ADOWA. 177 
served, that the Abyssinians travel twice over the isame road, each 
person following the path that appears to him most convenient; all 
being alike good, or rather, properly speaking, bad. 
" On our arrival at Adowa, we found the house in which I had 
before slept so filled with fleas, that no person would venture to 
stay in it ; in consequence, we were under the necessity of adjourn- 
ing to one of the haunted apartments. Provisions were soon after 
sent us by Basha Abdallah, who himself paid us a visit in person ; 
as also did several of the principal men of the place. The remain- 
der of the day we passed in a jovial way, leaving all our business 
for the morrow. 
*' October 17. — We went at an early hour in the morning, ac- 
cording to promise, to visit Basha Abdalla, much against the wish 
of our guide, who did not approve, in the least, of any Arabic con- 
versation. The Basha treated us with great attention, having a 
curry and maize in readiness for us; and we gained, during our 
visit, much interesting intelligence, there being present an old man, 
at that time in the service of Yannes, who went hence with Bruce 
to Gondar, and several other persons well acquainted with the 
transactions of the last thirty-five years. They agreed in telling 
us, that Bruce passed four months at Adowa ; that he did not speak 
the language of Tigre, but afterwards made himself in part ac- 
quainted with the Amharic ; that he was two years at Gondar, 
and visited the source of the Nile, and was robbed of his books and 
instruments ; that two of the battles of Serbraxos were fought some 
time (two years) before he came into the country, and that a third 
engagement took place afterwards at the same spot, at which, 
however, Bruce was not present, as he never went out to war, and 
