Massowa, a restriction which exists through- they proved invaluable, he secured by a out the whole of Arabia, with the single exception of Maskat. The character drawn of these islanders by Bruce and Salt, although true in the main, seems rather too darkly shaded. They are unquestionably far from high in the scale of morality, owing chiefly to the demoralizing influence of the slave traffic, which is their principal occupation. Although extremely strict in their attention to the ceremonies of their religion, the fasts and rites of which they observe with bigoted exactness, they are unscrupulously addicted to thieving, the commission of which is not by any means present. The direct distance from Massowa to Ailat, the principal town in the valley of Modat, is about twenty-four miles, but the fatigue of the journey is considerably increased by the mountainous nature of the country to be traversed, no less than the constant winding of the road. The general character of the country between Massowa and the valley consists in a succession of hills formed of sandstone and mica, and rocks of volcanic structure, intersected by narrow ravines, along the edge of which runs the road or path, and scantily dotted here and there with low slender trees and stunted held infamous, nor confined to the lower thorn-bushes, for little nourishment is afforded classes. A merchant of consideration in to vegetation by a soil composed in a great Massowa called upon Dr. Rüppell, and upon measure of lava, and but sparingly irrigated rising to retire, rather than depart empty- by springs of tainted water. The weariness handed, carried away a bar of lead weighing of threading this sterile district is, however, ten pounds. The property was recovered amply repaid by the beauties and natural from him through the intervention of a com mon friend, and the purloiner had subsequently the assurance to repeat his visit. He was not however allowed opportunity an of indemnifying himself by a more profitable essay for the ill success of the first. Among their virtues it would appear ear that gratitude at least can hardly be included. "Although I frequently dispensed medicines and advice to patients for various maladies, not one either during the course of treatment or upon recovering, ever made the slightest acknowledgment, much less offered remuneration for my trouble or expense. One man, whose wrists had been shattered by a musket shot, and whom I had tended almost daily for eight weeks, expressed himself in the following manner in my presence, God is great above all, and his dispensations wonderful! This dog of an infidel has he sent here expressly to cure my wound!"" Before pursuing his journey to the interior of Abyssinia, Dr. Rüppell resolved upon an excursion northwards to the valley of Modat, for the purpose of making a collection of the many animals and plants with which that beautiful country abounds. In his arrangements with the Naib of Arkiko for the hire of camels, &c., he was subjected to the invariable extortions and disappointments which accompany every negotiation with either Abyssinians or Arabs, and for the benefit of those of our countrymen who may be similarly circumstanced, we may relate, that he particularly recommends Europeans to employ the influence of the agent of the acting English consul at Djetta, Hadji Omar El Saidi, who has been established as a merchant at Massowa for some years, and whose services on this and other occasions in which treasures of Modat. "The only habitations in the valley of Modat are slight huts, formed of twigs and covered with dry rush-grass, and calculated to stand only for a very short time, as from the annoyance of the termites and other vermin, frequent change is necessary in the places of encampment. They are in general very small, of a circular shape, and are entered through a low doorway; some few square and cage-like dwellings are built more solidly of trunks of trees; but they are all penetrated by the rain which falls in from above, to the utter despair of the collector of objects of natural history. These huts are always erected in groups, and surrounded by a hedge formed of the large branches of thorn-bearing trees, and the entrance is stopped up by a thorn-bush pushed forward into the cavity. Within the enclosure the numerous herds of sheep and goats are driven for the night, and a partial protection is afforded from the attacks of the beasts of prey which prowl in great numbers about the valley, and consist of hyænas, lynxes, leopards, and occasionally a lion and his mate. "The hyæna of this valley, called by the natives karai, is the spotted kind, the only one found in Abyssinia, but in the north, from the seventeenth degree of latitude, this species disappears, and the striped hyæna alone is seen. These animals are of a cowardly nature except when rendered daring by extreme hunger, on which occasions they enter the houses even in the day-time and carry off young children, although they have never been known to attack men. When the flocks are returning home in the evening, they often spring upon any sheep that may have straggled or loitered behind, and generally succeed in carrying off their prey in spite of the pursuit of the shepherds. Dogs are not kept here, as they are found to be utterly useless against beasts of prey. The inhabitants caught several large hyænas for us by digging trenches across a path enclosed by thorn-bushes, and tying a young kid at one end of it. The 1841. Rüppell's Travels in Abyssinia. 