ASCENT OF TCHAD-AMBA. 241 refused. Before six o'clock the next morning we started, taking with us, as porters, an Abyssinian servant named Butros (Peter), and four soldiers we had brought from Sanheit. We took the soldiers in preference to our Arab servants, as the latter were afraid to accompany us.

Our way led us up a very steep water-course, which, at first easy enough, became more and more arduous the farther we advanced. At length the smooth boulders of rock, frequently piled one on top of the other, became so slippery that we gladly followed the example of our men, who, having divested themselves of their sandals, were climbing with bare feet. At last we came to an enormous slab of rock, to surmount which was like climbing up the roof of a house, at a particularly sharp angle, and with as dangerous a drop in case of a fall. Here one of our water-carriers collapsed, absolutely refusing to proceed farther, as his head would not stand it, and proposed awaiting our return, as he felt sure that we could not get up much farther.

After climbing for another half-hour, we were startled by the fall of a large stone from above, quickly followed by others, which made us hastily seek the shelter of an overhanging ledge ; where, from the shouts that greeted us from the top of the mountain, we immediately perceived that the fall of the rocks was not caused by accident, as we had at first imagined, but that they were being hurled at us with hostile intent. After a great deal of shouting on both sides, Butros made our assailants understand that we were Christians, and wished to see their monastery.

At the commencement of hostilities, our guide had endeavoured to sneak off ; which so enraged our soldiers that they asked our permission to shoot him on the spot, declaring he had purposely led us into an ambuscade. We quieted them,