THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 419
•verDender, Handing now in pools, but by the vail widenefs of its banks, and the great deepnefs of its bed, all of white fand, it fliould feem that in time of rain it will contain near- ly as much water as the Nile. The banks are everywhere thick overgrown with the rack and jujeb tree, efpecially the latter. The wood, which had continued moftly from Beyla, here failed us entirely, and reached no further towards Sen- naar. Thefe two forts of trees, however, were in very great beauty, and of a prodigious fize. Here we found the main body of Cohala, with all their cattle, living in perfe6t le- curity both from Arabs and from the plague of the fly. They were as good as their word to us in fupplying us plentifully with excellent milk, which we had fcarcelyever tailed fince we left Gondar.
At fix o'clock in the evening of the 24th we fet out from a fliady place of repofe on the banks of the Dender, through a large plain, with not a tree before us ; but we prefently found ourfelves encompalTed with a number of villages, nearly of a fize, and placed at equal diftances in form of a femi-circle, the roofs of the houfes in fliape of cones, as are all thofe within the rains. The plain was all of a red, foapy earth, and the corn juft fown. This whole country is in perpetual cultivation, and though at this time it had a bare look, would no doubt have a magnificent one when waving with grain. At nine we halted at a village of Pagan Nuba. 1 hefe are all foldiers of the Mek of Sennaar, cantoned in thefe villages, which, at the dillance of four or five miles, furround the whole capital. They are either purchafed or taken by force from Fazuclo, and the provin- ces to the fouth upon the mountains Dyre and Tegla. Ha- ving fettlcmcnts and provifions given them, as alfo arms
3 G 2 put
