Afterwards I asked a servant for a glass of
water, in English; he rushed up stairs as if he had been possessed,
not, as I thought, to get what I wanted, but to tell his master that
I spoke English.
Mr. Wright acquainted the other missionaries of my presence, and
they were so good as to come and visit me. They also invited me to
spend a few days with them in the country, but I accepted their
friendly invitation for one day only, as I had already lost so much
time on the road. They all advised me not to go any further alone;
although they admitted that the most dangerous part of the journey
was past, and recommended me to take with me some armed peasants
when passing the mountains near Kutschie.
Mr. Wright was so good as to look out for a courageous and trusty
guide. I paid double fare, in order to reach Tebris in four,
instead of six days. In order to make the guide think that I was a
poor pilgrim, I gave Mr. Wright the half of the agreed price, and
begged him to pay it instead of myself, and also to say that he
would be paid the other half by Mr. Stevens, the English consul.
I made as good use as possible of the day which I passed at Oromia.
In the morning I visited the town, and afterwards I visited, with
Mrs. Wright, several rich and poor families, in order to observe
their mode of life.
The town contains 22,000 inhabitants, is surrounded by walls, but
not closed by gates; it is possible to pass in and out at any hour
of the night. It is built like all Turkish towns, with this
exception - that the streets are rather broad, and kept clean.
Outside the town are numerous large fruit and vegetable gardens,
which are surrounded by very high walls; pretty dwelling-houses
stand in the centre of the gardens.
The women here go closely veiled. They cover over their heads and
breast with a white kerchief, in which thick impenetrable network is
inserted, at the places opposite the eyes.
In the houses of the poorer classes two or three families live under
one roof. They possess little more than straw mats, blankets,
pillows, and a few cooking utensils, not to forget a large wooden
box in which the meal, their chief property, is kept. Here as
everywhere else where corn is cultivated, bread is the principal
food of the common people. Every family bake twice daily, morning
and evening.
Many of the small houses have very pretty courts, which are planted
with flowers, vines, and shrubs, and looked like gardens.
The dwellings of the wealthy are lofty, airy, and spacious; the
reception rooms have a large number of windows, and are covered with
carpets. I saw no divans, people always lie upon the carpets. As
we made the visits without being invited, we found the women in very
plain coloured cotton dresses, of course, made in their own fashion.
In the afternoon I rode with the missionaries to their large
country-house, which is situated about six miles from the town, on
some low hills. The valley through which we rode was very large,
and altogether well cultivated and delightful. Although it is said
to lie about 4,000 feet above the level of the sea, cotton, castor-
oil plants, vines, tobacco, and every kind of fruit grow here as in
South Germany. The castor-oil plant, indeed, is not more than four
feet high, and the cotton but one foot; they produce, however,
rather abundantly. Several villages are half hid in orchards. I
came into this country at a fortunate time: there were beautiful
peaches, apricots, apples, grapes, etc., true fruits of my native
country, of which I had long been deprived.
The house of the missionary society is most charmingly situated; it
commands a view of the whole valley, the town, the low range of
hills, and the mountains. The house itself is large, and furnished
with every possible convenience, so that I thought I was in the
country-house of wealthy private people, and not under the roof of
simple disciples of Christ. There were four women here, and a whole
troop of children, great and small. I passed several very pleasant
hours among them, and was heartily sorry that I was obliged to take
leave of them at 9 in the evening.
Several native girls were also introduced to me who were educated by
the wives of the missionaries. They spoke and wrote a little
English, and were well acquainted with geography. I cannot avoid,
on this occasion, making some observations with regard to the
missionaries, whose mode of life and labours I had frequent
opportunities of observing during my journey. I met with
missionaries in Persia, China, and India, and everywhere found them
living in a very different manner to what I had imagined.
In my opinion the missionaries were almost, if not complete martyrs,
and I thought that they were so absorbed with zeal and the desire to
convert the heathen, that, like the disciples of Christ, quite
forgetting their comforts and necessaries, they dwelt with them
under one roof, and ate from one dish, etc. Alas! these were
pictures and representations which I had gathered out of books; in
reality the case was very different. They lead the same kind of
life as the wealthy: they have handsome dwellings, which are fitted
up with luxurious furniture, and every convenience. They recline
upon easy divans, while their wives preside at the tea-table, and
the children attack the cakes and sweetmeats heartily; indeed their
position is pleasanter and freer from care than that of most people;
their occupation is not very laborious, and their income is certain,
whatever may be the national or political condition of their
country.
