■

UNIVERSITY
OF PITTSBURGH

UUll Dar. I^

WW DT377

""^^^^ 1791
V. 3

LIBRARIES

Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive

in 2009 witii funding from

University of Pittsburgii Library System

Iittp://www.arcliive.org/details/travelstodiscove03inbruc

TRAVELS

TO DISCOVER THE

SOURCE OF THE NILE,

IN THE yEAR«

1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773.

IN SIX VOLUMES.
BY JAMES BRUCE, OF KINNAIRD, ESQj^F. R. S

VOL. in.

Niltis in extremum fugtt perUrriius orbemy
Ouuluitque caputs quod ad^uc latet%r" •

0^ Ovid. Metatn.

i?u

B L I N:,

Jg)tmteti ^2 JHCIiniam porter,

PoR P. WoGAN, L. Whits, P. Byrne, W. Porter, W. SleateRj,

J. Jones, J. Mqore, B. Dornin, C. Letvis, W. Jones,

G. Drapee, J. M\llik£n, and R. Wuitk.

M,0CC,X<4«

Oc2 1 .

•^'TA.

V.3

V^.-.

'>

CONTENTS

O F T H E

THIRD VOLUME.

BOOK IV.
ANNALS OF ABYSSINIA,

TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL.

CONTINUATION OF THE ANNALS, FROM THE DEATH
OF SOCINIOS TILL MY ARRIVAL IN ABYSSINIA.

FACILIPAS, OR SULTAN SEGUED.

From 1632 to 1665.

The Patriarch and MiJJlonaries are hanljhed—^
Seek the Prote^ion of a Rebels— Delivered up
to the King, and fent to Mafuah — Prince Clau-
dius rebels — Sent to Wechrie — Death and Cha-
ra6ler of the King. -^ — i

HANNES L OR, CELAFE. SEGUED.

From 1665 to 1680.

Bigotry of the King — Difgujis his Son Tafous,
who flies from Gondar. ^-^ — 24

YASOUS

CONTENTS.
Y A S O U S I.

From 1680 to 1704. P^ge

Brilliant Expedition of the King to Wechne — Va^
rious Campaigns agamji the Agoivs and Galla
-^Cornet appears — Expedition ogain/i Zeegam
and the Eajiern Shangalla — Poncet's "Journey
-—Murafs EmbaJJy — Du Rouk's Embajfy —
Du Koule ajfajjinated at Sennaar — The King
is ajfajfinated, — — 26

TECLA HAIMANOUT I.

From 1704 to 1706.

Writes in Eavour of Du Route — Defeats the Re-
bels— Is ajfajjinated while hunting. 12©

T I F I L I S.

From 1706 to 1709.

Dijfemblcs zdih his Brother* s A[faJfins—-ExecU'
tion of the Regicides — Rebellion and Death of
Tigi. — — — 137

O U S T A S.

Fiom 1709 to 1 7 14.

XJfurps the Crozi'n — Addided to hunting — Acmint
of the Shangalla — Jdive and bloody Reign
— Entertains Catholic Friejis privately — Falls
fell and dies i but how^ uncertain, 142

D A V I D IV.

From 1714 to 1 7 19.

Convocation oftheClergy — -Catholic Vriefts executed
— A fecond' Convocation — Clergy infult the
King — tlis fever e Punijhment — King dies of
Poifon* — — 182

BACUFFA

CONTENTS.
B A C U F F A.

From 1 7 19 to 1729. Page

Bloody Reign — Exterminates the CoJtfpirators —
Counterfeits Death — Becoines very popular, 200

YASOUSII. OR ADIAM 5EGUED.

From 1729 to 1753.

Rebellion in the beginning of this Reign — King
addicted to hunting — To buildings and the Arts
of Peace-^'Attacks Sennaar — Lofes his Army
"^Takes Sa?nayat-— Receives Baady King of
Sennaar under his Protedion, — 214

J O A S.

From 1753 to 1769.

This Prince a Favourer of the Galla his Relations
— Great Dijfentions on bringing them to Court
— War of Begemder — Ras Michael brought to
Gondar — Defeats Ayo — Mariam Barea refufes
to be acceffary to his Death— King favours
Waragna Fafil — Battle of Azazo — King ajfcf-
Jlnaied in his Palace, # — 267

H A il' N E S IL

1769.

Hannifin Brother to Bacuffa^ chofen ]'Jng-—ls
brought from Wechne— Crowned at Gondar-—'
Refufes to march againfi Fafu'—ls poifoned by
Order of Ras MichaeL ~=- ^16

T E C L A H A I M A N O U T IL

1769.

Succeeds his Father Hannes — His Cbara^er and
prudent Behaviour — Cultivates Michael'^s
FriendJhip'—MaTches ivillingly againfc Faftl-^
Defeats him at Fagiita — Defer ipimi of that
Battle. — — — S"*^'

BOO K||%

CONTENTS.'
B O O K V. *

Account of my journey from masuah to gondar —
transactions there — manners and customs of the
abyssinians.

CHAP. I. Page

TranfaSlio7is at Mafuah and Arkeeko, 327

CHAP. II.

DireSlions to Travellers for preferving Health —
Difeafes of the Country — Mufic — Trade^ '<S'c»
of Mafuah — Conferences with the Naybe* 358
CHAP. III.
yourney from Arkeeko, over the mountain Tar ant a^
to Dixan, — -— 350

CHAP. IV.
Journey from Dixan to Adowa, Capital of Tigre, 420
CHAP. V.

Arrive at Adowa- — Reception there — Vifit Fre-
mona and Ruins of Ancum — Arrive at Sire, 446
CHAP. VI.

fourney from Sire to Addergey, and Tranfac-
tions there* , — 4^ — - 486

' C H A P^ " VII.
fourney over Lamalmon to Gondar. — 502

^/ C H A P. VIII.
Reception at x^ondar — Triumphal Entry of the ,^

King — The Author* s frji Audience, 527

CHAP. IX.
Tranfa6lions at Gondar. — — - 564

CHAP. X.

Geographical Divifion of Ahvffinia into Provinces, ^jg

CHAP. XI.
Various Qjifioms in AbyJJinia fmilar to thofe in
Perjia, Id'c. — A bloody Banquet defcribed, ^c. 592

CHAP. XII.
State of Religion — Circumcifton^ Excifton, &'c. 642

♦ TRAVELS

TRAVELS

TO DISCOVER

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE.

— ' ■ ■' - ■. Ill II

B O O K IV.

ANNALS OF ABYSSINIA,

TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL.

CONTINUATION OF THE ANNALS, FROM TH£
DEATH OF SOCINIOS TILL MV ARRI-
VAL IN ABYSSINIA.

FACILIDAS, OR stjLTAN SEGUED,

From 1632 to 1665.

i^^he Patriarch and MiJJionaries are hanijhed — Seek
the Frote6lion of a Rebel — Delivered up to the
King, and fent to Mafuah — Prince Claudius re*-
bels — Sent to Wechne — Death and Characler of
the King,

xaS foon as the prince Facllidas had paid the laft
honours to his father, he fet about compofing thofe
diforders which had fo long dift:ra<Sled the kingdom
by reafon of the difference of religion, ^ccord-
VoL. III. B . ih|ly

,rfJoi

d. Travels to discover

ingly he wrote to the patriarch, that, the Alexan-
drian faith being now reftored, his leaving the king-
dom had become indifpenfibie : that he ha:d lately
underflood, that an Abuna, fent for by his prede-
ceiTor and by himfelf, was .now a£lually on the way,
aad only deferred his arrival from a refolution not to
enter the kingdom till the Romiih patriarch and his
priefts fhould have left it ; and, therefore, he com-
manded the patriarch and fathers, aflembled from
their feveral convents in Gojam and Dembea, to
retire immediately to Fremona, there to wait his
further pleafure.

The patriarch endeavoured to pa?ry this,' with
offering new conceffions and indulgencies ; but the
king informed him that he was too late ; and that
he wifhed him to be advifed, and fly, while it was
time, from greater harm that would otherwife fall
upon him.

It was not long before the patriarch had revenge
of Facilidas for this intimation of the expedtaticn
of a fuccelTor in the perfon of the Abuna. For on
that very Eafter there did arrive one, whofe name
vv'as Sela Chriftos, calling himfelf Abuna, who per-
formed all the fimftions of his office, dedicated
churches, adminiilered the faerament, and ordain-
ed priefts. After continuing in office fome months,
he was detected by a former companion of his,
and found to be a man of very bad charader, from
Nara, the frontier of Abyllinia, and that by ptofef-
fion he had been a dealer in horfes.

Facilidas then ordered his uncle, Sela Chiiftos,
td be brought before him, l-eceived him kindly, and

Olfered

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 3

offered him again his riches and employments.—
That brave man, Chriftian in every thing but in
his hatred and jealoufy againft his fovereign and
nephew, refufed abfolutely to barter his faith to ob-
tain the greateft good, or avoid the greateft: punifh-
ment, it was in the power of the king to inflid:*
After repeated trials, all to no purpofe, the king,
overcome by the inftigation of his enemies, banifh-
ed him to Anabra in Shawada, a low, unwholefome
diftridt amidft the mountains of Samen. But hear-
ing that he ftill kept correfpondence with the jefuits,
and that their common refolution was to folicit Por-
tuguefe troops from India, and remembering his
former oath, he fent orders to his place of exile to
put him to death, and he was in confequence hang-
ed upon a cedar-tree.

Tellez, the Portuguefe hiflorian, in his collec-
tion of martyrs that died for the faith in Abyffinia,
has defervedly inferted the name of Sela Chriftos ;
but profeffes that he is ignorant of the time of his
death, and under what fpecies of torment he fuffered.
The only information that I can give is what I have
juft now written. It was in the beginning of the
year 1634 he was carried to Shawada in chains, and
confined upon the mountain Anabra ; but no men-
tion is made of any other hardfhip being put upon
him than his being in irons, nor is more ufual in
that kind of banifhment. It was at the end of
that year, however, that he was executed in the
manner above mentioned, being fufpected of hav-
ing correfponded with the patriarch and Jeiuits,
and afterwards of inciting his nephew Claudius to

B 2 rebel.

4 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

icbel, as, it appears, he had meditated long before,
and actually did very foon after.

