the Source of the nile. 97 



There are two villages of this name oppofite to each 

 other ; the one Gawa Shergieh, which means the Eaitern 

 Gawa, and this is by much the largeft ; the other Gawa 

 Garbieh. Several authors, not knowing the meaning of thefe 

 terms, call it Gawa Gebery ; a word that has no fignifica- 

 tion whatever, but Garbieh means the Weftern. 



I was very well pleafed to fee here, for the firft time, two 

 ihepherd dogs lapping up the water from the ftream, then 

 lying down in it with great feeming leifure and fatisfac- 

 tion. It refuted the old fable, that the dogs living on the 

 banks of the Nile run as they drink, for fear of the croco- 

 dile. 



All around the villages of Gawa Garbieh, and the plan- 

 tations belonging to them, Meflita and Raany, with theirs 

 alfo joining them (that is, all the weft fide of the river) are 

 cultivated and fown from the very foot of the mountains to 

 the water's edge, the grain being thrown upon the mud as 

 foon as ever the water has left it. The wheat was at this 

 time about four inches in length. 



We pafled three villages, Shaftour, Commawhaia, and 

 Zinedi; we anchored off Shaftour, and within fight of Taahta. 

 Taahta is a large village, and in it are feveral mofques. On 

 the call is a mountain called Jibbel Heredy, from a Turkifh 

 faint, who was turned into a fnake, has lived feveral hun- 

 dred years, and is to live for ever. As Chriftians, Moors, 

 and Turks, all faithfully believe in this, the confcquence is, 

 that abundance of nonfenfe is daily writ and told concern- 

 ing it. Mr Norden difcuffes it at large, and afterwards 

 gravely tells us, he does not believe it ; in which I certainly 

 Vol. I. N mull 



