as the Tchema, but which, like it, joins the Dwang. Here
we have a view o f the fteep mountain Magwena, where
there is a monaftery o f that name, pofiefied by a multitude
o f lazy, profligate, ignorant monks. Magwena, excepting
one mountain, is a bare, even ridge o f rocks, which feem-
in gly bear nothing, but are black, as i f calcined by the fun.
In the rainy feafon it is faid every fpecies o f verdure is here
in the greateft lu xu r ian cy ; all the plantations o f corn about
Deber are’ much infefted with a fmall, beautiful, green
monkey, with a long tail, called Tota.
B e t w e e n three and four in the afternoon we encamped
at Eggir Detnbic ; and in the evening we palled along th e
fide o f a fmall river running weft, which falls into the Mo-
getch.
I t o o k advantage o f the pleafanteft and lateft hour fo r
fliooting the waalia, or the yellow-breafted pigeon, as alfo>
Guinea-fowls, which are here in great aburrdanceamong the
corn; in plumage nothing different from oursr and very excellent
meat. The fan was juft fetting, and I was returnin
g to my tent, not from wearinefs or fatiety o f fport, bur
from my attendant being incapable o f carrying the load o f
game I had already killed, when I was met by a man with
whom I was perfectly acquainted, and who by his addrefs
likewife feemed no ftranger to me. I immediately recol-
lefted him to be a fervant o f Ozoro Either, but this he denied,
and faid he was a fervant o f Ayto Confu; however, as
Confu lived in the fame houfe with his mother at Kofcaro,
the miftake feemed not to be o f any moment. He faid he
came to meet Ayto Confu, wife* was expected at Tcherkin
that
that night, and vyas fent to fearch for us, as we feemed tb
have tarried on the road. He had brought two mules, in
cafe any o f ours had been tired, and propofed that the next
morning I fliould fet out with him alone for Tcherkin,
where I fliould find Ayto Confu, and m y baggage fliould
follow me. I told him that it was my fixed refolution, made
at the beginning o f my journey, and which I fliould adhere
to till the end, never to feparate myfelf on the road
from my fervants and company, who were ftrangers, and
without any other protection than that o f being with me.
T h e man continued to prefs m eallthat evening verymuch,
fo that we were greatly furprifed at what he could mean,
and I ftill more and more refolved not to gratify him. Often
I thought he wanted tb communicate fomething to me, but
he refrained, and I continued obftinate; and the rather fo,
as there was no certainty that Ayto Confu was yet arrived.
I alked him, i f Billetana Gueta Ammonios was not at Tcherk
in ? He anfwered, without the fmalleft alteration in his
countenance, that he was not. No people on earth diflemble
lik e the Abyflinians ; this talent is born with them, and
they improve it by continual practice. As we had therefore
previoufly refolved, we palled the evening at E ggir Dem-
bic, and the fervant, finding he could not prevail, left our
tent, and we all went to bed. He did not feem angry, but
at going out o f the tent, faid, as h a lf to himffelf, “ 1 cannot
blame you.; in fuch a journey nothing is like firmnefs.”
B n the 2d o f January, in the morning, by feven o’clock,
having drafted my hair, and perfumed it according to the
iu ilom o f the country, and put on clean clothes, with no
other arms but m y knife, and a pair o f piftols at my girdle,
O o t I came