As They Are Accustomed To Travel In The Night During The Hot Season, They Also Continue The Custom At Other Times, And Pass Through The Most Dangerous Places, Although The Danger Would Be Much Less During The Day.

After some hours we came to the Lake Oromia, which henceforth continued on our right side; on the left lay barren hills, ravines and mountains, extending for some miles, forming a most dreaded place.

Morning brought us into another beautiful fruitful valley, studded with villages, the sight of which gave me courage to leave the caravan, and hasten on.

The Lake Oromia, from which the town takes its name, is more than sixty miles long, and in many places more than thirty wide. It appears closely surrounded by lofty mountains, although considerable levels intervene. Its water contains so much salt, that neither fish nor mollusca can live in it. It is a second Dead Sea - it is said that a human body cannot sink in it. Large patches of the shore are covered with thick, white saline incrustations, so that the people have only to separate the salt they want from the ground. Although the lake, and the country round it are very beautiful, they do not present a very attractive prospect, as the surface of the lake is not enlivened by any boats.

Since I had left the sandy deserts round Baghdad, I had not seen any camels, and thought that I should not see this animal again, as I was travelling northwards.

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