034 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER, 



fafhioned into many flielves or flages, each of which is oc- 

 cupied by a clufter of houfes feldom above eight or ten in 

 number ; fome above, fome below, fome along the fide of 

 each other, but chiefly occupying the fpace, or two-thirds of 

 the middle of the cliff, that is, none of them nearer to the top 

 of the cliff, nor to the plain of AfToa below, than a diflance 

 equal to that proportion of the whole. The reafon of choo- 

 fing this fituation is the fear of the Galla, who have often 

 invaded that part of Abyflinia, and have even exterminated 

 fome clans of Agows entirely. 



In the middle of this cliff, in a direction flraight north' 

 towards the fountains, is a prodigious cave, whether the- 

 work of nature or of art, I cannot determine ; in it are many 

 bye- paths, fo that it is very difficult for a flranger to extri- 

 cate himfelf ; it is a natural labyrinth, large enough to con- 

 tain the inhabitants of the village, and their cattle ; there' 

 are likewife two or three lefTer ones, which I did not fee ; 

 in this large one, I tired myfelf part of feveral days, en- 

 deavouring to reach as far northward as poffible, but the 

 air, when I had advanced fomething above one hundred 

 yards, feemed to threaten to extinguifh my candle by its 

 dampnefs ; and the people were befides not at all difpofed to 

 gratify my curiofity farther, after alluring me that there.- 

 was nothing at the end more remarkable than I then faw, , 

 which I have reafon to believe was the cafe. . 



The face of this cliff, which fronts to the fouth, has a 

 molt picturefque appearance from the plain of AfToa below, 

 parts of the houfes at every ftage appearing, through the 

 thickets of trees and bufhes with which the whole face of 

 the cliff is thickly covered ; impenetrable fences of the very 



worfl 



