Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

1 66 THE HISTORY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT.
gave us gifts and tribute. And the raiment of
these people was made of the skins [p. 93] of
fish—now the fish' were larger by far than buf-
peopie faloes— and they brought out to us from the sea,
fish skins. all kinds of wonderful things" which were very
beautiful in appearance, and each of them was equally
wonderful.
And we departed from that place, and marching
on we arrived at a vast and mighty mountain,
Alexander's and those who dwelt therein said unto us, "O
way stopped
by a "king, thou art not able to march through this
"mountain, for in it there [dwelleth] a mighty god
"who is like unto a monster serpent, and he
"preventeth every one who would go unto him."
And I said unto them, "Where is this being who
"ye say is your god?" And it was told me that
he [lived] in the mountain by the river, above which
was a dense forest, at a distance of about three
days' journey. And I said unto them, "Doth he
"appear unto you in the form of a man.''" and
they said "Nay, but the sound of his voice re-
"straineth whosoever would journey to him, and
"he devoureth buffaloes." And I said, "How know
"ye those things, and that he is in this wise,
"since ye are not able to come unto him.''" And
' The teeth in the skins varied from one to three cubits
in length, the gills were each six cubits long, and each fish
weighed one hundred pounds; see the Syriac version, p. 107.
^ /. e., shells each of which held fifty cups of water,
fifty purple sponges, and fifty white sponges; see the Syriac
version, p. 107.