Dtiftfl/i's Abyssinia 45 



entering the territoiy of Theodorus, " the road was very uneven, 

 now ascending a steep mountain side, now descending into a deep 

 valley. The country was magnificent, far surpassing anything I 

 had previously seen. The high mountains of the Scotch High- 

 lands, covered with the fertility of the Rhine land would best 

 represent it ; but the vegetation was of a nature quite different from 

 that of the Rhine, characterized as it was by the luxuriance of the 

 tropics. Once the road skirted the side of a mountain, the summit 

 of which, raised 1000 feet above our heads, looked down into a 

 deep valley another 1000 below our feet." 



The foregoing description will serve to remind those of our 

 readers who have travelled from Colombo to Kandy, in Ceylon, 

 of the Kadaganava Pass. " On the opposite side of the valley, 

 the land rose to a similar steep eminence, which, in one part, 

 was connected with that on which we stood by a low chain 

 of undulating ground, so that a pretty little stream at the 

 bottom, like a silver thread in the dark shadow of the moun-. 

 tains, wound about, searching for a channel. Fruitful fields hung 

 over it, thick at every curve. The hills, of secondary formation, 

 were broken here and there into rocky chasms, through which 

 eaped innumerable falls of water, in their downward course to 

 join the stream ; and here I saw for the first time, the beautiful 

 Euphorbia, called the Kolquol, whose dark candelabra-shaped 

 branches, tipped with bright yellow flowers, stood out in deep 

 relief from the lighter green around. Bright flowers, of every 

 variety, most of which were unknown to me, but amongst others, 

 the familiar wild-rose, the honeysuckle, and jessamine, lent their 

 beauty and fragrance to the scene. The whole was a perfect gem 

 of nature." 



From the summit of the Wekhni Mountain, the travellers were 

 rejoiced by having a prospective view of no less than 30 miles, 

 which is thus described, : "This part of the country consists of 

 vast table-lands of transition rock, intercepted by deep valleys of 

 undulating ground, partly covered with wood. The flat summits 

 of the higher lands are entirely bare. We saw here, for the first 

 time, the grain called ieff^ consisting of what at first would be 

 aken for long grass run to seed. It stands about a foot high, 

 and yields a small round grain, not larger than a pin's head. It 

 makes good sweet bread, however, which is much preferred by the 

 natives to that of the mashila (doura, or maize), or even to 

 wheaten bread. 



