There are no less than four descriptions of guns in the armoury of the Negoos. The first and most ancient being termed _balla quob_, are immense long old-fashioned affairs. Each require three or four individuals to hold, whilst another runs up with a lighted stick to discharge it; when those who stand behind, find it most desirable to get out of the way, for the recoil throws it several yards out of the hands of the gunmen. The second kind is called _balla matatchah_, and is the common matchlock; many of these, I was assured, were formerly _balla quob_, but that a Gypt several years before had visited Shoa, and so far benefited the Negoos by reducing his long pieces into something like portable guns. The next kind, and most in favour, were the English and French muskets, called _balla dinghi_, and only to those whom he most favoured did the monarch trust these much prized arms, every one of which is valued by him at twenty dollars, the price of two beautiful young horses. The _balla tezarb_, or percussion guns, are those which have come to the Negoos by the voluntary contribution of strangers, or the direct application of the monarch for the coveted weapon at whatever price may be demanded. My single-barreled fowling-piece was destined to the same resting-place with nearly all the valuable stock of private fire-arms brought up to Shoa by the members of the Embassy, who found it very difficult to retain more than one or two guns each for their own use. The less valuable of these _balla tezarb_ are distributed among the superior courtiers as great marks of favour, and besides, two or three favourite pages have occasionally lent to them, by the Negoos, guns for their amusement; and he rewards them also for such petty services as cannot well be paid in any other manner, by scanty donations of four or five percussion caps at a time. These constitute a good coin in the precincts of the palace, and a great deal of attention and civility may be commanded in exchange for a few caps. The Shoan gunpowder, as I have before described, is very bad, and also, from the want of lead, all manufactured bullets are made of small pieces of iron, hammered into a round form. Many of the gunmen, however, are obliged to substitute small round pebbles, as the Negoos never distributes to each more than five or seven of the iron ones, on occasions even of the most extensive expeditions. CHAPTER XXVIII. Message from the Negoos.--Visit Ankobar.--The Monk Bethlehem.-- Conversation.--Bad weather.--A tattooing operation.--Interview with Negoos.