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
I have before mentioned that this chief had brought with him a
quantity of large horns for the king's service. Some of this sort
having been seen in India filled with civet, have given occasion
to those travellers who saw them there to say, that the animal
producing these large horns was a carnivorous bull of a prodigious
size, inhabiting the interior parts of Africa. That no illustration
of this kind may be wanting, a copperplate of this curious bull is, I
think, in some of the first volumes of the Philosophical Transactions.
The origin of the tale is believed to be in Bernier or Thevenot. It
may, however, with great certainty, be relied upon, that no such
animal exists in Africa, nor probably in the whole creation. The
animal furnishing those monstrous horns is a cow or bull, which would
be reckoned of a middling size in England; its head and neck are
larger and thicker in proportion, but not very remarkably so. I have
been told this animal was first brought by the Galla from near the
Line, where it rains continually, and the sun is little seen. This
extraordinary size of its horns proceeds from a disease that the
cattle have in those countries, of which they die, and is probably
derived from their pasture and climate.
Whenever the animal shews symptoms of this disorder, he is set apart
in the very best and quietest grazing-place, and never driven nor
molested from that moment. His value lies then in his horns, for his
body becomes emaciated and lank in proportion as the horns grow large.
At the last period of his life the weight of his head is so great
that he is unable to lift it up, or at least for any space of time.
The joints of his neck become callous at last, so that it is not any
longer in his power to lift his head. In this situation he dies, with
scarcely flesh covering his bones, and it is then the horns are of
the greatest size and value. I have seen horns that would contain as
much as a common-sized iron-hooped water-pale, such as they make use
of in the houses in England; but the Galla, who have a ready market
for these of all sizes, generally kill the beast when his horns will
contain something less than six gallons. Two of these horns, filled
with wine or spirits, are carried very commodiously upon a woman's
back, flung over her shoulders. I had two of the largest size stole
from me that night Socinios, Confu, and Chremation plundered my house,
nor could I ever recover them. I have seen them at Gondar sold for
four ounces of gold, equal to ten pounds sterling, the pair.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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