THE SOURCE OF THE NILE, 177 
when neceflity obliges to treat of grofs fubjects, always 
makes choice of the leaft offenfive language. 
Aut thofe, whether women or men, who have fiefs of the 
crown, are obliged to furnith certain aumbers of horfe and 
foot. The women were feldom obliged to perfonal atten- 
dance, till Ras Michael made it a rule, in order to compofe 
a court or company for Ozoro Efther. At the end of a day 
of battle each chief is obliged to fit at the door of his tent, 
and each of his followers, who has~flain a man, prefents 
himfelf in his, turn, armed as in fight, with the bloody 
forefkin of the man whom he has flain hanging upon the 
wrift of his right hand. In this, too, he holds his lance, 
brandifhing it over his mafter, or miftrefs, as if he intended 
to firike; and repeating in a feeming rage, a rant of non- 
fenfe, which admits of no variation, “Iam John the fon of 
George, the fon of William, the fon of Thomas; Iam the 
rider upon the brown horfe ; I faved your father’s life at _ 
- fuch a battle; where would you have been if I had not 
fought for you to-day? -you give me no encouragement, no 
cloaths, nor money; you do not deferve fuch a fervant as I ;” 
and with that he throws his bloody fpoils upon the ground 
_ before his fuperior. Another comes afterwards, in his turn, 
and doesthe fame; and, if he has killed more than one man, 
fo many more times he returns, always repeating the fame 
nonfenfe, with the fame geftures. I believe there was a 
heap of above 400 that day, before Ozoro Efther; and it was 
monftrous to fee the young and beautiful Tecla Mariam 
fitting upon a ftool prefiding at fo filthy a ceremony; nor 
was fhe without furprife, fuch is the force of cuftom, that 
no compliment of that kind was paid on my part; and ftill 
Vor. IV. Z more 
