438 
MASSOWA H 
as the safest conveyance. The Baharnegash declared to, me in the 
most solemn manner, that he would protect Pierce with his life. I 
also sent Pacha Abdallah a handsome present of kincaub, request- 
ing his friendship for this poor fellow : from the same motive I gave 
another to Hadje Hassan himself, who, in an equally solemn man- 
ner, promised to be his friend. I have great hopes of this man*s 
ultimately increasing our knowledge of the interior of Africa. He 
meant to return by Senaar; he might then be induced to join the 
kafla to Tombucto, for which he is well qualified by his knowledge 
of Arabic, and by his having conformed to the religion of Mo- 
hammed, and knowing their prayers perfectly. 
The Ras had given Mr. Salt three mules, and he had purchased 
five more ; so that I had now eight to dispose of. Formerly the Ba- 
harnegash had given Mr. Salt three; I now therefore gave him his 
choice of the same number. I sent two to Pierce ; one I gave to 
Guebra Selasse, the Ras's man, another to Hamed Ghamie, and the 
eighth I sent to the Dola of Mocha, to put him in good humour with 
my people. 
On the landing-place opposite to Massowah we discovered a rude 
fluted column of black granite, with a capital, of which I have given 
an etching. It was unlike any other I had ever seen, and gave me 
hopes that, by it, we might discover the ruins of Aduli, from which 
it was probably brought. We were informed by some of the Shiho 
Bedowee, who bring milk every morning to the town, that there 
were quarries of a similar stone in the lower hills, lying due west 
from Massowah, but we could obtain no positive intelligence of 
any other columns. They spoke, indeed, of some ruins between 
us and the hills; but situated as we then were with the Nayib, 
