THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 55-9
an hour ; our friends were, like us, willing to meet and will- ing to part, only I ordered Strates to fufpend his firing for that day, left it fhould procure us another interview, which we by no means courted.
We had halted by the fide of a fmall river which falls into the Affar ; and a little before one o'clock we came to the Affar itfelf. The Affar, as I have already faid, is the fouthern boundary of Aroofii, as Kelti is the northern ; and as Arooffi is the fouthern diftiict of Maitfha on the weft fide of the Nile, it follows that the Affar is the fouthern bounda- ry of Maitfha.
On the other fide of this river begins the province of Goutto, which, according to the ancient rules of govern- ment before Ras Michael deftroyed all diftinctions, depend- ed on the province of Damot ; whereas Maitfha belonged to the office of Betwudet fince Fafil had appropriated both to him- felf by force, as well as the whole country of the Agows, which he had pofleffed by the fame title ever fince the bartle of Banja : the inhabitants of Goutto are the ancient natives of that country ; they are not Galla as thofe of Maitfha, but much more civilized and better governed. The language of the Agowand the Amharic are the two chiefly fpokcn in Gout- to, though there are diftant places towards the Jemma on the fide of the Nile, where the)- fpeak that of the Fataiha likewife. The people in Goutto are richer and better lodged than thofe of the neighbouring Maitfha ; their whole country is full of cattle of the largeft fize, exceedingly beautiful, and of all the different colours ; there are fome places likewife where their honey is excellent, equal to any in the country of the Agows, but the greateft quantity of it is of low price
and
