Some few days after Karissa had visited me, an affaro came from the palace at Ankobar, with a message that I should proceed immediately to see the Negoos. On inquiring what circumstance had occurred to occasion such a sudden and urgent summons, I learned that a Gypt priest had arrived from Gondah, and that he spoke English, and for all that my informant knew, might be an ascar (a subject or servant) of my Queen. As soon as I heard this, I was in a great hurry to be away, although, had I consulted common prudence, I should certainly have postponed the interview, upon the plea of the exceedingly weak state in which I was, and the violence of fever attacks every other day, especially as the height of Ankobar was entombed in clouds, nor had I seen its summit for several days past. A mule, however, being procured, and certain resting-places during the ride having been determined upon, where friends of Walderheros or Goodaloo resided, I started early in the afternoon, and after occupying the remainder of the day in the ascent, I arrived at Musculo’s house by sunset. Walderheros went up to the palace to announce my arrival, and returned in the course of half an hour with a turbaned monk, barefooted, and with the usual soft yellow leathern cape of his order over his shoulders. He was an elderly man, spare and short, but he came along actively enough, and as he entered the house, with a good English accent accosted me with, “How do you do?” He soon gave me an account of himself and of his business in Shoa. His present name was Bethlehem, but by birth he was an Armenian, who had become somewhat educated in European languages and customs, by a military service of many years with the Dutch. From other sources I heard that he had distinguished himself greatly in several conflicts, and had received a medal for some particularly dashing exploit. He, however, had now forsworn the world and all its vanities, and after a residence of several years in Abyssinia, had assumed the turban of the clergy of the Greek Church in that country, and probably was among the most correct in conduct, of the members of that rather lax ministry.
He sat down upon my alga, and after a few sensible observations upon the evil of countrymen not being on good terms in a country so situated as Shoa, and the bad effect produced upon the mind of the King by the previous quarrels of the Embassy with their servants[12] and their own people, he then turned the conversation upon a subject which he said was of great interest to the Negoos, who had been talking to him respecting it for the last two days. This was the production of indigo in Shoa, seeds of which plant had been received from Gondah, and the Negoos desired me to point out the situation I considered to be most favourable for their cultivation. Judging from the character of the country bordering upon the Ganges, its probable elevation above the sea, and its geographical position, I had no hesitation in stating, from the comparison, that many of the little islands of the finest alluvial soil, situated in the bed of the Dinkee river, where it extends in broad valleys in the neighbourhood of Farree, would be well calculated for the interesting experiment.
Our conversation was not, however, altogether upon this subject, but merely that I might be prepared for the interview the next day with the Negoos, when Bethlehem was to act as interpreter. Information respecting the state of Northern Abyssinia, as regarded differences in the manners and customs of the inhabitants from those of Shoa, was freely volunteered by my new acquaintance, but who was exceedingly cautious and reserved upon political matters, so that I supposed that the discussion was a delicate one, and that his visit to the Negoos was connected with some business of that kind. Bethlehem is an intelligent man, and might be made exceedingly useful, and as his knowledge of the English language appears to give him a bias towards the interests of this country, his probable value as an agent, must not be passed over without being remarked. As he was nearly twice as old as myself, I talked just as much the more in proportion, for I had no other way of parrying the questions that his apparently careless curiosity prompted him to make. I knew nothing of the objects for which the Embassy had been sent to the Court of Shoa; at least nothing beyond what might naturally be supposed—such as the extension of our commerce, and the establishment of friendly relations with native princes; farther than this I was quite ignorant of the purposes for which our Government had sent political agents into Abyssinia. To learn this, was evidently the chief object that Bethlehem had in view, during our long conversation; but I think he went away with an impression, that I knew nothing about it, and that the assumed mystery of my hints and suggestions was all affectation to make him believe that my information upon the subject was very valuable indeed. If so, I had reason to be very glad; for after this interview, no political questions were ever asked me by any of the agents of the Negoos; and he himself, during the interview the next day but one, confined himself entirely to matters connected solely with the improvements and arts, that my education would enable me to introduce a knowledge of among his subjects.
I sat all the next morning expecting the summons for me to go up to the palace, but no messenger appearing, and symptoms of the approach of my fever fit coming on, I sent Walderheros to Bethlehem, to represent to the Negoos, the impossibility of my going to the palace that day, and to ask for an interview early the next morning, that I might leave Ankobar immediately after, for it was impossible that I could exist many days in that city.
Oh, the weather in Ankobar! To look out of Musculo’s house was like looking into a boiling-house in a brewery, which I presume is always full of steam. But was it warm? had it that dryness which even the vapour of hot water may be said to have? No; by heavens! for the atmosphere was one heavy drizzling perpetual Scotch mist, whilst the earth beneath was one rich surface of sloppy greasy mud. No life seemed stirring, except occasionally, when some closely wrapped-up figure came like a ghost emerging from a cloud, and jumping under the thatched roof, threw off his thick cotton legumbigalla, and stamping the dirt and wet off his feet and legs, loudly expostulated with the wet season for bringing such inconveniences with its rain.
