350 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



fand, mixed with fliells and other marine productions. It 

 is deflitute of all forts of herbage, at leafl in fummer, unlefs 

 a fmall quantity of bent grafs, jufl fufficient to feed the few 

 antelopes and goats that are on the ifland. There is a very 

 beautiful fpecies of this laft animal found here, fmall, fhort- 

 haired, with thin black fharp horns, having rings upon them, 

 and they are very fwift of foot. 



This ifland is, in many places, covered with large plan- 

 tations of Acacia trees, which grow to no height, feldom a- 

 bove eight feet, but fpread wide, and turn flat at top, pro- 

 bably by the influence of the wind from the fea. Though 

 in the neighbourhood of Abyffinia, Dahalac does not par- 

 take of its feafons : no rain falls here, from the end of 

 March to the beginning of October ; but, in the intermedi- 

 ate months, efpecially December, January, and February, 

 there are violent mowers for twelve hours at a time, which 

 deluge the ifland, and fill the cifterns fo as to ferve all next 

 fummer ; for there are no hills nor mountains in Dahalac, 

 and eonfequently no fprings.. Thefe cifterns alone preferve 

 the water, and of them there yet remain three hundred and 

 feventy, all hewn out of the folid rock. They fay thefe 

 were the works of the Perfians ; it is more probable they 

 were thofe of the firil rtolemies. But whoever were the 

 conftruetors of thefe magnificent refervoirs, they were a 

 very different people from thofe that now poflefs them, 

 who have not induflry enough to keep one of the three 

 hundred and feventy clear for the ufe of man. All of them 

 are open to every fort of animal, and half full of the filth 

 they leave there, after drinking and waffling in them. The 

 water of Dobelew, and Irwee, tafled flrong of mufk, from 

 the dung of the goats and antelopes, and the fmell before 



4 you 



