the tongue of the smith like sparks from his anvil.
His companion was very ill, and incapable of moving.
I went to see the poor fellow upon several occasions,
and found him suffering from dysentery and diseased
liver. These excellent but misguided people had a
first-rate medicine-chest, filled with useful drugs and
deadly poisons, that had been provided for them
cheaply, by the agent for their society at Cairo, who
■ had purchased the stock-in-trade of a defunct doctor.
This had been given to the missionaries, together with
the caution that many of the bottles were not labelled,
and that some contained poison. Thus provided with
a medicine-ehest that they did not comprehend, and
with a number of Bibles printed in the Tigré language
which they did not understand, they were prepared
to convert the Jews, who could not read. The
Bibles were to be distributed as the word of God, like
" seed thrown upon the wayside ; ' and the medicines;
I trust, were to be kept locked up in the chest, as
their distribution might have been fatal to the poor
Jews. These worthy and well-meaning missionaries
were prepared to operate mentally and physically
upon the Abyssinians, to open their minds as well as
their bowels, but as their own (not their minds)
were out of order, I was obliged to assist them by an
examination of their medicine-chest, which they had
regarded with such dread and suspicion, that, although
dangerously ill, they had not dared to attempt a
dose. This medicine-chest accompanied them like a
pet dog suspected of hydrophobia, which they did not
like to part with, and were yet afraid to touch. I
labelled the poisons, and weighed out some doses, that
in a few days considerably relieved them; at the samé
time I advised the missionaries to move to a healthier
locality, and to avoid the putrid water.
On the day following our arrival, I paid a visit
to the Sheik of Gallabat—Jemma. He was ill, as
were most people. They were too much accustomed
to the use of the filthy water to trouble themselves
about a pure supply; thus, a frightful amount of
sickness was prevalent among all classes. The Sheik
Jemma was a Tokroori, and as these people hate the
Turks or Egyptians, although fanatical Mussulmans,
he was exceedingly cold when he read my firman,
that I had produced as a passport. He replied to my
demand for assistance in men and camels, that “ this
was Abyssinia, and the firman of the Yieeroy of
Egypt was a bad introduction, as the Egyptians forced
them to pay tribute at the point of the bayonet,
although they had no right to enter this country
they paid taxes willingly to the King of Abyssinia,
as he had the right to exact them. I explained that,
I was an Englishman, and no Turk, but that, as I had
travelled through the dominions of the Viceroy, I had
been favoured with the sign-manual of his excellency
Said Pasha, and I narrated in a few words the object
of our expedition. He paid very little attention, and
merely asked me, if I could send him some goats
milk, as he was very ill. I was astonished at such
a request, as there were great numbers of these