DIXAN. 
time, if I should want any cattle, bearers, or camels, below Taranta. 
I answered, that I was fully provided with bearers, but should re- 
quire eight or ten sheep, which he promised to have in readiness. 
He was well satisfied, and promised to be a useful man to us, 
" November 2. — We had an application from the Baharnegash 
in the morning, to visit a spot which formerly yielded a constant 
supply of water, but which, by some chance, has since ceased to 
run. In compliance with his wishes, I and Mr. Carter set out on 
our mules. The place, which was at least three miles from Dixan, 
bore evident marks of there being water beneath the surface, as 
the grass was much greener, than on the land around : about two 
hundred yards beyond w^as a gully, in which we found several fine 
natural basons formed in the rocks, and full of water, but these 
reservoirs, though they are never dry, did not satisfy the old man, 
and he begged that 1 would look in my books and see if it was not 
possible to make the water issue out from above. I told him that 
it was impossible to do so, since the water had once found its way 
into the valley. But my declaration had no effect, so firmly con- 
vinced are the Abyssinians, that Europeans possess some magic 
power of accomplishing works of this nature. We had another visit 
in the afternoon from the Baharnegash, who anxiously requested 
me to put off our departure till Monday. To this plan I made 
many objections; but the old man pressed so urgently for it, that 
it was at last arranged that we ourselves should go on before, and 
that the Baharnegash should join us early on Monday morning at 
Hallai. We were engaged in making the necessary preparations for 
our journey. The thermometer was 70« at 4 P.M. in the cave. 
The weather had been invariably fine since we left Antalow ; 
