73 2 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



After they have finifhed their bloody banquet, they 

 carry the head, clofe wrapt from fight in the hide, into the 

 cavern, which they fay reaches below the fountains, and 

 there, by a common light, without torches, or a number of 

 candles, as denoting a folemnity, they perform their wor- 

 fhip, the particulars of which I never could learn; it is apiece 

 of free-mafonry, which every body knows, and no body 

 ventures to reveal. At a certain time of the night they leave 

 the cave, but at what time, or by what rule, I could not 

 learn ; neither would they tell me what became of the 

 head, whether it was ate, or buried, or how con fumed. The 

 Abyffinians have a ftory, probably created by themfelves, 

 that the devil appears to them, and with him they eat the 

 head, fwearing obedience to him upon certain conditions,, 

 that of fending rain, and a good feafon for their bees and 

 cattle : however this may be, it is certain that they pray to 

 the fpirit refiding in the river, whom they call the Everlaft- 

 ing God, Light of the World, Eye of the World, God of: 

 Peace, their Saviour, and tather of the Univerfe.. 



Our landlord, the Shum, made no fcruple of reciting his 

 prayers for feafonable rain, for plenty of grafs, for the pre- 

 fervation of ferpents, at lead of one kind of this reptile ; 

 he alio deprecated thunder in thefe prayers, which he pro- 

 nounced very pathetically with a kind of tone or fong ; he 

 called the river " Moft High God, Saviour of the World ;" 

 of the other words I could not well judge, but by the in- 

 terpretation of Woldo. Thofe titles, however, of divinity 

 which he gave the river, I could perfectly comprehend 

 without an interpreter, and for thefe only I am a voucher. 



I ASKED 



