him under at Gondar, he could not, confiftent with, the received
ufages o f the country, i f it was but for his own reputation’s
fake, fail in receiving me in the very bell manner
in his power, and entertaining me to the utmoft all th'e
time I was in his houfe.
S a t i s f ie d that I underilood him, he put on the moil
chearful countenance; another cow was killed, great plenty
o f hydroinel produced, and he prepared to regale us as fump-
tuoufly as poilible, after the manner o f the country. We
were there, as often before, obliged to overcome our repugnance
to eating raw fleih. Shalaka Welled Amlac fet us
the example, entertained us with the Rories o f his hunting
elephants, and feats in the laft wars, moftly roguiih ones.
The room where we were (which was indeed large, and
contained himfelf, mother, wife, fillers, his horfes, mules,
and fervants, night and day) was all hung round with the
trunks o f thefe elephants, which he had brought from the
neighbouring Kolia, near Guefgue, and killed with his own
hands, for he was one o f the boldeft and bell horfemen in
AbyiEnia, and perfectly mailer ,of his arms.
T his Polyphemus’s feaft being finifhed, theho rn o f hydro-
mel wentbriikly about. Welled Amlac’s el deft lifter," whofe
name was Meledtanea, took a particular charge o f me, and I
began to find the neceflity o f retiring and going to bed while
I was able. Here the former ftory came over a ga in ; the invariable
cuftom o f all Maitiha and the country o f the Galla, o f
eftablifhing a relationfhip by lleeping with a near o f kin, was
enlarged upon ; and, as the young lady herfelf was prefent,
and prefented every horn o f drink during this polite difpute
concerning her perfon, I do not know whether it will not be
3 thought
t h o u g h t a g r e a t e r b r e a c h o f d e l ic a c y to h a v e r e fu f e d th a n to
h a v e c om p lie d
But what fuccefs Vanefla met
Is to the world a fecret y e t ;
Can never to mankind be told,
Nor ihall the confcious mufe unfold,
Fye upon the confcious mufe, fays lord Orrery; and fye, too,
fay I :— a man o f honour and gallantry ihould not permit
him fe lf fuch a hint as this, though the Red Sea was between
him and his miftrefs.
It was impoifible to fleep; the whole night was one continued
ftorm o f thunder, rain, and ligh tn in g ; the morn-
in g was clearer, and my people very urgent to go away 5
but I had ftill to. fettle with Zor Woldo, who had been kept
b y his miftrefs, Fafil’s wife, notwithstanding his mailer’s orders,
till he had told her the whole circumftances o f our expedition,
and made her lau gh heartily at the oddity o f our
fentiments and cuftoms. This ihe repaid to him b y plentiful
horns o f m ead and bouza,as alfo large collops o f raw
meat, which made him a very eloquent hiftorian; whether
or no he was a faithful one, I cannot poilibly judge.
A f t e r haying fettled with him to his perfedt fatisfadlion,
apd cancelled entirely the , .memory o f fome difagreeable
things paifed, he configned us very folemnly to Ayto A ylo’s
fervant, in prefence o f Welled Amlac, and had taken his
leave, when a very fine white cow was brought to the door
o f the tent from Fafil’s, wife, who infilled, as a friend o f her
huiband, that I would ftay that day for her fake; and I ihould
VoL’ 1V’ B eithef