The 9th of March, 1633, the king ordered the
patriarch to leave Dancaz, and, with the reft of the
fathers, to proceed immediately to Fremona, under
the conduft of four people of the firft; confideration,
Tecla Georgis, brother of Keba Chriftos, Tecla
Saluce, one of the principal perfons in Tigre, and
two Azages, men of great dignity at court. Thefe
were joined by a party of foldiers belonging to
Claudius, brother of the king, fuppofed to have
been in the confpiracy with Sela Chriftos his uncle,
to fupplant his brother Facilidas by the help of the
Jefuits and Portuguefe troops from India. But as
foon as the patriarch had fallen into difgrace, and
Sela Chriftos loft his life, that prince returned to
the church of Alexandria, as did all the other fons
of Socinios ; after which, Claudius feized to his
own ufe all the lands and eff"ecls that he found in
Gojam, and was now by the king made governor of
Begemder. Under this efcort the patriarch and his
company arrived at Fremona in the end of April
1633, after having been often robbed and ill-
treated by the way, the guards that were given to
defend them conniving with the banditti that came
to rob them.

Howevex ftridly the fathers obferved the pre-
cepts of fcripture on other occafions, in this they
did not follow the line of conduct prefcribed by our
Saviour — " And whofoever ftiall not receive you,
*' nor hear your words, when you depart out of
" that houfe or city, ftiake oft' the duft of your

." feet.*

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 5

" feet." They were not fheep that went patiently
and dumb to the flaughter; and, if their hearts,
as they fay, were full of love and charity to Abyf-
linia, it was ftrangely acccompanied with the refo-
lution they had taken to fend Jerome Lobo, the
moft famous, becaufe the moft bigotted Jefuit of
the whole band, firft to the viceroy of India, and
then to Spain, to folicit an army and fleet which
were to lay all this kingdom in blood.

The king was perfed:ly advifed of all that pafled.
As he faw that the patriarch endeavoured to gain
time, and knew the reafon of it ; and, as the fathers
among them had a confiderable quantity of fire-
arms, he fent an officer to the patriarch at Fremo-
na, commanding him to deliver up the whole of
thefe, with gun-powder and other ammunition, and
to prepare, at the fame time, to fet out for Mafuah.
This at firfl the patriarch refufed to do. Nor did
Facilidas puniih this difobedience by any harfher
method than convincing him mildly of the impru-
dence and inutility of fuch refufal, and the bad
confequences to themfelves. Upon which the pa-
triarch at lafl furrendered the articles required to
the officer fent by the king, but he refolved very
differently as to the other injunction of carrying all
his brethren to Mafuah. On the contrary, he de-
termined by every means to fcatter them about the
kingdom of Abyflmia, and leave them behind if he
was forced to embark at Mafuah, which he, how-
ever, refolved to avoid and refifl to the utmofl: pf
his power.

In

6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

In order to do this, it was refolved that he ftiould
folicit the Baharnagafli (John Akay, then in rebel-
lion) to take them under his proteftion, and for
that purpofe to fend a number of armed men, on a
night appointed, to meet them near Fremona, and
carry them in fafety from any purfuit of the gover-
nor of Tigre. This projedl, extraordinary as it was,
uicceeded. Akay promifed them his proteftion.
The patriarch and pricfls, deceiving the guard the
king had fet upon them, efcaped in the night, and
joined the foldiers of John Akay, commanded by
Tecia Emanuel, who was ready to receive them ;
They took refuge at Addicota, the foldiers of the
guard, though alarmed, not daring to purfue them
in the night, as not knowing the number and
power of their proteftors, and fearing they might
fall into fome ambufh.

It may not be amifs here to take notice, that
this John Akay was the very man with whom Tecla
Georgis had aifociated for the murder of Abba
Jacob. He was a fhrewd man, and had great
power by living in the neighbourhood of Sennaar,
to which country he could retreat when occaiion
required. He received the patriarch with great
kindnefs.

Addicota is an inacceffible rock, perpendicular
ou all fides, excepting where there is a narrow path
by which was the entrance. Here the patriarch
thought he could continue in Abyffinia, in defiance
of Facilidas, till he fhould procure fuccours from
India.

It

THE SOURCE- OF THE NILE. 7

It was not, however, long before he found how
little dependence there was upon this new proteftor;
. for, in the raidil of all his fchemes, he received or-
ders to remove from Addicota, under pretence that
ihey were not there enough in fafety ; and Akay
transferred them vexatioufly from place to place,
into hot and unwholefome fituations, always under
the fame pretence, till he had deilroyed their healths,
and exhaufted their ftrength and patience.

There is but one way of difpofmg fuch people
to grant a favour, and it was furprifmg the patriarch
did not find this out fooner. • Jerome Lobo vfas
fent with a fmall prefent in gold, defiring they might
have leave to continue in their old habitation, Ad-
dicota, Lobo found John Akay very much taken
up in a purfuit that fome ignorant monks had put
into his head. They had made him believe that
there was a treafure hid under a certain mountain
which they had fiiewn him, but that the devil who
guarded it had conftantly hindered his predecefTors
from acquiring it. At prefent they had found out,
that this devil had gone a journey far off, was be-
come blind and lame, and was, befides, in very
great afflidlion for the death of a fon, the only
hopes of his devihhip's family, having now only a
daughter remaining, very ugly, lame, fquinting,
and fickly, and that all thefe reafons would hinder
him from being very anxious about his treafure.
But, even fuppofing he did come, they had an old
monk that would exorcife him, a man as eminent
for wifdom as for fandity.

In fhort, they produced a monk, one of their bre-
thren, above a hundred years old, whom ihey mount-
ed

8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

ed upon a horfe, then tied him to the animal, wrap-
ping him round with black wool, which, it feems,
was the conjuring habit. He was followed by a
black cow and fome monks, who carried beer, hy-
dromelj and roafted wheat, which was neceflary, it
feemed, to refrefli the devil after his long journey
and great affliftion, and put him in good humour,
if he fhould appear.

The old monk fung without ceafmg, the work-
men wrought vigoroufly, and much earth and ftones
were removed j at lafl: they difcovered fome rat,
mice, or mole-holes, at the fight of which a cry of
joy was heard from all the parties prefent.

The old monk fmgs again ; the cow is brought
in great hurry, and facrificed, and pieces of it thrown
to the rats and mice ; again they fall to work with
double keennefs, the mole-holes vanifh, and a hard
rock appears. This being the laft obftacle, they fall
keenly upon the rock, and the old monk chants till
he is hoarfe with fmging; the heat of the fun
is excefiive ; no gold appears ; John Akay lofes his
patience, and afks when it may be feen ? The monks
lay the whole blame upon him, becaufe, they fay,
he had not enough of faith. They give over work j
with one confent fall to eating the cow, and then
difperfe.

Father Jerome, takes the opportunity of this
difappointment, to abufe the monks. He prefents
the Baharnagalh with two ounces of gold, and fome
other trifles, inftead of the treafure which he was to
get in the mountain : he obtains the requeft he

came

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 9

came to folicit, and the patriarch and fathers return
to Addicota.

Facilidas, informed of the afylum afforded to
the Jefuits who had fled from Fremona, applied
to John Akay, promifmg him forgivenefs of what
was paft if he would deliver the priefts under his
protedion. This John Akay declined to do from
motives of delicacy. It was breaking his word to
deliver his guefl:s into the hands of the king ; but,
by a very ftrange refinement, he agreed to fell them
to the Turks. Accordingly they were delivered
for a fum to the baihaof Mafuah, who received
them with much greater kindnefs than they had ex-
perienced in the Chriftian country from which
they fled.

Two Jefuits were purpofely left behind, with the
confent of John Akay, unknown to Facilidas, in fer-
vent hopes that fome occafion would foon offer of
fuffering martyrdom for the true faith ; and in this
expedation they were not long difappointed, all
thpfe who were left in Abyffinia having loft their
lives by violent deaths, moft of them on a gibbet,
by order of Facilidas, the laft of whom was Bernard
Nogeyra.

Facilidas, weary of the obftinacy of thefe mif-
fionaries, uneafy alfo at the fufpicions they created,
that a number of Portuguefe troops would be poured
in upon his country by the viceroy of India, con-
cluded a treaty with the bafhas of Mafuah and Sua-;
kem, for preventing any Portuguefe paffing into
Abyffinia, by (hutting thefe ports againft them.
Not above eight years before, that is, in. .the year

16245

To TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

1624, Socinios had fent a zebra, and feveral other
curious articles, as prefents to the bafha of Suakem,
with a requefl: to him not to obftruft, as the Turks
had ufed to do, the entrance of any Portuguefe
into his dominions. But thofe times were now fo
^hanged, that both nations, Turks and Abyffinians,
had refolved, with one confent, to exclude them all,
for their mutual fafety, peace, and advantage.

This treaty with the Turks, niade by Facilidas,
probably gave rife to that calumny of the Jefuits,
that, for fear of a return of the Portuguefe, that
prince had embraced the Mahometan religion, and
fent for preceptors from Mocha to inftrud him ift
their tenets. This, I fay, if not founded upon the
treaty I mention, was deftitute of the leafl: Ihadow of
truth ; but, like other calumnies then propagated
in great number, arofe folely from the rage, malice,
and heated imaginations of defperate fanatics.

Amidfl the general regret this revolution in the
church of Ethiopia occafioned at Rome, there were
fome who*, thought the pride, obftinacy, and violence
of the Jefuits, the hardnefs and cruelty of their
hearts in inftigating Socinios to that perpetual ef-
fufion of blood, and their independence, their en-
croachments upon, and refiftance of the civil power,
were faults refulting from the inftitutions of that par-
ticular fociety, and that thefe occafioned the mif-
carriage ; that a well-grounded averfion to the
teachers had created a repugnance to the do£lrines
preached, and was the reafon of the expulfion of
the fathers, and the relapfe of Abyffinia to the Alex-
andrian faith. From this perfuafion, fix capuchins,

all

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. II

all of them Frenchmen of the reformed Order of
St. Francis, were fent from Rome after the death of
Nogeyra, by the congregation De Propaganda Fide,
and thefe had protections from the grand fignior.

Two attempted the entering AbylTmia by way of
the Indian Ocean, that is, from Magadoxa, and
were flain by the Galla, after advancing a very fhort
way into the country. Two of them penetrated
into Abyflinia, and were ftoned to death. The re-
raaining two hearing the fate of their com^panions at
Mafuah, and not being fo violently bent upon a
crown" of martyrdom as were the Portuguefe mif-
fionaries, prudently returned home, carrymg with
them the account of this bad fuccefs.

Three other capuchins were fent after this. It is
impoffible to judge from their condud what idea they
had formed : for they themfelves gave the firfl in-
formation of their intended corning to Facilidas, who
thereupon recoramended it to the bafha to receive
them according to their merits ; and thereupon, on
their arrival at Suakem, their heads were cut off by
his order ; the fkins of their heads and faces drip-
ped off and fent to the king of Abyffinia, that, by
their colour, he might know them to be Franks,
and by their tonfure to be priefts. Nor was it pof-
fible afterwards to introduce any Catholic miffiona-
ries, either during this or the following reign.

