ABSTRACT
Chroniclers say that he “ became king by force” simply because he was not a descendant of Solomon, but this is not true; the circumstances of the time thrust him on the throne. He chose as his throne name Dsahai Sagad. At the end of October in accordance with an ancient custom Justus set out with all his principal officers and notables on a hunting expedition in the kuolla or lowlands. This country was the abode of the elephant, rhinoceros, lion, leopard, panther, wild buffalo, boar and ass, and the large varieties of the deer class. And as many tribes of blacks and negroid peoples lived there also, and all were heathen, and hereditary enemies of the Abyssinians, the more valiant of the hunters frequently hunted and slew men as well as animals. (For a description of the way in which these hunts are conducted see Bruce, Travels, ill. p. 145 f.) The hunting of these naked Troglo dytes, or Shankalla, as the Abyssinians call them, was a brutal pastime for a Christian people who thought they were brave warriors.
