THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 6jr 



of a difpofition rather forward for his age. His cxpcdirioii 

 againfl the Shangalla was attended with no accident ; and 

 he returned toGondar on the 3d of June, with a number of 

 flaves, mucii better pleafed that he liad neglcdted,. rather 

 than taken, his mother's advice. 



It was on the 23d day of December that Yafous again 

 fct out on another hunting- parr)% and killed two elephants 

 and a rhinoceros. He then proceeded to Tchelga, and from 

 Tchelga to Waldubba ; thence he went t^ the rivers Gan- 

 dova and Shimfa. Thefe are two rivers we lliall have occa- 

 fion frequently to fpeak of in our return through Sennaar,, 

 in which kingdom the one is called Dender, the other Ra^ 

 had. Here he exereifed himfeif at a very violent fpecies of 

 liunting, that of forcing the gieratacachin, which means 

 long-tail; it is otherwife calkd giraiFa in Arabic. Ir is the 

 tallell of beafls ; I never faw it dead, nor, I think, more than 

 twice alive, and then at a diftance. It is^, however, often 

 killed by the elephant-hunters. Its fkin is beautifully va^rie-^ 

 gated when young, but turns brown when arrived at any 

 age. It is, I apprehend, the camelopardalis, and is the only, 

 animal, they fay,.that, in fwiftnefs, will beat aliorfe in; the. 

 fair field. 



It was not with a view to hunt only, that Yafous made' 

 thefe frequent excurfions towards the frontiers of Seimaar. 

 His refolution was formed (as it appeared foon after) in imi- 

 tation of his forefather Socinios, to revive his right over 

 the country of the Shepherds^ his ancient vafTals, who, fince 

 the acceffion of ilrength by uniting with the Aiabs, had' 

 forgot their ancient tribute and fvibjedion, as we have aU 

 ready obfeived». 



^ The- 



