312 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



From the defccnt of Moura, after leaving Debra Tzai, and 

 ILofcam, all was thick woods till we arrived at Tcherkin ; 

 the roads very rugged and broken, but the weather was 

 exceedingly pleafant ; for though the thermometer was 

 fometimes at 115°, it was always cool in the fliade ; and 

 by the fide of every river there was a frefti gentle breeze 

 from N. E. efpecially at mid-day. The mornings were al- 

 ways calm, or with little wind at N. E. It regularly chan- 

 ged about nine to N. \V. and then fell calm. About four in 

 the afternoon it generally was at well or near it ; but two 

 currents were conflantly diftinguiflied at night ; the lower 

 N. E. veering eafterly towards morning; while the white 

 fmall clouds very thin and high, coming very rapidly from 

 the S. \V. fhewed the direcSlion and llrength of the higher 

 current. The mornings and nights were cloudy from the 

 ;the firft of January, but the days perfediy ferene. 



On Wcdnefday the eighth of January, having redlified my 

 quadrant with great attention, I found the latitude of Tcher- 

 kin, by^a meridian altitude of the fun, to be 13° 7' 30" N. ; 

 and taking a mean between that and the meridian altitude 

 of eleven different ftars, the following night, I foimd the true 

 latitude of Tcherkin Aniba to be 1 3° 7' 3 j;" north. But though 

 from that time T was ready to depart, I could not poliibly 

 get difengaged from my friends, but by a compofition, which 

 was, that I fhould Hay till the ijih, the day before Ozoro 

 Efther and lier company were to fet out on their return to 

 Gondar ; and that they, on their part, fliould fuffer me to 

 -depart on that day, without further perfv/allon, or throwing 

 any obllacle whatever in my way. The king had recom- 

 mended to them this fort of agreement, if I was obflinate, 

 and this being fettled, we abandoned ourfelves to mirth and 

 feflivity* 



CHAP, 



