Irked by the indifference of the Alliance, Faitlovitch nevertheless pursued his aims relentlessly. He had spent just over a year on this expedition, returning to Europe in June 1909, and immediately began writing his account of the journey, which was published in Berlin the following year under the title Quer durch Abessinien, intended as a response to the views of the Alliance.

While the latter were apparently not prepared to oppose the work of the missionaries, Faitlovitch was determined to do his utmost to preserve the integrity of the tribe. He reported that, as a consequence of his presence among the Falashas, he had brought the number of conversions to a halt and he was gratified to learn that the missionaries themselves were acknowledging the effectiveness of what they called the 'counter mission'. They admitted that, following Faitlovitch's first visit, no more baptisms took place until 1909, 'by which time', wrote Payne, 'of the 1,600 Falashas who had been baptised by the mission, over 700 were still alive, scattered in many villages'.(1) The latter included some of the converts whom Faitlovitch had found were anxious to return to the fold but were frightened to do so for fear of the punishment reserved for those who left the Church. In effect, these proselytes, like many in other parts of the world, found themselves in the invidious position of being rejected by their old community and not being fully accepted by the new. It has frequently been asserted that a great many converted Falashas would return to their community if they were given the necessary encouragement and safeguards.

Once he had overcome the initial suspicion of the Falashas for all foreigners ('ferengis', or Franks, as they were called) and of 'white Falashas' in particular, Faitlovitch gained their wholehearted trust and co-operation. This was nowhere more forcefully demonstrated than when, in defiance of all warnings about the dangers of the route, he visited the remote Jewish monastic community on the slopes of Mount Hoharwa, where he was following in the footsteps of Antoine d'Abbadie and Joseph Halevy. The area became a battleground for rival political armies and was infested by shiftas or bandits. According to tradition the synagogue was erected in the fifteenth century by Abba Sabra, who was responsible for converting Abba Saga, the son of Emperor Zar'a Yaqob and the author of several books. Together they introduced monasticism to the Falashas and compiled prayers

(1) Ethiopian Jews, p. 68.