Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, Volume 3 (of 5): In the years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772 and 1773Bruce, James
History
Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, Volume 3 (of 5): In the years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772 and 1773
Bruce, James
Egypt -- Description and travel; Ethiopia -- Description and travel; Ethiopia -- History; Natural history -- Ethiopia; Nile River
I now gave orders to my people to load the mules. At hearing this,
the Shum made a signal for his company to cross; but Yasine, who was
opposite to them, again ordered them to stop. “Shum, said I, you intend
to follow us, apparently with a design to do us some harm. Now we are
going to Debra Toon, and you are going thither. If you chuse to go
with us, you may in all honour and safety; but your servants shall not
be allowed to join you, nor you join them; and if they but attempt to
do us harm, we will for certain revenge ourselves on you. There is a
piece of ordnance,” continued I, shewing him a large blunderbuss, “a
cannon, that will sweep fifty such fellows as you to eternity in a
moment. This shall take the care of them, and we shall take the care of
you; but join you shall not till we are at Debra Toon.”
The young man that carried the gun, the case of which had never been
off, desired leave to speak with his father, as they now began to
look upon themselves as prisoners. The conversation lasted about five
minutes; and our baggage was now on the way, when the Shum said, he
would make a proposal:--“Since I had no merchandise, and was going to
Ras Michael, he would accept of the red cloth, its value being about
a crown, provided we swore to make no complaint of him at Gondar, nor
speak of what had happened at Debra Toon; while he likewise would
swear, after having joined his servants, that he would not again pass
that river.” Peace was concluded upon these terms. I gave him a piece
of red Surat cotton cloth, and added some cohol, incense, and beads for
his wives. I gave to the young man that carried the gun two strings
of bugles to adorn his legs, for which he seemed most wonderfully
grateful. The Shum returned, not with a very placid countenance; his
horsemen joined him in the middle of the stream, and away they went
soberly together, and in silence.
Hauza was from this S. E. eight miles distant. Its mountains, of so
many uncommon forms, had a very romantic appearance. At one o’clock we
alighted at the foot of one of the highest, called Debra Toon, about
half way between the mountain and village of that name, which was on
the side of the hill about a mile N. W. Still further to the N. W. is
a desert, hilly district, called Adebarea, the country of the slaves,
as being the neighbourhood of the Shangalla, the whole country between
being waste and uninhabited.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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