196 GEOGRAPHY OF 



an imbodied transcript of the clear idea, which both 

 had of the geography of the country we were in. 

 No confusion or contradiction, but a straightforward 

 delineation, that carried conviction of its truth by 

 its plain and consistent simplicity. 



A curved line, like a long/*, was first drawn in a 

 general direction of north and south, the curves at 

 each extremity inclining respectively to the east 

 and west, the former where it partially encirled 

 Owssa, the latter where, as Ohmed Medina said, in 

 our comparative manner of talking, " it surrounded 

 Shoa, like a swordbelt round the waist." The 

 descending and ascending portions of the Owssa 

 curve were joined by a straight line, marking the 

 situation of an artificial canal which connected these 

 two portions of the river, and including within their 

 limits an isolated tract of country of some extent, 

 which represented Owssa, and which, for the first 

 time, I now understood to, be a large district rather 

 than a town, as I had always previously considered 

 it to be, in common with other travellers. Ohmed 

 Medina now drew seven successive parallel lines, 

 all flowing from the west, which I was given to 

 understand represented the principal tributary 

 streams, as far as the northern limits of the 

 kingdom of Shoa, for beyond, or towards the south, 

 he professed to know nothing, except the general 

 fact of the river encircling Shoa in that direction. 



To these seven streams, which Ohmed Medina 

 drew upon his sketch map, Ohmedu added a small 



