y of its head, near a wide plain, which
is entirely laid under water when it begins to overflow the banks. Its
channel is even here so wide, that a ball-shot from a musket can scarce
reach the farther bank. Here is neither boat nor bridge, and the river
is so full of hippopotami, or river-horses, and crocodiles, that it is
impossible to swim over without danger of being devoured. The only way
of passing it is upon floats, which they guide as well as they can with
long poles. Nor is even this way without danger, for these destructive
animals overturn the floats, and tear the passengers in pieces. The
river horse, which lives only on grass and branches of trees, is
satisfied with killing the men, but the crocodile being more voracious,
feeds upon the carcases.

But since I am arrived at the banks of this renowned river, which I have
passed and repassed so many times; and since all that I have read of the
nature of its waters, and the causes of its overflowing, is full of
fables, the reader may not be displeased to find here an account of what
I saw myself, or was told by the inhabitants.

CHAPTER X

A description of the Nile.

The Nile, which the natives call Abavi, that is, the Father of Waters,
rises first in Sacala, a province of the kingdom of Goiama, which is one
of the most fruitful and agreeable of all the Abyssinian dominions. This
province is inhabited by a nation of the Agaus, who call, but only call,
themselves Christians, for by daily intermarriages they have allied
themselves to the Pagan Agaus, and adopted all their customs and
ceremonies. These two nations are very numerous, fierce, and
unconquerable, inhabiting a country full of mountains, which are covered
with woods, and hollowed by nature into vast caverns, many of which are
capable of containing several numerous families, and hundreds of cows. To
these recesses the Agaus betake themselves when they are driven out of
the plain, where it is almost impossible to find them, and certain ruin
to pursue them. This people increases extremely, every man being allowed
so many wives as he hath hundreds of cows, and it is seldom that the
hundreds are required to be complete.

In the eastern part of this kingdom, on the declivity of a mountain,
whose descent is so easy that it seems a beautiful plain, is that source
of the Nile which has been sought after at so much expense of labour, and
about which such variety of conjectures hath been formed