il Bruce had shown himself
an able horseman and exhibited feats of strength and prowess that leave
was at last granted. Fasil tested him in this wise. Twelve horses were
brought to Bruce, saddled and bridled, to know which he would like
to ride. Selecting an apparently quiet beast, the young traveller
mounted.

"For the first two minutes," he says, "I do not know whether I was
most in the earth or in the air; he kicked behind, reared before, leaped
like a deer all four legs off the ground--he then attempted to gallop,
taking the bridle in his teeth; he continued to gallop and ran away
as hard as he could, flinging out behind every ten yards, till he had
no longer breath or strength and I began to think he would scarce carry
me to the camp."

On his return Bruce mounted his own horse, and, taking his
double-barrelled gun, he rode about, twisting and turning his horse
in every direction, to the admiration of these wild Abyssinian folk.
Not only did Fasil now let him go, but he dressed him in a fine, loose
muslin garment which reached to his feet, gave him guides and a handsome
grey horse.

"Take this horse," he said, "as a present from me. Do not mount it
yourself; drive it before you, saddled and bridled as it is; no man
will touch you when he sees that horse." Bruce obeyed his orders, and
the horse was driven in front of him. The horse was magic; the people
gave it handfuls of barley and paid more respect to it than to Bruce
himself, though in many cases the people seemed scared by the
appearance of the horse and fled away.

On 2nd November the Nile came into sight. It was only two hundred and
sixty feet broad; but it was deeply revered by the people who lived
on its banks. They refused to allow Bruce to ride across, but insisted
on his taking off his shoes and walking through the shallow stream.
It now became difficult to get food as they crossed the scorching hot
plains. But Bruce was nearing his goal, and at last he stood at the
top of the great Abyssinian tableland. "Immediately below us appeared
the Nile itself, strangely diminished in size, now only a brook that
had scarcely water to turn a mill." Throwing off his shoes, trampling
down the flowers that grew on the mountain-side, falling twice in his
excitement, Bruce ran down in breathless haste till he reached the
"hillock of green sod" which has made his name so famous.

"It is easier to guess than to describe the situation of my mind at
that moment, stan