4 02 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



of Mitraha. At three o'clock we entered among a few 

 hills of no confideration, and, foon after, began to coaft 

 clofe along the fide of the lake Tzana ; we faw this day a 

 great number of hippopotami ; fome fwimming in the lake 

 at a fmall diftance, fome riling from feeding on the high 

 grafs in the meadows, and walking, feemingly at great lei- 

 fure, till they plunged themfelves out of fight. They are 

 exceeding cautious and my while on land, and not to be ap- 

 proached near enough to do execution with the beft rifle-gun. 

 At four in the afternoon we halted, and palled the night at 

 Lamgue, a villagefituated a few pacesfrom thefideof thelake. 



On the 19th of May we left Lamgue about fix in the 

 morning, our courfe fouth and by weft, and at eight we 

 found ourfelves in the middle of twenty-five or thirty vil- 

 lages called Nabca, ftretching for the length of feven or 

 eight miles; a few minutes afterwards we came to the ri- 

 ver Reb, which falls into the lake a little north- well of the 

 place where we now were. Clofe by where the Reb joins 

 the lake is a fmall village of Pagans, called Waito, who live 

 quite feparate from the Abyflinians, and are held by them 

 in utter abhorrence, fo that to touch them, or any thing 

 that belongs to them, makes a man unclean all that day till 

 the evening, feparates him from his family and friends, 

 and excludes him from the church and all divine fervice, 

 till he is warned and purified on the following day. Part 

 of this averiion is certainly owing to their manner of feed- 

 ing ; for their only profefuon is killing the crocodile and 

 hippopotamus, which they make their daily fuflenance. They 

 have a moft abominable flench, are exceedingly wan, or ill*. 

 coloured, very lean, and die often, as is faid, of the loufy 

 difeafe. There are, indeed, no crocodiles in the lake Tzana, 



owing, 



