The king was feated on his ivory chair, to receive him, almost in the middle of his tent; the day was very hot, and an infufferable ftench of carrion foon made every one in the tent fenfible of the approach of this nafty fovereign, even before they faw him. The king, when he perceived him coming, was fo ftruck with the whole figure and appearance, that he could not contain himself from an immode. rate fit of laughter, which finding it impoffible to tifle, he rofe from his chair, and ran as hard as he could into another apartment behind the throne.

"The favage.got off from his cow at the door of the tent with all his tripes about him; and, while we were ad miring him as a monfter, feeing the king's feat empty, he took it for his own, and down he fat upon the crimson filk cushion, with the butter running from every part of him. A general cry of aftonishment was made by every perfon in the tent: he started up, I believe, without divining the caufe, and before he had time to recollect himself, they fell all upon him, and with pufhes and blows drove this greafy chieftain to the door of the tent, ftaring with wild amazement, not knowing what was next to happen. It is high treason, and punishable by immediate death, to fit down upon the king's chair. Poor Guangoul owed his life to his ignorance. The king had beheld the whole fcene through the curtain; if he laughed heartily at the beginning, he laughed ten times more at the catastrophe; he came out laughing, and unable to speak. The cushion was lifted and thrown away, and a yellow Indian fhawl spread on the ivory fool; and ever after, when it was placed, and the king not there, the ftool was turned on its face upon the carpet to prevent fuch like accidents."

Mr. Bruce, in giving an account of the wars which prevailed at this time in Abyffinia, takes occafion to mention a very fingular fpecies of robbery, practifed by the Troglodites of Guragué.

Their conftant occupation is attending the Abyffinian camps, and stealing horfes, mules, or whatever they can get, which they do in a very fingular

manner.

"They all wear their hair very host, ftrip themselves stark naked, and

befmear themselves from head to foot with butter, or fome fort of grease, whilft, along the outside of their arm, they tye a long, ftraight, two-edged, fharp-pointed knife, the handle reaching into the palm of their hand, and about four inches of the blade above the knob of their elbow, fo that the whole blade is fafe and inoffenfive when the arm is extended, but when it is bent, about four inches projects, and is bare beyond the elbow joint; this being all prepared, they take a leafy faggot, fuch as the gatherers of fuel bring to the camp, which they faften to their middle by a ftring or withy, fpreading it over to conceal or cover all their back, and then drawing in their legs, they lie down, in all appearance, as a faggot, and in the part of the camp they intend to rob, crawling flowly in the dark when they think they are unperceived, and lying ftill when there is any noife or movement near them in cafe they find themselves difcovered, they flip the faggot and run; and whatever part of them you feize escapes your fingers by reafon of the greafe. If you endeavour to clafp them, however, which is the only way left, the Guragué bends his elbow and ftrikes you with his knife, and you are mortally wounded."

Mr. Bruce left Abyffinia in as private a manner as poffible, after having obtained the reluctant confent of the king. He was attended in his route by three Greeks, two of whom were his fervants; and the other, nearly blind, lett the country in hopes of efcaping the pangs of poverty; an old Janiffary, and a Copht, who left him at Sennaar; and two Abyffinian fervants.

On our author's arrival at the river Toom Aredo, which rifes in the country of the Kemmont, he takes occafion to defcribe thofe people. "The Kemmont were a fect once the fame as the Falafha, but were baptized in the reign of Facilidas, and, ever fince, have continued feparate from their ancient brethren. No great pains feem to have been taken with them fince their admiffion to Chriftianity, for they retain most of their ancient cuftoms. They eat the meat of cattle killed by Christians, but not of those that are flaughtered, either by Mahometans or Falatha. They hold, as a doctrine, 3 B 2

that,

that, being once baptized, and having once communicated, no fort of prayer, nor other attention to divine worthip, is further necessary. They wash themfelves from head to foot after coming from the market, or any public place, where they may have touched any one of a fect different from their own, efteeming all fuch unclean. They abftain from all forts of work on Saturday, keeping close at home; but they grind corn, and do many other fuch like works, upon Sunday.

"Their women pierce their ears, and apply weights to make them hang down, and to enlarge the holes, into which they put ear-rings almost as big as fhackles, in the fame manner as do the Bedowis in Syria and Palestine. Their language is the fame as that of the Falafha, with fome fmall difference of idiom. They have great abhor rence to fifh, which they not only refrain from eating, but cannot bear the fight of; and the reafon they give for this is, that Jonah the prophet (from whom they boaft they are defcended) was swallowed by a whale, or fome other fuch great fish. They are hewers of wood, and carriers of water, to Gondar, and are held in great deteftation by the Abyffinians."

