186 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
make a pretence for robbing our fellow-travellers of every 
thing they had. 
Tue perfons whofe right it was to levy thefe contribu- 
tions were two, a father and fon; the old man was drefled 
very decently, fpoke little, but fmoothly, and had a very 
good carriage. He profefled a violent hatred to all Mahome- 
tans, on account of their religion, a fentiment which feem- 
ed to promife nothing favourable to our friend Yafine and 
his companions: but, in the evening, the fon, who feemed 
to be the active man, came to our tent, and brought us a 
quantity of bread and bouza, which his father had ordered 
before. He feemed to be much taken with our fire-arms, 
and was very inquifitive about them. I gave him every fort 
of fatisfaction, and, little by little, faw I might win his heart 
entirely ; which I very much wifhed to do, that I might free 
eur companions from bondage. 
THE young man it feems was a good foldier; and, ha- 
ving been in feveral actions under Ras Michael, as a fufileer,, 
he brought his gun, and infifted on fhooting at marks. I 
humoured him inthis; but as I ufed a rifle, which he did not 
underftand, he found himfelf overmatched, efpecially by the 
greatne(s of the range, for he fhot ftraight enough. I then 
fhewed him the manner we fhot flying, there being quails 
in abundance, and wild pigeons, of which I killed feveral 
on wing, which left him in the utmoft aftonifhment. Ha- 
ving got on horfeback, I next went through the exercife of 
the Arabs, with a long {pear and a fhort Javelin. This, was 
more within his comprehenfion, as he had feen fomething 
hike it; but he was wonderfully taken with the fierce and 
fiery appearance of my horfe, and, at the fame time, with 
his 
