Sheik Jumma, probably proud of his late achievements seemed to take
his orders pretty coolly, and, had we not been more anxious ourselves
to penetrate into the tiger's den than the Sheik to comply with the
King's request, we should no doubt have remained many a day longer
at the court of that negro potentate. By dint of courteous messages;
promises, and threats, the required number of camels was at last
forthcoming, so that on the afternoon of the 28th December, 1865,
we passed the Ethiopian Rubicon, and halted for the night on
Abyssinian ground. On the morning of the 30th we arrived at Wochnee,
and pitched our tents under some sycamores at a short distance from
the village. This, our first stage in Abyssinia, led us through
woods of mimosas, acacias, and incense-trees; the undulating ground,
waving like the ocean after a storm, was covered with high and still
green grass. As we advanced, the ground became more irregular and
broken, and we crossed several ravines, having each its small running
rivulet of crystal water. By-and-by the rounded hillocks acquired
a more abrupt and steep appearance; the grass was no longer tall
and green, but fine and dry; the sycamore, the cedar, and large
timber-trees began to appear. As we approached Wochnee, our route
was a succession of ascents and descents more precipitous and very
fatiguing, as we trudged through deep ravines and climbed the
almost perpendicular sides of the first range of the Abyssinian
mountains.
Pages:
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136