39 ravenous beast, attracted by the bleating of the | who make excursions for the purpose of killing little animal for its dam, rushes to the spot and elephants, and these men together scarcely slay falls into the pit, which is carefully covered on an average seven in one year. When the over with twigs and sand, and is immediately political state of the country will allow it they push on into Wadi Ansaba, a low country well wooded and watered, about six days' march to the west-north-west of this valley and inhabited by Christians, in which elephants, rhinoceros, buffaloes, and other large animals, are found in numbers. The only useful part of the elephant is the tusks, for the thick muscles render the flesh unfit for eating, and the skin furnishes but indifferent shields. I have never perceived any traces of the pretended devastation which this animal is said to wreak upon the trees, and which Salt has described in his Travels, although both here and in Abyssinia, especially in Kulla, I have met with them frequently. killed before he has time to free himself by scraping a path out. The power of scent possessed by these animals is very extraordinary. A lion with a lioness and cubs infested the valley of Modat during the time we were staying there; the spot they had selected for their lair was well known, and they had already carried off several camels and other cattle, but the chase of these beasts is extremely dangerous, and they can only be expelled by the efforts of several men uniting to form a battue; but the Abyssinians are wholly destitute of any spirit of union, and so far from associating for any common purpose, each man rejoices over any misfortune that may befall his neighbour. During our stay at Modat, a lion sprang in the nighttime over one of the thorn-bush fences described above, tore to the ground two shepherds who cent clusters of trees are however frequently met attempted to oppose him, and seizing a bullock in his powerful jaw, cleared the hedge again, and went off with his booty. Besides hyænas and lions, which are called Assat here as in Arabia, there are numerous other kinds of wild beasts in this part of the country. There are, in particular, several species of foxes, whose plaintive howl is often heard breaking in upon the stillness of the night, whilst the smothered moan of the hyæna gives indication of his undesired proximity to the flocks. Numerous herds of wild swine, armed with enormous tusks (Phascochoeres Aelini) ploughed up the dry and sterile beds of the mountain torrents in search of roots; the dwarf-like bushes swarmed with hares and small gazelles, which frequent the pasturages in couples; the larger "The greater part of the wood in this valley consists of thickets of prickly shrubs scantily furnished with leaves of small growth; magnifi with, shadowing the soil with their luxuriant foliage and harbouring countless swarms of variegated birds, whose busy activity as they fly abroad at early dawn, in search of sustenance, gives great animation to the scene. Euphorbias, gigantic Asclepiads, intermingled with different kinds of creepers, impart a very picturesque aspect to this country. "Being unable to convey an entire idea of the enchanting beauty of this tropical landscape, I will only attempt to describe such of the birds as are most conspicuous by their hues or their numbers, to the eye of the traveller. The number and variety of these is greater than I have met with in any other part of the world, and the naturalist may often distinguish more than seventy species in one morning; within a circuit of antelopes only come here at periodical times, four or five miles, 132 different kinds were shot and in herds more or less numerous; the great, by my hunters in less than a month. The eye antelope, with the powerful spirally curved, is especially attracted by the brilliant plumage horns, (strepsiceros), which is only found upon of the honey-sucker fluttering in crowds round rocky hills, and of which species we killed two, is more rarely seen. None of these animals are hunted by the natives. The elephant alone, of whom a solitary one sometimes strays into this valley from the Abyssinian mountains, is attacked by the hunters. In this chase, long matchlocks are used, which carry balls of a quarter of a pound in weight, and are so heavy that they require two men to use them, one supporting the long barrel upon his shoulder, whilst the other fires. As their powder is extremely bad, it is only by approaching close to the animal that they can succeed in inflicting a mortal wound. The elephants scent the smoke of the match at a great distance off, and can only be approached therefore against the wind; their organs of sight are, however, inferior. The natives procured two elephants for us whilst we were in the valley of Modat. They were of the species called by the naturalists Elephas Africanus, and are only found in this part of the world.