THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 317 



to give them a guard to the frontiers ; and who, after fome 

 delay, in order to fee what he could extort from them, at 

 lafl gave them a- party of eighty foldiers to conduct -.them; 

 to the frontiers. 



After four long days journey through countries totally 

 laid wafte by the Galla, keeping fcouts conflantly before 

 them to give advice of the firft appearance of any enemy, 

 that they might hide themfelves in thickets and bufties ; at 

 mid-day they began to uefcend a very fteep craggy ridge 

 of mountains, when the ambafTador of Gingiro, now their 

 conductor, warned them, that, before they got to the foot 

 of the mountain, they mould enter into a very thick, wood 

 to hide themfelves till night, that they might not be disco- 

 vered by the Galla fhepherds feeding their flocks in the. 

 plain below ; for only at night, when they had retired r could . 

 thofe plains be paffed m fafety. . 



At four o'clock in the afternoon they began to enter the 

 wood, and were lucky in getting a violent mower of rain, . 

 which dhlodged the Galla fooner than ordinary, and fent. 

 them and their cattle. home to their huts. But it was, at- 

 the fame time, very difagreeable to our travellers on account : 

 of its exceflive coldnefs. Next day, in the evening, defend- 

 ing another very rugged chain of mountains, they came to 

 the banks of the large river Zebee, as the Portuguefe call it; , 

 but its true name is Kibbee, a name given it by the Maho- 

 metan merchants, (the only travellers in this country) from 

 its whitenefs, approaching to .the. colour of melted butter, 

 wJhich that word ligmfies, 



Tfcar, 