Facilidas having thus provided againft being
further 4ifturbed by mifiionaries, and havino- re-
duced all his fubjcdls to the obedience of the Alex-
andrian church, fent again meflcjigers to brinp- an

Abuna

1% TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Abuna from Cairo, while he took the field againfl:
Meica Chriftos his rival, who continued in arms at
the head of the peafants of Lafta, though there was
now no longer any pretence that the Alexandrian
faith was in dapoer. Both armies met in Libo, a
country of the Galla, where a panic feized the king's
troops, his horfe flying at the firfl: onfet. The royal
army bemg entirely difperfed, Melca Chriftos pur-
fued his good fortune, and entered the king's palace,
took pofl'efiion of the throne, and was crowned j he
appointed to all the great places in government, and
didributed a largefs, or bounty, to his foldiers.

The Portuguefe hilloiians fay, that this happened
at Dancaz, not at Libo. But they fhould have re-
membered what they before have faid, that an epi-
demic fever raged in all Dembea, fo that the king
was not at Dancaz that year. He pafled the winter
of the preceding one at Dobit, near Begemder.

The memoirs of thefe milfionaries, even when
they were in the country, are to be read with great
caution, being full of mifreprefentations of the man-
ners and charafters of men, magnifying fome ani-
ons, flighting others, and attributing to their fa-
vourites fervices that were really performed by their
adverfaries ; and, from the coming of Alphonfo
Mendes, till they were banilhed to Mafuah, great
part of their account is untrue, and the reft very
fufpicious. After their retiring to India, which is
the time we are now fpeaking of, the whole that
they have publiflied is one continued tiflue of falfe-
hood and calumny, either hear-fay ftories commu-
nicated to them, as they fay, by the remnants of

zealots

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I3

zealots ftill alive in Abyffinia, or fabrications of their
own, invented for particular purpofes. In conti-
nuing this hiftory, I (hall take notice of fome of thefe,
though for fads I rely entirely upon the annals of
the country, treating, however, the AbyfTinian ac-
count of the Jefuits doftrints and behaviour^ith the
fame degree of caution.

This forwardnefs of his rival Meica Chriflos did
not difcourage Facilidas. "Without lofing a mo-
ment, he fent exprefles to Kafmati Dimmo, go-
vernor of Samen, to Ras Sela Chriftos, of Damot,
and to his brother Claudius, governor of Begemdcr,
ordering them to march and attack Melca Chriftos,
then acting as fovereign in the king's palace atLibo.

Thefe three generals were not flack in obeying
the commands of Facilidas. They furrounded
Melca Chriftos before he expelled them, and forced
him to a battle, in which he was defeated and loft:
his whole army. He himfelf, fighting manfuily at
the head of his troops, was flain hand to hand by
Cofmas, a foldier of Kafmati Claudius, the king's
brother.

Jerome Lobo mentions Facilidas's bad fuccefs
againft the Gallas and Agows as an inftance of
divine vengeance which purfued him. But if the
approbation or difapprobation of heaven is to be ap-
pealed to in this reign as a proof of the juftnefs
of the meafures taken, . we muft be obliged to
fay the caufe of the Jefuits was not the caufe of
heaven. If we except the temporary advantage
gained over Facilidas, and the accident that happened
to his army at Lafta, perpetual viftory had attended

the

14 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

the wars in which this prince was engaged ; for fo
far was he from being unfortunate this campaign
againft the Agows, that on the 9th of Februarys
16365 he marched from Libo into Gojam, and to-
tally defeated the two great tribes Azena and Zee-
gam. . After which he fent his army with Kafmati
Melca Bahar, who coming up with the Galla, a
great body of whom had made an incurfion into
Gojam, he totally overthrew them, and pafling the
Nile into their country, laid it wafte, and returned
with a great number of cattle, and multitudes of
women and children to be fold as Haves.

The king then returned to Begemder, and took
up his head-quarters at Gonfala ; butj foon hearing
that the Abuna Marcus was arrived, he quitted that
place, and came to meet him in Gondar.

The next year, which was the fifth of his reign,
and the firfl of the coming of Abuna Marcus, he
attain fought with the Agows, and beat the Denguis,
Hancalha, and the Zeegam, and palled that winter
in Gafat j nor was he ever unfortunate with the
Agows or Galla. But a misfortune happened this
year (the 6th of his reign) which very much af-
feded the whole kingdom. The people of Lada
feemed to grow more inveterate after the defeat
they had received under Melca Chriftos. In the
ftead of that prince, flain in battle, they appointed
his fon, a young man of good hopes.

Facilidas, trufting to his former reputation ac-
quired in thefe mountains in his father's time, on
the 3d of March, 1638, advanced with. a large army
into Lafta, with a defign to bring thefe peafants to

a battle.

THE SOURCE OF THE NlLE. Ig

a battle. But the rebels, growing wife by their loffes,
no longer chofe to truft themfelves on the plain,
but retiring to the ftrongeft polls, fortified them fo
judicioufly, that, without rifking any lofs them-
felves, they cut off all fupplies or provifions coming
to the king's army.

It happened at that time the cold was fo excef-
five that almoft the whole army perifhed amidft the
mountains; great part from famine, but a greater
flill from cold, a very remarkable circumftance in
thefe latitudes. Lafta is barely 1 2^ from the Line,
and it was now the equinox in March, fo that the
fun was but 1 2° from being in the zenith of Lafta,
and there was in the day twelve hours of fun. Yet
here is an example of an army, not of foreigners but
natives, perifhing with cold in their own country,
when the fun is no farther than 12° from being ver-
tical, or from being diredly over their heads ; a
ftrong proof of this, as I have often remarked, that
there is no way of judging by the degrees of heat in
the thermometer, what effed that degree of heat or
cold is to have upon the human body.

The eighth year of the reign of Facilidas, Clau-
dius, governor of Begemder, his brother, revolted
and joined the rebels of Lafta. It feems, that this
prince had been long encouraged by the Jefuits,
and his uncle Sela Chriftos, in expedation of fuc-
ceeding his father Socinios, and fupplanting Faci-
lidas, his brother, in the kingdom. But, after the
baniftiment of the Jefuits, and the death of Sela
Chriftos, Facilidas thinking, thefe bad counfellors
being removed, he would continue firm in his duty,

and

l5 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

and willing to dilibelieve the whole that had been
reported of his dcfigns, made him governor of
Begemder.

It happened, however, that this very year two
Ahnmas arrived from Egypt, one by way of Sennaar,
the other by Dancali. Upon inquiry it was founds
that Abba Michael, the latter of thefe Abunas, had
been fent for by Kafmati Claudius, in expectation
that he was to be on the throne by the time of his
Abuna's arrival. This implied clearly that the
king's death was agreed on. Claudius, without at-
tempting a vindication, or awaiting the difcuffion of
this ftep, fled to Lafta, and joined Laeca, fon of Melca
Chriftos, a youth then at the head of the rebels.

Facilidas banifiied Abba Michael to Serke, a
Mahometan town in the way to Sennaar, and ad-
mhted Abba Johannes, whom he himfelf had fent
for from Cairo, into the oflice of Abuna.

Soon after this, Claudius was furprifed and taken
prifoner, and brought to the king, and, though
ftained in a high degree with ingratitude, treafon,
and intended fratricide, he could not be brought to
order his execution, but, like a wife and merciful
prince, reflefting on the ancient ufages of the empire,
and how much royal blood might be daily faved
by fequefl:ering the defcendents of the imperial fa-
mily upon the mountain, he chofe that of Wechne
in Beleflfen, which ferved ever after for this pur-
pofe.

This is the third mountain within the reach of
written hiftory, firllchofen, and then reprobated, as

a flate-

TrfS SOURCE OF THE NILE. I7

a ftate-prifon for all the males of the royal family,
excepting the one feated upon the throne.

This interruption of the imprifoninent of the
princes for a time, and the refuming it again for ano-
ther period, have led the Portuguefe writers, very
little acquainted with the hiftory or conftitution of
this country, into various difputes and difficulties,
which I (hall fully explain and reconcile in their
proper place. It is fufficient for the prefent to ob-
ferve, that Claudius was fent into exile to the moun-
tain of Wechne, and that he was the firft prince ba-
nilhed thither, where he lived for many years.

The king, finding that nothing ntaterial prefled
at home, marched into Gojam to Enzagedem,
whence he fent Ras Bela Chriftos againft the Shan-
galla, N. W. of the country of the Agows. Thefe
people being put upon their guard by their neigh-
bours, all difaffedled to the king, contrived to place
themfelves in ambufh fo judicioufly, that Bela Chrif-
tos, marching in fecurity into their country, was fur-
rounded by the Shangalla, whom he thought yet at
a diftance. Great part of his troops was flain by
the arrows of the enemy, who, from their caves
and holes in the mountain, poured their miffile
weapons, ftones, and arrows on the troops, at fo
fmall a diftance that every one took place, though
above the reach of fwords, and lances, or fuch com-
mon weapons ; others were overpowered by large
bodies of men fallying from the thickets, and fight-
ing them firmly foot to foot. Many officers were
that day flain, among the reft Alzague and Petros,
two perfons of greatj^ftjndion in the palace. But

Vol. III. " C the

iS TRAVELS Td DISCOVER

the king, however afflifted for the lofs of his men)
well knev/ that this defeat would have no other con-
fequences ; fo returned to his capital, with refo-
lution to make another vigorous effort againft

Lafla. -^

The manner in which this expedition was pre-
vented cannot but give us a high ideaof Facilidas ;
Laeca, at the head of an army of veteran troops,
whofe affection he never had occafion to doubt,
thought it fafer to truft to the generofity of a king,
who had flain his father in battle, than to the ac-
quiring a crown that was not his, by perfevering any
longer in rebellion. Accordingly he furrendered
himfelfi without condition, to Facilidas, who imme-
diately committed him to prifon, which feeming
feveritv, however, meant nothing further, than to
Ihew him the lenity which followed was entirely
his own, and not fuggefled to him by the olficiouf-
nefs of courtiers ; for t.o fooner was he arrived at
Gondar, than he fent for Laeca from prifon, re-
ceived him not only kindly, but with great marks
of diftinftion ; and, inftead of banifhing him to
Wechne, as he did his own brother Claudius, and
which, as being of blood-royal, fhould have been
his deftination likewife, the king entered into a
kind of treaty with Laeca, by which he gave him
large pofTefTions in Begemder near Lafla, and mar-
ried him to his daughter Theoclea, by whom, how-
ever, he had no children, but lived long in conftant
friendfliip and confidence with Facilidas.

