134 CAESAR IN ABYSSINIA

By his dress the Emperor meant to show that there would
be no mobilisation yet. We did not guess that we were
enjoying the last day of Ethiopian peace.

A sentence typewritten on a worn and faded ribbon was
pinned on the Hotel notice-board that evening. " Mm. les
journalistes are invited to an important ceremony at the
Palace to-morrow, at 11 o'clock. Lorenzo Taezaz."

The Bank of Ethiopia, now dissolved by decree of the
Italian Government, opened its doors at nine every morn-
ing. But in Ethiopia there is never a physical run on the
bank, even during riots.

Time passed slowly at the Bank of Ethiopia. Even time's
regulation was absent; there was no clock. In the middle
of the wall facing the door a sort of dummy existed, for
part of the wood panelling above the counter was carved
into the shape of a conch-shell. I frequently looked at this
place where the clock ought to have been, but the wood
only responded with an expressionless and unhelpful shine.

It took half an hour to cash a cheque. The cheque-book
was very large and cumbersome and it took some time to
pull it out of your pocket. Then you signed a cheque-
form for so many Maria Theresa thalers, and handed it to
an Armenian cashier, who retired to consider whether it
was a fraud.

In collaboration with a Goanese accountant, a British
Indian clerk, and the biggest ledger you have ever seen in
your life, your past record at the bank was balanced out
anew. If you passed this test, which took time owing
to the enormous complications of the book, the various
employees of the bank wrote chits to each other to establish
that they were as innocent as you. Finally, you received
your cash in a box at the other end of the bank, and signed
one or two more documents to prove that you had kept
faith to the finish.

Thalers are near-pure silver coins, bigger than a crown.
Ten would be placed on top of each other in the box, and
piles of similar height would be arranged in quadrilateral
formation round the first. If the cashier wished to simplify
matters, and if he did not like you, he would hand it
to you in a bag and you would count it and be damned
to you.