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Show ONE MORERIVER MORE MORERIVER MORERIVER RIVER RIVERO 0 o Dndges Drldges Drudges are few In InEthiopia inEthiopia inEthiopia Ethiopia , where the ( he trav trav- traveler traveler traveler - eler must often swim or orstay orstay orstay stay behind1 behind behind1Prepared I 1 1Prepared Prepared by National Nattonal Gcoeraphic Geographic Soc1 Society SocietyWabh SocietyWoth < ly lyWa.h Wa.h Wah Wabh . ngton D CWNU C -WNU WNU - WNU ServiceGOOD ServiceGOOD Service / > OOD roads still are few fewIn fewin fewI fewIi GOOD -i i - in Ethiopia Smallerstreams Smallerstreams Smaller - streams must be beforded beforded beforded forded Often this is good fun funSome funSome funSome Some of the porters usually usuallyfall usuallyfall usuallyfall fall fallIn in the water , and tlus this tlusmakes thismakes thismakes makes hilarious hllanous talk for the thewhole thewhole thewhole whole outfit for many days daysSmce daysSince daysSince Smce Since there is little for Ethioplans EthlO Ethio EthlOplans Ethioplans plans to talk about tlie the small smallest smallest smallest est incident becomes a mat matter matter matter ter of seemingly great 1m im 1mportance importance importance portance and furnishes furmshes an op opporturuty opportunity opportumty porturuty portunity for loud discussions discussionsAt At large streams where wheremules wheremules wheremules mules must swim travel IS ISdifficult isdifficult isdifficult difficult To cross the Blue BlueNIle BlueNile BlueNile NIle it is usually wise to go gowhen gowhen gowhen when the moon is so full that thatyou thatyou thatyou you can have its light when whenyou whenyou whenyou you break camp and start the thedescent thedescent thedescent descent early m the mormng morning mormngThe morningThe morningThe The early start is necessary nccessary because becausethere becausethere becausethere there are no campmg camping places or wa water Water water ter from one rim nm to the other there therefore therefore therefore fore the d stance must be made In Inone inone inone one dayWhen dayWhen day dayWhen When the local ch et ef of is convmced convinced convmcedthat convincedthat convincedthat that a party wishes to cross the IV rev IVer rever [ nver er he blows his horn and assem assembles assembees assembles bles bees profess onal swimmers SWlffimers b bcause " cause few of the caravan men can cansWim canswim canswim sWim First you take oft off the mules mulespacks mulespacks mulespacks packs These with the men who whocannot whocannot whocannot cannot swim are then ferried to tothe tothe tothe the other bank in m hide rude boats called calledendles calledjendies calledendies jendies ] ) endles pushed by the SWlnlinerS swimmers SWlnlinerSwho swimmerswho swimmerswho who return to their Job ] ob of gettmg getting the thestubboIn thestubborn thestubboin stubboIn stubborn mules to the other s deBy deBy de deBy By getting gettmg one mule to lead the thehope thehope thehope hope is JS tha that t others will follow too toooUen toooften toooften oUen often this expectation is blasted blastedOne blastedOne blastedOne One stubborn mule can upset the thewhole thewhole thewhole whole well laid plan It is danger dangerous dangerous dangerous ous business busmeas busme s for the swimmers swimmerscaught swimmerscaught swimmerscaught caught m In a welter of thrashmg thrashing thrashmgpamc thrashingpanic thrashingpanic pamc panic stricken strJcken anlffialsMany animalsMany animals anlffials animalsMany Many swimmers are killed at the thefords thefords thefords fords every year Once across the thesv.lt theswift theswift sv.lt svlt swift . ! water the cl mb up the steep steepnarrow steepnarrow steepnarrow narrow tra trails s on the other side must mustbe mustbe mustbe be made with t red men and am ani ammals aniorals ammals mals orals In some places the trail trall JS is JSlittle islittle islittle little more than a series senes of steps stepswhere stepswhere stepswhere where progress is slow and difficult difficultOn difficultOn difficultOn On such struggles you have no tlme time tlmeto timeto timeto to enjoy the beauty of the rugged ruggedscenery ruggedscenery ruggedscenery scenery ' Mail Marl Goes Through ThroughSafely ThroughSafely ThroughSafely Safely back on the upland trails trailslife trailslife trailslife life is simple Association Assoclatlon with a apeople apeople apeople people who never worry is 15 a novel novelexpenence novelexperience novelexperience expenence experience no telephone calls nonewspapers no nonewspapers nonewspapers newspapers here Once in m a wh while whilea e ea a mail mall runner brings brmgs newsDelivery newsDelivery news newsDelivery Delivery of letters by runners nmners IS ISa isa isa a well estabi establ shed custom The - - - - - 1 f fI \ f fj j . , 1 1This I .r r . rj.r ! - j : - rj\ rj - - \ . " j This EthIOpIan boy learns mostly mostlyby mostlyby by hstenlDg listening to his elders Strangers Strangersoften Strangersoften often underestimate the mtelligence intelligence mtelligenceof intelligenceof of these youngsters work stead ly yet not too hard hardFJour hardFlour hardFlour FJour Flour they make from teff tetr tell bakmg baking bakmgthm bakingthin bakingthin thm thin loaves of bread called mdgena indgeria mdgenathey indgeriathey uidgenathey they vi v w . ea eave ve cloth of good qual ty into intothe intothe intothe the d stmctive stmctJve stinctive nat oat ve ye robe called a achamma achamma achamma chamma The most typ cal s ght at atany atany atany any village is the procession of ofwomen ofwomen otwomen women and e g ris rls carrying carrymg water m in mlarge inlarge mlarge large earthen jars on their backsNo backsNo backs backsNo No newspapers are kno vn but all allnews allnews allnews news is broadcast at the markets marketseach marketseach marketseach each village having havmg its weekly mar market market market ket day Certain markets are known knownfor knownfor knownfor for special goods to Ankober many manypeople manypeople manypeople people come to buy the black wool woolen woolen , en cape or burnoose and to Dem Dembea Dembea : bea they go for pepper On market marketday marketday i iday day at Dcssye Dessye thousands of people peopleengage peopleengage ' engage m in trading tradmg and goss Boss pmgBarga pingBarga pmg ping pmgBarga Barga ns are usually long drawn drawnout drawnout drawnout out affa rs and the people pride pridethemselves pridethemselves pridethemselves themselves on being mg good traders tradersAs tradersAs tradersAs As a general rule you find that a areasonable areasonable areasonable reasonable purchase can be made madeSalt madeSalt madeSalt Salt bars are a more desirable cur currency currency currency rency than silver sllver corns coms coins The salt saltis saltis saltis is made into 1I1to bars at Red sea po nts Ms ntsthen Msthen ntsthen then transported by caravan to the themtenor theinterior theinterior mtenor interior where it is traded tor for pep pepper pepper pepper per which brings brmgs a good price pnce m in mEntrea inEritrea inEntrea Entrea Eritrea and Fren French h SomalilandLake Somaliland Somahlami SomalilandLake ; Lake Lahe Tana's Tanas ' StoryLake Story StoryLake Lake Tana is situated m 111 in the rrudst midst rrudstof midstof midstof of volcanic volcaDic formations formatlons of recent ge geolog geolog geolog olog c age After considerable spec speculatlOn speculation speculation ulatlOn ulation about its origin orlgm by the first firstEuropean firstEuropean firstEuropean European explorers it is now gen generally generally generally erally believed to occupy the lava lavaobstructed lavaobstructed lavaobstructed obstructed valley of an anc ent eat Blue BlueNlle BlueNile BlueNile Nlle Nile nver river The old river valley valleywas valleywas valleywas was probably a deep one a flow of oflava oflava oflava lava entered it causing causmg a natural naturaldam naturaldam naturaldam dam at what is now the southern southernend southernend southernend end of the teke Jake lake The fractures m in mthiS inthis mthis thiS lava its sconated scorlated scoriated appearance appearanceand appearanceand appearanceand and vast surface extent mark a aterr1flc aterrific aterrific terr1flc terrific natural upheaval of long ago agoThere agoThere agoThere There is a combmat combinat on of lo 10 to v vshore vshore vshore shore area near the lake with long longgray longgray longgray gray ranges of volcanic volcamc mountams mountains mountamsenclrclmg mountainsencircling mountainsencircling enclrclmg encircling it these rise abruptly _ . . ' r < ' - ? - " " ! " \ tP4 v v'S r ? 'S S v ' vfr"s . fI'f fIf fr"s frs " " ' x ' > . .t t . , 9 - 't'J tJ ' " ' 't'Jj 't'Jj j j d da a 4 4V t ' . t tj tr r j t . VW V M Sf SftM1 . " ' " , ' tM1 . / ' > . " ' " n , a sd ' ; s a ay y t 3 3Italian ; , ' ' > " Itahan Italian road bUilders In Ethiopia had to contend with shlftmg shifting desert desertsands desertsands sands among other th IIgs ngs Here IS a light motor lorry ploughmg ploughing ItS way wayover wayover over the road from MogadIscio to Harrar before Italy stuted started ; Its new newI newroad newroad road bu IdlTlg ding ! program I runners are usually hardy men menwho menwho menwho who do not run they know the theshort theshort theshort short cuts and toot foot tra Is and how howto howto howto to pass through the territory of 10 to 10cal tocal local cal chiefs much of the r t me is isspent isspent isspent spent in m v llages and churches along alongthe alongthe alongthe the way where they are welcome for fortl forti tortl tl ti e a stories they tell ot of happen ngs in inthe inthe inthe the capital Because of this they theybr theybr