•Except the events which I have already recorded,
there is nothing farther in. this lon^ reign worthy of

being

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE* 19

being infifted upon ; the early inroads of the Galla^
in plundering parties, and the feditions and revolts
of the Agows from the oppreffion and extortion of
their governors, were fuch as wq find in every reign ;
and in all thefe Facilidas was victorious whilfl the
Hancafha and Zeegam were greatly weakened in
thefe campaigns.

, Facilidas was taken ill at Gondar, in the end
of 06lober, of a difeafe which, from its firfl; ap-
pearance, he thought would prove mortal. He,
therefore, fent to his eldefl: fon Hannes, whom he
had conftantly kept with him, and who was now
of age to govern, and recommended to him his
kingdom, and the perfevering in the ancient religion.
He died the 3Gth of September, 1665, in great peace
and compofure of mind, and they buried him at
Azazo.

If we are obliged to give his fathei* the preference,
from the greater variety of trials which he undei^-
went, we muft in juftice allow, that, after his fathe-^^
Facilidas was the greatefl king that ever fat upon
the Abyflinian throne. He had every good qualitv^
necelTary to conftitute a great prince, without any
alloy or mixture, that, upon fo much provocation a ;
he had, might have milled him to be a bad one.
He was calm, difpaffionate, and courteous in h's be^
haviour. In the very difficult part he had to aft
between his father and the nation, the neceffities of
the times had taught him a degree of referve, which,
if it was not natural, was not therefore the kfi
ufeful to him. He was in his own perfon the

C 3 braveil

ao TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

braveft foldier of his time, and always expofed hini-
felf in proportion as the occafion was important.

To this were added all the qualities of a good
general, in which character he feems to have
equalled his father Socinios, who elfe was univerfally
allowed to be the firft of his time. Fierce and vio-
lent in battle, he was backward in fhedding blood
after it. Though an enemy to the Catholic reli-
gion, yet, from duty to his father, he lived with the
patriarch and Jefirits upon fo familiar a footing, that
they confefs themfelves it was not from any part of
his behaviour to them they ever could judge him an
enemy. He v/as mod remarkable for an implicit
fubmii'ion to his father's commands ; and upon
this principle, fought in favour of the Catholic re-
ligion againft his own friends and perfuafion, be-
caufe fuch were the orders of his fovereign. He was
of a very mild and pleafant temper, as appeared by
*js behaviour to Melca Chriftos, to his brother
Claudius, to his uncle Sela Chrilios, and to the pa-
triarch and Jefuits.

It is true, that, of thefe laft, Sela Chriftos, and
many of the Jefuits, were put to death in his reign ;
but this was not till they had experienced repeated
a£ts of mercy and forgivenefs ; ftill, perfifting in
conflant rebellion againil: government, they were
iuftly cut off as traitors and rebels by the civil power,
in the very a6t of their confpiracy againft the life of
the kin'>- and corlfHtution of tlie country.

There is publiHied by Tellez a letter of Al-
phonfo Mendes, written, as is falfely fald, from Ma-
fuah, where it is dated, but truly from Goa. If,

rs

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. Zl

as the patriarch pretends, he wrote it from Mafuah,
k is another proof of thisprince's clemency, that
he ever fuffered the author of fuch an indecent
Hbel to return to India in peaces It is well known,
that, on the firft requifition of Facilidas, the Turks
would have delivered the patriarch into his hands j
and, every one that reads it mufl allow fuch lan-
guage from a low-born priefl to a king, deferved
every exemplary punifliment offended royalty could
inflicl : k would not have been mild, had fuch
liberty been taken by a (Iranger in bis native country,
Portugal.

The patriarch accufes Facilidas with the crime
committed by Abfalom, which is I fuppofe, de-
bauching his father's wives and concubines. But,
unluckily for the truth of this ftory, we have the
Jefuit's own teftimony, that Socinios had put away
his wives and concubines before he embraced the
Catholic religion, fo at his father's death this was
impcffible, unlefs he could commit incefl with his'
own mother, who was at that time a woman near
(ixty. But we (liall fuppofe that they exifted, were
never married, and, at the time of their being put
away, they were 18 years of age at an average.
The king put them away in the year 1621 ; and,
therefore, in the year 1634, they would be 30 years
of age ; and any body that has feen the eirc<5ls that
number of years has upon Abyfiinian beauty, miiii.
con'efs they could be no great temptation to a
prince.

-The next calumny mentioned in this libel is, the
murder qfhis brother Claudius, nay, of ail his bro-

%% TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

thers. Now we have feen, in the hiftory of his
reign, that Claudius had fairly forfeited his life by
a meditated fratricide, and by an overt act of rebel-
lion in which he was taken prifoner. Y6t fo mild
and placable was Facilidas, that he refufed to put
him to death, but fent him prifoner to the moun-
tain'of Wechne, and mercifully revived the anci-
ent ilfage of banifhing the princes of the blood royal
to the mountain, inftead of e^cecuting them, which
had been the pradice to his time, and had occafioned
the death of above fixty of thefe v^nfortunate princes
within the lafl hundred years.

To mount Wechn^ he alfo fent his own fon David,
and with him all his brothers ; and, fo far from be-
Jng murdered, we fhall find them moftly alive at-
tending an extraordinary feflival made for their
fakes by Facilidas's grandfon ; an accident fo rare,
that it feems Providence had permitted it in favour
and vindication of truth and innocence, and to
flamp the lie upon the patriarch's fcandalous af-
perfions.

The third falfehood is, that Facilidas turned Ma-
hometan, and got do6lors from Mocha to inftruft
him in the Koran. We have already feen what gave
rife to this, if it indeed had any foundation at all j
but it is a well-known fa6t, that, though he go-
verned the church, during a whole reign, mildly
and judicioufly, without any- mark of bigotry, never
were two princes better affefled to the Alexandrian
church than Facilidas and his fon ; and never were
two that had better reafon, having both ittn the
diforders that other religions had occafioned.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 23

We fee throughout all this piece of the patriarchsg
a felf-fufficient mind, gratifying itfelf by difgorging
its paffion and malice. If Aiphonfo Mendes had no
regard, as it feems indeed he had not ; if he had
no reverence to higher powers, fuch as fcripture
had taught him to have ; if he was too enlightened,
or too infatuated, to take our Saviour's precepts^ for
his rule, and, fhaking the duft of Abyffinia from his
feet, remit them to a Judge who will, at his o\vn
time, feparate good from evil, flill he fhould have
had, at lead, a brotherly love and charity for thofe
unfortunate people who were to fall into Facilidas's
hands ; and we cannot reafonably fuppofe but that
the conftant butcheries committed by the Turks
afterwards upon the Catholic priefls, wild enough
to enter at Mafuah and Suakem, were the fruits of
the calumnious, intemperate libel of the patriarch.

After the death of the laft miffionary, Bernard
Nogeyra, no intelligence arrived of what was doino-
in Abyffinia, excepting from the Dutch fettlements
of Batavia, where Abyffinian fadors, or merchants,
had arrived ; and where the induflrious Mr. Lu-
dolf, very much engaged in the hiftory of this coun-
try, and who fpared no pains, maintained a cor-
refpondence, and thence he was informed that Fa-
cilidas had died after a long and profperous reio-n,
and had left his kingdom in peace to his fon.

This intelligence alarmed the zeal of two great
champions of the Jefuits ; the one M. le Grande
late fecretary to the French embaiTy to Portuf al ;
a^d the other M. Piques, a nxember of the Sorbonne,

a very

24 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

a very confufed, dull difputant upon the difFerence
of religion.

Thefe two worthies, without any proof or intelli-
gence but their own warm and weak imaginations,
fell violently upon poor Ludolf, accufmg him of
falfehood^ partiality, and prevarication ; and, right or
wrong, they would have Facilidas plunged up to the
neck in troubles, wading through labyrinths of mif-?
fortunes, confpiracies, and defeats, certainly dead,
or about to die fome terrible death by the venge-
ance of heaven ; and this ridiculous report is un-?
juftly fpread abroad by all the zealots of thofe times.
Fata objiant ; — truth will out. The annals of the
country, written without a regard to either party.
Hate, that, in the long reign of Facilidas, notwith-
ftanding the calamitous ftate in. which his father
left him the empire, very few misfortunes only are
reported to have happened either to himfelf or lieu-
ttiiants.

■^hM

lIANNES I. OR GELAFE SEGUED.

From 1665 ^^ .1680.

Ligoli\> of the King — Difgujls his Sfin Tafous^ who
files from Gondar,

i F this prince fucceeded to his kingdom in peace,
he had the addrefs ftill to keep it fo. He was not in
{\ii nature averfe t© war, though, befides two feeble

attempts

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. Sg

attempts he made upon Lafta, and one agalnft the
Shangalla, all without material confequertces, no
military expedition was undertaken in his time ; and
no rebellion or competitor (fo frequent in other
reignsj at all difturbed his.

Hannes feems to have had the feeds ^f bigotry
in his temper ; from the beginning of his reign he
commanded the Mahometans to eat no other flefh
but what had been killed by Chrifljans ; and ga-
thered together the Catholic books, which the
Jefuits had tranflated into the Ethiopic language,
and burned them in a heap. Much of his atten-
tion was given to church matters, and, in regu-
lating thefe he feems to have employed moft of his
time. He depofed the Abuna Chriftadulus, ap-
pointed by his father, and in his- place put the Abuna
Sanuda?

This lafl: meafure feems to have difpleafed his
eldefl fon Yafous, who fled from the palace one
night, and pafled the Nile ; and though he was fol-
lowed by Kafmati Aferata Chriftos, he was not
overtaken, but flaid fome time in his filler's houfe,
and then returned to Gondar at the requefl: of his
father.

A convocation of the clergy, the fecond in
this reign, was now held, and great heats and divi-
fions followed • among two orders of monks, thofe
of Euftathius and thofe of Debra Libanos. The
king feems to have aflifted at all thefe debates, and
to have contented himfelf with holding the balance
in his hands without declaring for either party. But
l^iefe altercations and cfifputes could not fatisfy the

adive

/I

Z6 TKAVELS TO DISCOVER

active fpirit of the prince his fon, who again fled
from his father and from Gondar, but was ovei»-
taken at the river Bafhilo, and brought back to the
palace, where he found his father ill.

Hannes died the 19th of July, and was buried
at Tedda, after having reigned 15 years. He feems,
from the fcanty memorials of his long reign, to
have been a weak prince ; but, perhaps, if the
circumftances of the times were fully known, he
may have been a wife one.

Y A S O U S I.

From 16S0 to f704.

Brilliant Expedition of the King to Wechm — Various
Campaigns againji the Agows and Galla — Comet
appears — Expedition againji Zeegam and the Eaf-
tern Shangalla — Poncefs yourney — Murafs Efu-
lajjy — E)u Roule*s Emhajfy — Du Roule ajfajfinated
at Sennaar-^The King is ajfajfinated.

