fo r hi« own uie when h e went to Maitfha. I then carried
him new-drefled to the Iteghe,iwho gave him itrift injunctions
to take care Of me i f ever I fhould come into his hands.
He after went home with Ayto Aylo, nor did I ever know
what was become o f h im till now, when we arrived at his
houfe at Welled Abea Abbo, nnlefs from fome words that
fe ll in d ifcourfe from Faiil at Bamba.
S h a l a k a Welled Amlac was, however, from home, but
his wife, mother, and fillers, received us kindly, knowing
us by report; and, without waiting for our landlord, a cow
was inftantly flaughtered.
T he venerable millrefs o f this worthy family, Welled
Am la c ’s mother, was. a very flout, chearful woman, and
bore no figns o finfirm ity or old age : his wife was, on the
contrary, as arrant a hag as ever ailed the part on the itage;
ve ry ailive, however, and civil, and fpeaking very tolerable
Amharic. His two fillers, about fixteen or feventeen, were
really handfbme; but Fafil’s wife; who was there, was the
moll beautiful and graceful o f them a l l ; The Teemed not
to be pall eighteen, tall, thin, and o f a very agreeable carriage
and manners. The features o f her face were very regular;
The had fine eyes, mouth, and teeth, and dark-brown
complexion ; at firll fight a call o f melancholy feemed to
hang upon her countenance, but this fioon vaniflied, andflie
became very courteous, chearful, and moil converfible o f
the whole, or at leait feemed to w ilh to be f o ; for, unfortunately,
Ihe fpoke not a word o f any language but Galla,
though ihe underllood a little Amharic ; our converfation
did not fail to give great entertainment to the w hole family,
and for her part, ihe laughed beyond a ll meafure.
i T he
T he two fillers had been out helping my fervants in dif-
pofing the baggage ; but when they had pitched my tent,
and were about to la y the mattrefs for fleeping on, the el-
delt o f thefe interrupted them, and not being able to make
herfelf underllood by the Greeks, Ihe took it up and threw
it out o f the tent-door, w hilll no abufe or opprobrious names
were fpared b y my fervants ; one o f w hom came to tell me-
her impudence, and that i f they underlload her, Ihe faid I
was to lleep with her this night, and they believed we were
got into a houfe o f thieves and murderers. To this I an-
fwered by a lharp reproof, defiring them to conform to
every thing the family ordered them. I faw the fair n ymph
was in a violent pafhon; fhe told her tale to the matrons
with great energy, and a volubility o f tongue pall imagination,
and they all laughed. Fafil’s wife called me to fit by
her, and began to inllruft me, drolly enough, as they do
children, but o f what The faid I had not the fmalleft guefs.
I endeavoured always to repeat her lalt words, and this oc-
cafioned another vehement laugh, in which I joined as
heartily as any, toi keep up the joke, for the benefit o f the
company, as long as pofiible..
Immediately after this Welled Amlac arrived, and'
brought us the difagreeable news, that it was i-mpolfiblé to-
proceed to, the ford o f the Abay, as two o f the neighbourin
g Shums were at variance about their refpeélive diltricts,
and in a day or two would decide it by blows.. The faces
o f a ll our companions fell a t thefe news ^ but as I knew the
man, it gave me little trouble, as I fuppofed the meaning to
be, that, i f we made it worth while, he w ould accompany us
himfel-f, and in that cafe we Ihould pafs without fear ; at
any rate, I well, knew that, after the obligations I had laid'
h im