GALAM NEGUS. 81 
mistaken for it. This last disease always yielded to an application 
of gunpowder and lemon juice. The descendant of Michael the 
Grea^t was living on a scanty allowance drawn from the province 
which his grandfather ruled with such absolute power. He had 
twenty fields allow^ed him by the Ras Welleta Selasse. who also had 
the condescension to make him the same annual present as he bestows 
on his soldiers. This small possession was probably not far distant, 
for we soon after passed an old woman who was formerly an atten- 
dant on the old Ras. We continued journeying nearly due west, 
and passed over a hilJ, the top of which was one continued bed 
of iron ore. The next hill was covered with spar. Beyond this we 
crossed a plain fully six miles in extent, which brought us at length 
to the place of our destination. Its appearance promised but little; 
but on examination it proved, to our great satisfaction, to be of far 
more consequence than we had expected. 
" It consists of two excavations formed in the hill, and cased and 
covered with large blocks of brown granite, one of which, serving 
as a cover to one of the cells, measured eleven fe€t and a quarter 
by eight and a quarter. An idea of the whole will be best obtained 
by inspecting the plan drawn on an accurate scale from a mea* 
surement made on the spot.* These caves are, with respect to 
each other,' in a direction very nearly north and south ; the work- 
manship is good, but rough ; the stone having all the marks of the 
chissel. The first, (marked B, vide plan), our guides informed us 
was the road by which Calam Negus went to lerusalem, and " if 
any person should take a candle into it at night, he would distinctly 
see the whole of the way to that holy city." This personage I sup- 
* This is lost, but one is supplied from memory. 
