THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 38/
greatly exaggerated. Its greateft breadth is from Dingleber to Lamgue, which, in a line nearly eail and weft, is 35 miles ; but it decreafes greatly at each extremity, where it is not fometimes above ten miles broad. Its greateft length is from Bab Baha to a liitle S. W. and by W. of that part, where the Nile, after having crofted the end of it by a cur- rent always vifible, turns towards Dara in the territory of Alata, which is 49 miles from north to fouth, and which extent this lake has in length. In the dry months, from Oftober to March, the lake fhrinks greatly in ftze ; bat after that all thole rivers are full which are on every fide of it, and fall into the lake, like radii drawn to a center, then it fwells, and extends kfelf into the plain country, and has of courfe a much larger furface.
There are forty-five inhabited iflands in the lake, if you believe the Abyffinians, who, in every thing, are very great liars. I conceive the number may be about eleven : the principal is Dek, or Daka, or Daga*, nearly in the middle of the lake ; its true extent I cannot fpecify, never having been there. Befides Dek, the other iflands are Haiimoon, nearer Gondar; Briguida, nearer Gorgora, and ftill farther in Galila. All thefe iflands were formerly ufed as prifons for the great people, or for a voluntary retreat, on account of fome difguft or great misfortune, or as places of fecurity to depofit their valuable effects during troublefome times. When I was in Abyflinia, a few weeks after what I have been relating, 1300 ounces of gold, confided by the queen to Wel-
3 C 2 lcta
- It fignifies the hill, ot high ground.
