Abyssinia and King Theodore, Part I-VI [pp. 265-281]

Abyssinia and King Thcodore.
last chiefs, as well as of the actual
sovereign; and finally, on a spur of
mountain which projects to the south,
appears Gondar-the famous Gondar,
which I have seen, still powerful, although reduced to eight thousand inhabitants, only a fourth of its former
population. Of all the faults of King
Theodore, that which the Ethiopians
wvill be least ready to forgive is his
having systematically burned the
city of Gondar. Of seventeen churches, only two have escaped this cool
and useless cruelty of the despot.
The Ethiopians are a people of
very mixed origin. Languages, institutions, usages, and prejudices,
even the shades of color and the formations of the human body, are
placed in strange juxtaposition with
one another. Except the Somal,
who afford instances of tall stature,
the Ethiopians are of medium height,
have thick lips, white and well-formed
teeth, and are of slender frame. Their
hair is curly; but straight hair,
though rare, is sometimes seen.
The Semites have often the aquiline
nose of the Europeans. As to the
color of the skin, all degrees, from
the copper color of the Neapolitan
to the jet black of the negro, are
found. This latter color is often allied to European features. There
is an unconscious and natural grace
in all the movements and actions of
the Ethiopians. Our sculptors might
study their gestures and drapery with
profit.
On the coasf, to the north of Zullah,
live the Tigre, whose language, traditions, and customs entitle them to
be considered among the descendants of Sem, like the Hebrews and
Arabs. The same must be said of
the Tigray, who inhabit the neighboring plateau, and speak a kindred
idiom to that of the Tigre. The Amaras, more lively, more intelligent, and
more civilized, live in the interior,
and use a language of Semitic origin,
yet modified by associations with the
sons of Chamin. This is the language
used by most European travellers,
for it is commonly employed by the
merchant, by the learned, and in
diplomacy. The Giiz, or Ethiopian,
closely connected with the Tigre, is
the dead language, the Latin of those
distant countries. It is used in quotations, in philosophical and religious
discussions, and sometimes to conceal the sense of a conversation fromnt
the vulgar. From Tujurrahl to the
environs of Zullah, a common language, entirely different from those
which we have mentioned, unites all
the fractions of the Afar nation, often called Dankalis, but improperly,
for the Dankalas, the Adali, etc., are
only tribes of the Afar. The Sahos,
who are the most numerous among
the inhabitants of Zullah, and extend
along all the slopes of the neighboring
plain, consider themselves as strangers to the Afar, and speak a distinct
but affiliated dialect. Another idiom
much more important by the number
of the nations who use it, has also
the same origin as the Afar tongue.
We mean the Ylmorma used by the
Oromos, whose name in war is Gallei
or Galla, and who, by reason of their
conquests, have extended their sway
from the Afar country as far as to
the still unknown regions of interior
Africa. Called Gallas by all the
Christians of Ethiopia, the Oromos
threaten, by their proximity, the
stronghold of Magdala, where the
English prisoners have been awaiting for four years the arrival of their
avenging countrymen.
A serious calculation of the population of any African nation has
never been made. As to the centres
of population, a fatigued and disgusted traveller, looking at them from
a distance and but for a moment,
might state the census of such or
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