theybr br ng the mail mall safelyYou safelyYou safely safelyYou You are told that no runner has hasbeen hasbeen hasbeen been robbed of his mail mall m In the his history history history tory of the country I ! He may fall fallupon fallupon fallupon upon evil evll days in m some village but butthe butthe butthe the letters v . wh h ch he carries in 111 a acleft acleft aclett cleft stick are not touched touchedH H ghland Ethiopians are essentnl essenti essentnlly it itly ly an agricultural people The r ex exIstence existence existence Istence is based on the experience experienceof of their ancestors Cultlva Cultivating tmg a apiece apiece apiece piece ot of ground grow1d which will Yield Yieldenough yieldenough yieldenough enough for the family famlly and the tax taxcollector taxcollector taxcollector collector they then let it ft lie he tallo fallo tabo v vfor vfor vlor for four ( our or five years The ground groundis IS hardly scratched by the plowmg plowing plowmgPlows plowingPlows plowingPlows Plows are str strilgl str'llgl strllgl ' iigl t sticks sUcks of wood wooddrawn wooddrawn wooddrawn drawn by two bullsChildren bullsChildren bulls bullsChildren Children often plo v and seem to toenJoy toenjoy toenjoy enJoy it They shout threaten and andcrack andcrack andcrack crack their wh ps It is amusing amusmg to tosee tosee tosee see how little a altcnt attent tent ! on the bulls pay payto payto payto to U e r effor\s effor s eflor4s effors ( \ However w iv th much muchlaughter muchlaughter muchlaughter laughter and 1 ttle tue exertion e-ertlon e ertlon " - a feld feldl feldis feldis l is > e\ e c\ c et eentually centually \ entually plowed ready for seed seedgrain seedgrain seedgrain grain which is i 1 & broadcast over itVillage it | Village life hie is placid Tl TI e a people peopleare peopleare peopleare are content with few possess ons onsMen onsMen onsMen Men spend n uch of the day In fn the thefields thefields thefields fields a ai . d yet have plenty of t mefor me | lor for go gobs goss s p Women are modest they from Cram the pla pIa ns Some of the In IntruslOns intrusfons intrusions truslOns trusfons and volcanic volcaruc plugs espe cape especlally capedally espedally clally dally on the eastern watershed watcrshed are areextraordmary areextraordinary areextraordinary extraordmary extraordinary rising se\ se seera se\eral se eral several \ era I thou thousand thousand thousand sand teet feet sheer from their bases basesi basesunscalable basesunscalable basesunscalable i unscalable grim and bareMore bareMore bare bareMore More green than blue the water waterof waterof waterof of th slake s lake is JS beaut fully clear At Atsunrise Atsunrise Atsunrise sunrise the crimson cnmson glow is reflected reflectedby reflectedby reflectedby by the water when the moon is full fullripples fullripples fullripples ripples on the lake catch the hght light hghtand lightand lightand and make it a pleasing pleasmg p cture It Itacts Itacts Itacts acts as a mirror \ vihen when hen flocks of oflow oflow oflow low flying Dymg snowy " white "hlte hlte egrets cross crossIt crossit crossit It to their nesting nestmg places in the thepapyrus thepapyrus thepapyrus papyrus swampsDurmg swampsDuring swamps swampsDuring During Durmg the dry season its behav behavlor behavtor behavlor lor tor can be predicted with certamty certainty certaintyIn certamtyIn In the early morning it is calm and andserene andserene andserene serene near noon a breeze blows blowsfrom blowsfrom blowsfrom from the lake to the shore gently at atfrst atfrst atfrst frst gradually increasing until in inthe inthe inthe the early afternoon atternoon whitecaps ap appear appear appear pear and by evening evenmg the waves waveshave waveshave waveshave have assumed a real importance importancedashmg Importancedashing importancedashing dashmg dashing against agamst the rocky shores shoresAs shoresAs shoresAs As ! night light comes on all grows qUiet qUietagam quietagain quietagain agam again ready to begin begm the cycle once oncemore oncemore oncemore oncemoreOne more moreOne One of o ( the most interesting interestlng birds birdson birdson birdson on the lake is the African Afncan darter or orsnakebird orsnakebird orsnakebird snakebird When seen m in the wa water water water ter it is 15 entirely submerged except exceptfor exceptfor excepttor for its long snakelA.e snakelAe snakehJ.e snakehJe snakelike . . head and andneck andneck andneck neck : . . . When it comes out on the thereefs thereefs thereefs reefs its one concern in m rn life We fife seems seemsto seemsto seemsto to be to dry itself it pays great at attent attent attent tent on to drying its w ngs carefully carefullyand carefullyand carefullyand and as soon as this is accompJshed accomplished accomplishedit accompJshedIt ! It plu pluiges 1ges into mto the . water v.ater vater again |