1 ASOUS fucceeded his father Hannes with the
approbation of the whole kingdom. He had, as
we have feen twice in Hannes*s life-time abfconded
from the palace ; and this*' was interpreted as imply-
ing an impatience to reign. But I rather think the
caufe was a difference of manners, his father being

extremely

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. %"]

(Extremely bigotted, fordid, and covetous ; for he
never, in thofe elopements, pretended to make a
party contrary to his father's interefl, nor ihewed
the lead inclination to give either the army or the
people a favourable impreffion of himfelf, to the
difadvantage of the king. There vi^as, befides, a
difference in religious principles. Yafous had a
great prediledion for the monks of Debra Libanos,
or the high church ; while Hannes, his father, had
done every thing in his power to inflil into his
fon a prepofTeflion in favour of thofe of Abba Euf-
tathius.

To thefe opinions, therefore, fo widely different,
as well in religion as the things of the world, I at-
tribute the young prince's difmclination to live with
his father. This feems confirmed by the firfl ftep
he took upoii his mounting the throne, which was
to make an alteration in the church government
from what his father had left it at his death.

It' was on the 7th of July, 1680, he was
proclaimed king ; the next day he depofed the Acab
Saat Conflantius, and gave his place"^ to Afera Chrif-
tos. He then called a council of the clergy on the
27th of September, when he depofed Itchegue
Tzaga Chriftos, and in his room named Cyriacus.
It was now the time that, according to cuftom,
he was to make his profeflion in regard to the dif-
ference I have formerly mentioned that fubfifted be-
tween the two parties about the incarnation of
Chrift. But this he refufeti to do in the prefent
flate of the church, as there was then no certain
Abuna in Abyflinia. For Hannes, before he died,
had written to the patriarch of Alexandria to depofe

both

'SS TRAVELS TO UISCOVEK.

both Abuna Chriflodulus and Marcus, who, in
cafe of death, was to have fucceeded him, and this
isnder pretence that he had varied in his faith be-
tween the two contending parties.

Hannes, therefore, defired the patriarch to ap-
point Abuna Sanuda, a man known to be devoted
to the monks of St. Euftathius and their tenets ;
•whereas the other two priefts were fuppofed to be
inclined to the monks of Debra Libanos. Yafous
told his clergy that he would not fuffer Sanuda to
be eleded ; and the aflembly, with little oppofition,
conformed to the fentiments of the king, who fent
immediately thereupon to Cairo, demanding peremp-
torily that Marcus might be appointed Abuna, and
declaring his refolution to admit no other. He then
ordered the church of Tecla Haimanout to be con-
fecrated with great folemnity; he repaired and
adorned it with much magnificence, and endowed
it with lands, which increafed its revenue very con-
fklerably.

Thefe two circumflances (efpecially the laft)
fcewad diftindly to the whole kingdom his affection
for the high church, as explicitly as any proclama-
rion could have done. And in this he continued
jteatly during his whole life, notwithflanding the
Tiiany provocations he met with from that reftlefs
body of men.

Slaving thus fettled the affairs of the church, he
proceeded to thofe of the ftate, and appointed
Anaftafius (then governor of Amhara) to be Ras,
or lieutenant-general, in his whole kingdom, allow-
ing him alfo to keep his province of Amhara. In
this be (hcweda wifdom and penetration that gained

him

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 39

him the good opinion of every one ; for Anaftafius
was a man advanced in years, of great capacity and
experience, and of a mod unblemifhed charader
among his neighbours, who, in all their own affairs,
had recourfe to, and were determined by, his coun-
fels.

The king then took a journey of a very extraor-
dinary nature, and fuch as Abyffinia had never be-
fore feen. Attended only by his nobility, of whom
a great number had flocked to him, he fat down at
the foot of the mountain of Wechne, and ordered
all the princes of the royal family who were ba-
Hifbed, and confined there, to be brought to him.

During the laft reign, the mountain of Wechne,
and thofe forlorn princes that lived upon it, had
been, as it were, totally forgotten. Hannes having
fons of an age fit to govern, and his eldefl: fon Yafous
living below with his father, no room feemed to
remain for attempting a revolution, by the young
candidates efcaping from the mountain. This obli-
vion to which they were configned, melancholy as
it was, proved thebeft flate thefe unhappy prifoners
could have wiflied ; for to be much known for
either good or bad qualities, did always at fome
period become fatal to the individuals. Punlihment
always followed inquiries after a particular prince j
and all meffages, queftions, or vifits, at the inltance
of the king, were conftcintly forerunners of the
lofs of life, or amputation of limbs, to thefe un-
happy exiles. l"o be forgotten, then, was to be
fafej but this fafety carried very heavy diftrels
along with it. The revenues were embezzled by
their officers or keepers, and ill paid by the Jcing^

and

5^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

and the fordid temper of Hannes had often reduced
them all to the danger of perifhing with hunger
and cold.

Yafoiis, as he was well acquainted with all thefe
circumflances, fo he was, in his nature and difpo-
fition, as perfectly willing to repair the injuries that
were pall;, and prevent the like in future. Nothing
tended fo much to conciliate the minds of the peo-
ple to their fovereign as this behaviour of Yafous*

In the midll of his relations there now appeared
(as rifen from the dead j Claudius, fon of Socinios,
the firfl: exile who was fent to the mountain of
Wechne by his brother Facilidas, grandfather of
Yafous. This was the prince who, as we have al-
ready dated, was fixed upon by the Jefuits to fuc-
ceed his father, and govern that country when
converted to the Romifh religion by their intrigues,
and conquered by the arms of the Portuguefe : This
was the prince who, to make their enemies appear
more odious, thefe Jefuits have afTerted was flain
by his brother Facilidas, one inftance by which we
may judge of the juftice of the other charges laid
agalnfl: that humane, wife, and virtuous prince,
whofe only crime was an inviolable attachment to
the religion and conftitution of his country, and
the juft abhorrence he mofl: reafonably had, as an
independent prince, to fubmit the prerogatives of
his crown, and the rights of his people to the
blind controul of a foreign prelate.

There came from the mountain alfo the fons of
Facilidas, with their families ; and likewife his own
brothers, Ayto Theophilus, and Ayto Claudius,
fons of his father Hatze Hannes. The fight of fo

many

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 3 1

many noble relations, fome advanced in years, feme
in the flower of their youth, and fome yet chil-
dren ; all, however, in tatters, and almoft naked,
made fuch an impreffion on the young king that
he burft into tears. Nor was his behaviour to the
refpeftive degrees of them lefs proper or engaging.
To the old he paid that reverence and refpeO: due
to parents ; to thofe about his own age, a kind
and liberal familiarity ; while he bellowed upon the
young ones c.irefles and commendations, fweetened
with the hopes that they might fee better times.

His firft care was to provide them all plentifully
with apparel and every neceflary. His brothers he
drefled like himfelf, and his uncles ftill more richly.
He then divided a large fum of money among'
them all.

In the month of December, which is the plea-
fantefl feafon of the whole year, the fun being mo-
derately hot, the Iky conftantly clear and without
a cloud, all the court was encamped under the
mountain, and the inferior fort flrewed along the
grafs. All were treated at the expence of the king,
palTmg the day and night in continual feftivals. It
is but right, faid the king, that I fliould pay for
a pleafure fo great that none of my predecefTors
ever dared to tafte it j and of all that noble aflem-
bly none feemed to enjoy it more fmcerely than the
king. All pardons folicited for criminals at this
time were granted. In this manner having fpent a
whole month, before his departure the king called
for the deftar, (/. e. the treafury book) in which
the account of the fum allowed for the maintenance
of thefe prifoners is dated -, and having inquired

, itriclly

3^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

ftridly into the expenditure, and cancelled all grants
that had been made of any part of that fum to
others, and provided in future for the full, as well
as yearly payment of it, he, for his lad ad, gave
to the governor of the mountain a large acceffioii
of territory, to make him ample amends for the
lofs of the dues he was underftood to be intitled to
from that revenue. After this, he embraced them
all, alTuring them of his conftant protedion ; and,
mounting his horfe, he took the keeper along with
him, leaving all the royal family at their liberty at
the foot of the mountain.

This lafl: mark of confidence, more than all the
reft, touched the minds of that noble troop, who
hurried every man with his utmoft fpeed to reftore
themfelves voluntarily to their melancholy prifon,
imputing every moment of delay as a ftep towards
treafon and ingratitude to their munificent, com-
paffionate, and magnanimous benefadlor. All their
way was moiftened with tears flowing from fenfible
and thankful hearts ; and all the mountain refounded
with prayers for the long life and profperity of the
king, and that the crown might never leave the
lineal defcendents of his family. It was very re-
markable, that, during this long reign, though he
was conftantly involved in war, no competitor from
the mountain ever appeared in breach of thofc
vows they had fo voluntarily undertaken.

There was another great advantage the king
reaped by this generous condu6t. All the moft
powerful and confiderable people in the kingdom.
had an opportunity, at one view, to fee each in-
dividual of the royal family that was capable of

wearing

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. S^

Wearing the crown, and all with one voice agreed^
upon the comparifon made, that, if they had been
then affembled to eleft a king, the choice would
not have fallen upon any but the prefent.

Though the country of the Agows of Damot is
generally plain and laid out in pafture, each tribe has
ibme mountain to which, upon the alarm of an enemy,
they retire with their flocks. The Galla, being
their neighbours on the other fide of the Nile to the
fouth,and the Shangalla in the low country immedi-
ately to the weft, thefe natural fortreffes are frequently
of the greateft ufe during the incurfions of both.

They alone, of all the nations of Abyffiniaj have
found it their intereft fo far to cultivate their neigh-
bours the Shangalla, that there are places fet apart
in which both nations can trade with each other in
fafety ; where the Agows fell copper, iron, beads,
fldns, or hides, and receive an immenfe profit in
gold ; for, below thefe to the fouth and weft^ is
the gold country neareft Abyflinia, none of that me-
tal being any where found in Abyflinia itfelf.

Yafous, from this country of the Agows, de-
fcended into that of the Shangalla ; where, con-
forming to the ancient cuftom of Abyflinia he hunted
the elephant and rhinoceros, the ordinary firfl ex-
pedition in the kings his predeceflbrs reigns, but
the fecond in his; the firfl having been (as before
Hated) fpent in charity and mercy, much more no-
t)ly, at the foot of the mountain of Wechne.

Yafous is reported to have been the moft graceful

and dexterous horfeman of his time. He diftin-

guifhed himfelf in this hunting as much for his

addrefs and courage againft: the beafls, as he had.

