AMULETS. — HATRED OF FRANKS. 145 phantly, replied : " It was no luck, but this treasure did it, which a saint in my own country gave me !" Although he still wears this and many such charms, the sabres of the Abyssinians seem to have no respect for such relics, as these have wofuUy slashed him in an attack by the Turks on Makada. Never have we seen on any skull such severe scars, or any attended with the loss of so much of the bone. On the head he has four cuts, more than four inches long and one and a half broad, in which one could easily conceal his thumb: only the inner bone plate remains, and in one of these cuts there is such a loss of the bony substance that the pulsation of the brain can be felt. We, laughing, asked him, if, when he received these wounds, he wore his amulets against sabre cuts : he replied, he had them not on, as, if he had, no sabre would liave harmed him. We also learned, from what he said, that men hold the inhabitants of Abyssinia, who are Cliristians, to know somewhat of the black art, believe them to have an understanding with the devil, and that, to make this power innocuous, some special papers or extracts are necessary. Sobi, who in spite of his fearful wounds was sound again within four weeks, these being healed by application of burnt coffee and brandy, the prescription of an Abyssinian doctor, is descended from one of the principal families of Fez, and his most cunning and shrewd face plainly declares his descent and country, lie is false and Iiypocritical, has a constant smile at his command, is, as usual, outwardly a strict Mussuhnan, who punctually obeys all the commandments, drinks no spirituous liquors, and lives or seems to live very moderately and sparingly in all things, women alone excepted. Tlien, too, he has proved himself a brave and able soldier ; and, if he liad his own way, would extirpate all Franks and Cliristians.

Innate foes to both are indeed, more or less, all Mussulmen ; the lower orders really from religious liate, tlie higher from envy, caused by the perfect freedom, the civilisation, and scientific acquirements of the Franks. They feel only too well that the Franks in every way are entitled to take a far higher position, and value themselves far higher ; but they are too feeble and lazy for rivalry, and see no other means of avenging their inferiority than by silly pride and assumed contempt for all Europeans and European improvements or institutions. However, the time cannot 21 2