BETWEEN THE AI3I AND II AWASH. 359 



of water, and a continual denudation going on 

 also towards the east, diminishing daily the barrier 

 between it and the sea ; the Ilawash will then enter 

 the sea, and open a fresh highway into the interior 

 of Africa. Geologists may observe in this mighty 

 operation, something analogous to that to which they 

 attribute other natural phenomena with which they 

 may be familiar, and the facts that I have stated, sin- 

 gular as they may appear, are as easily demonstrated 

 to be true as is the westward progress of the falls of 

 Niagara towards the lakes of Northern America. 



Within the indentation in the table land to 

 the south of Shoa, Ibrahim placed three principal 

 streams, all of which appear to flow south from the 

 scarp in that situation. These were, one stream 

 which separated the Maitcha Gallas from the Sodclo 

 Gallas ; the second, called Hashei, which separated 

 the latter from the Abitshoo ; and the third was 

 the Kassam, which flowed through the province of 

 Bulga. On inquiring the situation of the Zui lake, 

 which, from previous information, I knew was not 

 far from the Hawash in this situation, Ibrahim 

 explained to me that it received the waters that 

 flowed from the opposite scarp to that of Shoa, 

 and which constituted, with the high land to the 

 north of the Gibbee in this situation, the country 

 of Gurague. On the other side of the stream of 

 the Gibbee was Zingero. Zui, called also Lakee, 

 has several small islands situated in its waters, 

 each of which is inhabited by monks, but on the 



