.462 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



alive, being numerous, and hoped both to furnifh. himfelf, 

 and difpofe of them as an article of trade, to his neighbours. 



There is fomcthing indeed ridiculous in the manner in 

 which he executed this expedition. Aware of the difficulty 

 of fubfifting in that country, he chofeonly a hundred Greek 

 horfemen, whom he covered with coats of monftrous 

 appearance and frze, which left nothing vifible but the 

 eyes of the rider. Their horfes too were difguifcd by huge 

 trappings, which took from them all proportion andfhape. 

 In this manner they entered this part of Ethiopia, fpreading 

 terror every where by their appearance, to which their 

 ftrength and courage bore a ftrict proportion whenever 

 they came to action. But neither force nor intreaty 

 could gain any thing upon thefe Shepherds, or ever make 

 them change or forfake the food they had been fo long 

 accuftomed to ; and all the fruit Ptolemy reaped from this 

 expedition, was to build a city, by the fea-fide, in the fouth- 

 eaft corner of 'this country, which he called Ptolemais The- 

 ron, or Ptolemais in the country of wild beails. 



I have already obferved, but fhall again repeat it, that 

 the reafon why fhips, in going up and down the Red Sea, 

 kept always upon the Ethiopian fliore, and why the great- 

 eft number of cities were always built upon that fide is, 

 that water is much more abundant on the Ethiopian lide 

 than the Arabian, and it was therefore of the greateft con- 

 ference to trade to have that coaft fully difcovered and 

 civilized. Indeed it is more than probable, that nothing fur- 

 ther was intended by the expedition of the hundred Greeks, 

 juft now mentioned, than to frain fufiicient intelligence how 

 -this might be done moil perfectly. 



2 Pto- 



