Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 3.djvu/764

 733 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

and plunder; into thefe they always relapfe; mutual en- mity follows in confequence.

The country of the Agows, called Agow Midre, from its elevation, muft be of courfe temperate and wholefome ; the da/s, indeed, are hot, even at Sacala, and, when expofed to the fun, we are fenfible of a fcorching heat ; but whenever you are feated in the fhade, or in a houfe, the temperature is cool, as there is a conitant breeze which makes the fun tolerable even at mid day, though we are here but 10* from the Line, or a few minutes more.

Though thefe Agows are fo fortunate in their climate, they are not faid to be long-livers ; but their precife age is very difficult to afcertain to any degree of exaclnefs, as they have no fixed or known epoch to refer to ;. and, though their country abounds with all the necefTaries of life, their taxes, tributes, andfervices, efpecially at prefent, are fo mul- tiplied upon them, whilft their diitreiles of late have been fo great and frequent, that they are only the manufacturers of the commodities they fell, to fatisfy thefe conftant exor- bitant demands, and cannot enjoy any part of their own produce themfelves, but live in mifery and penury fcarce to be conceived. We faw a number of women, wrinkled and fun- burnt fo as fcarce to appear human, wandering about under a burning fun, with one and fometimes two children up:>n their back, gathering the feeds of bent grafs to make a kind of bread.

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