564. TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



river, are covered with black, dark, and thick groves, with 

 craggy-pointed rocks, and overloaded with fome old, tall, 

 timber trees going to decay with age; a very rude and ,v - 

 ful face of nature, a cover from which our fancy fuggeft '. 

 a lion inould iffue, or fome animal or moniler yet more fa- 

 vage and ferocious. 



The veneration ftill paid in this country for the Nile, fuch 

 as obtained in antiquity, extends to the territory of Goutto, 

 and I believe very little farther; the reafon is, I apprehend, 

 that to this, and no lower, the country has remained under 

 its ancient inhabitants. Below, we know Maitflia ha. been 

 occupied within. thefc few ages by Pagan Galla, tranfplant- 

 ed here for political purpofes ; at Goutto, however, and in 

 the provinces of the Agows, the genuine indigent have not 

 emigrated, and with thefe the old fuperftition is more firm- 

 ly rooted in their hearts than is the more recenr doctrine of 

 tairiitianity; they crowded to us at the ford, and thev were, 

 after fome ltruggle, of great life in paffmg us, but they pro- 

 tefted immediately with gi eat vehemence agamic any man's 

 riding acrofs the urream, mounted either upon horfe or 

 mule: they, without any, fort of cere many, unloaded our 

 mules, and laid our 1), . . <-' upon the grafs, infilling that 

 we fhould take off our llioes, and making an appearance of 

 ftoning thole who attempted to warn the dirt off their cloaks, 

 and trowfers in the ftrcam My fervants were by this pro- 

 voked to return rudenefs for mdenefs, and Woldo gave 

 them two or three fi gniflcant threats, while I fat by exceed- 

 ingly happy at having fb unexpectedly found the remnants 

 of veneration for that ancient deiry Hill fubiifting in fuch 

 full vigour. They after this allowed us, as well as ourhor- 

 ies. and mules, to drink, and conducted me acrofs the river, 

 1 holding 



