THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 38/ 



greatly exaggerated. Its greateft breadth is from Dingleber 

 to Lamgue, which, in a line nearly eail and weft, is 35 

 miles ; but it decreafes greatly at each extremity, where it 

 is not fometimes above ten miles broad. Its greateft length 

 is from Bab Baha to a liitle S. W. and by W. of that part, 

 where the Nile, after having crofted the end of it by a cur- 

 rent always vifible, turns towards Dara in the territory of 

 Alata, which is 49 miles from north to fouth, and which 

 extent this lake has in length. In the dry months, from 

 Oftober to March, the lake fhrinks greatly in ftze ; bat 

 after that all thole rivers are full which are on every fide of 

 it, and fall into the lake, like radii drawn to a center, then 

 it fwells, and extends kfelf into the plain country, and has 

 of courfe a much larger furface. 



There are forty-five inhabited iflands in the lake, if you 

 believe the Abyffinians, who, in every thing, are very great 

 liars. I conceive the number may be about eleven : the 

 principal is Dek, or Daka, or Daga*, nearly in the middle 

 of the lake ; its true extent I cannot fpecify, never having 

 been there. Befides Dek, the other iflands are Haiimoon, 

 nearer Gondar; Briguida, nearer Gorgora, and ftill farther 

 in Galila. All thefe iflands were formerly ufed as prifons 

 for the great people, or for a voluntary retreat, on account of 

 fome difguft or great misfortune, or as places of fecurity to 

 depofit their valuable effects during troublefome times. 

 When I was in Abyflinia, a few weeks after what I have been 

 relating, 1300 ounces of gold, confided by the queen to Wel- 



3 C 2 lcta 



* It fignifies the hill, ot high ground. 