After ftaying fome time at Tcherkin, where he met with fome of his Gondar friends, Mr. Bruce proceeded on his journey; "At Sancaho," fays he, "I had an opportunity of verifying a fact hitherto doubtful in natural hiftory. Mr. Haffelquist, the Swedish traveller, when at Cairo, faw the fkins of two giraffas ftuffed, which came from Sennaar. He gives as minute a defcription as poffible he could from feeing the kins only, but fays nothing about the horns, because I fuppofe he did not fee them; on which account the doubt remained undecided, whether the giraffa's horns were folid as the deer's, and caft every year; or whether they were hollow, attached to a core, or bone, like thofe of fheep, and confequently permanent. The count de Buffon conjectures them to be of this laft kind, and fo I found them. They are twisted in all refpects like the horns of an antelope."

Among the dangers and inconveniences which frequently occurred to

our traveller in his progress to Sennaar, the following circumitance is worthy notice. "At five o'clock we left Garigana, our journey being still to the eastward of north; and, at a quarter paft fix in the evening, arrived at the village of that name, whofe inhabitants had all perished with hunger the year before; their wretched bones being all unburied and scattered upon the surface of the ground where the village formerly stood. We encamped among the bones of the dead; no space could be found free from them; and on the 23d, at fix in the morning, full of horror at this miferable fpectacle, we set out for Teawa: this was the feventh day from Ras el Feel."

Hitherto, Mr. Bruce had fuffered principally from the badness of the roads, and the frequency of wild beasts; thefe he had speedily furmounted: but it was not fo, when human treachery barred his progrefs. Arrived at Teawa, he found Fidele the fhekh of Atbara hypocritical, revengeful, avaricious, and infolent : he requested our author to embrace the Mahometan religion, and to accept of a fhare in his office; he would then give him his daughter in marriage: and this, it was hinted, he would do well to comply with; his return to Abyffinia, and his proceeding to Sennaar, being equally impoffible. Thefe propofals, however, were rejected with difdain. The thekh was a great drunkard, and confequently fometimes found himself ill: from the effects of one of his debauches, Mr. Bruce relieved him by adminiftering an emetic. The credit of this cure, induced an application from the shekh's women to be eafed of their complaints. "The hekh went before me, through feveral apartments, well proportioned, but very meanly furnished, flovenly, and in bad order. This was the part of the houfe that belonged to himself, and formed one fide of a fquare. We croffed the fquare to the oppofite fide, where there were feveral apartments furnished in a much better style. The floors were all covered with Turkey carpets. In an alcove fat one of his wives upon the ground, with a number of black flaves about her. Her face was uncovered; the circle made way for me; fo that, first putting my hand

to

to my lips, I touched the end of her fingers with the end of mine. In the mean time, the thekh had brought a fecond wife from another apartment, and fet her down beside the first. They were both women past the middle age, feemed to have a great many flaves attending them, but never had been handsome. One of them, I learned afterwards, was daughter to the first minifter fhekh Adelan.

me.

"I thought it neceffary to explain my felf a little with Fidele. You know, shekh,' faid I, it is not always that you and I agree, and though I have lived many years with people of your religion of all ranks, yet I am far from knowing what are the manners of At bara; what will offend you or them, or what not; for, as I have no view but your good and their's, I would not expofe myself to any ill ufage to which a mistake of your customs may fubject In short, I muft afk thefe ladies a number of questions, which, if you choose to hear, you may, but no perfon elfe muft, as is the custom of my country. What has he to do with us and our phyfician' faid the eldest of the two; all his business is to pay you money when you have made us well. What would become of him,' fays Adelan's daughter, if we were to be ill? he would farve for want of people to make ready his meat.'- Aye, and his drink too,' fays the other, which he is fonder of than his meat. No, no,' fays fhekh Fidele, in perfect good humour, we know you, Hakim; you are not like us; afk them all the queftions you pleafe, I neither with nor intend to hear them; I hear too much of them every day against my will, and only with to God you would cure them or make them dumb altogether, and then they will not teaze me with their illness any longer; a fick woman is plague fufficient for a devil. Then, clear the room,' faid I, in the first place, of all thefe idle women fervants; only leave two or three of the fteadieft Alaves to ferve their mistreffes.' He did not seem at a loss how to do this, for he took up a short whip, or fwitch, which Jay at hand, and happy were they who got firft to the door. I faw among thefe a genteel female figure, covered from head to foot, whom Fidele pulled

in with his hand, after he had pushed the others out of the door, faying, Come in, Aifcach ;' and immediately after this he went away.

