ABYSSINIA. 171 



how fallacious it is to judge by appearances. If we consider its small 

 size, its weakness, want of variety or beauty, nothing in the creation 

 is more contemptible or insignificant ; yet passing from these to his 

 history, and to the account of his powers, we must confess the very 

 great injustice we do him from want of consideration. We are 

 obliged with the greatest surprise to acknowledge, that those huge 

 animais, the elephant, the rhinoceros, the lion, and tiger, inhabiting 

 the same woods, are still vastly his inferiors, and that the appearance 

 of this small insect, nay, his very sound, though he is not seen, 

 occasions more trepidation, movement, and disorder, both in the 

 human and brute creation, than would whole herds of these monstrous 

 animals collected together, though their number was, in a ten-fold 

 proportion, greater than it really is. 



This insect has not been described by any naturalist. It is in size 

 very little larger than a bee, of a thicker proportion. As soon as 

 this plague appears, and their buzzing is heard, all the cattle forsake 

 their food, and run wildiy about the plain, till they die, worn out with 

 fatigue, fright, and hunger. No remedy remains but to leave the 

 black earth, and hasten down to the sands of Atbara; and there they 

 remain while the ruins last, this cruel enemy never daring to pursue 

 them farther. Though the size of the camel is immense, his strength 

 vast, and his body covered with a thick skin, defended with strong 

 hair, yet still he is not capable to sustain the violent punctures the 

 fly makes with his pointed proboscis. He must lose no time in 

 removing to the sands of Atbara ; for, when once attacked by this fly, 

 his body, head, and legs break out into large bosses, which swell, 

 break, and putrify, to the certain destruction of the creature. 



Natural curiosities.. ..Of these the principal are the spring 

 which the Abyssinians consider as the source of the Nile, and the 

 cataracts of that river. 



The Agows (a people of a certain district) of Damot, pay divine 

 honours to the Nile ; they worship the river, and thousands of cattle 

 have been offered, and still are offered, to the spirit supposed to 

 reside at the sources. The village of Geesh, though not farther dis- 

 tant than 600 yards, is not in sight of the sources of the Nile In the 

 middle of a marsh near the bottom of the mountain of Geesh, arises 

 a hillock of a circular form, about three feet from the surface of the 

 marsh itself, though apparently founded much deeper in it. The 

 diameter of this is something short of twelve feet ; it is surrounded 

 by a shallow trench, which collects the water, and voids it eastward ; 

 it is firmly built with sod or earthen turf, brought from the sides, 

 and constantly kept in repair, and this is the altar upon which all 

 their religious ceremonies are performed In the middle of this 

 altar is a hole, obviously made, or at least enlarged, by the hand of 

 man. It is kept clear of grass or other aquatic plants, and the water 

 in it is perfectly clear and limpid, but has no ebullition or motion of 

 any kind discernible upon its surface. This mouth or opening of 

 the source is some parts of an inch less than three feet in diameter, 

 and the water stood about two inches from the lip or brim. The 

 spring is about six feet six inches deep. 



Ten feet distant from the first of these springs is the sacred foun- 

 tain, about eleven inches in diameter ; but this is eight teet three 

 inches deep : and about twenty feet distant from the first, is the third 

 source, its mouth being something more than two feet large, and it is 

 five feet eight inches deep. With a brass quadrant of three feet 



