416 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
came to eaaivaiah at half an hour paft one, and there we 
refted. ‘ 
SancAHO is an old. frontier territory of Abyflinia. The - 
town may confift of about 300 huts or houfes, neatly buile 
of canes, and curioufly thatched with leaves of the fame.. 
Tt rifes in the midft of a plain, and refembles in fhape Tcher- 
kin Amba, though much larger; a confiderable diftriét all 
around belongs to it, of wilds and woods, if fuch as thefe, 
abandoned entirely to wild beaits, can be faid to: belong to 
any man. The eaft end flopes with rather a fteep defcent 
into the plain; and through that is a narrow winding road,. 
feemingly the work of art, being obftructed at turns by 
huge ftones, and at different ftages, for the purpofe of de- 
fence by guns or arrows ; all the other fides of the rock are 
perpendicular precipices. The inhabitants of the town are 
Baafa, a race of Shangalla, converted to the Mahometan re- 
ligion; itis an abfolute government, has a nagareet or 
kettle-drum for proclamations, yet is underftood to be in- 
ferior to Ras el Feel, and dependent on it ; and always fub- 
ject to that nobleman, who is Kafmati of Ras el Feel, fuch 
as Ayto Confu then was, after he had refumed his govern- 
ment at my departure, though during my ftay in Abyflinia. 
it had devolved upon me by his furrendering it. 
Gimsaro, the Erbab or chief of Sancaho, was the talleft 
and ftouteft man of his nation; about fix feet fix inches 
high, and ftrongly made in proportion; hunted always on 
foot ;-and was faid, among his people, to have fingly kill-_ 
ed elephants with one blow of his fpear. The features of 
‘his face might well be called hideous; he paid his part of 
the revenue in buffaloes hides, of whied the beft fhields were 
made ; 
Fe Oy nN 
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