Vol.. Ill, B for

34 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

for a fhort while before, done by his affability, gene-
rofity, and benevolence, amidfi: his own family. All
was praife, all was enthufiafm, wherever the young
king prefented himfelf ; the ill-boding monks and
hermits had not yet dared to foretel evil, but every
coniripn mouih predi£ied this was to be an active,
vigorous, and glorious reign, without being thought
by this to have laid any pretenfion to the gift of
prophecy.

It was now the fecond year of his reign when the
king took the field with a fmall, but very well cho-
fen army. The Edjow and Woolo, two of the molt
powerful tribes of fcmthern Galla, taking advantage
of the abfence of Ras Anaftafius, had entered Am-
hara by a pafs, on the fide of which is fituated
Melee Shimfa, one of the principal towns of the
province.

The king, leaving old Anaftafms to the govern-
ment of Gondar, took upon himfelf the relief of
Amhara ; and being joined by all the troops in his
way, he arrived at Melee Shimfa before the Galla
had any intelligence of him. The Galla always
chofe for their refidence a very level country, be-
caufe they are now become all horfemen. The
country of Amliara, on the contrary, is fall of high
mountains, and only accellible by certain narrow
paffes. The king, therefore, inftead of marching di-
rectly to the enemy, pafled above them, and left them
Hill advancing, burning the villages and churches in
the country below. He then took poffeflion of the
pafs (through which he knew they muft retreat) with
a ilrong body of troops ; and filled the entrance of
the defile^ which was very rugged ground, with fu-

fileers.

'tHK SOURCE OF THE NILE. 35

fileers, and his bed foot armed with lances : aftet
this, he feparated his horfe into two diviiioiis, and j
teferving one half to himfelf, gave the other to Kaf-
mati Demetrius. He then placed the troops con^
du<^ed by himfelf in a wood, about half a mile from
the entrance of the pafs, and ordered Demetrius to
fall upon the Galla brifldy on the plain, but to re-
treat as if terrified by their numbers, and to make
the bed of his way then to the pafs in the mountains.

Demetrius, finding the enemy's parties fcattered
wide wafting the country, fell upon them, and flew
many, till he had arrived near the middle of theil?
body, when the Galla, ufed to fuch expeditionsj
poured in from all fides, and prefently united.
Demetrius, furrounded on every fide, was flain,
fighting to the laft in the moft defperate manner,
and his party j much diminifhed in number^ fled in
a manner that could not be miftaken for ftratagemi
They were clofely purfued, and followed into the
pafs by the Galla, who thought they had thus en-
tirely cut them off from Amhara. But they were
foon received by a clofe fire from the foot amon"-
the bufhes, and by the lances that mingled with
them from every fide of the mountain.

The king, upon the firft noife of the mufquetry,
advanced quickly with his horfe, and met the Galla
in the height of their confufion, flying back again
into the plain. Here they fell an eafy facrifice to the
frefh troops led by Yafous, and to the peafants, ex-
afperated by the havoc they before had made in
the country. Of the enemy, about 6000 men fell
this day on the field ; a few were brouoht to Gondar
find, in contempt, fold for flaves. Few on tfie

^ a king's

<c

$6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

klrig*sfide were flain, excepting thofe that fell with
Demetrius, the account of whofe death the king
heard without any figns of regret : — -" I told the
man (fays the king) that he fhould fhew himfelf
2nd retire , if I wanted a vidlory I would have led
the arrrty in perfon ; I march againfl: the Galla,
not as a king, but as an executioner, becaufe my
aim is to extirpate them."
Although Yafous was fledfaft in his own opinion
as to his religion, or, as it may be more properly
called, the difputes and quibbles with the monks
concerning it, yet he fuffered each fed: to enjoy its
own, andj probably, in his heart he perfectly defpifed
both.

The monks, however, wete far from poflefling
any fuch fpirit of toleration. They confidered the
depofing of AcabSaat, Conftantius and the Itche-
gue Izaga Chriftos, as a declaration of diflike the
king entertained towards their party. They bore
with great impatience and indignation, that Abuna
Saniida, who was once their zealous partizan in
the time of Hannes, fhould now fuddenly change
Iiis fentiments, and declare implicitly for thofe of
the king, and thereby ificreafe both the number and
the confequence of their adverfaries. They declared
that they would fuffer every thing rather than live
under a king who (hewed himfelf fo openly a fa-
vourer of Debra Libanos, though it was now but
their turn, having in the lad reign had a king more
partial, and more attached to St. Kuftathius, than
ever Yafous was to any fet of monks whatever.

The ringleaders in all thefe feditious declarations
vi^ei'e Abba Tebedin, fuperior of the monaftery of

Gongda,

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 37

Gondga, and Kafmati Wall of Damot, by orign a
Galla. Thefe two turbulent men, having firfl: drawn
over to their party the Agov^ and province of
Damot, pafled over the Nile to Goodero and Baflb,
whom they joined, and then proclaimed king one
Ifaac, 'grandfon of Socinios a prince, who was
never fent to the mountain, but whofe predecefibrs,
being at liberty when Faciiidas firft baniflied
his brothers and children to Wechne, had fled
to t^e Galla, and there remained in obfcurity,
waiting -the jun£ture which now happened to declare
his royal defcent, and offer himfelf for king.

The Galla, who fought but a pretence for in-
yading AbyfTinia, readily embraced tills opportunity,
and fwarmed to him on all fides. His army, in a
very fkort time, was exceedingly numerous, and the
Agows and all Damot were ready toj oin him when
he fhould repafs the Nile. This revolt was indeed
likely to have proved general, but for the adivity
mid diligence of the king, who, on the firft intel-
ligence, put himfelf ,fo fuddenly in motion that he
was on the banks of the Nile before the Galla on the
one fide were ready for their jvin(^ion >vjth the con-
federates on the other.

The king's prefen^e impofed upon the Agows and
the rebels of Pamot, fo that they let him pafs quiet-
ly over the Nile into the country of the Galla,
hoping that, as their defigns were not difcovered,
he might again return through their country in
peace if victorious over the Galla ; but, if he was
beaten, they then were ready to intercept him,

But the Galla, who expedled that they would
Ijave had to fight with an army already fatigued and

^-^S TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

halfrruined by an aftion with the Agows on th«
other fide of the river, no fooner faw it pafs the
Nile unmoleded in full force, than they began to
think how far it was from their interell to make
their country a feat qf war, when fo little profit was
to be expe6;ed. On the approach, therefore, of the
king's army, many of them deferted to it, and made
their peace with him. The few that remained
faithful to Ifaac were difperfed after very little re-
fiftance ; and he himfelf being taken prifoner, and
brought before the king, was given up to the fol-
diers, who put him to death in Iiis prefence. On
the king's fide, no perfon of confideration was flain
but Kalmati Mazire, and very few on the part of
the enemy.

This year 1685, the 5th of Yafous's reign, there
was no military expedition. He had pardoned
Abba Tebedin, and Kafmati Wali, and the monks
again defired an alfembly of the clergy, which was
granted. But the king feeing, at its firft meeting,
that it was to produce nothing but wrangling and
inveftives, with great calmnefs and refolution told
the aflembly, " That their difputes were of a na»
ture fo confufed and unedifying, that he queftioned
much their being really founded in fcripture ; and
the rather fo, becaufe the patriarch of Alexandria
feemcd neither to know, nor concern himfelf about
them, nor was the Abuna, at his firft coming, ever
inftructed on any one of thefe points. If they were,
however, founded in fcripture, one of them was
confeffedly in the wrong ; and, if fo, he doubted it
might be the cafe with both ; that he had there-
fore, come to a refolution to name feveral of the

beft-

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 39

beil-qualified perfons of both parties, who, in the
prefence of the Itchegue and Abuna, might infpeft
the books, and from them fettle fome premifes that
might be hereafter accepted and admitted as data
by both."

This being affented to, the very next year he
ordered two of the priefts of Debra Libanos then
at Gondar, together with Abba Tebedin,. Cofmas
of Ariiana, the Abuna Sanuda, and the Itchegue,
forthwith to repair to Debra Mariam, an illand in
the lake Tzana, where, fequellered f/om the world,
they .might difcufs their feveral opinions, and fettle
fome points admiffible by both fides. After which,
without giving any opportunity for reply, he dif-
folved the aii'embly, and took the field with his
srmy.

The king, though perfedly informed of the part
that the whole province of Damot had taken in
the rebellion of ifaac, as aifo great part of the Agows,
but mod of all that tribe called Zeegam, yet had fo
well difiembled, that mod of them believed he was
ignorant of their fault, and all of them, that he had
no thoughts of punifhing them, for he had re-
turned through Damot, after the defeat of Ifaac,
without (hewing any mark of anger, or fuftering
his troops to commit the fmalleft hoftiiiiy. He
now paiTed in the fame peaceable manner through
the country of Zeegam, intending to ?ittack the
Shangalla of Geefaand Wcmbarca.

Thefe two tribes are little known. Like the
other Shangalla they are Pagans, but worfhip the
Nile and a certain tree, and have a language peculiar
to themfelves. They are woolly-headed, and of

the

4G TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

the deepefl: black ; very tall and ftrong, ftraighter
and better- made about the legs and joints than the
other blacks ; their foreheads narrow, their cheek-
bones high, their pofes flat, with wide mouths, and
very fmall eyes. With all this they have an air of
chearfulnefs and gaiety which renders them more
agreeable than other blacks. Their women are
very amorous, and fell at a much greater price
than other blacks of the fex.

This country is bounded on the fouth by Met-
chakel ; on the weft by the Nile; the eaft by Se-
rako, part of Guelgue and Kuara ; and, on the
north, by Belay, Guba, and the Hamidge * of Sen-
naar. They make very frequent inroads, and
furprlfe the Agows, whofe children they fell at
Guba to the Mahometans, who traffic there for
gold and flaves, and get iron and coarfe cotton-
cloths iu return. Their country is full of woods,
and their manner of life the fame as has been al-
ready defcribed in fpeaking of the other tr bes.

The Geefa live clofe upon the Nile, to which
river they give their own name. It is alfo called
Geefa by the Agows, in the fmalidiftricl of Geefn,
\vhere it rifes from its fource. They never have
vet made peace with Abyffinia, are governed by the
heads'of families, and live feparately for the fake of
hunting, and, for this reafon, are eafily conquered.
The men are naked, having a cotton rag only about
their middle. The nights are very cold, and they
lie round great fires ; but the fly is not fo dan-

* A name of the black Pagans bordering on Sennaar to the
fouth weil.

gerous

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 4I

gerous here as to the eaftward, fo that goats, in a
frnall number, live here. Their arms are bows,
lances, and arrows ; large wooden clubs, with
knobs, nearly as big as a man's head, at the end of
them ; their fhields are oval. They worfhip the
Nile, but no other river, as I have faid before ; i^
is called Geefa, which, in their language, fignifies
the firft Maker or Creator. They imagine its wa-
ter is a cure for moft difeafes.

