62 
MEMOIR OP BRUCE. 
king, who sat with his mouth covered according to 
the Abyssinian custom, put many questions to him 
about Jerusalem and the holy places, asked him 
about his own country, and whether they had the 
same moon and stars; and finally told him, that 
instead of returning home with the Greek officers 
who accompanied him, he was that night to enter 
upon his new duties, by talcing charge of the door 
of the royal bed-chamber. 
Bruce and his brother Baalomaal then hurried to 
supper ; during the repast the wine circulated so 
freely, that one of them, nephew to Eas Michael, 
called Guebra Mascal, who was incessantly vaunting 
about his skill in fire-arms, got so cup-valiant that 
he gave our traveller a Icicle with his foot, calling 
him a Frank, and a liar for saying “ that the end of 
a tallow candle in his gun would do more execution 
then an iron ball in Guebra Mascal’s." This insult 
was not to be endured ; Bruce, boiling with passion, 
seized him by the throat, threw him violently on 
the ground, and struck him on the face, having 
received in the scuffle a slight wound on the crown 
of the head as he wrested the drawn knife from 
his assailant. By the laws of Abyssinia, the lifting 
of a hand within the precincts of the palace is 
punishable with death, and in a few hours the 
offender was in irons ; but by the interposition of 
Bruce, who related the whole occurrence, the Eas 
was prevailed upon to pardon his kinsman and 
overlook the whole affair. This untoward quarrel, 
together rvith the death of his draughtsman Balu- 
