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 day's journey, when the latter grew frightened at the wild manners of the natives, and under pretence of apprehension from the Nayib, determined to return. At the same time he had refused to deliver up my letters to Alli Manda, and had written a foolish one in Arabic, which was forwarded by an inferior messenger; the young chief himself being too proud to "become a carrier," as he expressed it, "of any other than English letters." The consequence, which resulted from the arrival of this letter in the country, proved that the Ras paid no attention to its contents, as he declared, "that he could not descend to correspond with an Arab."

Alli Manda concluded his narrative by expressing great satisfaction at my arrival, and proposed to depart immediately with any letters I might wish to forward, saying "he would stake his life on delivering them safe to the Ras;" at the same time he begged that I would defer all idea of remuneration until his return. I was so much struck with the boldness and openness of his behaviour that I immediately determined to trust him, and accordingly prepared a letter for the Ras, at the top of which I drew the Abyssinian cross and characters usually prefixed to their epistles, and confided it, together with those written at Mocha, to his care. After partaking of some refreshments, and amusing himself with looking at some pictures, with which he seemed greatly delighted, he departed, accompanied, at his own desire, by Hadjee Belal, a native of Hurrur, before mentioned, whom he wished to attend him as a witness of his proceedings.

The latter subsequently proved as unequal to the undertaking as my former messenger, for on the 23d he returned alone, after having advanced only three days journey, at the end of which he was compelled by fatigue to give up the attempt. He informed me that the young chief travelled night and day "like a dromedary," so that he found it totally impracticable to keep pace with him. At parting, Alli Manda made free to borrow from the Hadjee his shield and cummerband, under pretence that he might have occasion for them, a conduct which produced so much alarm in the old man's mind, that it led him to expect assassination every step he took on his return. I could not help pitying his difficulties and