To This Place Caravans Of Abyssinia Are Continually
Resorting, To Carry Salt Into All Parts Of The Empire, Which They
Set A Great Value Upon, And Which In Their Country Is Of The Same
Use As Money.
The superstitious Abyssins imagine that the cavities
of the mountains are inhabited by evil spirits which appear in
different shapes, calling those that pass by their names as in a
familiar acquaintance, who, if they go to them, are never seen
afterwards.
This relation was confirmed by the Moorish officer who
came with us, who, as he said, had lost a servant in that manner:
the man certainly fell into the hands of the Galles, who lurk in
those dark retreats, cut the throats of the merchants, and carry off
their effects.
The heat making it impossible to travel through this plain in the
day-time, we set out in the evening, and in the night lost our way.
It is very dangerous to go through this place, for there are no
marks of the right road, but some heaps of salt, which we could not
see. Our camel drivers getting together to consult on this
occasion, we suspected they had some ill design in hand, and got
ready our weapons; they perceived our apprehensions, and set us at
ease by letting us know the reason of their consultation.
Travelling hard all night, we found ourselves next morning past the
plain; but the road we were in was not more commodious, the points
of the rocks pierced our feet; to increase our perplexities we were
alarmed with the approach of an armed troop, which our fear
immediately suggested to be the Galles, who chiefly beset these
passes of the mountains; we put ourselves on the defensive, and
expected them, whom, upon a more exact examination, we found to be
only a caravan of merchants come as usual to fetch salt.
Chapter VIII
They lose their way, are in continual apprehensions of the Galles.
They come to Duan, and settle in Abyssinia.
About nine the next morning we came to the end of this toilsome and
rugged path, where the way divided into two, yet both led to a well,
the only one that was found in our journey. A Moor with three
others took the shortest, without directing us to follow him; so we
marched forwards we knew not whither, through woods and over rocks,
without sleep or any other refreshment: at noon the next day we
discovered that we were near the field of salt. Our affliction and
distress is not to be expressed; we were all fainting with heat and
weariness, and two of the patriarch's servants were upon the point
of dying for want of water. None of us had any but a Moor, who
could not be prevailed upon to part with it at less than the weight
in gold; we got some from him at last, and endeavoured to revive the
two servants, while part of us went to look for a guide that might
put us in the right way.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 24 of 79
Words from 12092 to 12604
of 41322