"I fhall not trouble my reader with a repetition of my medical inquiries, nor the complaints of ladies, which are properly fecrets with me, though at the distance of Atbara. The ipecacuanha operation gave high fatisfaction. It was now happily terminated; but, whilst it was adminiftering, I obferved the figure, who till then appeared covere ed, had unveiled her face and head down to her fhoulders; and foon after one of the flaves, her attendant, as in play, pulled off the remaining part of the veil that covered her. I was aftonifhed at the fight of fo much beauty. Her hair, which was not woolly, but long, and in great quantity, was braided and twisted round like a crown upon the top of her head, ornamented with beads, and the finall white Guinea-fhells, commonly known here by the name of blackamoor's teeth. She had plain rings of gold in her ears, and four rows of gold chain about her neck, to which was hung a number of fequins pierced; the reft of her dress was a blue fhift, which hung loofely about her, and covered her down to her feet, though it was not very rigorously nor very closely difpofed all below her neck. She was the tallest of the middle fize, and not yet fifteen years of age; her whole features faultlefs; they might have ferved alone for the study of a painter all his life, if he was in fearch of abfolute beauty. Her mother being an Arab of the tribe of Jehaina, her complexion was a dark brown. Such was the beautiful Aifcach, daughter of the eldest of the ladies that I was then attending.

"Neither fick nefs nor medicine could prevent thofe who were prefent from difcovering plainly how exceedingly I was difconcerted. Adelan's daughter faid to me, You will think nothing of the women in Atbara, after so long a stay in Abyffinia; but the women in Europe, they fay, are fo white, that they are the handfomeft of all.' 'I never was lefs perfuaded of that truth than at prefent,' faid I; and I fee perfectly you obferve it." Aye, aye, fays her mother, and fo we do; if

Aifcach

Aifcach was ill, you would take better care of her than of either of us.' ◄Pardon me,' faid I, ‘Madam; if the beautiful Aifcach was ill, I feel I fhould myfelf be fo much affected as not to be able to attend her at all.'

"Aifcach made the most gracious inclination with her head, to fhew the was perfectly fenfible of the compi ment. The women laughed out aloud. Send for Yafine and your horse from Ras el Feel,' cries a voice behind me laughing, but fpeaking perfect good Amharic; take her away, and carry her back with you to Abyffinia, I'll go with you with all my heart, and fo will the I fwear to you.' I turned with furprize to the perfon that fpoke the danguage, which I had not heard fpoken of late. She is a poor Christian slave, fays the eldest of Fidele's wives, 'taken by the Jehaina when the mek Baady was defeated in his return to Sennaar; The is a foolish, but merry creature, as you fee. All our diet and regimen being fettled, I took my leave, and was attended to the door by the Abyffinian flave and Aifcach, who feemed to be very much her friend. When the came to the outer door, fhe covered herself again with her veil, from head to foot as before, faying, in a low voice, Shall we not fee you to-morrow?

"On the 8th, in the evening, a little before fix o'clock, when I was making ready to go to the fhekh, a meffage came, that he was bufy, and could not fee me; with which, for a time, I was very well pleased. About ten, arrived a naked, very ill-looking fellow, more like an executioner than any other fort of man, with a large broad-fword in his hand, and feemingly very drunk. He faid he was one of the fhekhs of Jehaina, and in a little time became extremely infolent. He firft demanded coffee, which was given him, then a new coat, then fome civet, and, laft of all, drawing his fword, faid that we fhould inftantly provide him with a new fcabbard, his own being but a piece of common leather, which he threw with a kind of indignation down upon the floor. Till that time I had been writing thefe very memoirs, at least the journal of the day. I was not any way afraid of one drunkard, but laid down my pen, wondering where this infolence

was to end. Before I had time to fpeak a word, I heard my old Turk, the therriffe, Hagi Ismael, fay, You are of the Jehaina, are you? then I am of the Daveina;' and with that he caught the ftranger by the throat, taking his fword from him, which he threw out of the houfe, after cafting the owner violently upon the floor. The fellow crept out upon all-four, and, as foon as he had picked up his fword, attempted again to enter the houfe, which Soliman perceiving, fnatched his own hort, crooked fword, from a pin where it hung, and ran readily to meet him, and would very speedily have made an end of him, had I not cried out, For God's fake, Soliman, don't hurt him ; remember where you are. Indeed, there was little reason for the caution ; for when the Arab observed a drawn fword in the Turk's hand, he presently ran away towards the town, crying, Ullah! Ullah! Ullah! which was, God! God! God! an exclamation of terror, and we faw no more of him; whilft, instead of a new scabbard, he left his old one in the house. Seeing at once the cowardice and malice of our enemies, we were now apprehenfive of fire, things were come to fuch an extremity; and as our house was compofed of nothing but dry canes, it feemed the only obvious way of deftroying us.

