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
When Woldo came to Bruce, he declared that he was too ill to proceed;
but this imposition being detected, he then confessed that he was afraid
to enter Geesh, having once killed several of its inhabitants; Bruce,
however, gave him a very handsome sash, which he took, making many
apologies. "Come, come," said Bruce, "we understand each other: no more
words; it is now late; lose no more time, but carry me to Geesh and the
head of the Nile directly, without preamble, and show me the hill that
separates me from it. He then carried me round to the south side of the
church, out of the grove of trees that surrounded it.... 'This is the
hill,' says he, looking archly, 'that, when you were on the other side
of it, was between you and the fountains of the Nile; there is no
other. Look at that hillock of green sod in the middle of that watery
spot; IT IS IN THAT THE TWO FOUNTAINS OF THE NILE ARE TO BE FOUND! Geesh
is on the face of the rock where yon green trees are. If you go to the
length of the fountains, pull off your shoes, as you did the other day,
for these people are all pagans, worse than those who were at the ford;
and they believe in nothing that you believe, but only in this river, to
which they pray every day as if it were God; but this perhaps you may do
likewise.'
"Half undressed as I was by loss of my sash, and throwing my shoes off,
I ran down the hill towards the little island of green sods, which was
about two hundred yards distant; the whole side of the hill was thick
grown with flowers, the large bulbous roots of which appearing above the
surface of the ground, and their skins coming off on treading upon them,
occasioned me two very severe falls before I reached the brink of the
marsh. I after this came to the altar of green turf, which was in form
of an altar, apparently the work of art, and I stood in rapture over the
principal fountain, which rises in the middle of it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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