Eafl: of the Geefa is Wumbarea, which reaches
to Belay. The king fell firft on the Geefa, part of
whom he took, and the reft he difperfed. He then
turned to the right through Wumbarea, and met
with fome refiftance in the narrow pafles in the
mountains, in one of which Kafmati Kofle, (one of
his principal officers) a man of low birth, but raifed
by his merit tp his prefent rank, was flain by an
arrow.

The king then repafled the Agows of Zeegam,
in the fame peaceable manner in which he came, and
then marched on without giving any caufe of fuf-
picion, taking up his quarters at Ibaba. It was
here he had appointed an aflembly of the clergy to
meet, before whom the feveral delegates chofen, to
confider the controverted points, and find fome
ground for a reconciliation, were to make their re-
port. The Abuna, Itchegue, and all thofe who,
for this purpofe, were fhut up in Debra Mariam,
appeared before the king. But, however amicably
things had been carried on while they were fhut
up in the ifiand, the ufual warmth and violence
prevailed before the alTembly. Ayto Chriftos, Abba
Welled Chriftos of Debra Libanos, on one fide, and

Tebedi^

*

4Z TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Tebedin and Cofmas on the other, fell roundly, and
. without preface, upon a difpute about the incarna-
tion, fo that the affair from argument w^s Ukely to
turn to fedition.

The turbulent Tebedin, leaving the niatter of re-
ligion wholly apart, inveighed vehem,ently againft
the retirement to Debra Mariam, which he loudly^
complained of as baniihment. Ras Anaftafius and
Abuna Sanuda reproved him iharply for the free-
dom with which he taxed this nii^afure of the king,
and in this they were followed by many of the wifer
fort on both fides. Immediately after the aflembly,
the king ordered Tebedin to be put in irons, and
fent to a mountainous prifon. He then returned to
Gondar.

This year, the 9th of Yafous reign, there appeared
g. comet, remarkable for its fize and fiery brightnefs
of its body, and for the prodigious length and dif-
tinctnefs of its tail. It was firft taken notice of at
Gondar, two days before the fealf of St. Michael,
en which day the army takes the field. A fight fo
uncommon alarmed all forts of people ; and the
prophets, who had kept themfelves within very mo-
derate bounds during this whole reign, now thought
that it was incumbent upon them to dillinguifh
themfelves, and be filent no longer. Accordingly
thev foretold, from this phsenomenon, and publifhed
everv where as a truth infallibly and immutably
pre-ordained, that the prefent campaign was to ex-
hibit a fcene of carnage and blood fhed, more terri-
ble and more extenfive than any thing that ever had
appeared in the annals of Ethiopia. That thefe
torrents of blood, which v/ere every where to follow

the

THE SOUPvCE OF THE NILE. 43

the footfteps of the king, were to be flopped by hig
death, which was to happen before he ever returned
again to Gondar ; and, as the object of the king's
expedition was flill a fecret, thefe alarming prefages
gained a great deal of credit.

But it was not fo with Yafous, who, notwith-
ftanding he was importuned, by learned men of all
forts, to put off his departure for fome days, ab-
folutely refufed, anfwering always fuch requeffs by
irony and derifion : " Pho ! Pho ! fays he, you are
*' not in the right ; we mull give the comet fair
'' play; ufe him well, or he will never appear
" again, and then idle people and old women will
*' have nothing to amufe themfelves with."

Me accordingly left Gondar at the time he had
appointed ; and he was already arrived at Amdaber,
a few days diftance from the capital, when an ex-
prefs brought him word of his mother's death, on
which he immediately marched back to Gondar,
and buried her in the ifland of Mitraha with all
poffible magnificence, and with every mark of fm-
cere grief.

Though the prophets had not jufl fucceeded
in what they foretold, they kept ■ neverthelefs a
good countenance. It is true that no blood was
fhed, nor did the king die before he returned to Gon-
dar ; but his mother died when he was away, and
that was much the fame thing, for they contended
that it was not a great miflake, from the bare autho-
rity of a comet, to err only in the fex of the perfon
that was to die ; a queen for a king was very near
calculation. As for the bloody ftory, and the
king's death, they faid they had miftaken the year

in

44 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

in computing, but that it ftiil was to happen (when
it pleafed God) fome other time.

Every body agreed that thefe explanations were
the beft pofTiWe, excepting the king, who perceived
?i degree of malice in the foretelling his death and
certain lofs of his army jufl: at the inftant he was
taking the field. But he difguifed his refentment
under ftrong irony, with whLch he attacked thefe
diviners inceffantly. He had inquired accurately
the day of his mother's death : *' How is it, fays
he to his chaplain, (or kees hatze) that this comet
fhoijld come to foretel my mother's death, when
ihe was dead four days before it appeared ?'^ Ano-
ther day, to the fame perfon he faid, '* I fear you
do my mother too much honour at the expeace of
religion. Is it decent to fuppofe that fuch a ftar, the
mod remarkable appearance at the birth of Chrift,
{hould now be employed on no greater errand than
to foretel the death of the daughter of Guebra
Mafcal ?'* Thefe, and many more fuch railleries, ac-
counted, by thefe vifionaries, as little fliort of im-
piety, fo mortified Kofte (the kees hatze,) a great
believer in, and proteftor of, the dreamers, that he
refigned all his employment?, and retired among the
hermits into the defert of Werk-leva towards Sen-
naar, to ftudy the afpefts^ of- the (tars more accu-
rately, and more at leifure.

Though we neither pay this comet the fuperfiiti-
ous reverence the idle fanatics of Abyfiinia {hewed
it, nor yet treat it with that contempt which this
great king's good fenfe prompted him lo do, we
ilvall make forao ufe o[ it, acknowledging our gra-
lixude to the hiiiorian who has recorded it. We
• ' (liall

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 4g

/liall hereby endeavour to eftablifli our chronology
in oppofition to that of the Catholic writers, re-
lating to the date of fome tranfadions with which
they were not cotemporaries, and only relate from
hearfay, as happening before the arrival of the
miffionaries in this country.

Yafous the Great, of whom we are now writing,
came to the throne upon the death of his father
Hannes in 1680 j the ninth year of this reign then
was 1689.

Hedar is the 3d month of the AbyfTmians, and
anfwers to part of our November; and the 12th
of that month, Hedar, is the feaft of St. Michael
the archangel, or 8th day of our month Novem-
ber, N. S.

Gondar Is m lat. 12° 34' 30'''' N. and in long.
37° 33' ^" ^* fron^ ^he meridian of Greenv/ich. By
th^ fiery appearance of the nucleus, or body of
the comet, it certainly then was very near the fun,
and either was going down upon it to its peri-
helion, or had already pafled it, and was receding
to its aphelion ; but by its increafmg tail, already
at a great length, we may conjecture it was only ,
then going down to its conjunction, and was then
near approaching to the fun.

From this we fhould conclude that this comet muft
have been feen, however rapidly it did move, fome
time before the 6th of November, or two days
before the feaft of St. Michael. But this depends
on the circumftances of the climate ; for although
the tropical rains ceafe the ift of September, the
cloudy weather continues all the month of O^^ober;
at the end of thefe fall the latter rains in gentle

ihowers,.

46 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER •

fliowets, which allay the fevers in Dembea, and
mai^e the country wholefome for the march of the
army, and thefe rains iall moilly in the night. From
this it is probable that the comet, having at firfi:
Httle light and no tail, as yet at a diftance from the
fun, was not very apparent to the naked eye, till
by its increafed motion and heat it had acquired
both tail and brightnefs, as it approached its peri-
helion.

• New -We find by our European accounts *, that,
in the year 1689, there did appear a comet, the
orbit of which was calculated by M. Pingre. And
this comet arrived at its perihelion on the iff day
of December, 1689, fo was going down much in-
flamed, and with a violent motion to the fan, the
6th of November, when it was obferved at Gon-
daV^ being but 25 days then from its perihelion.

As thefe circuniftances are more than fufficient to
conftitute the identity of the comet, a phssnomenon'
too rare to rifle being confounded with another,
we may hardliy conclude the 9th year of Yafous the
Fir ft: to be the year 1689 of Chrifl:, fuch as our
chronology, drawn from the Abyflinian annals,
ftates it to be ; or, at leaftj if there is any error, it
muft be fo fmall as to be of no fort of confequence
to any fort of readers, or influence upon the nar-
rative of any tranfattions.

The loth year began with a fudden and violent
alarm, which fpread itfelf in an inftant all ovef
the kingdom without any certain authority. The
Galla with .an innumerable army were faid to have

* Aftronom. de M. dc La Lande, liv, 19, p. 366.

entered

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 47

entered Gojam, at fevehil places, and laid wafle the
vi^hole province, and this was the more extraordi-
nary, as the Nile was now in the height of its inun-
dation. On his march, the king learned that this
ftory arofe merely from a panic ; and this formi-
dable army turned out no more than a fmall band
of robbers of that nation, who had paffed the river
in their ufual way, part on horfeback, while the
foot were dragged over, hangmg at the horfes tails,
or riding on goats fkins blown up with wind. This
fmall party had furprifed fome weak villages, killed
the inhabitants, and immediately returned acrofs
the river. But the alarm continued, and there
were people at Gondar who were ready to fwear they
faw the villages and churches on fire, and a large
army of Galla in their march to Ibaba, at the fame
time that there was not one Galla on the Gojam
iide of the river.

The king, however, either confidering this fmall
body of Galla coming at this unfeafonable time,
and the panic that was fo artificially fpread, as a
feint to throw him off his guard when a real inva-
fion might be intended, or with a view to cover his
own defigns, fummoned all the men of the pro-
vince of Gojam to meet him in arms at Ibaba the
7th of January, being the proper feafon for pre-
paring an expedition into' the country of the Galla.
He himfelf in the mean time retired to Dek, an
illand in the lake Tzana, there to flay till his army
fhould be collefted.

While the king was in the ifland, a number of
the malcontents among the monks, v;ho had, in
the feveral afiemblies, been baniihed for fedition

with

4^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

with Tebedin, came to him there, defiring to hd
lieard before an aflfembly ; and they brought with
them Area Denghel, of Debra Samayat, to fupport
their petition. The king anfwered, that he was
ready to call ah aflfembly, provided the Abuna
defired, or would promife to be prefeht ; but that
the Abuna was then at Debra Mariam, where they
might go and know his mind.

