352 
SERAR WA. 
tive chiefs, at the earliest dawn, and recite their prayers in a kind 
of rude chorus together. A very high opinion is entertained by 
the Ago ws of their former consequence, and they declare, that 
they were never conquered, except by the inhabitants of Tigr^. 
A vocabulary of their language will be found, among others, in 
the Appendix, (Vide No. I.) 
The view from the hill on which this town was built, was, if 
possible, superior to that even of the preceding evening, and, in 
consequence, I was tempted to make a drawing of it ; but I fear 
it will convey a very inadequate idea of the height of these 
stupendous mountains. The thermometer during the whole of 
this day never fell below 80°, and at mid-day it was 85° in the 
shade. 
On the 9th we left Werketarve, and after travelling a few 
miles westward, turned off more to the south, in order to avoid a 
range of very rugged hills that interrupts the direct road, which 
brought us, in about two hours, to Serarwa. At this place the 
nature of the country began to change, and instead of rich pas- 
tures, affording nourishment to numerous droves of cattle, which 
we had continually met with in the cotirse of our journey for the 
last three or four days, we now descended into a sandy and barren 
district, thickly set with thorny shrubs and mimosas, greatly re- 
sembling the scenery near the coast. The thermometer at mid-day 
rose as high as 88° in the shade. The sun at this moment was 
nearly vertical over our heads, yet, as I have before mentioned, 
the mountains that lay before us were covered with snow, and 
we could plainly distinguish it lying in large patches on their 
sides, while we were at the same time scorching with heat. In 
