THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 337 
unlefs in the utmoft neceffity. I fired two guns, and order- 
ed my fervants to fire two large fhip-blunderbufles, which 
prefently freed us from our troublefome guefts. Two hy- 
enas were killed, and a large lion being mortally wounded 
was difpatched by our menin the morning, They came no 
more near us; but we heard numbers of them howling at 
a diftance till day-light, either from hunger or the fmarts 
of the wounds they had received, perhaps from both; for 
each {fhip-blunderbufs had fifty {mall bullets, and the 
wood towards which they were directed, at the diftance of 
~ about twenty yards, féemed to be crowded with thefe animals. 
The reafon why the hyena is more fierce here than in any 
part of Barbary, will be given in the natural hiftory of that 
wild beaft inthe Appendix. => : | 
THoucu this, our firft day’s journey from Falaty and 
~ Ras el eel, to Quaicha, was of eleven hours, the diftance we 
had gone in that time was not more than ten miles; for 
our beafts were exceedingly loaded, fo that it was with the 
utmoft difficulty that either we or they could force ourfelves 
through thofe thick woods, which fcarcely admitted the rays 
of the fun. From this ftation, however, we were entertained 
with a moft magnificent fight. The mountains at a dif- 
tance towards the banks-of the Tacazzé, all Debra Haria, 
and the mountains towards Kuara, were in a violent bright | 
flame of fire. 
Tur Arabs feed all their flocks upon the branches of trees ; 
_ no beaft in this country eats grafs. When therefore the 
water is dried up, and they can no longer ftay, they fet fire 
“to the woods, and to the dry grafs below it. The flame 
runs under the trees, fcorches the leaves and new wood, 
Vor. IV. Uu without 
