l82 
TRAVELS IN 
been adopted. The referved oxen were yoked before the 
others, and thus, by double teams, the waggons were at laft 
drawn out of this horrible chafm ; not, however, without pro- 
ducing an inftance of brutality and cruelty that will fcarcely be 
fuppofed to exift in a civilized country. While the poor ani- 
mals were ftruggling and tearing on their knees, and exerting 
their ftrength to the utmoft to draw up the waggons, the owner 
of one of the teams, enraged at their want of fuccefs, drew out 
of its cafe a large crooked knife with a fliarp point, and fixing 
on one of the oxen for the obje£t on which he might give vent 
to his fury, cut him with feveral gafhes acrofs the ribs, in the 
flank, and in the flefhy part of the thigh, fome of them from 
fix to feven inches long, and fo deep that when the animal 
walked they opened two inches in width. The fize of the 
wounds is not mentioned loofely for the fake of exaggeration, 
but is given from adtual meafurement. The ribs were literally 
laid bare, and the blood ran down in ftreams ; yet in this con- 
dition the poor beaft was obliged to draw in the waggon for the 
fpace of three hours, after having received fuch brutal treatment. 
By tvv^o of the gafhes a large piece of flelh was very nearly 
taken out of the thick part of the thigh ; and had it not been 
for the irritable ftate of mind into which the favage condud; of 
the fellow had thrown me, but more particularly left it 
fhould feem to give a kind of countenance to his brutality, I 
fhould have afked him to have cut it entirely out, as it could 
not materially have encreafed the pain to the beaft ; not for the 
fake of proving the delicacy of an Abyftinian beef-fteak, qui- 
vering with life, but to have obferved the progrefs of the 
wound. In three or four days the gafties were fkinned over, and 
appeared 
