360 OF SOUTHERN COUNTRIES 



largest a very celebrated monastery exists, in 

 which, according to vulgar ideas, all the wealth 

 and books relative to the ancient empire of Abyssinia 

 have been concealed since the celebrated Maho- 

 medan invasion of that country in the sixteenth 

 century, by Mahomed Grahne. There may be some 

 truth respecting the manuscripts that are contained 

 in the monastery of Lake Zui, but I question much 

 if any treasure is to be found there, for in that case 

 Sahale Selassee would, before this, have attempted 

 to subdue the Galla tribes intervening, which could 

 be accomplished in one campaign, for already, in 

 that direction, the country as far as the Hawash 

 has submitted to him, and Zui is not more than 

 two days' journey to the south. That its conquest 

 is intended by the Negoos of Shoa, I have no doubt, 

 and I think he only postpones it until he can effect 

 the reduction of the whole of Gurague, at the same 

 time the inhabitants of which are very much affected 

 towards him, and in fact consider him to be their 

 monarch. I have witnessed two or three inter- 

 esting interviews between parties coming with 

 unsolicited tribute from Gurague; and when the 

 monarch endeavoured to induce me to remain with 

 him, he held out the opportunity I should have of 

 visiting that country in the course of the next two 

 years, by accompanying him, and which he supposed 

 would be a temptation for me to stay. 



The Negoos himself corroborated the statement 

 of Ibrahim, who had visited the shores of this lake 



