Travels in southern Abyssinia, Volume 2 (of 2) : $b through the country of Adal to the kingdom of ShoaJohnston, Charles
History
Travels in southern Abyssinia, Volume 2 (of 2) : $b through the country of Adal to the kingdom of Shoa
Johnston, Charles
Ethiopia -- Description and travel; Shewa Kifle Hager (Ethiopia) -- Description and travel
The Governor of Aliu Amba, whose name was Tinta, had not returned from
Angolahlah, but his misselannee, or deputy, dragged into my presence,
by the horns, a fine goat, which he requested me to accept. Walderheros
readily consented in my name, and relieved him at once of his charge,
which was taken forthwith and slaughtered; the Deputy-Governor being
chief butcher on the occasion, getting for his trouble the head and
bowels, which, however, were first brought into me very dutifully, to
obtain my permission for such a disposal.
Seeing preparations made for eating, the crowd gradually withdrew, and
with considerable natural politeness left me alone to partake of my
evening’s meal, without interruption. Fortunately I had brought with
me, from the coast, a tea-kettle, frying-pan, and two other vessels of
tinned copper. These now became very useful, and Walderheros was not
long in placing before me a nicely cooked dinner of boiled meat.
A report of my arrival at Aliu Amba having been carried the same
evening to Channo, the next morning I was astonished at seeing the
house beset by a number of my Hy Soumaulee friends, who, although they
were glad to see me, appeared to be not at all satisfied with something
or other.
As none of the Tajourah people had come with them, I sent for an
Islam sheik, Hadjji Abdullah, who lived in the next house, to come
and interpret between us. This man, by-the-by, came from Berberah, on
the banks of the Nile, in Upper Egypt, yet he made himself perfectly
understood in the Affah language; and I expect, therefore, that some
ethnological connexion will be found to exist between the people of
Dongola and the Dankalli tribes, although I understand that this has
been denied by some modern travellers, on the ground, singularly
enough, of the total distinctness between their two languages.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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