394 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



journey, at forty minutes pall: ten we were gratified, at laft e 

 with the fight of Gondar, according to my computation about 

 ten miles difiant. The king's palace (at leall the tower. to! 

 it) is diflinclly feen, but none of the ether houi'es, which are 

 covered by the multitude of wanzey- trees growing in the 

 town, fo that it appears one thick, black wood. Behind it 

 is Azazo, likewife covered with trees. On a hill is he. large 

 church of Tecla Haimanout, and the river below it makes 

 it diflinguifhable; ftill further on is the great lake Tzana, 

 which terminates our horizon, 



At forty- five minutes pall ten we began to afcend about- 

 two miles through a broken road, having on our right, in 

 the valley below, the river Tchagaffa ; and here begins the 

 territory of that name. At fifty-five minutes pail ten, de- 

 scending Hill the hill, we palled a large fpring of water, call- 

 ed Bambola, together with feveral plantations of fugar-canes 

 which grow here from the feed. At eleven o'clock the vil- 

 lage Tchagafifa was about half a mile diftant from us on 

 our right, on the other fide of the river. It is inhabited by- 

 Mahometans, as is Waalia, another mi all one near it. At 

 twelve o'clock we pafTed the river Tchagaffa over a bridge of 

 three arches, the middle of which is Gothic, the two leffer 

 Roman. This bridge, though fmall, is folid and well ce- 

 mented, built with flone by order of Facilidas, who pro- 

 bably employed thole of his fubjecls who had retained the 

 arts of the Portuguefe, but not their religion. 



The Tchagaffa has very ileep, rocky banks : It is fo deep,, 

 though narrow, that, without this bridge, it fcarce would 

 be pai'fable. We encamped at a fmall diilance from it, but 



nearer 



