THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. tojf 



About half a mile on the hill above is the village Kai- 

 bara, wholly inhabited by Mahometan Gibbertis ; that is, na^ 

 tive Abyflinians of that religion. Kella being one of thefe 

 bers, or pauages, we were detained there three whole days, 

 by the extravagant demands of thefe farmers of the Awide, 

 who laughed at all the importance we gave ourfelves. They 

 had reafons for our reafons, menaces for our menaces, but no 

 civilities to anfwer ours. What increafed the awkwardnefs of 

 our fituation was, they would take no money for provifions, 

 but only merchandife by way of barter. We were, indeed, 

 prepared for this by information ; fo we began to open fliop 

 by fpreading a cloth upon the ground, at the fight of which» 

 hundreds of young women poured down upon us on every 

 fide from villages behind the mountains which we could 

 not fee. The country is furpriiingly populous, notwith- 

 standing the great emigration lately made with Michael. 

 Beads and antimony are the flandard in this way-faring 

 commerce ; but beads are a dangerous fpeculation. You 

 lofe fometimes every thing, or gain more than honeftly 

 you mould do ; for all depends upon fafhion ; and the 

 fancies of a brown, or black beauty, there, gives the tort 

 as decifively as does the example of the faireft in England. 



To our great difappointment, the perfon employed te 

 ?buy our beads at Jidda had not received the lafl lift of fa- 

 shions from this country ; fo he had bought us a quantity 

 beautifully flowered with red and green, and as big as a 

 large pea; alio fome large oval, green, and yellow ones ; 

 whereas the ton now among the beauties of Tigre were 

 fmall Iky-coloured blue beads, about the fize of fmall 

 lead fhot, or feed pearls ; blue bugles, and common 

 •white bugles, were then in demand, and large yellow 



O 2 glafs 



