bacca, and afterward^ the river Tokoor. At h a lf an hour
paifc eight we relied there, and three hours after came to
the Guaijgue. The Guangue is the largeft river we had'
feen in Abyflinia except the Nile and Taceazet It rifes near
Tchelga, or between Tchelga and Nara: It joins the Taeaz-
ze in the Barabra, in the kingdom o f Sennaar. The two
rivers when joined! are called the Atbara, which gives its
name to the province. It abounds with hippopotami, and
erocodiles, chiefly the former, which however we thought
were moftly fmaller than thole o f the Nile.
At* a quarter after one we came to Mariam-Ohha, and
at h a lf pail three arrived at' Hof-fcacamoot. Hor in that
country fignifies the dry deep bed o f a torrent, which has
ceafed to rung; and Gacamoor, the fliade o f death ; fo that
Yafine’s village, where we now took up our quarters, is called
the Valley o f the Shadow o f Death: A bad omen for
weak and wandering travellers as we were, furroundedby
a multitude o f dangers, and fo fa r from home, that there
feemed to be but one that could bring us thither. W e tra iled
in Him, and He did deliver us..
H o k - C a c a m o o t is firuated in a plain in the midft o f a
wood, fo much only o f which has been cleared away as
to make room for the miferable huts o f w hich it confifts,.
and fo r the fmall fpots o f ground on which they fow ma-
ihilla, or maize, to furnifh them with bread. Their other
food confifts entirely o f the flefh of, the elephant and rhinoceros,
and chiefly o f the former; fo r the trouble of. huntin
g the elephant is nor greater than chafing the rhinoceros,
•and the difference o f gain is much fuperior. The elephant
has a greater quantity o f better flefh, while his large teeth
3 are.:
are very, valuable, and afford a ready price everywhere. The
inhabitants being little acquainted! with the ufe o f fire-arms,
the fmaller game, o f the dfeer kind, are not- much- molefted1,.
unlefs; by the wild Shangalla; who make ufe o f bows and
arrows, fo that thefe animals are increafed beyond' imagination.
.
R a s e l F e e l confifted once o f thirty-nine villages. All
the Arabs o f Atbara reforted to them with butter, honey,,
horfes, gold, and many o ther commodities; and the Shekh.
o f Atbara, liv in g upon the frontier o f Sennaar, entertained a
conftanc good correfpondence with the Shekh o f Ras el Feel;
to whom he fent yearly a Dongola horfe, two razors, and
two dogs. The Shekh o f Ras el Feel, in return,gave him- a:
mule and a female flav e ; and the: effedl o f this in te rcom*
was to keep all the intermediate Arabs in their duty.
S i n g e the expedition o f Yafous IE againft Sennaar, no>
peace has ever fubfilled between the two ftates-; on the contrary,
all the Arabs that aflifted the king, and were defeated
with him, pay tribute no longer to. Sennaar^ but live on
the frontiers o f Abyflinia, and are protedled there. The
two chiefs o f Atbara, and Ras el Feel, wnderftand one another
perfedtly, and give the Arabs no trouble ; and, i f they
pay their rent to either, it is divided between both. It was
through the means o f thefe Arabs the k in g o f Abyflinia’s
army was fumiihed, as we have feen, with heavy horfes ;
and it was in. confequence o f my depending on this friend-
fhip with the Shekh o f Teawa, that I attempted going thro’
¿tat province to Sennaar,
S o m e t i m e .: