THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 583 



the eaft of the Nile, and lofes itfelf in that river below Sam- 

 feen, near the ford where our army palled in the unfor- 

 tunate retreat of the month of May : its fources or fountains 

 are three ; they rife in the mountains of Amid Aifnd, and 

 keep on clofe to the eall fide of them, till the river ili'ues 

 out of the valley into Maitfha. 



This triple ridge of mountains difpofed one range behind 

 the other, nearly in form of three concentric circles, feem to* 

 fuggeft an idea that they are the Mountains of the Moon, 

 or the Montes Lunce of antiquity, at the foot of which the 

 Nile was faid to rife ; in facf , there are no others. Amid A- 

 mid may perhaps exceed half a mile in height, they cer- 

 tainly do not arrive at three quarters, and are greatly fhort- 

 of that fabulous height given them by Kircher. Thefe 

 mountains are all of them excellent foil, and everywhere 

 covered with fine pafture ; but as this unfortunate country 

 had been for ages the theatre of war, the inhabitants have 

 only ploughed and fown the top of them out of the reach 

 of enemies or marching armies. On the middle of the 

 mountain are villages built of a white fort of grafs, which 

 makes them confpicuous at a great diftance ; the bottom is- 

 all grafs, where their cattle feed continually under their 

 eye ; thefe, upon any alarm, they drive up to the top of the 

 mountains out of danger. The hail lies often upon the 

 top of Amid Amid for hours, but mow was never feeri in 

 this country, nor have they a word * in their languge for 

 it, It is alfo remarkable, though we had often violent hail 



at 



* By this is meant the Amhatic, for in Geez the word for fnow is Tjke ; this may 

 have been invented for tranflating the fcripturss. 



