372 
ANTALO. 
it had all subsided, the face of things took a different turn ; the Ras 
expressing himself greatly delighted with the exhibition, turning 
the whole affair into ridicule, and rallying most unmercifully 
those chiefs who had expressed their fears on the occasion ; 
though he afterwards observed, apart to me, that for the future 
it would be better to exhibit these things when we were by our- 
selves." In this manner the affair terminated, which, though it 
appeared likely to have taken a serious turn in the first instance, 
was nevertheless mixed with such a portion of the ridiculous, as 
afterwards to afford our party a constant subject of merriment, 
and a celebrated jester at the Ras's court subsequently worked it 
up into a very amusing representation. 
As I am now upon the holiday sports of the Abyssinians, it may 
not be amiss to give some account of this man. Totte Maze, for 
such was his name, was one of the cleverest mimicks I have ever 
seen, the command which he possessed over his features almost 
equalling that which was displayed on the boards of our own 
theatres by Suet ; an actor to whom he bore considerable resem- 
blance. One of his chief acquirements consisted in the singular 
art of making other people (particularly strangers, w ho had not 
been apprized of his intention) imitate the contortions of his own 
features, a power which I repeatedly saw him exercise with 
success, and which, on one occasion, drew me into the same kind 
of ridiculous situation, without my being conscious of the changes 
in my countenance, until I was roused by a friendly hint from the 
Ras, who let me into the secret of what he was about. He after- 
wards performed, at the Ras's request, some finished pieces of 
acting that evinced very extraordinary native talent. 