* In the whole district of Arkiko and the neighbouring coasts there are only three hunters • Cuvier, in the last edition of the Règne Animal, the thickly blown flowers of the broad-leaved Asclepias, and the various kinds of bee-eaters hunting for insects, just revived by the warm rays of the rising sun from the torpor caused by the coldness of the night, for Modat, although lying hardly 800 feet higher than Massowa, has much fresher nocturnal breezes. From the tops of the trees is heard the noisy chattering of various parrots, and the clapping note of the restless Lamprotornis nitens. Swarms of little finches, rendered more conspicuous by the variety of their dazzling hues, are eagerly intent upon picking out the grains of seed from the stalks of the plants, whilst innumerable thrushes of the Fringilla Paradisea and fly-catchers, both remarkable by the uncommon length and undulating motion of the feathers of the tail, are fluttering down from the tree-tops. The step of the wandering traveller in the sandy bed of a dried-up torrent frequently flushes a covey of the hundred-eyed guinea fowls, whose clamorous wailing as they wing their startled flight, spreads fear and anxiety among their plumaged brethren of the vicinity. The cooing of the amorous dove is silenced in alarm, the huge busand gazing around in terror, betakes itself to the was reason for supposing that the garrison elevated sandy spots of ground which are unin- of Massowa would follow their example. cumbered with shrubs. The Buceros nasutus, Under these circumstances there was no time whose flight is so remarkable from the singular to be lost, and Dr. Rüppell accordingly sent and measured motion of its wings, is frequently seen, as also even at mid-day a species of large Owl, (Stryx lactea), noiselessly floating onwards, and swarms of different kinds of vultures cruising in the higher regions of air, or intently gazing on the carcases with which we had intended to bait the hyæna traps."-Vol. i., p. 226. In returning from Ailat to Massowa in the night time, to avoid the intense heat of the sun, one of the camels broke loose and ran off with the skin of water strapped upon him, and in the fruitless chase after the fugitive among the prickly shrubs and sharp fragments of quartz, the author's sandals proved such a slight protection to the feet, that he was laid up in Massowa for nearly six weeks from the effects of the wounds. From the quantity of saline particles contained in the lower strata of air along the shores of the Red Sea, all wounds in the feet are extremely on his extensive collection in natural history to Alexandria, and hastened his preparations for departure. In many parts of Abyssinia, money is less generally useful as a medium of exchange with the inhabitants or for presents than various articles of merchandize, such as glasses for drinking honey-water, black pepper, ber, Indian cottons, strings or bands of twisted blue silk, &c. These last, called Mateb, are the most useful of all, as they are universally worn round the neck by the Christians of Abyssinia, and when of the requisite length of five feet, and of a bright blue colour, are eagerly sought after. Dr. Rüppell recommends every traveller to provide himself with a store of these articles, a timely donation of which will frequently be of the greatest efficacy in softening the obstinacy or ill-will of the innumerable chiefs and naibs slow and difficult to heal. When released whose narrow territories he has to pass from the confinement of a sick room, Dr. through. Having engaged the requisite Rüppell was present at a marriage in high number of attendants and camels, and brought life at Arkiko, of which he gives a descrip- to a successful issue his treaty with the Naib tion; but it is too long to extract at length, and we therefore refer the curious to vol. i., p. 237. The arrival of the long expected caravan from Gondar brought with it intelligence of the state of Abyssinia and the position of the different powers at issue with each other in it. That unhappy country was then as before and now, bleeding in almost every for the amount of passage money, a kind of capitation tax which this potentate levies upon all who pass through his province, and which Salt was obliged to pay both in 1804 and 1810, the author joined a caravan of merchants which, in times of comparative tranquillity, proceeds from Arkiko regularly about this time (April) every year to the interior of Abyssinia, for the purposes of trade. province, from the ravages of rebellion and In this instance it consisted of 200 men and warfare. The incapacity of the emperors 49 loaded camels, but it is more or less nuhad been taken advantage of by the different merous according to the number of ships governors of provinces to render themselves which arrive from India by the passage winds. wholly independent, and they then turned Salt's observation, that the caravan or comtheir arms against each other, in the hope of pany of merchants of 140 men and 20 caextending their usurped possessions. Some mels, with which he travelled, was the largidea of the precarious tenure of the Abyssi- est that had departed from the coast of Arnian throne may be found from the fact, that, from the abdication of the Emperor Teckla Haimanot in 1778, down to the year 1833, no less than fourteen princes have occupied it at twenty-two different times. Uninviting as this prospect was, there was however the probability of a more immediate danger from another quarter. A body of Turkish and Albanian troops, lying in garrison at Djetta, had long been disaffected to Mehemet Ali for the withholding of their pay and gradual diminution of their rations, and finally driven to extremity by a perfidious attempt to destroy them by suddenly attacking them with a very superior body of Egyptian regulars, had raised the standard of revolt after repulsing these last, and there kiko since the arrival of the Portuguese in the sixteenth century, is a ludicrous mis-statement. We will describe the travelling equipment of those who composed this cara van. "Only four of the principal Abyssinian merchants besides myself rode upon mules, the remainder journeyed on foot. Every man was armed either with a long curved sabre, always worn on the right side of the body, or with a spear and round target; eight of our number carried