THE RIVER HAWASH. 197 



one, flowing directly from the north, in a line with 

 the descending portion of the river after it has 

 formed the northern boundary of Owssa. This 

 was called Gussisson, and on the east, near its 

 entrance into the Hawash, a small cross was placed 

 by my informant, to represent the house of his 

 uncle, the Sultaun, as he styled him, of Owssa. 



The next stream to this flowed from the west, 

 and was called the Mellee. It was succeeded by 

 another still more to the south, called Tahlahlac ; 

 to this followed the Douhee, then the Burkanah, 

 the fifth in order was the Jahrah, the sixth the 

 Ahsu, and the seventh the Howdee. All these 

 streams flow from the west, a particularity pointed 

 out to me by Ohmed Medina, and which was a fact 

 exactly opposite, to that which I had expected to 

 find, led by the representations of Mr. M'Queen, 

 in his u Survey of Africa," published in 1840. 



Ohmed Medina and Ohmedu had crossed every 

 stream they named, either in their journeys from 

 Owssa to Gondah, or from the former place to 

 Shoa. One road leads to both these places as far 

 as the Hawash, but from the ford situated between 

 where the Douhee and the Burkanah streams 

 enter that river, Kafilahs diverge, some going 

 towards the north, to Gondah, and others 

 towards the south, to Shoa. This has occasioned 

 the general name, Abisha, usually applied in the 

 same way in which we say, Abyssinia, to be modi- 

 fied by the Dankalli, into Abisha Gondah, and 



