The country about Googue is both fertile and pleasant, all laid out in wheat, and the grain good. They were now in the midst of their harvest, but there were some places, to which the water could be conducted, where the corn was just appearing out of the ground. From Googue we have an extensive view of the lake Tzana, whilst the mountains of Begemder and Karoota, that is, all the ridge along Foggora, appear distinctly enough, but they are sunk low, and near the horizon.
On the 14th, at three quarters past seven in the morning, we left the inhospitable village Googue; our road lay N. by W. up a small hill. At half past eight we crossed the village of Azzadari, in which runs a small river, then almost stagnant, of the same name. At three quarters after eight, the church of Turcon Abbo, being a quarter of a mile to our right. At three quarters after nine we passed the river Avolai, coming from N. W. and which, with all the other streams above mentioned, fall into the lake: from this begins Degwassa. At half past ten we rested half an hour. At eleven continued our journey N. by W. and, at half after eleven, entered again into the great road of Buré, by Kelti. All the country from Googue is bare, unpleasant, unwholesome, and ill watered. Those few streams it has are now standing in pools, and are probably stagnant in January and February. The people, too, are more miserable than in any other part of Maitsha and Goutto.
As we are now leaving Maitsha, it will be the place to say something concerning it in particular. Maitsha is either proper, or what is called so by extension. Maitsha Proper is bounded on the west by the Nile, on the south by the river Jemma, dividing it from Goutto; and, on the other side of Amid Amid, by the province of Damot; on the south by Gojam; on the east and north by the Abay or Nile, and the lake: this is Maitsha proper; but by extension it comprehends a large tract on the west side of the Nile, which begins by Sankraber on the north, and is bounded by the Agows on the west, comprehending Atcheffer and Aroossi to the banks of the Nile. This is the Maitsha of the books, but is not properly so.
Maitsha is governed by ninety-nine Shums, and is an appendage of the office of Betwudet, to whom it pays two thousand ounces of gold. The people are originally of those Galla west of the Abay. Yasous the Great, when at war with that people, who, in many preceding reigns, had laid waste the provinces of Gojam and Damot, and especially Agow, when he passed the Abay found these people at variance among themselves; and the king, who was everywhere victorious, being joined by the weakest, advanced to Narea, and, on his return, transplanted these Galla into Maitsha, placing part of them along the Nile to guard the passes. His successors at different times followed his example; part they settled in Maitsha, and part along the banks of the Nile in Damot and Gojam, where being converted to Christianity, at least to such Christianity as is professed in Abyssinia, they have increased exceedingly, and amounted, at least before the war in 1768, to 15,000 men, of whom about 4000 are horsemen.
The capital of Maitsha is Ibaba. There is here a house or small castle belonging to the king. The town is one of the largest in Abyssinia, little inferior to Gondar in size or riches, and has a market every day; this is governed by an officer called Ibaba Azage, whose employment is worth 600 ounces of gold, and is generally conferred upon the principal person of Maitsha, to keep him firm in his allegiance, as there is a very considerable territory depends upon this office. The country round Ibaba is the most pleasant and fertile, not of Maitsha only, but of all Abyssinia, especially that part called Kollela, between Ibaba and Gojam, where the principal Ozoros have all houses and possessions, called Goult or Fiefs, which they have received from their respective ancestors when kings.
Though Maitsha be peculiarly the appendage of Betwudet, and governed by him, yet it has a particular political government of its own. The ninety-nine Shums, who are each a distinct family of Galla, chuse a king, like the Pagan Galla, every seventh year, with all the ceremonies anciently observed while they were Pagans; and these governors have much more influence over them than the King or Betwudet; so have they (in my time at least) been in a constant rebellion, and that has much lessened their numbers, which will not now amount to above 10,000 men, Ras Michael having every where destroyed their houses, and carried into slavery their wives and children, who have been sold to the Mahometan merchants, and transported to Masuah, and from thence to Arabia.
At twelve o'clock, Guesgué was to the right, three or four, perhaps more miles; and the very rugged mountain Cafercla, broken and full of precipices, on our right, at about 12 miles distance; they rise from Kolla. Guesgué, which, though the language and race be Agow, is not comprehended in the government of that country, but generally goes with Kuara. At a quarter past one we arrived at the house of Ayto Welleta Michael, at Degwassa, after entering into a country something more pleasant and cultivated than the former. The village of Degwassa is but small; it had also been burnt in the late war; it is pleasantly situated on a hill south of the lake, about 3 miles distance, and is surrounded with large wanzey-trees; we were but ill-received at this village, notwithstanding the promises of the master of it at the passage of the Abay, and we found these people scarcely more hospitable than at Googue. This village is a little out of the road, to the right. We had travelled this day five hours and a half, or little more than ten miles.
On the 15th of November, from Degwassa we entered Gonzala, immediately bordering upon it: heavy rain prevented our setting out till noon. Gonzala is full of villages, and belongs to the queen-mother. At a quarter after one we passed a large marsh, in the midst of which runs a small river which here falls into the lake. We rested here half an hour; and, at three quarters past one, we entered the great road which we had passed to the left in going to Degwassa. At two o'clock we came still to a distincter view of the lake, as also where the river enters and goes out; it appears here to enter at S. W. and go out at N. E. and is distant about eight or nine miles. At three quarters past two, we arrived at Dingleber, having this day travelled only two hours and a half, or five miles.
On the 16th we left Dingleber at seven o'clock in the morning; it was very hot; and, a little before we came to Mescalaxos, in a stripe of land, or peninsula, which runs out into the lake, we halted a short time under the shade of some acacia-trees. Here we saw plenty of water-fowl, and several gomaris. A small river crosses the road here, and falls into the lake: and, at one o'clock in the afternoon, we continued our journey, and overtook a troop of Agows, who were going to Gondar, laden with honey, butter, and untanned hides. They had with them also about 800 head of cattle. These people accustomed to the road (though heavily laden) go long journies: they had at this time 50 miles to make by nine o'clock in the morning of the 18th, and it was now the 16th, past one o'clock.
A Shower overtook us soon after passing Mescalaxos, and forced us to take refuge in some small huts near the lake, called Goja, where we remained. The inhabitants of this and the neighbouring villages speak Falasha, the language anciently of all Dembea, which, as has been already observed, in most of the plain country, has now given place to Amharic. Here we saw two gomari come out of the lake and enter the corn, but speedily, upon the dogs of the villages attacking them, they ran and plunged into the water; we could not have a distinct view of them, nor time enough to design them, but they were very different from any draught we had ever seen of them. The head seemed to me to resemble that of a hog more than of a horse. We had this day travelled six hours and a half, or about thirteen miles.