ABYSSINIA. 245 



their territory, their brethren were advancing into 

 the mountains which run parallel with the Gulf of 

 Arabia. This country was always known as Saba, 

 or Azab, both of which words signify the south. It 

 was thus called because it was on the southern coast 

 of the Gulf of Arabia, and that, on coming from 

 Arabia or Egypt, it formed the southern frontier of 

 the African continent. 



The inhabitants, who wore long hair and had very 

 delicate and regular features, with dark brown skin, 

 and who lived with their flocks in tents upon 

 the vast plains, made overtures to the Chussites 

 and acted as messengers to them for the convey- 

 ance of their merchandise. These men were called 

 Phut in Hebrew, or in all other languages, Balous, 

 Bagla, Belave, Berber!, Barabra, Zilla, and Souah, 

 all of which signify pastor. The country which they 

 inhabited was called Barbaria by the Greeks and 

 Romans, after the word Berber, which originally 

 signified pastor. 



It was over the long tongue of land which extends 

 along the shores of the Indian Ocean and the Eed Sea 

 that the pastors carried the merchandise to the ports 

 of these two seas as far as the plains of the Isthmus 

 of Suez, which probably derives its name from Souah 

 pastors. 



In the Bible one of these plains is spoken of as 

 Goshen, that is, the land of pasturage, and the Arabs 

 still call it Beled-el-Gue'che, which means the same. 



