Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 1.djvu/212

 panthers occasionally venture at night-time. Although it could easily accommodate some 10,000 families, its present population is estimated at only from 4,000 to 7,090 Christians and Jews, each occupying a special quarter. The houses of the rich citizens are mostly one-storied round towers, with conic roofs thatched with reeds; the domestic animals occupy the ground-floor, which also serves as a store for utensils and provisions. Being an ecclesiastical centre, Gondar has no foreign

trade beyond what is required for the local wants. Most of the mechanics, smiths, masons, and carpenters are Kamants and Jews. For five months in the year Gondar would be completely cut off from the southern provinces, but for the bridge built by the Portuguese over the Magech, the chief river of the plain of Dembea, which has hitherto resisted all the inundations, South of Gondar are the village of Fenja and Jenda, which lie in a well-cultivated district.