THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 83 



and, corruptly in vulgar maps and writings, the Bay of 

 Bayloul. 



The kingdom of Dancali is bounded on the eaft at Azab 

 by part of the kingdom of Adel, and the m/rrh country. 

 The king is a Mahometan, as are all his fubjedls. They are 

 called Taltal, are all black, and only fome of them woolly- 

 headed ; a circumftance which probably arifes from a mix- 

 ture with the Abyffinians, whofe hair is long. Tliere are but 

 two fmall rivers of freih water in the whole kingdom ; and 

 even thefe are not vifible above ground in the hot feafon,but 

 are fw allowed up in the fand, fo as to be dug for when 

 water is wanted. In the rainy feafon, thefe are fwollen by 

 rain falling from the fides of the mountains and from the 

 high lands of Abyffinia, and then only they run with a cur- 

 rent into the fea. All the reft of the water in this country 

 is fait, or brackilh, and not fit for ufc,unlefs in abfolutc ne- 

 ceflity and dry years. Even thefe fometimcs fail, and they 

 are obliged to feek, far off in the rainy frontiers of Abyfil- 

 nia, water for themfelves, and pafture for their mifcrablc 

 goats and flieep. 



When the Indian trade flourifhed, this prince's revenue 

 arofe chiefly from furnifliing camels for the tranfport of 

 merchandife to all parts of Africa. Their commerce is now 

 confined to the carrying bricks of folid, or foffile fait, dug 

 from pits in their own country, which, in Abyffinia, pafs in- 

 llcad of filver currency ; thefe they deliver at the neareft 

 market in the high lands at a very moderate profit, after ha- 

 ving carried them from the fca-fide through the dry and 

 burning deferts of their own country, at the great rilk of 

 being murdered by Galla. 



L 2 The 



