02, TRAVELS TO DISCOVER | 
culture, and is in a ftate of wafte. The reafon of this is, an in- 
-veterate feud between the villages here and thofe of Serawé, 
fo that the whole inhabitants on each fide go atmed to 
plow and to fow in one day; and it is very feldom ‘either 
of them complete their harveft without having a battle 
~with their enemies.and neighbours. . 
Brroreé we entered this wood, and, indeed, on the pre- 
ceding day, from the time we left Hadawi, we had feena 
very extraordinary bird at a diftance, refembling a wild 
turkey, which ‘ran exceedingly faft, and appeared in great 
flocks. It is called Erkoom *, in Amhara; Abba Gumba, 
in Tigre; and, towards the frontiers of Sennaar, Tier el Naci- 
ba, or, the Bird of Deftiny. 
Our guides affembled us all in a body, and warned us 
that the river before us was the place of the rendezvous 
of the Serawe horfe, where many caravans had been ‘entire- 
ly cut off. The cavalry. is the beft on this fide of Abyffinia. 
They keep up the breed of their horfes by their vicinity to 
Sennaar whence they get fupply. Neverthelefs, they be- 
haved very ill at the battle of Limjour ; and I cannot fay I 
remember them to have diftinguifhed themfelves any 
where elfe. They were on our right at the battle of Ser- 
braxos, and were beat by the horfe of Foggora and the Galla. 
Arter pafling the wood, we came to the river, which 
was then ftanding in pools. I here, for the firft time, 
mounted on horfeback, tothe great delight of my compa- 
nions, 
* See the article EErkoom in the Appendix, 
