rived at Wéah. This being a pleasant station, and our camels not having come up, we took shelter under some trees growing in the bed of the torrent, where we found some pits of rain water, and remained there for the day; rejoicing at the opportunity which this delay afforded us of becoming better acquainted with our companions. (Course S. b. W. 8 miles.)
We left Wéah, on the following day, at half past two in the morning, and directed our course nearly south-west, through a complete forest of the girâ trees, towards a break in the mountains, leaving a high hill on our left. At half past four, we began to enter among the mountains themselves, where the road became intersected with deep gullies formed by the passage of the waters during the rainy season, and, soon afterwards, we came to a small pass, which bore somewhat the appearance of having been cut through a rock of iron stone,[1] beyond which commences the country called Samhar. At five we entered into a ravine between two ranges of mountains, rising almost perpendicularly on both sides, up the windings of which the road continues its circuitous course all the way to Taranta. A little further on, we passed two encampments of the Hazorta, who had descended with their cattle from the upper country, from whom we procured with some difficulty three cows for fifteen dollars; and, in about half an hour afterwards, we reached our halting place at Hamhammo, a small circular spot in a nook of the mountains, distant a few hundred yards only from the stream. (Thermometer 81°.) Course about nine miles south-west.
Here we were joined by two Abyssinian chiefs, Baharnegash Isgé and Kantiba Ammon, who had received instructions from the Ras to take charge of our baggage as far up as Taranta; and the former, as he told me, had orders from the Ras to attend us to Antalo. At this station the Nayib's people and the Hazorta began to exercise our patience, but our party was too strong for them to give us any very serious annoyance, and, as I conse-
- ↑ Mr. Stuart subsequently observed, in passing this point, that the compass was sensibly effected, the rock containing a considerable portion of iron.
