Land, agrees perfectly with all animajs, and here are the
quarters where I faw Slaekh Adelan the mini tier’s hqrfe, (as
I fuppofe, for their numbers), by far the fineft in the world,
where in fafety he watched the motion p f his fpvereign,
who, ihut up in his capital pf Sennaar, could not there maintain
one hprfe to oppofe him.
But however unfavourable this foil may be for the propagation
o f animals, it contributes very abundantly bothyo
the nouriihment o f man and heaft- It is ppijtiyely faid to
render three hundred for one, which, however confidently
advanced,is,Ithink,both from reafon and appearance, a great
exaggeration, It is all fown with dora, or millet, the principal
food o f the natives. It produces alfo wheat and rice,
b u t thefe at Sennaar are fold by the pound, even in years o f
plenty. The fait m ad cu fe o f at Sennaar is all extracited
from the earth about it, efpecially at Halfaia, fo ftrongly is
the foil impregnated with this ufe.ful foflile.
A b o u t twelve miles from Sennaar, nearly to the N. W, is
a collection o f villages called Shaddly, from a great faint,
w h o in his timediresfted large pits to be dug, and plaftered
clofely within with cla y,fin tow h ic lia quantity o f grain was
put -when it was at the cheapeft, and thefe were covered
up, and plaftered again at the top, which they ca)l fqaling,
and the hole itfejf matamnre- Thefe roatamores are in great
number all over the plain, and, on any profpedf p f corn
grpwing dearer, they are opened, and -091-11 fpid at a low
price both to the town and country. . ,1
To the north o f Shaddly, about twenty-four miles, is. a-
inother foundation o f this fort, called Wed Aboud, lliii great-
-2' • ,er
Ur than Shaddly. Upon thefe two charities the chief flub-
fiftence o f the. Arabs depends ; for as there is continual war
among thefe people, and their violence being always directed
againft. the crops father than the perfons o f their
enemies’, the deftruction o f each tribe would follow the
lofs o f its harveft, was it. not for the extraordinary Supplies,
furnifbed at fuch times by; thefe granaries. - •
T h e fmall villages o f foldiers are fcattered up and down
through this immenfe plain, to watch; the grain that is fown,
which is dofa only, and it is faid that here the ground .will,
produce no other grain. Prodigious excavations are made
at proper diftances, which fill with water in the rainy fea-
fon, and are a great relief to the Arabs in their paflage be-,
tween the cultivated country and the fands, The fly, that
ineXorable perfecutor o f the Arabs, never purfues them to
the north o f Shaddly. The knowledge o f this circumftance
was what, perhaps, determined the firft builders o f Sennaar
to place their capital h e r e ; this too, -probably, induced the
two faints, Shaddly and Wed Aboud, to make here thefe vaft
CxCavarions fo r corn and water. This is the firft refting-
place the Arabs-find, where, having all things neceflary
fo r fubfiftence,-they can at leifure tranfacft their affairs with
government. .
To the weftward o f Shaddly and ABoud, as far as the rive
r Abiad, or El-aice, the country is full o f trees, which make
i t a favourite ftation for camel-s. As Shaddly is not above
three hours ride on horfeback from Sennaar, there could not
be chofen a fimatlon more Convenient for levying the tribute
; for though Gerri, from the favourable fituationof the
ground, being mountainous and rocky, and jtift on the ex-
V o l . IV. 3 O tremity