Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 3.djvu/426

 4 02 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

of Mitraha. At three o'clock we entered among a few hills of no confideration, and, foon after, began to coaft clofe along the fide of the lake Tzana ; we faw this day a great number of hippopotami ; fome fwimming in the lake at a fmall diftance, fome riling from feeding on the high grafs in the meadows, and walking, feemingly at great lei- fure, till they plunged themfelves out of fight. They are exceeding cautious and my while on land, and not to be ap- proached near enough to do execution with the beft rifle-gun. At four in the afternoon we halted, and palled the night at Lamgue, a villagefituated a few pacesfrom thefideof thelake.

On the 19th of May we left Lamgue about fix in the morning, our courfe fouth and by weft, and at eight we found ourfelves in the middle of twenty-five or thirty vil- lages called Nabca, ftretching for the length of feven or eight miles; a few minutes afterwards we came to the ri- ver Reb, which falls into the lake a little north- well of the place where we now were. Clofe by where the Reb joins the lake is a fmall village of Pagans, called Waito, who live quite feparate from the Abyflinians, and are held by them in utter abhorrence, fo that to touch them, or any thing that belongs to them, makes a man unclean all that day till the evening, feparates him from his family and friends, and excludes him from the church and all divine fervice, till he is warned and purified on the following day. Part of this averiion is certainly owing to their manner of feed- ing ; for their only profefuon is killing the crocodile and hippopotamus, which they make their daily fuflenance. They have a moft abominable flench, are exceedingly wan, or ill*. coloured, very lean, and die often, as is faid, of the loufy difeafe. There are, indeed, no crocodiles in the lake Tzana,

owing,