Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 3.djvu/769

 THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 743

but of this I could find no traces among them. I faw no plant of this kind in their whole country, excepting fome large bamboo- trees. This plant, in the Agows language, is called Krihaha. It grows in great quantity upon the lides of the precipice of Geefh, and helps to conceal the cavern we have already mentioned ; but though we cut feveral pieces of thefe canes, they fliewed no fort of emotion, nor to be the leafl interested in what we were doing.

Our bufinefs being now done, nothing remained but to depart. We had palfed our time in perfect har- mony ; the addrefs of Woldo, and the great attachment of our friend Irepone, had kept our houfe in a chearful abun- dance. "We had lived, it is true, too magnificently for phi- lofophers, but neither idly nor riotoufly ; and I believe ne- ver will any fovereign of Geefli be again fo popular, or reign over his fubjeets with greater mildnefs. I had prac- tifed medicine gratis, and killed, for three days fuccefiively, a cow each day for the poor and the neighbours. I had cloathed the high prieft of the Nile from head to foot, as alfo his two fons, and had decorated two of his daughters with beads of all the colours of the rainbow, adding < ve- ry other little prefent they feemed fond of, or that we thought would be agreeable. As for our amiable Irepone, we had referved for her the choiceft of our prefents, the moft valuable of every article we had with us, and a large proportion of every one of them ; we gave her,befides, fome gold ; but flie, more generous and nobler in her ientiments than us, feemed to pay little attention to thefe that an- nounced to her the feparation from her friend ; fhe tore her fine hair, which me had every day before braided in a newer and more graceful manner ; me threw herfelf upon 2 the