144 
BAY OF AMPHILA 
striped silk garment, made after the fashion of the upper country . 
His manners were completely Abyssinian ; he displayed the 
same affectation in holding his garment oyer the mouth, (custo- 
mary among the higher orders in that country, the same kind 
of stately reserve which on a first interview they assume, and, on 
being satisfied with his reception, discovered the same open and 
unrestrained love of conviviality which characterises that singular 
people. 
In the course of conversation I learned that Alii Manda was 
the person who had accompanied Hadjee Alii on his way into 
the country. They had proceeded only one day's journey, when 
the latter grew frightened at the wild manners of the natives, and 
under pretence of apprehension from the Nayib, determined to 
return. At the same time he had refused to deliver up my letters to 
Alii Manda, and had written a foolish one in Arabic, which was 
forwarded by an inferior messenger; the young chief himself being 
too proud to become a carrier,'' as he expressed it, of any 
other than English letters." The consequence, which resulted 
from the arrival of this letter in the country, proved that the Ras 
paid no attention to its contents, as he declared, that he could 
not descend to correspond with an Arab." 
c Alii Manda concluded his narrative by expressing great 
satisfaction at my arrival, and proposed to depart immediately 
with any letters I might wish to forward, saying he would stake 
his life on delivering them safe to the Ras at the same time 
he begged that I would defer all idea of remuneration until his 
return. I was so much struck with the boldness and openness of 
his behaviour that I immediately determined to trust him, and 
