564. TRAVELS TO DISCOVER
river, are covered with black, dark, and thick groves, with craggy-pointed rocks, and overloaded with fome old, tall, timber trees going to decay with age; a very rude and ,v - ful face of nature, a cover from which our fancy fuggeft '. a lion inould iffue, or fome animal or moniler yet more fa- vage and ferocious.
The veneration ftill paid in this country for the Nile, fuch as obtained in antiquity, extends to the territory of Goutto, and I believe very little farther; the reafon is, I apprehend, that to this, and no lower, the country has remained under its ancient inhabitants. Below, we know Maitflia ha. been occupied within. thefc few ages by Pagan Galla, tranfplant- ed here for political purpofes ; at Goutto, however, and in the provinces of the Agows, the genuine indigent have not emigrated, and with thefe the old fuperftition is more firm- ly rooted in their hearts than is the more recenr doctrine of tairiitianity; they crowded to us at the ford, and they were, after fome ltruggle, of great life in paffmg us, but they pro- tefted immediately with gi eat vehemence agamic any man's riding acrofs the urream, mounted either upon horfe or mule: they, without any, fort of cere many, unloaded our mules, and laid our 1), . . <-' upon the grafs, infilling that we fhould take off our llioes, and making an appearance of ftoning thole who attempted to warn the dirt off their cloaks, and trowfers in the ftrcam My fervants were by this pro- voked to return rudenefs for mdenefs, and Woldo gave them two or three fi gniflcant threats, while I fat by exceed- ingly happy at having fb unexpectedly found the remnants of veneration for that ancient deiry Hill fubiifting in fuch full vigour. They after this allowed us, as well as ourhor- ies. and mules, to drink, and conducted me acrofs the river, 1 holding
