562 
CHELICUT. 
descended into the valley, the inhabitants of Chelicnt went out to 
receive them, and greeted them with' the same joyful acclama- 
tions with which they lionooT their warriors when they return 
from battle. The service of escorting these cafilas may be con- 
sidered indeed as extremely hazardous ; the whole neighboorhood 
of the plain, from which the salt is procured (which has been 
before described), being infested by a cruel race of Galla, who 
make it a practice to lie in wait for the individoals engaged in 
cutting it. These poor fellows, who are generally of the lowest 
order of natives, are said, in the absence of the Balgudda and his 
parties, to be compelled to lie down flat on the surface, when 
working, that they may escape the observation of their barbarous 
enemies, and, on the approach of a stranger, they are described 
as running away with great alarm to the mountains. Even when 
the Balgudda and his soldiers are present, frequent skirmishes take 
place between them and the savage borderers, in which the Galla, 
however^ are generally the sufl'erers. On the present expedition, 
six only had been killed ; and this number was considered as 
unusually small : the soldiers, who had shewn their prowess in 
these actions, wearing small pieces of red cloth on their spears by 
way of an honourable badge of distinction. Soon after their 
arrival the Ras went up into the balcony in front of his house to 
receive them, where they passed before him in review, dancing, 
shouting and exulting, as is practised at the Mascal. 
As the time now approached when it became necessary for me 
to think of returning, I had several long conferences with the Ras 
on the subject of my mission. In one of these he gave me an 
account of the violent conduct of many of his chiefs on the death 
