the wife of Billetana Welled Georgis, deputy governor of the province; the chief himself being then absent. We had not long taken up our quarters, before an attendant was sent by the lady, with the present of a sheep and a quantity of bread. On my requesting him, according to the custom of the country, to get permission for one of his master's people to kill the sheep, he replied, that "none of them would kill for Christians who eat with the Musselmauns," a practice of which he at the same time asserted, Mr. Stuart had been guilty. I was extremely alarmed at this account, knowing how fatal an act of this kind would have proved to our interests, and therefore sent immediately for Mr. Stuart and Hadjee Hamood, the person who had attended him during his journey, to enquire into the circumstances, when I was at once relieved from my apprehensions, by their jointly and positively declaring, that the whole story was absolutely without foundation; Mr. Stuart having been previously cautioned by Captain Rudland on this subject, and having, in consequence, employed a Christian to cook for him from the moment of his entrance into the country. This point being clearly ascertained, I directed Mr. Pearce to speak in very severe terms to Welled Georgis's servant, and ordered him instantly to take away both the sheep and the bread, declaring that I would not accept of a single article from his master, until a proper apology should have been made for this impertinence.
We did not, however, long remain unprovided; for shortly afterwards, a great profusion of viands was sent us by two Greeks, resident in the town, one of whom, a very old man, named Sydee Paulus, was father-in-law to Mr. Pearce. The other, named Apostoli, was a man of considerable wealth and consequence, who had chiefly resided at Adowa for the last forty years, though, during the time of my former visit, he had been absent on a journey to Constantinople, it being a practice with the Greeks trading in Abyssinia to go over occasionally to that place, for the purpose of settling their commercial concerns. In the course of the same day, these two Greeks paid me a visit, and I have seldom been acquainted with more venerable or respectable looking men. The elder was exceedingly infirm, and appeared to be
