Page:A voyage to Abyssinia (Salt).djvu/278

 description. The general character of this country reminded me strongly of the scenes which I had often admired in the interior of the Cape, where a broad expanse of dark brushwood surrounds the traveller, beyond which, the tops of distant mountains are seen to rise, of a transparent purple hue, conveying the idea of an immeasurable chasm existing between them and the country over which you are passing. It was in this manner, for the first time, that we beheld the mountains of Samen, rearing their lofty summits majestically in the distant horizon. The weather now becoming intensely warm, the thermometer having risen to 80°, we stopped during the heat of the day, by the side of a stream, to refresh ourselves, near a village called Shela, where, in the course of my search after rare plants, I discovered some water cresses, which I pointed out with peculiar pleasure to Mr. Pearce, from his having long been seeking for them in vain. The Abyssinians attending us, were also much gratified by the discovery of a tree found only in this part of the country, from the bark of which they are accustomed to form matches for their fire-arms. The inner rind is the part used for this purpose, which, after being thoroughly bruised on a large stone, is twisted round a stick, and carefully dried in the sun, and this, without further preparation, makes an admirable match. The tree is a species of narrow-leaved ficus, and is called by the natives Chekumt. During its stay on this spot, the party shot no less than six brace of guinea-fowl and partridge, both of which were found in large coveys, consisting of fifty or sixty birds, and they were occasionally seen to rest on the tops of trees.

In the afternoon we entered upon a more cultivated country, where the province of Avergale commences, inhabited by the Agows: and in the course of the evening we arrived at a town called Agora, at which place a duty is collected on all salt carried into the interior. Here we took up our residence for the night, at the house of an old servant of the Ras, named Guebra Mehedin, who had come out to meet us, and at this time held command of the district. This chief was distinguished throughout the country, from his having, about two years before, killed a lion in single combat, with no other weapon than