long matchlocks. Many bore likewise parasols made of reeds, which are extremely useful whenever, as is the Abyssinian custom, the head is uncovered. The Abyssinians are distinguished at the first glance from all the other inhabitants of the coast by their dress, for the men without exception wear trowsers. By those of Tigre they are worn close, and extend | readiness for fighting, and that a sharp lookonly from the hip to the knee. Each man has out should be kept, but on reaching the spot a white scarf, thirty feet long, but only one foot where they were to encamp for the night, broad, wrapped round the body, and over this the sabre is girt by means of a strap. Over the the whole company was thrown into alarm upper part of the body is thrown a large white by the sudden rising of a flight of ravens who cotton cloth, the broader end of which has a made off with noisy croakings. The Abysblue or red stripe five inches broad, and on the sinians were seriously frightened, for they held shoulders a long shaggy sheep-skin, which this to be an unlucky omen, and Dr. Rüphowever must have the feet and tail entire. Their hair is braided in tufts, arranged in different directions, or worn in short natural locks. Into these butter is rubbed as often as possible, chiefly to preserve the head from the darting rays of the sun. After the hair has been freshly anointed with butter, a small white cotton stripe the history of Noah's Ark! This artifice in pell, dreading the effect of this in the case of any real attack, was obliged to assure them that in his country this bird was always hailed as the certain forerunner of good fortune, and that this might be clearly inferred from is bound round the head, to hinder the melting some measure restored their morale as soldiers, fat from dropping down. This stripe must not and passing from one extreme to the other, every Abyssinian who has slain an enemy in they now began to encourage each other by war, wears round his head in battle. The violent gesticulations, brandishing their weapthickly curled head of Jupiter Ammon is represented on statues and medals with this stripe, against all lurking thieves within hearing, be confounded with the scarlet band which the object of which I think archæologists are not acquainted with. The Abyssinians wear besides round the neck or on the arm, a number of written amulets sewed up in leather cases, one of which is sometimes eight inches long, and together often form a neck-band hanging down to the stomach. Whenever a man is armed with a matchlock, he has a girdle round the body with fifteen bags or cases of leather, in shape like a quiver, in each of which is a short reed cut so that the knot inside shall divide it into two equal parts, one of which contains the quantity of powder, and the other the ball, for one charge. When marching the musketeer has likewise in one hand a burning match, which is twisted out of the dried fibres of a plant."-vol. i., p. 290. For ten days, until they reached Halai, the road ran parallel with the range of mountains which terminates with the great Taran ons, and many of them shouted out revilings and challenged them to come forth and fight. The author, misdoubting this assumed courage, hints that it was as well for the caravan that no answer followed the defiance. It is not unlikely that they were indebted to these very rooks for not being molested that night, since the robbers were probably frightened by this inauspicious covey, and had not any one amongst them skilful enough to reverse the omen At Sanafé, the rocks, chiefly formed of marl, are full of natural cavities, which often form the abodes or hiding-places of the inhabitants. It is in this part of Abyssinia that Bruce places the existence of a people of Troglodytes, for which he has been so undeservedly criticized. The environs of this town are infested with a species of ape, who ta, and is the abode of the Schohas, a noma- lay waste a field of corn with astonishing radic tribe, numbering about 300 grown-up pidity; the caravan met with one troop of men, who have the well deserved reputation the Cynocephalus Hamadryas more than of being most active thieves. Salt continu- three hundred strong. The country around ally confounds them with the Saortu, but is held as a fief by a Mahometan of the name they are a distinct race. From Halai, the of Aito Ali, one of the chiefs of the Schohos. usual route was through Dixan, but since This man was for some time in Lord Valen1816, when a caravan of merchants was tia's service, and recommended himself to plundered to the last rag by the Baharnegash the Detjatsch Sabajadis by his talents and Jasu, (to whom Salt has given such interest- honesty. It is remarkable that all offices in ing qualities, for he was completely duped by the wily Abyssinian) this passage has been very reasonably avoided. The caravan separated at Halai, one party taking the direct road to Adowa in spite of the troubled state of the country, which was overrun with hostile bands, while the other part, with Dr. Rüppell, took the far safer course of going trust in Abyssinia requiring fidelity and uprightness are held by Mahometans, who are far superior in morality to the Christians. On arriving at Ategerat, the capital town of the province of Agamé, they found that an instant invasion was threatened from the Detjatsch Ubi of Simen, and it became a critical question how an attack by any of his round towards the province of Agamé, foraging troops could be repelled. The through Sanafe. As they approached a Detjatsch of Agamé, Oeleb Michael, was abdreary place called