544 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



his reign is to be a fuccefsful one, or to end in misfortune 

 and difappointment. 



Oustas, having taken a view of his nobility, and attach- 

 ed fuch to him as were moil neceflary for his fupport, fet 

 out for this hunting with great preparations. The high 

 country of Abyffinia is deflitute of wood ; the whole lower 

 part of the mountains is fown with different forts of grain ; 

 the upper part perfectly covered with grafs and all forts of 

 verdure. There are no plains, or very fmall ones. Such a 

 country, therefore, is unfit for hunting, as it is incapable of 

 either iheltering or nourifhing any number of wild beafts^ 



The lower country, however, called Kolla, is full of 

 wood, confequently tliinly inhabited. The mountains, not 

 joined in chains or ridges, run in one upon the other, but, 

 Handing each upon its particular bafe, are accemble all 

 round,and interfperfed with plains. Great rivers falling from 

 the high country with prodigious violence, during the tro- 

 pical rains, have in the plains warned away the foil down 

 to the folid rock, and formed large bafons of great capa- 

 city, where, though the water becomes ftagnant in pools 

 when the currents fail above, yet, from their great depth and 

 quantity, they refill being confumed by evaporation, being 

 alfo thick covered with large fhady trees whofe leaves never 

 fall. Thefe large trees, which, in their growth, and vegeta- 

 tion of their branches, exceed any thing that our imagina- 

 tion can figure, are as neceflary for food, as the pools of 

 water are for cifterns to contain drink for thofe monflrous 

 beafts, fuch as the elephant and rhinoceros, who there 

 make their conflant refidence, and who would die with 



hunger 



