge of dry mimosa branches, 

 and enclosed their cattle for setfety during the 

 night in stone kraals; others, who had married 

 Abyssinian women, had assumed more civilized 

 habits. These observed more strictly the laws and 

 ceremonies of the Mahomedan religion, being 

 particularly observant of the stated times and forms 

 of prayer. They inhabited a village that stood on 

 the edge of the opposite bank of Kokki, embosomed 

 amidst high trees, among which the conical 

 thatched roofs of their houses were visible, and 

 the loud crowing of a cock told also, that they had 



