baden, min Amphila," "from Mocha; last from Amphila." "Aish kubber?" "What news?" "Taiib kubber," "Good news." "El amd 'l illah;" "God be praised." After which followed a series of questions respecting the "news from Mocha, from Hodeida? from Amphila? and from Habesh?" to each of which Wursum replied by a detailed account of all he knew from these respective places, not forgetting in his narrative to mention the price of ghee, juwarry, cloth, &c. He also informed them of our friendship with Alli Govéta and the Danákil, on hearing which they repeatedly exclaimed, "God be praised, that's well."
Silence at length ensuing, Wursum asked if they had done; and on being answered in the affirmative, I was greatly amused to hear him formally go over in return a string of questions very similar to the preceding, only varying the places of enquiry, commencing with "Kaif untah?" "How do you do?" and ending with "what news from Jidda? Suakin? Massowa? Dahalac? and Aréna?" After they had satisfactorily answered all these interesting enquiries, and told us to a fraction of a commassi the current price of every petty article of trade, they once more offered us their hands, declared that they were highly gratified at our arrival, and then, turning about, led us forward to the village.
Trifling as the above transaction may appear, I have thought it worthy of being particularized, from its relation to a question before alluded to, of attempting a first intercourse with savages. If Wursum, a Somauli, so nearly allied in habits and manners to the Danákil, thought so much precaution necessary in a kindred place because he had not before visited it, how imperious must be the necessity where Europeans attempt to communicate with people whose colour, habits, and manners, are so perfectly dissimilar to their own? I have been led to give the original phrases as a specimen of the vulgar Arabic, from its being commonly used on the coasts of the Red Sea.
As soon as we arrived at the village of Howakil, a very neat hut was prepared for me, and as the evening was far advanced I consented to stay for the night. Nothing could exceed the kindness of these good people;
