Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 1, A-AME

A B Y
[ 97 1
A B Y
Abyflinia.
Mountain¬
ous country
of Samen
defcribed.
Extreme
voracity of
the hyaenas
Lamalmon
mountain
deicribed.
hippopotami; the former of which frequently carry off
people who attempt to crofs the river upon blown-up
{kins. The neighbouring woods are full of lions and
hyaenas. The Tacazze is marked by Mr Bruce in his
map as a branch of the Aflaboras, which falls into the
Nile. The latitude of the ford was found to be 130
42' 45".
This river was paffed on the 26th of January ; after
which our travellers entered into the country of Sa¬
men 5 the governor of which, Ayto Tesfos, had never
acknowledged the authority of Ras Michael, nor any
of the emperors fet up by him fince the death of loas.
The country therefore was hoftile j but the uncertainty
of the event of the war, and the well-known feverity
of Michael’s difpofition, preferved our traveller and
his company from any infult, excepting a feeble and
unfuccefsful attempt to extort money. Here Mr Bruce
obferves that the people were more flat nofed than any
he had hitherto feen in Abyflinia. The path among
the mountains was for the moft part exceedingly dan¬
gerous, having a precipice of vafl height clofe by it
which way foever you turn. The mountains appeared
of very extraordinary (hapes ; fome being like cones $
others high and pointed, like columns, pyramids, or
obelifks. In one place a village was obferved in fuch
a dangerous fituation, that fcarce the diftance of a yard
intervened between the houfes and a dreadful precipice.
Below it is a plain of about a mile fquare, covered with
citron and lemon trees. A river named Mai-Lumi
rifes above this village, and falls into the wood, where
it divides into two •, one branch furrounding the north
and the other the fouth part of the plain j then falling
down a rock on each fide, they unite 5 and having
run about a quarter of a mile farther, the ftream is
precipitated in a cataradt 150 feet high. The lions
and hyaenas were very numerous among thefe moun¬
tains, and devoured one of the beft mules our travellers
had. The hyaenas were fo bold, that they {talked
about as familiarly as dogs, and were not intimidated by
the difcharge of fire arms. Their voracity was fuch,
that they ate the bodies of thofe of their own fpecies
which our travellers had killed in their own defence.
On the 7th of February they began to afcend La¬
malmon by a winding path fcarcely two feet broad, on
the brink of a dreadful precipice, and frequently in¬
terfered by the beds of torrents, which produced vaft
irregular chafms in it. After an afcent of two hours,
attended with incredible toil, up this narrow path,
they came to a fmall plain named Kedus or St Michael,
from a church of that name fituated there. This plain
is fituated at the foot of a fteep cliff, terminating the
weftern fide of the mountain, which is as perpendicular
as a wall, with a few trees on the top. Two ftreams
of water fall down this cliff into a wood at the bot¬
tom *, and as they continue all the year round, the
plain is thus preferved in continual verdure. The air
is extremely wholefome and pleafant. On afcending
to the very top of the mountain, where they arrived
on the 9th of February, our travellers were furprifed
to find, that though from below it had the appearance
of being fharp pointed, it was in reality, a large plain,
full of fprings, which are the fources of moft: rivers in
this part of Abyflinia. Thefe fprings boil out of the
earth, fending forth fuch quantities of water as are fuf-
ficient to turn a mill. A perpetual verdure prevails j
Vol. I. Part I.
and it is entirely owing to indolence in the hufbandman ^
if he has not three harvefts annually. _ Lamalmon Hands *
on the north-weft part of the mountains of Samen *, but
though higher than the mountains of ligrd, our author
is of opinion that it is confiderably inferior to thofe
which are fituated on the fouth-eaft. I he plain on the
top is altogether impregnable to an army, both by rea-
fon of its fituation and the plenty of provifions it affords
for the maintenance of its inhabitants 5 even the ftreams
on the top are full of fifh. Here the mercury in the
barometer flood at 20^ inches.
During the time our travellers remained at La-Journey to
malmon, a fervant of Ras Michael arrived to conduftGondar*
them fafely to the capital, bringing a certain account
of the viftory over Fafil 1 fo that now the difficulties
and dangers of their journey were over. The country
appeared better cultivated as they approached the ca¬
pital j and they faw feveral plantations of fugar canes
which, they grow from the feed. In fome places,
however, particularly in Woggora,^ great damage is
done by fwarms of ants, rats, and mice, which deftroy
the fruits of the earth. Mr Bruce had already expe-Mlfchief
rienced the mifehief arifing from a fmall fpecies of done by
ant, whofe bite was not only more painful than theants*
fling of a fcorpion, but which iffued out of the ground
in fuch numbers as to cut in pieces the carpets and eve¬
ry thing made of foft materials to which they could have
accefs.
When Mr Bruce approached the capital, he was dref- Arrival at
fed like a Moor : and this drefs he was advifed to keep Gondar.
until he ftiould receive fome protection from govern¬
ment $ his greateft, indeed his only, danger arifing
from the priefts, who were alarmed at hearing of
the approach of a Frank to the capital. This was the
more neceffary, as the emperor and Michael Ras were
both out of town. For this reafon alfo he took up his
refidence in the Moorifh town at Gondar ; which is
very large, containing not fewer than 3000 houfes.
The only inconvenience he underwent here was the not
being allowed to eat any flefh : for we have already ta¬
ken notice of a law made by one of the emperors, that
none of his fubjeCls fhould eat flefh but fuch as had
been killed by Chriftians •, and a deviation from this
would have been accounted equal to a renunciation of
Chriftianity itfelf. Here he remained till the 15th of
February ;"when Ayto Aylo waited upon him, and ad-
dreffed him in the charaCler of phyfician, which he
had affumed. By this nobleman he was carried to the Mr Bruce
palace of Kofcam, and introduced to the old queen, produced
His advice was required'for one of the royal family who*°
was ill of the fmallpox ; but a faint had already under¬
taken his cure. The event, however, proved unfortu¬
nate ; the patient died, and the faint loft his reputa¬
tion. Our limits will not allow us to give any parti¬
cular account of the fteps by which Mr Bruce arrived
at the high degree of reputation which he enjoyed in
Abyflinia. In general, his fuccefs in the pradlice of me¬
dicine ; his fkill in horfemanfhip and the ufe of fire-arms,
which by his own account mutt have been very extraor¬
dinary j his prudence in evading religious difputes ; as
well as his perfonal intrepidity and prefence of mind,Is ^
which never once failed him, even in the greateft ^ an(i
emergencies j all confpired to render him agreeable to held in
people of every denomination. By the king he was great efti-
promoted to the government of Ras-el-Feel, was hisraat‘on-
N conftant