Kaskasse, which is noto- sent on a plundering excursion against an rious as a lurking-hole for robbers, it was uncle of his in a neighbouring province. agreed that each man should hold himself in Dr. Rüppell consulted Herr Gobat, a Swiss missionary, who had for some time been on a trade with Gondar and Massowa. The travelling in various parts of the country, Mahometans are a superior race of men to and has published an account of his mission the Christians of Abyssinia, who are apatheat Basle, and urged him to convert his stone tic and ignorant. Every Mussulman has his dwelling house into a temporary fortress for son taught to read and write, an accomplishtheir common defence, but received the un- ment only possessed by those of the Chrisconsoling assurance that on the first disturb- tians destined for the church, who are requirance, the people around would infallibly ed to be able to read the Bible, but are utterplunder it throughout, and, added the Swiss, ly uneducated in any other science. The "All Abyssinians are rascals, without either most immoveable, stagnant sloth is the chartruth, gratitude, or belief" Learning that a acteristic of these last, who seem to be little mountain pass opening into the province of influenced by the religion of which they bear Haremat happened then to be unoccupied the name only. Abyssinia in fact forms an by either of the contending troops, it was re-exception to the respective character of Chrissolved to push forward without delay; upon tianity and Islamism in every other country. leaving Ategerat the caravan was joined by The only ambition of a priest is to amass by several women who wished to escape from begging a sum of money sufficient to carry the troubles thickening around; among them him on a pilgrimage through Massowa and was one very pretty girl of seventeen, who Cairo to Jerusalem, and on his return, he had been married and divorced seven times, conceives himself entitled to importune for and intended to select the eighth husband at presents all to whom he has access. Every Gondar. 'They passed the lava-coloured agriculturalist tills no more of his field than mountain of the Alequa, and descended into is just sufficient for the wants of himself and the valley of Saheta. family; any foresight in laying up provisions is out of the question. All manual la"In the valley of Saheta, nature assumes bour they consider degrading; thus the tanquite another face," [from the dreary aspect of ning leather and weaving cotton-stuffs are perthe previous tracts of country, strewn with rocks and volcanic remains, cut up with the deep formed exclusively by Mahometans; almost worn beds of mountain torrents, and generally the sole silversmiths and armourers are the destitute of trees,] "the towering and barren Greek emigrants and Egyptian Kopts, the slopes of the rocks which hem in the valley, masons and workmen are all Jews. The form a picturesque contrast to the richness of Abyssinian Christians have 180 festivals in its meadow lands, covered here and there with the year, and are obliged by their religion to magnificent groups of lofty trees. Numerous observe 200 fast-days, and this without queswith two naked spots on the neck and breast, tion conduces in a great measure to their were clambering up and down the clefts of the idleness. families of an unknown species of ape, marked rocks. I witnessed here the remains of an As they proceeded southward, cultivated ancient Pagan ceremony. A great number of tracts of land became less and less frequent, the women of the country were gathered round and the constant succession of hill and rock qua and waterless ravines, which the mountain streams had ploughed, afforded little pasturage to the mules, or verdure to the eye, save occasional thickets of thorn-bushes. At a short a running spring which gushed up from under a cluster of tall trees, in which they washed their hands and feet, and then prostrated themselves several times on the ground before a large block of sand-stone roughly hewn into a drangular shape, and marked with two elliptical, distance from Geba the caravan forded the cavities. It is probably a kind of altar. I could rapid stream of Takazzé. This river, the obtain no information of the meaning or origin principal one of Abyssinia, is about 80 feet of this ceremony. The Abyssinians declared broad in this part, and varies in depth accordthat it was a remnant of Paganism, and they knew, or would impart nothing more of this reing to the prevalence of rains among the ligious sect, which is probably one of the most mountains; it is sometimes swollen to 10 or ancient in the country." -Vol. i., p. 352. 12, but in general does not exceed 3 or 4 feet, and it usually subsides as rapidly as it On the first of June they descried the has risen. It is always the safest course here snow-covered peaks of the mountains of Si- to cross all rivers without delay, for a few men, and shortly afterwards passed several hours may render them impassable, and villages lately laid in ashes by the army of bridges form no part of Abyssinian architecthe Detjatsch Ubi. At Tackerraggino they ture. The bed of the stream consists entirewere detained ten days by disputes as to the ly of slate-rock, over which volcanic stones amount of dues and tolls to be paid. This have been rolled in its course. These stones town, the capital of Temben, consists of about are of different sizes, and chiefly composed 100 dwelling-places built of stone, and 500 either of Trachyt or Dolevit Lava, the first inhabitants, mostly Mahometans, who carry containing layers of glass feld-spar, and the |