Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, Volume 4 (of 5): In the years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772 and 1773Bruce, James
History
Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, Volume 4 (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
"You shall see, says Welled Amlac, whether I am telling truth or not;
this is the house of Welled Aragawi; if he is here at home, then I
have deceived you." We saw a number of women laden with jars of bouza
and hydromel, and asked where they were going. They said to their
master at Delakus, who waited there to prevent Welleta Michael of
Degwassa from passing the river. Our Greeks on this began to relapse
into their panic, and to wish we were again at Welled Abea Abbo. At
three quarters past one we continued our journey to the north, and
passed a river, called Amlac-Ohha, larger than the former: it comes
from the east, and, half a mile further, receives the other stream
already mentioned. The sun was now burning hot. At three o'clock we
halted a quarter of an hour; and, beginning to descend gently, an
hour after this we came to the banks of the Abay. Here we saw the two
combatants, Welleta Michael and Welled Aragawi, exactly opposite to
each other, the first on the west the other on the east side; they had
settled all their differences, and each had killed several kine for
themselves and friends, which was all the blood shed that day.
The Nile is here a considerable river; its breadth at this time full
three quarters of an English mile; the current is very gentle; where
deep you scarce can perceive it flow; it comes from W. by S. and W.
S. W. and at the ford runs east and west. The banks on the east side
were very high and steep; and on the west, at the first entrance, the
bottom is soft and bad, the water four feet and a half deep, but
above another foot, which we sink in clay. I cried to Welled Amlac,
while he was leading my mule across, that he should not pray to his
saint that never eats, as at the passage of the Jemma in May. He only
answered lowly to me, Do you think these thieves would have let you
pass if I was not with you? My answer was, Welleta Michael would not
have seen me wronged; I saved his life, he and every body knows it.
We gained with difficulty the middle of the river, where the bottom
was firm, and there we rested a little. Whilst we were wading near the
other side, we found foul ground, but the water was shallow, and the
banks low and easy to ascend. The river side, as far as we could see,
is bare and destitute of wood of any kind, only bordered with thistles
and high grass, and the water tinged deep with red earth, of which its
banks are composed. This passage is called Delakus, and is passable
from the end of October to the middle of May. Immediately on the top
of the hill ascending from the river is the small town of Delakus,
which gives this ford its name; it extends from N. E. to N. N. E. and
is more considerable in appearance than is the generality of these
small towns or villages in Abyssinia, because inhabited by Mahometans
only, a trading, frugal, intelligent, and industrious people.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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