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Updated: May 16, 2025
On the 1st of August, I rode ten hours to the village of Kutschie, which lies near the Lake Oromia; we seldom caught sight of the lake, although we were always very near to it all day. We passed through large, fertile villages, which would have presented a charming prospect if they had not been situated between barren and naked hills and mountains.
After some hours we came to the Lake Oromia, which henceforth continued on our right side; on the left lay barren hills, ravines and mountains, extending for some miles, forming a most dreaded place. Morning brought us into another beautiful fruitful valley, studded with villages, the sight of which gave me courage to leave the caravan, and hasten on.
Unfortunately I could not scold him in words, but I picked up the mantle and threw it at his feet, and explained to him that I would keep the remainder of the fare if he did not bring me to Oromia to- morrow on the third day. What should I have done here if my guide had left me, or had thought fit to remain until a caravan happened to pass by.
The bargain was made, and the guide pledged himself to start the next morning, and to bring me to Oromia in three days. I paid him half of the money in advance, and retained the other half until we came to our journey's end, so as to be able to fine him in case he did not keep his agreement.
I begged the merchant to hire me a horse and a guide, and made up my mind at least to go as far as Oromia, fifty miles, in spite of all dangers or other circumstances. I knew that I should find American missionaries there, and that I should then have no more anxiety about proceeding on further.
In order to make the guide think that I was a poor pilgrim, I gave Mr. Wright the half of the agreed price, and begged him to pay it instead of myself, and also to say that he would be paid the other half by Mr. Stevens, the English consul. I made as good use as possible of the day which I passed at Oromia. In the morning I visited the town, and afterwards I visited, with Mrs.
Four oxen are yoked to these, each pair being led by a guide, who sits very oddly on the shaft between the yoke, with his back towards them. Late in the evening, we reached Oromia safely, after a hard ride of more than sixteen hours. I had no letters to any of the missionaries, and with the exception of Mr. Wright, they were all absent. They lived with their wives and children in the country.
Before concluding my description of Oromia, I must remark that this neighbourhood is considered to be the birth-place of Zoroaster, who is said to have lived 5,500 years before the birth of Christ, and was the founder of the sect of Magi, or fire-worshippers.
It occupied three hours to pass the most dangerous part of these desolate mountains. My two armed men would not, indeed, have afforded me much protection against a band of robbers, although they were the means of making the journey less terrible than it would have been if I had gone with my old guide alone. We met several large caravans, but all going towards Oromia.
The Lake Oromia, from which the town takes its name, is more than sixty miles long, and in many places more than thirty wide. It appears closely surrounded by lofty mountains, although considerable levels intervene. Its water contains so much salt, that neither fish nor mollusca can live in it. It is a second Dead Sea it is said that a human body cannot sink in it.
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