calling out to them at the same time with a strange sort of savage politeness, to keep out of the range of his matchlocks, as he was anxious that no harm should personally happen to them, addressing them very kindly by the appellation of "friends."
On Mr. Pearce's relating this incident to me, I was instantly struck with its similarity to some of the stories recorded in the Old Testament, particularly that of David "standing on the top of a hill a-far off, and crying to the people and to Abner, at the mouth of the cave, 'answerest thou not Abner?' and now see where the king's spear is, and the cruize of water at his bolster."[1] The reader conversant in Scripture, cannot fail, I conceive, to remark in the course of this narrative, the general resemblance existing throughout between the manners of this people and those of the Jews previously to the reign of Solomon, at which period the connections entered into by the latter with foreign powers, and the luxuries consequently introduced, seem in a great measure to have altered the Jewish character. For my own part, I confess, that I was so much struck with the similarity between the two nations during my stay in Abyssinia, that I could not help fancying at times that I was dwelling among the Israelites, and that I had fallen back some thousand years upon a period when the King himself was a shepherd, and the princes of the land went out, riding on mules, with spears and slings to combat against the Philistines. It will be scarcely necessary for me to observe, that the feelings of the Abyssinians towards the Galla partake of the same inveterate spirit of animosity which appears to have influenced the Israelites with regard to their hostile neighbours.
The Ras finding that he could make only a trifling impression on the enemy he had to encounter, burnt the town of Mokiddo, and left the country; having previously made over the district to Thadoo, one of the bro-
- ↑ Vide Chapter 24th and 26th Samuel I., in which many striking passages may be found applicable to the above-mentioned transactions, and Mr. Pearce might with great truth, have said to Guebra Guru, as Saul said to David, "and thou hast shewed this day, that thou hast dealt well with me, forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thy hand, thou killedst me not."
