THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 19 



Com is foft and bad, the water four feet and a half deep, 

 but above another foot, which we fink in clay. I cried to 

 Welled Amlac, while he was leading my mule acrofs, that 

 he flaould not pray to his faint that never eats, as at the 

 palTage of the Jenima in May. He only anfwered lowly to 

 me. Do you think thefe thieves would have let you pafs if 

 I was not with you ? My anfwer was, Welleta Michael 

 would not have feen me wronged ; I faved his life, he and 

 every body knows it. 



We gained with difficulty the middle of the river, where 

 the. bottom was firm, and there we refled a little. Whilil 

 we were wading near the other fide, we found foul ground, 

 but the water was fhailow, and the banks low and eafy 

 to afcend. The river fide, as far as we could fee, is bare 

 and deftitute of wood of any kind, only bordered with thiftles 

 and high grafs, and th,c water tinged deep with red earth, 

 of which its banks are-.'compofed. This pafi^age is called 

 Delakus, and is paflable from the end of Otftober to the 

 middle of May. Immediately on the top of the hill afcend- 

 ing from the river is the fmall town of Delakus, which gives 

 this ford its name ; it extends from N. E. to N. N. E. and is 

 more confiderable in appearance than is the generality of 

 thefe fmall towns or villages in Abyffinia, becaufe inhabited 

 by Mahometans only, a trading, frugal, intelligent, and in- 

 flufirious people. 



Our conductor. Welled Amlac, again put us in mind of 

 the fervice he had rendered us, and we were not unmindful 

 of him. He had been received with very great rcfpecft by 

 the eaftern body of combatants, and it is incredible with 

 what expedition he fwallov/cd near a pound of raw flefli 



C 2 cut 



