THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 047- 



other means of palling are in fmall rafts, placed upon two- 

 {kirn filled with wind; or, twilling their hands round the 

 horfe's tail, thev are drawn over by them ; this laft is the 

 way that the women, who follow the armies of *byffima, 

 crofs unfordable rivers, a cafe that always occurs in late 

 campaigns. Crocodiles abound exceedingly in this part of 

 the Nile ; but the people, who live on the banks of the ri- 

 ver, have or pretend to have charms which- defend them 

 from the moll voracious of thefe animals. 



Adjoining to the Gongas, and bounding them on the 

 north arifes a vail chain of very high mountains ; the 

 fouth'fide of this is inhabited by tribes of Gongas and o- 

 thers but on the north-eaft fide, nearell Abyffinia, is a na- 

 tion of perfed blacks, called Cuba. The Nile feems to have 

 forced its way through a gap in this prodigious barrier, 

 and falls down a catarafl of about 280 feet. This is imme- 

 diately followed by two others- in the fame ridge of moun- 

 tains, both very confiderable, if not compared with the firft, 

 This high ridge runs weft far into the continent of Africa, 

 where it is called Dyre and Tegla ; the caft end (that is 

 eaft of the Nile) joins the mountainous country of Kuara, 

 and is there called the Mountains of Fazuclo. Thefe 

 mountains, as far as 1 could learn, are all very fully inhabit- 

 ed throughout by many powerful clans, or nations, moftly 

 Pagans. It is, however, a country the lead known of any 

 in Africa, but a very large quantity of gold is brought 

 from thence, as well as many ilaves ; the gold is warned 

 down by the torrents in the time of the tropical rains, and, 

 upon thefe ceafing, they fearch after that metal found in 

 fmall pellets entangled amongroots, branches, tufts of grafs, 



hollows, 



