THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 647 
_ other means of pafling are in {mall rafts, placed upon two 
fkins filled with wind; or, twifting their hands round ithe 
horfe’s tail, they are drawn over by them; this laft is the 
way that the women, who follow the armies of Abyfflinia,. 
crofs unfordable rivers, a cafe that always occurs in late 
campaigns. Crocodiles abound exceedingly in this part of 
the Nile; butithe people, who live on the banks of the ri- 
ver, have or pretend to have charms which. defend them, 
from the moft voracious of thefe animals, 
Apjornins to the Gongas, and bounding them on the 
north, arifes a vaft chain of very high mountains; the 
fouth fide of this is inhabited by tribes of Gongas and o- 
thers, but‘on the north-eaft fide, neareft Abyflinia, is a na- 
tion of perfect blacks, called Guba. The Nile feems to have 
forced its way through a gapin this prodigious barrier, 
and falls down a cataract of about 280 feet. This is imme- 
diately. followed by two others in the fame ridge of moun- 
tains, both very confiderable, if not compared with the firft. 
This high: ridge runs weft far mto the continent of Africa, 
where it is called: Dyre and. Tegla; the eaft end (that is 
eaft of the Nile) joins the mountainous country of Kuara, 
and is there called the Mountains of Fazuclo., Thefe 
mountains, as far as I could learn, are all very fully Tanabe. 
ed throughout by many powerful clans,.or nations, moftly 
Pagans. It is, however, a country the leaf er ae any: 
in Africa, but a. very large quantity of gold is brought 
from. thence, as well as many flaves-; the gold is wathod 
down by the torrents in the time of ne tropical rains, and, 
upon thefe ceafing, they fearch after that metal found in 
fmall peters entangled among roots, branches, tufts of grafs, 
hollows,, 
