I had a quantity of rhinoceros hide in pieces of the
size required for shields; these were much prized in
this fighting country, and I presented them to a
number of head men who had honoured us with a
visit. I begged them to guide two of my people to
the presence of Mek Nimmur, with a preliminaxy
message. This they promised to perform. Accordingly,
I sent Taher Noor and Bacheet on horseback,
with a most polite message, accompanied with my
card in an envelop, and a small parcel, carefully
wrapped in four or five different papers ; this contained
a very beautiful Persian lance-head, of polished steel
inlaid with gold, that I had formerly purchased at
Constantinople.
During their absence, we were inundated with
visitors, the Abyssinians in their tight pantaloons
contrasting strongly with the loosely-clad Arabs. In
about an hour, my messengers returned, accompanied
by two men on horseback, with a hospitable message
from Mek Nimmur, and an invitation to pay him a
visit at his own residence. I had some trifling present
ready for everybody of note, and, as Taher Noor and
my people had already explained all they knew concerning
us, Mek Nimmur’s suspicions had entirely
vanished.
As we were conversing with Mek Nimmur’s messengers
through the medium of Taher Noor, who
knew their language, our attention was attracted by
the arrival of a tremendous swell, who at a distance I
thought must be Mek Nimmur himself. A snow-white
mule carried an equally snow-white person, whose
tight white pantaloons looked as though he had forgotten
his browser's, and had O 7 mounted in his drawers. He carried a large umbrella to shade his complexion ;
a pair of handsome silver-mounted pistols were
arranged upon his saddle, and a silver-hilted curved
sword, of the peculiar Abyssinian form, hung by his
side. This grand personage was followed by an
attendant, also mounted upon a mule, while sèveral
men on foot accompanied them, one of whom carried
his lance and shield. Upon a near approach,
he immediately dismounted, and advanced towards
us, bowing in a most foppish manner, while his
attendant followed him on foot with-an enormous
violin, which he immediately handed to him. This
fiddle was very peculiar in shape, being a square, with
an exceedingly long neck extending from one comer ;
upon this was stretched a solitary string, and the bow
was very short and much bent. This was an Abyssinian
Paganini. He was a professional minstrel of
the highest grade, who had been sent by Mek Nimmur
to welcome us on our arrival.
These musicians are very similar to the minstrels of
ancient times; they attend at public rejoicings, and
at births, deaths, and marriages of great personages,
upon which occasions they extemporize their songs
according to circumstances. My hunting in the Basé
country formed his theme, and for at least an hour
he sang of my deeds, in an extremely loud and disagreeable
voice, while he accompanied himself upon