The Life and Adventures of Bruce, the African TravellerHead, Francis Bond, Sir
History
The Life and Adventures of Bruce, the African Traveller
Head, Francis Bond, Sir
Bruce, James, 1730-1794; Ethiopia -- Description and travel
The people who live on the mountain of Tarenta are of a dark, sallow
complexion. Their heads are wholly uncovered, a goat's skin is thrown
over their shoulders, they wear a piece of cotton cloth about their
waist, and sandals on their feet. Their hair is cut short, and curled
artificially, to look like the wool of a negro. The men usually carry
two lances, a shield made of bull's hide, and a very long, broad knife
stuck in their girdles. All sorts of cattle are here in great plenty.
The cows are generally white, with large dewlaps hanging down to their
knees, hair like silk, and wide horns. The sheep are of good size and
black: they have large heads, which they carry very erect, and small
ears, and are covered with hair instead of wool.
Early on the morning of the 22d, Bruce and his party eagerly descended
the mountain. The cedar-trees, which had been so tall and beautiful on
the top and on the east side of Tarenta, degenerated on the west into
small shrubs and scraggy bushes. Lower down the people were busy with
their harvest, and cows and bullocks were seen treading out the corn,
the straw being burned or left to rot upon the ground. In the evening
they reached the town of Dixan. Salt says, "We passed over the highest
part of the irregular hill on which Dixan is built, and which Bruce has
very accurately described when he compared it to a sugar-loaf."
Dixan, like most frontier towns, is a rendezvous for the bad people of
the two contiguous countries. "The town," says Bruce, "consists of Moors
and Christians, and is very well peopled; yet the only trade of either
is a very extraordinary one, that of selling children. The Christians
bring such as they have stolen in Abyssinia to Dixan, and the Moors,
receiving them there, carry them to a sure market to Masuah, whence they
are sent to Arabia or India."
Rather a curious instance of this barbarous traffic occurred between two
priests, who were slaves in the naybe's house, while Bruce was at
Masuah.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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