462 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



alive, being numerous, and hoped both to furnifh himfelf, 

 and difpofe of them as an article of trade, to his neighbours* 



There is fomething indeed ridiculous in the manner in 

 which he executed this expedition. Aware of the difficulty 

 of fubfifting in that country, he chofe only a hundred Greek 

 horfemen, whom he covered with coats of monftrous 

 appearance and fize, which left nothing vifible but the 

 eyes of the rider. Their horfes too were difguifed by huge 

 trappings, which took from them all proportion and fhape. 

 In this manner they entered this part of Ethiopia, fpreading 

 terror every where by their appearance, to which their 

 flrength and courage bore a ftricft proportion whenever 

 they came to action. But neither force nor intreaty 

 could gain any thing upon thefe Shepherds, or ever make 

 them change or forfa-ke the food they had been fo long 

 accuftomed to ; and all the fruit Ptolemy reaped from this 

 expedition, was to build a city, by the fea-iide, in the fouth- 

 eaft corner of [this country, which he called Ptolemais The- 

 ron, or Ptolemais in the country of wild beafts. 



I have already obferved, but mall again repeat it, that 

 the reafon why mips, in going up and down the Red Sea, 

 kept always upon the Ethiopian fliore, and why the great- 

 eft number of cities were always built upon that fide is, 

 that water is much more abundant on the Ethiopian fide 

 than the Arabian, and it was therefore of the greateft con- 

 fequence to trade to have that coaft fully discovered and 

 civilized. Indeed it is more than probable, that nothing fur- 

 ther was intended by the expedition of the hundred Greeks, 

 jufl now mentioned, than to gain fumcient intelligence how 

 this might be done moil perfectly. 



2 Pto- 



