Sefer ha-Ḥus ṿeha-Muḥash me-Ḳitsur ibn Rushd (Hebrew MS 28)

The following text is in Persian and describes anecdotal accounts of the Kingdom of Abyssinia, including methods of transport across water and the use of trained animals and birds for hunting and protection.

And among those things, it is famous in some lands of the West that when a group of the soldiers and troops of the King of Abyssinia is in need, and there is a bay or sea between them and their enemies, and they wish to cross it, and that sea is deep, and they are unable to cross it, they have birds which are called Qara-ghaz cormorant in Turkish and Ghavvas diver in Persian. And wherever those birds are, when they hear their call, they gather from all sides. And the King gives the order for them to hunt those birds, and after hunting them, they tie each one with a long rope by the foot. And when a great many of those birds have been caught, they tie their ropes to one another and tie them to the boat or ship that they wish to use to cross that sea. And when those birds fly, they pull that boat or ship across that sea, and this story is famous among them. And likewise, in the lands of Abyssinia, there is a tribe that is familiar with wild animals, and they train them for hunting. And when they wish to go hunting, they take those animals with them, and whenever they see prey, they release those animals upon that prey, and that animal catches the prey and brings it to its owner. And likewise, in the lands of Abyssinia, there are birds that they train for hunting, and when they wish to go hunting, they take those birds with them, and whenever they see prey, they release those birds upon that prey, and those birds catch that prey and bring it to their owner, and this story is also famous among them. And likewise, in the lands of Abyssinia, there is a tribe that is familiar with lions and leopards, and they train them for their own protection. And when they go somewhere, they take those lions and leopards with them, and whenever an enemy appears, they release those lions and leopards upon that enemy, and those lions and leopards tear that enemy to pieces and come to their owner, and this story is also famous among them. And likewise, in the lands of Abyssinia, there is a tribe that is familiar with snakes and scorpions, and they train them for their own protection. And when they go somewhere, they take those snakes and scorpions with them, and whenever an enemy appears, they release those snakes and scorpions upon that enemy, and those snakes and...