CHELICUT. 
269 
some other persons who regarded his residence at the court with 
suspicion, the Ras began to view him with a jealous eye, and 
treated him with indilFerence and neglect. He still, however 
continued to attend the Ras in all his excursions, and to eat at 
his table ; but about the latter end of 1806 the last-mentioned 
privilege was refused him, owing to his having remonstrated, 
perhaps, in somewhat too violent terms,* respecting the ill treat- 
ment he had experienced, and he now became dependent, even 
for subsistence, upon Ay to Debib and his young friends about 
the court. 
During this period he exerted himself strenuously in acquiring 
the language of Tigre, a knowledge of which, as he properly felt, 
could alone enable him to gain the better of his enemies and 
regain the good opinion of the Ras. In this he was eminently 
successful and an opportunity shortly afterwards occurred of 
exercising the talents which he possessed. 
In March 1807, a rebellion broke out at Adowa, in favour of 
the descendants of Ras Michael, headed by a number of chief- 
* Mr. Pearce in one of his letters gives tiie following description of a dispute he had 
at this time. " The Ras, when he saw that I was wickedly bent upon his enemies, took 
a great liking to me, and gave me ten pieces of cloth ; these being in nine months ex- 
pended, I went to the Ras and told him I wanted a fresh supply : in answer, he said, 
that his own people only had ten dollars for two years, and that he would not give me 
any more for the present." I then told him, that " he was more like a beggar than a 
governor, and that I would not stay any longer with him." On this he bid me depart, 
" for I was too proud to remain with his people." I asked him " in what I was proud ?" 
he replied, " that I did not humble myself like the people of the country." I said, " it 
was not my country fashion, to salam to the ground like Musselmen when they prayed ; 
that all the love Englishmen had for their masters, was in their hearts, and not in their 
mouths and gestures." After this he laughed, and said it was true :" but for all this 
he gave me nothing; so I bid him farewell. 
