Show ON ONE E MORE RIVER 0 bridges are few m in ethiopia where the he traveler must aft often swim or stay behind Pre prepared pred by national geographic society washington D C service roads still are few in G GOOD ethiopia smaller streams must be forded corded often this is good fun some of the porters usually fall in the water and this makes hilarious loal talk f for or the whole outfit for many days since there is little for ethiopians to talk about the smallest incident becomes a matter of seemingly great importance and furnishes furnish es an opportunity for loud discussions at at large streams where mules must swim travel is difficult to cross the blue nile it is usually wise to go when the moon is so full that you c can an have its light when you break camp and start the descent early in the morning the early start is necessary because there are no camping places or water from one rim to the other therefore the distance must be made in one day when the local chief is convinced that a party wishes to cross the river he blows his horn and assembles professional swimmers because few of the caravan men can swim swim first you take off the mules packs these with the men who cannot swim are then ferried to the other bank in hide boats called jendres jen dies pushed by the swimmers swimmers who return to their job of getting the stubborn mules to the other side by getting one mule to lead the hope is that others will follow too often this expectation is blasted one stubborn mule can upset the whole well laid plan it is dangerous business for the swimmers caught in a welter of thrashing panic stricken animals many swimmers are killed at the fords every year once across the Z 4 I 1 AT 1 A P ij r aw Z this ethiopian boy learns mostly by listening to his elders strangers often underestimate the intelligence of these youngsters is hardly scratched by the plowing plows are straight sticks of wood k drawn by two bulls children often plow and seem to enjoy it They shout threaten nd crack their whips it is amusing to see how little attention the bulls pay to their efforts however with much t laughter and little exertion afield a field i 1 is eventually plowed ready for seed 1 grain which is broadcast over it V village i rage life is placid the people are content with few possessions men spend much of the day in the fields and yet have plenty of time i for gossip women are modest they work steadily yet not too hard flour they make from ten baking i thin loaves of bread called ind geria they weave cloth of good quality into I 1 the distinctive native robe called a chamma the most typical sight at any village is the procession of ltv women and girls carrying water in t large earthen jars on their backs no newspapers are known but all news is broadcast at the markets each village having its weekly mar ket day certain markets are known for special goods to many s people come to buy the black wool en cape or burnoose and to dem bea they go for pepper pepper on market v s A 4 italian road builders in ethiopia had to contend with shifting b desert sands among other things here is a light motor lorry ploughing sloughing hing its way over the road from to harrar before italy started its new road roan building pro program ram swift water the climb up the steep narrow trails on the other side must be made with tired men and animals in some places the trail is little more than a series of steps where progress is slow and difficult on such struggles you have no time to enjoy the beauty of the rugged scenery mail goes through safely back on the upland trails life is simple association with a people who never worry is a novel experience no telephone calls no newspapers here once in a while a mail runner brings news delivery of letters by runners is a well established custom the 11 runners are usually hardy men who do not run they know the short cuts and foot trails and how to pass through the territory of local chiefs much of their time is spent in villages and churches along the way where they are welcome for the stories they tell of happenings in in the capital because of this they bring the mail safely you are told that no runner has been robbed ro abbed of his mail in the history of the country he may fall upon evil days in some village but the letters which he carries in a cleft stick are not touched highland ethiopians are essentially an agricultural people their existence is based on the experience of their ancestors cultivating a piece ot of ground which will yield enough for the family and the tax collector they then let it lie fallow for four or five years the ground day at dessye thousands of people engage in trading and gossiping bargains are usually long drawn out affairs and the pe people ople pride themselves on being good traders lake tanas story lake tana is situated in t the he midst of volcanic formations of recent geologic age after considerable spec about its origin by the first j european explorers it is now gen lava brally believed to occupy the blue obstructed valley of an ancient nile river the old river valley of was probably a deep one a flow al natural lava entered it c causing ausing a dam at what is now the southern end of the lake the fra fractures coures in this lava its scoria ted appearance mark a and vast surface extent of long ago terrific natural upheaval low of there is a combination shore area n near ear the lake with long of volcanic mountains gray ranges abruptly encircling it these rise the intrusions of frona from the plains some e ep especially tru and volcanic plugs are watershed the eastern on thousand several extraordinary rising bases feet sheer from their grim and bare water more green than blue the clear at 1 this lake is beautifully of el glow is reflect re flecie sunrise the crimson full ru is by the water when ahei 1 the moon the light uga catch atch ripples on the lake c it and make it a pleasing picture flocks of when y acts as a mirror egrets C cross Os low flying snowy white in 1 the it to their nesting places papyrus swamps its behal kochav during the dry season certainty y certain bior can be predicted with i |