ASS HAS HEN 
one more impudent than the rest, came close to me, as we were 
sitting on a couch in front of" one of the houses, and shook his 
weapon at me. I did not clioose to bear this, and therefore drew 
my hanger, and declared that 1 would cut him down if he came a 
step nearer. On this a general disturbance took place ; all our 
people seized their arms ; while, on the other side, the men stood 
threatening us, and the women on the tops of the houses were ready 
with stones in their hands to assault us. Abyssinians generally talk 
more than they act, so that the whole ended on their side, in a 
violent wrangling, squabbling, and noise. As soon as it was over 1 
left the place, and went down into the valley, where we spread our 
tent on the ground, for the purpose of taking up our abode for the 
night ; but soon after, a deputation of the head men came down, 
making many apologies for what had passed, promising to supply 
whatever we might want, and to put the offender in irons, and to 
send him to the Ras. In order to accommodate our people, I con- 
sented to return to the village, where we occupied a house belong- 
ing to the elder Gusmatie Ischias, who holds the command of the 
district. As our guide wished to stay here another day, to settle 
concerning the punishment of the man who had insulted us, I or- 
dered a couple of bullocks to be killed, one for the Christians, the 
other for the Mussulmauns, and to be cut up in strips for our sub- 
sistence on the road. A trick of our guide's at this village may serve 
to give some idea of his cunning. Soon after our arrival here, my 
English bridle was missing, upon which our guide made a prodigi- 
ous outcry, threatening, in severe terms, the anger of the Ras ; and 
by these means extorted from the head men of the village an addi- 
tional bullock, two sheep, and several other articles, of which our 