"On the 9th, in the morning, I fent Soliman with the scabbard to Fidele, and a grievous complaint against the fuppofed fhekh of the Jehaina for his infolence the night before. Shekh Fidele pretended to be utterly ignorant of the whole, made light of what had passed, and faid the fellow was a fool.

"Fidele recommended to Soliman to perfuade me to give him two thousand piaftres, without which he swore I never fhould go alive out of Atbara. Soliman, on the other hand, declared, that I was a man that fet no value upon money, and therefore carried it not about with me, otherwife I fhould not refufe what he desired, but warned him to think well before he uttered fuch expreffrons as he now had done.

"In the course of converfation, as Soliman told me, the thekh gave him feveral hints, that, if he would agree with him, and help to rob and murder

me, he fhould fhare the booty with him, and it never would be known. But Soliman pretended not to underftand this, always affuring him that I was not the man he took me for; and that, except the king's prefent, all I had was brafs, iron, and glass bottles, of no value to any but myself, who only knew how to use them. They then finished their difcourfe; and he defired Soliman to tell me, that he expected me at the ufual hour of fix o'clock to-morrow evening, which was Friday the 10th.

"This seemed to me to be an extra ordinary appointment, becaufe Friday is their festival, when they eat and drink heartily, nor did I ever remem. ber any of them take medicine upon that day. But with Fidele all was festival, not even their annual folemn fast of Ramadan did he ever keep, but was univerfally known to be an unbeliever, even in what was called his own religion. I had ftill this further objection to wait upon him at night, that he had gone fo far as to folicit Soliman to affift him in murdering me. But I confidered at laft, that we could not escape from his hands; and that the only way to avoid the danger was to brave it. Providence, indeed, feemed all along to have referved our deliver ance for our own exertions, under its direction, as all the ways we had taken to get relief from others had hitherto, in appearance at least, mifcarried. How ever, it was refolved to go armed, for fear of the worft; but to conceal our weapons, fo as to give no umbrage. I had a fmall Brefcian blunder bufs, about twenty-two inches in the barrel, which had a joint in the stock, fo that it folded double. It hung by an iron hook to a thin belt under my left arm, clofe to my fide, quite unperceived, like a cutlafs. I likewife took a pair of pistols in my girdle, and my knife as ufual. All these were perfectly covered by my burnoofe; fo that, with a little attention, when I fat down, it was impoffible to difcover my having any weapons about me. Hagi Ifmael the Turk, Soliman my fervant, and two other Moorish fervants, took alfo their fire-arms, fmall and great, and fwords, along with them. We all went to the house of the shekh a little

before feven o'clock in the evening. I entered the back door into the fquare where the women's houfe was; but declined going fo far as their apartment without leave, turning to the left hand into the fide of the fquare where he ufually ftaid. I was surprised to meet but one fervant, a black boy, in the whole house, and he carried me to the fhekh, my fervants remaining at the outer door.

"Fidele was fitting in a fpacious

room, in an alcove, on a large broad fofa like a bed, with India curtains gathered on each fide into feltoons. Upon feeing the boy, in a very furly tone he called for a pipe; and, in much the fame voice, faid to me, 'What! alone?' I faid, Yes, what were his commands with me?' I faw he either was, or affected to be, drunk, and which ever was the case, I knew it would lead to mifchief; I therefore repented heartily of having come into the houfe alone.

After he had taken two whiffs of his pipe, and the flave had left the room,

Are you prepared?' fays he; have you brought the needful along with you?' I wished to have occafion to join Soliman, and answered, My fervants are at the outer door, and have the vomit you wanted.' 'D-n you and the vomit too,' fays he with great pasfion, I want money, and not poison. Where are your piaftres? I am a bad perfon,' faid I, Fidele, to furnish you with either. I have neither money nor poifon; but I advife you to drink alittle warm water to clear your stomach, cool your head, and then lie down and compofe yourself, I will see you tomorrow morning.' I was going out.

Hakim,' fays he, infidel, or devil, or whatever is your name, hearken to what I fay. Confider where you are; this is the room where mek Baady, a king, was flain by the hand of my father: look at his blood, where it has ftained the floor, which never could be washed out. I am informed you have twenty thousand piaftres in gold with you; either give me two thousand before you go out of this chamber, og you fhall die; I will put you to death with my own hand." Upon this he took up his fword, that was lying at the head of his fofa, and, drawing it with a

bravado,