402 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
of Mitraha. At three o’clock we entered among a few 
hills of no confideration, and, foon after, began to coatt 
clofe along the fide of the lake Tzana; we faw this day a 
great number of hippopotami; fome fwimming in the lake 
at a {mall diftance, fome rifing from feeding on the high. 
grafs in the meadows, and walking, feemingly at great lei- 
fure, till they plunged themfelves out of fight. They are: 
exceeding cautious and fhy while on land, and not to be ap- 
proached near enough todo execution with the beftrifle-gun.. 
At four in the afternoon we halted, and paffed the night at 
Lamgué, a villagefituated'a few paces from the fideofthelake.. 
On. thergth of May we left Lamgué about fix in the. 
morning, our courfe fouth and by weft, and at eight we. 
found ourfelves in the middle of twenty-five or thirty vil- 
lages called Nabca, ftretching for the length of feven or- 
eight miles; a few minutes afterwards we came to the ri-. 
ver Reb, which falls into.the lake a little north-weft of the. 
place where we now were. Clofe by where the Reb joins 
the lake is a {mall village of Pagans, called Waito, who live: 
quite feparate from the Abyflinians, and are held by them 
in utter abhorrence, fo that to touch them, or any thing: 
that belongs to them, makes a man unclean all that day till. 
the evening, feparates him from his family and_ friends, 
and excludes him from the church and all divine fervice,. 
till he is wafhed and purified on the following day. Part 
of this averfion is certainly owing to their manner of feed- 
ing; for their only profeffion is killing the crocodile and 
hippopotamus, which they make their daily fuftenance. They: 
have a.moft abominable ftench, are exceedingly wan, or ill-. 
coloured, very lean, and die often, as is faid, of the loufy. 
difeafe., There are, indeed, no crocodiles in the lake Tzana, , J 
Owings, 3 
