102 
TRAVELS IN ABYSSINIA. 
Mr Salt describes, as usual, the table covered with 
cakes of teff, serving at once as table-cloth and 
food. Near the Ras are laid a number of wheaten 
rolls, for his own use and that of his favourites. 
By breaking them, he gives the signal to begin the 
feast ; female slaves then take the teff, dip it into 
the dishes of curry, a row of which stands in the 
centre of the table, and serve it to such of the 
guests as the Ras has not chosen to supply from 
his own store. Next come balls, composed of teff, 
greens, and curds. Meantime, the grand opera- 
tion, that of killing the cattle, is carrying on in the 
court adjoining. The animal is thrown on the 
ground, and its head separated from the body by 
a Jambea knife, an invocation being at the same, 
time pronounced over it. The skin is immedi- 
ately stripped from off one side ; and, while the 
fibres are yet quivering, large pieces are cut out, 
and carried into the dining-room. The chiefs 
then, with their large crooked knives, cut them in- 
to steaks, and then into long stripes, about an inch 
in diameter, which having wrapt up in teff, they 
thrust it into each other's mouths. Should a chief 
be dissatisfied with the piece presented to him, he 
hands it to an inferior, who, perhaps, transfers it 
to another, and it passes from hand to hand, till it 
reaches one whose situation obliges him to remain 
content with it. The table is occupied by succes- 
sive parties of a descending scale of rank 5 and 