In the afternoon, Tinta came down with his Court train of servants, to see me at Musculo’s house. I happened just then to be lying under the influence of the ague fit, so he only remained to express his sorrow at seeing me in such a condition, and promised that he would ask the Negoos to receive me early in the morning, that I might not be detained any longer in Ankobar than was absolutely necessary.
During this stay at Musculo’s house, I observed the tattooing process by which the Shoan ladies disfigure their faces with large artificial eyebrows of a black colour; for nearly the whole day was occupied by Eichess ornamenting in this manner, the broadly round face of her fat slave-girl, Mahriam. It appeared to be no joke, although, if a ridiculous absurdity could have suspended my predisposition to the fever paroxysm, it would have been this beautifying operation. The whole year previously, every depilatory means by which to eradicate the natural hairs of the eyebrows had been employed, and the pertinacious industry with which this had been done, I noticed on my previous visit had occasioned an expression of vacuity that was not at all wanted in the ever-smiling expanse of countenance which Mahriam displayed over a bust, breast, and body, so large and fat, that darkened the house immediately if she stood a moment in the wide door-way. One half of the right eye-brow had been done two or three days previously, a very promising dry scab of charcoal and the natural secretion consequent upon a sore had formed, and which was looked at by Eichess with all the interest that a mother may be supposed to examine the progress of the virus influence upon her recently vaccinated child. In a word, it was pronounced to be promising very well, and the instruments and dye were then produced to finish the business. Eichess sat upon a boss of straw, and Mahriam knelt down before her, whilst Walderheros, to encourage the latter to bear the pain with fortitude, told her to be sure and recollect she was a man. A bundle of long white thorns, which I recognised as belonging to the commonest kind of mimosa, were now taken from a rag in which they were folded, and one being selected, Eichess commenced with it a dotting kind of puncturing in the skin, along a semicircular line, previously marked with a piece of charcoal around the frontal edge of the orbit, and which, besides including the bald part of the original eyebrow, was prolonged considerably towards the lower part of the temple, and also extended to the middle of the space between the eyes, where it met the similar delineation coming from the other side. Blood soon flowed freely, and I could scarcely have imagined it possible that such a punishment could be sustained for the attainment of so unnatural an ornament. Custom must constitute the principal part of original sin, or such barbarous attempts as these to improve upon nature would not be persisted in from one generation to another. The ladies of antiquity, I recollect learning when I was a student, employed a black mineral, stibium, supposed to be plumbago, or black lead; for the purpose, says Celsus, of making them black browed, and this fashion, with many others, appears to have been early introduced in to Abyssinia, either by the Greeks or Romans, and has been continued in that country to the present day. The manner in which a lady of fashion dresses her hair in Shoa, in a series of close pipe-like curls, is identically the same with the head-dress represented in the bust of Octavia, the niece of Augustus, in the British Museum, (Chamber vi. No. 65,) and I should require no other woodcut to illustrate this Abyssinian fashion than a drawing of that bust.
After the painful process had concluded as regarded one eyebrow, a mixture of powdered charcoal and water was made, and a little rag being first dipped into this was then rubbed over the fresh wound, until a sufficient quantity of the blacking dye had become absorbed, when the blood was washed from her face, and Mahriam was complimented by all for her fortitude and improved appearance. With the most simple gratitude the well-pleased girl stoops and kisses, with an affectionate obeisance, the hand of her indulgent mistress.
A similar operation is sometimes performed over the front part of the gums, and upon the inner surface of the lips, where I should conceive the most excruciating pain must be occasioned by the process. What girls will suffer for the sake of gaining admiration is most astonishing; but, however, they are not all so silly as this in Shoa, for, in justice to the Tabeeb women, I must observe that this custom is not practised among them, and the consequence is, that the younger females of this very singular people, are the handsomest in the country. In addition to the tattooed eyebrows it is not unusual to observe the figure of a Geez letter ጠ, which I am told is a very ancient Egyptian symbol expressive of the unity of the Deity. All idea of this signification is lost, but the Abyssinians account for the employment of this mark upon the forehead because it is said to exert a very benign influence upon the bearer. Besides the physical appearances which led me to consider that the Christians of the Malabar coast of India I have seen, were emigrants from Southern Abyssinia, was the circumstance of this very symbol being tattooed between the eyebrows in exactly the same manner as it is borne by the Shoan women.
Before nine o’clock the next day a message came down from the palace for me to attend upon the Negoos, and although my shoes let in water and even mud very freely, and the drizzling fog threatened soon to wet me to my skin, I took the long zank which was given me to assist in the ascent up the steep hill, and I started with the desperation of a man who had given up all hopes of ever being permitted to dismount again from death’s grey steed, disease, which, at a hard trot, for nearly the last two years, had been carrying me towards the grave.