io<5 TRAVELS TG DISCOVER 



each, and one piece of white, value one pataka. Our com- 

 panions, rather than ftay behind, made the beft bargain 

 they could ; and we all decamped, and fet forward together. 

 I was furprifed to fee, at the fmall village Zarow, leveral 

 families as black as perfect negroes, only they were not 

 woolly-headed, and had prominent features. I afked if they 

 defcended from Haves, or fons of Haves ? They faid, No ; 

 their particular families of that and the neighbouring vil- 

 lage Sebow, were of that colour from time immemorial ; 

 and that this did not change, though either the father or 

 mother were of another colour.. 



On the ifl of December we departed from Balezat, and' 

 afcended. a fteep mountain upon which Hands die village 

 Noguet, which we palled about half an hour after. On the 

 top of the hill were a few fields of teff. Harvefc was then 

 ended, and they were treading out the teff with oxen. Ha- 

 vingpaiTedanother very rugged mountain, we defcended and 

 encamped by the fide of a fmall river, called Mai Kol-quall, 

 from a number of thefe trees growing about it. This place 

 is named the Kella, or Caftle, becaufe, nearly at equal dis- 

 tances, the mountains on each fide run for a confiderable 

 extent, ftraight and even, in ihape like a wall, with gapes 

 at certain diftances, refembiing embrafures and baflions.. 

 This rock is otherwife called Damo, anciently the prifoiii 

 of the collateral heirs-male of the royal family,. 



The river Kol-quall rifes in the mountains of Tigre, andj,, 

 after a courfe nearly N. \V. falls into the Marebt It was at 

 Kella we faw, for the firil time, the roofs of the houfes 

 made in form of cones ; a furc proof that the tropical rains, 

 grow more violent as they proceed wcflward. 



i About 



