THE SOURCE OF THE NILE, 583. 
the eaft of the Nile, and lofes itfelf in that river below Sam- 
feen, near the ford where our army paffed in the unfor- 
tunate retreat of the month of May: its fources or fountains 
are three; they rife in the mountains of Amid Amid, and 
keep: on clofe to the eaft fide of them, till the river iffues 
out of the valley into Maittha. | | 
Turs triple ridge of mountains difpofed one range behind 
the other, nearly in form of three concentric circles, feem to 
faggeft an idea that they are the Mountains of the Moon; 
or the Montes Lune of antiquity, at the foot of which the 
Nile was faid to rife; in fa, there are no others. Amid A- 
mid may perhaps exceed half a mile in height, they cer- 
tainly do not arrive at three quarters, and are greatly fhort 
of that fabulous height given them by Kircher. Thefe 
-mountains are all of them excellent foil; and everywhere 
covered with fine pafture; but as this unfortunate country: 
had been for ages the theatre of war, the inhabitants have 
only ploughed’and fown the top of them out of the reach 
of enemies or marching armies. On the middle of the 
mountain are villages built of a white fort of grafs, which 
makes them confpicuous at a great diftance ; the bottom is 
all grafs, where their cattle feed continually under their 
eye; thefe, upon any alarm; they drive up to the top of the 
mountains out of danger. The hail hes often upon the’ 
top of Amid Amid for hours, but fnow was never feen in 
this country, nor have they a word * in their languge for 
it. It is alfo remarkable, though we had often violent hail 
at 
* By this is meant the Amharic, for in Geez the word for fnow is Tilze:. this may. 
have been invented for tranflating the {cripzures. . 
