Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 3.djvu/642

 6i8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Before I flate the account of his obfervations in his own, or in Kircher's words, I have one obfervation to make re- garding the dates and time of the journey. That memo- rable day which has been fixed upon for the difcovery, is the 21ft of April 1618. The rains are then begun, and on that account the feafon being very unwholefome, armies, without extreme neceflity, are rarely in the field ; between September and February at fartheft is the time the Abyfli- nian army is abroad from the capital, and in aclion.

There are two nations of Agows in Abyfiinia, the one near the fountains of the Nile, called the Agows of Damot ; the other near the head of the Tacazze, in the province of Lafta, called the Tcheratz Agows. Now, we fee from the annals of Socinios's reign, that he had feveral campaigns againft the Agows. The firft was in the fourth year of his reign, in the year 1608 ; his annals fay it was againft the Tcheratz Agow. His fecond campaign was in the feventh year of his reign, or 161 1 ; that, too, was againft the Agows of Lafta ; fo that if Peter Paez was with the emperor in either of thefe campaigns, he could not have feen the head of any river but that of the Tacazze. The third campaign was in in 1625, againft Sacala, Geefh, and Afhoa, when the Galla made an inroad into Gojam, but retired upon the royal army's marching againft them, and crofted the Nile into their own country. Socinios upon this had advanced againft the Agows of Damot, then in rebellion alfo, and had fought with Sacala, Aflioa, and Geefh likewife, the clan imme- diately contiguous to the fources. Now this was furely the time when Peter Paez, or any attendant on the emperor, might have feen the fountains of the Nile in fafety, as the king's army, in whole or in part, mufl have been encamp- ed