Page:A voyage to Abyssinia (Salt).djvu/194

 We are young and carry his burthens, But shall in time fight as well as our fathers.

We now are journeying in a desert country, Surrounded by wild beasts and savages,

But it is in the service of the Bandinsáh, And who would not die for him?

The sharp air of the morning, and the wild landscape through which we were passing, together with the shrill cries of partridges and guinea-fowl, that rose up, at every instant, startled by our approach, greatly contributed to enhance the effect of this novel and interesting scene. Shortly after we reached a point, where a road branches off on the left, leading to Halai. A little beyond, stands a high rock, or overhanging pinnacle, called Gorézo, respecting which, the Abyssinians entertain the tradition of "a young maiden having leapt from it, to avoid a marriage into which her father threatened to force her." The abyss below the rock is frightful to behold. Above this part of the mountain the vegetation begins to change its character, and instead of kolqualls and kantuffa, clumps of trees are found, called Wàra, of a moderate height, bearing leaves resembling those of a willow, the branches of which were profusely covered with lichens. Further on for a short distance, the road appeared to have been cut through a bed of chalk-stone, and, wherever this prevailed, an extensive grove of a hardy kind of cedar, called Túd, flourished in abundance. After having passed over another moderate ascent, we arrived at a lofty height called Sarar. On looking back from this spot, the view over the country we had passed became exceedingly grand; ranges of mountains, one below the other, the tops of which seemed to rise from what might be termed a sea of clouds, extending far into the horizon, where we fancied we could discern the line of the ocean bounding the distant prospect. From this point we had a considerable descent to make before we again mounted; when, in about half an hour, we reached one of the summits of the mountain, near a station bordering on a small pool of water, described in