180 
AXUM. 
mansion in which we had before taken up our residence. I now made 
many enquiries after another stone with writing upon it, telling 
them that I was well informed there was a second, like the one which 
I had before copied. All the people present assured me that there 
was no other, except some boys, who said they would go and show 
me one. As I was determined to procure every possible information 
on the subject, I went out, accompanied by Captain Rudland, to a 
spot about three furlongs south-west of the obelisk: here we found 
large stones of granite regularly cut, piled two and two, and placed 
at regular distances (as in the plate of the ruins of Axum marked A), 
which evidently appear to have formed part of the foundation of some 
ancient edifice. About two hundred yards south of this, in an inclo- 
sure of one of the houses, we were shewn the entrance, as it appeared 
to me, of some subterraneous building, completely filled up ; at 
least the upper stones are now on a level with the earth. These 
stones are very regularly laid (as may be seen in the drawing of them 
marked B, in the plate above referred to), and kept at exact inter- 
vals from each other by loose stones, at least so they appear exter- 
nally ; three hundred yards from these are others not so regularly 
laid (as C of the same plate) ; but on none of these did we meet 
with even the least appearance of any inscription, and were glad to 
return to our habitation, having kept fast hitherto during the day. 
I also made very strict enquiries among the priests on this subject, 
but wholly without success ; all of them agreeing that they never 
heard of any other inscription than that which I had already copied. 
While our meal was preparing, we went down to the church -yard, 
where I took a sketch of all those pedestals and altars remaining which 
I had not before drawn, and corrected my former observations ; in 
