1843.] and the Abyssinian Church. 655 



warlike implements, the buffoon mixes in the dance and delights the 

 Amhara spectators by the performance of his caricatured gestures ; but 

 in this department the country can only boast of the king's mimic, who 

 retains his situation without fear of rivalry ; here there is no field for 

 genius, and it would prove a hard task for the jester to devise any thing 

 more ludicrous or ridiculous than the ungraceful dance of the Amhara, 

 the impassioned caper of her priests, or the idiotic whirl of her war- 

 riors. 



103. Following the custom of the dark ages, dwarfs are treated with 

 considerable fear, respect and consideration, and many of the most 

 learned and praiseworthy in the land are to be found among the small 

 misshapen race. The king's father confessor is of the most diminutive 

 size, though possessed of great good feeling, and forming a striking con- 

 trast to the generality of his nation. The chiefs and nobles often choose 

 their secretaries and household priests with reference to their tiny ap- 

 pearance, and the wisest man in the capital, whose charms and talis- 

 mans are considered all powerful, and who knows every plant by heart 

 from the " cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that creeps over the garden 

 walls," sustains his character for lore, as much by the deformity of his 

 appearance, as by the brilliancy of his understanding. 



104. No petitioner ever enters the presence of his superiors unless 

 furnished with an offering according to his means, as a bribe to propi- 

 tiate favor and good-will. Cattle and honey, cloth, wood and money, 

 and even stones being presented when building materials are scarce. 



105. Presents are frequently exchanged among the chiefs and 

 great men, and every display is attempted on the occasion, the train 

 of bearers being lengthened out as much as possible by dividing the 

 articles into the most minute portions, and all are covered with red 

 cloth ; every thing must also be exposed to the view of the receiver, 

 wild bulls and unruly he-goats, as large as donkeys, are dragged 

 into the sitting apartment to the imminent danger and pollution of all 

 around. Cocks and hens, loaves of half-baked bread, and pots of rancid 

 butter, must be all closely investigated and personally approved of, 

 and any deviation from this rule is certain to be visited with the most 

 dire displeasure. 



106. An easy and ingenious method of extortion exists in full force 

 throughout the land, and all classes are equally amenable to its abuses 