The Abuna, who forefaw little good could be
expefted from fuch meetings, and knew how difa-
greeable they were to the king, abfolutely refufed
to attend. On this they returned again to the
king, defiring that, of his own mere prerogative,
he would call their aflembly without confulting fur-
ther the Abuna. To this the king anfwered boldly.
That he kne\H^ it was his right to call his fubjeds to-
gether, without any other reafon for fo doing but
his will j yet, when the avowed eaufe of the meet-
ing was to eanvafs matters of faith, he had made it
a rule to himfelf, that the Abuna fhould always be
prefent, or »t lead confent to the meeting. And
with this anfwer he ordered them all to depart
immediately.

Many of the principal people about the king ad-
vifed him to ptft thefe turbulent people in irons, for
daring to come into his prefeftce without leave.
But Yafous was contented td reriiaind each to the
place of his banifhment frdrii whence he came.
He then removed from Dek to IbabaE^^ ori the lotK
of January, the journey being no tnbie thafi two
eafy days ; but, whether it was that the' Galla did
not intend another invafion, ©,r whether they were

over«-

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 4$'

CJVeVawed by the king's preparations and pre-
fence, and did not think them!elves fafe even
in their own country, none of them this year
paffed the Nile, or gave any uneafinefs either to
Gojani or Damct.

Though the whole nation believed that the king's
attention was entirely engaged in the various expe-
ditions againfl the Galla and Shangalla, which he
executed with fo much diligence and fuccefs, yet
there was ftill a principal obje6b fuperior to all iht fe,
which remained a fecret in his own breafl, after the
parties concerned had ablolutely forgot it. All his
campaigns againft the Shangalla were only defigned
to lull afleep thofe he confidered as his principal
enemies, that he might make the blow he aimed at
them more certain and effeftual.

Six years had now paffed fince the Agows, and
particularly the mod powerful tribe of them, the
Zeegain, had, with thofe of Damot and the Galla,
confpired to put the crown upon the head of the
rebel prince Ifaac, who had loft his life in the en-
gagement which followed on the other fide of the
Nile. It will be remembered alfo, that the country
of the Agows is in general open, full of rich plains,
abundantly v/atered by variety of fine ftreams ; in
other parts, gentle rifings and defcents, but without
mountains, faving that, almoft in every tribe, Na-
ture had placed one rugged mountain to^ which
thefe people retired upon the approach of their
neighbouring enemies the Galla and Shangalla.
This defcription does, in a more extenfive manner,
belong to the countryr of the Zeegam, the molt
Vol. III. E powerful.

50 TRAVELS to DISCOVER

powerful, rich, and trading tribe of the whole
nation.

Not one fingle mountain, but a confiderable
ridge, divides the country nearly in the middle, the
bottom of which, and nearly one-third up, is co-
vered with bru{h-wood, full of ftiff bamboos and
canes, bearing prickly fruit, with aloes, acacia very
thorny, and of feveral dwarf flirubby kinds, inter-
fperfed with the kantuffa *, a beautiful thorn, which
alone is confidered, where it grows thick and in
abundance, as a fufficient impediment for the march
of a royal army. Through thefe are paths known
only to the inhabitants themfelves, which lead you
to the middle of the moiintain, where are large
caves, probably begun by Nature, and afterwards
enlarged by the induftry of man. The mouths of
thefe are covered with buflies, canes, and wild oats,
that grow fo as to conceal both man and horfe,
while the tops of thefe mountains are flat and well-
watered, and there they fow their grain out of the
reach of the enemy. Upon the firft alarm they
drive the cattle to the top, lodge their wives and
children in the caves, and, when the enemy ap-
proaches near, they hide the cattle in the caves like-
wife, fome of which cavities are fo large as to hold
500 oxen, and all the people to which they belong.
The men then go down to the lowefl part of the
mountain, from whofe thickets they fally, upon
every opportunity that prefents itfelf, to attack the
enemy whom they find marauding in the plains.

* See the article kantiiffa in the Appendix,

The

1

tilE SOURCE OF THE NILE. gi

The king had often aflembled his army at Ibaba,
only four days march from Zeegam. He had done
more; he had pafled below the country, and re-
turned by the other fide of it, in his attack upon
Geefa and Wumbarea ; but he had never committed
any adb of hoftiiityj nor ihewn himfelf difcontented
with them. To deceive them ftill farther, he order-
ed now his army to meet him at Efte in Begemder ;
and fent to Kafmati Claudius, governor of Tigre^
to join him with all his forces as fooh as he fhould
hear he was arrived at Lariia, a large plain before
we defcend the deep mountain of Lamalmoh, which
flands not far from the banks of the river Tacazze.
He privately gave orders alfd to Kafmati Claudius^
Kafmati Dimmo Chriftos of Tigre, and to Aderi
and Quaquera Za Menfus Kedus, to inform them-
ielves where the water lay below, and whether there
was enough for his army in Betcbora, for fo they
call the territory of the eaiftern branch of Shan-
galla adjoining to Sire and Tigre. By this ma-
noeuvre the enemy was deceived, as the moft intelli-
gent thought he was to attack Lafta, and the others^
that knew the fecret of the water, were fure his
march was agaihit the Shangalla.

The king began his march from Ibaba, and
croffed the Nile at the fecond catarad below Dara,
where there is ai bridge ; and, entering Begemder
he joined his army at Efte, which was going in a
route directly from Agow and Daitiot towards Lafta.
But no fooner was he arrived at Efle, than, that
very night, he fuddenly turned back the way he
came, and, marching through Maitfha, he crolTed

E 2 the

Ca TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

the Nile, for the fecond time, at Goutto, above the
firft cataracl.

The morning of the 3d of May, the fixth day
of forced marches, wirhout having encamped the
whole way, he entered Zeegam at the head of his
army. He found the country in perfeft fecurity,
bfjth people and cattle below en the plains and in *
the villages j and having put all to the fword who
firft oiicred themfelves, and the principal of the
confpirators being taken prifoners, he fold their
wives and children at a public auction for Haves to
the higheft bidder. He then took the principal
men among them along with hrm for fecurity for
paying fix years tribute which they were in arrears,
fined them 6000 oxen, which he ordered to be-" de-
livered upon the fpot -, and then collecting his army,
he fent to- the chiefs of Damot to meet him before
he entered their territory, and to bring fecuriiy with
them for the fins he intended to lay upon them,
otherwife he would deftroy their country with fire
and fword ; and he advanced the fame day to AfToa,
fouth of the fources of the Nile, divided only from
Damot by the ridge of mountains of Amid Amid.

The people of Damot, inhabiting an open level
country without defence,, had no choice but to
throw lihemfelves on the king's mercy, who fined
them 500 ounces of gold and 100 oxen, and took
the principal people with him in irons as hoftages.

He then returned, leaving the fources of the
Nile on his right, through Dengui, Fagitta,. and
Aroofi ; croffed the river Kelti, having the Agow
and Atcheffer on his left, and returned to Gondar
by Dingleber. He then gave 2000 cattle to the

churches

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^3

churches of Tecla Haimanout and Yafous, being
nearefl the king's palace, to the Iichegue Hannes,
the judges and principal fervants of his houfhold,
to all a (hare, without referving one to himfelf. And
the rains being now very conflant, (for it was the
25th of June) he refolved to continue the reft of
the winter in Gondar to regulate the affairs of the
church.

This year the king refumed his expedition againH:
the Shangalla, towards which he had taken feveral
preparatory fleps, while he was projefting the fur-
prife of the Zeegam. Thefe are the Troglodytes on
the eaftern part of Abyffinia, towards the Red Sea,
fouth of Walkayt, Sire, Tigre, and Baharnagafhp
till they are there cut off by the mountains of the
Habab. Thefe, the mod powerful of all their
tribes, are comprehended under the general name
of DobenaJj ; the tribe Baafa, which we have al-
ready fpoken of as occupying the banks of the Ta-
cazze, are the only partners they have in the
peninfula formed by that river and the Mareb. Their
country and manner of life have been already abun-
dantly defcribed. It is all called Kolla, in oppofi-
tion to Daga, which is the general name of the
mountainous parts of Abyffmia.

The king, being informed by Kafmati Claudius
that there was water in great plenty at Betcoom,
marched from Gondar the 29th of October to Deba,
thence to Koffoguc, after to Tamama. He then
turned to the left to a village called Sidre, nearer
to the Shangalla. From this Itation he forbade
the lighting fires in the camp, and took the road
leMing to the Mareb ; then turning to the left,
the lit of December he farprifed a village called

Kunya.

§4 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Kunya. The king was the firfl: who began the at-?
tack, and was in great danger, as Mazn)ur, cap-
tain of his guard, was killed by a lance at his fide.
But the foldiers rufliing in upon fight of the king's
iituation, who had already flaiii two with his own
hand, the village was carried, and the inhabitant?
put to the fword, refufing all to fly, and fighting obr
llinately to the lad gafp.

From Kunya the king proceeded rapidly to Tzaa-
da Amba *, the largcft and rnoft powerful fettlement
of thefe favages. They have no water but what
they get from the river Mareb, v^hich, as I have
elfewhere obferved, rifes above Dobarwa, and,
after making the circle of that town lofes itfelf
foon after in the fand for a fpace, then ^ppears
again, and, after a (hort courfe, hides itfelf a fecond
time to the N. E. pear the Taka, whofe wells it
fupplies with frefli water. But in the rainy months
it runs with a full (Iream, in a wide and deep bed,
and unites itfelf to the Tacazz^, with it making thp
northmoit point of the ancient iljiind of Meroe.

The king met the fame fuccefs at Tza^da Amba
that he had before experienced at Kunya, at which
lafl: village he palled the feaft of the epiphany and
benediftion of the waters; a ceremony annually ob-
ferved both by the Greek and Abyflinian church,
the intent of which has been Itri^ngely miftaken bj
foreigners.

From Kunya, his head-quarters, "Y afo us attacked
the feveral nations of which this is, as it were, the
papital, Zacoba, Fade, C^alquou, and Sahale, and

* The white mountain.

he

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. gg

he returned again tb Tzaada Amba, refolving to
complete their deftru6lion. The remains of thefe
miferable people, finding refiftance vain, had hid
themCelves in inacceflible caves in the mountains,
and the thickeft parts of the woods, where they lay
perfedlly concealed in the day-time, and only ftole
out when thirft obliged them at nighf. The king,
who knew this, and that they had no other water
but what they brought from the I^^areb, formed a
ftrong line of troops along the banks of that river,
till the greateft part of the Shangalla of Tzaada
Amba died with thirft, or were taken or flain py
the army.

His next enterprize was to attempt Betcoom, a
large habitation of Shangalla eaft of the Mareb,
v/hofe number, ftrength and reputation for courage,
had hitherto prevented the Abyffinians from moleft-
ing them, never having touched, ui>lefs the farthefl
Ikirts of their country. The names of th^ir tribes
inhabiting Betcooni are, Baigada, Dade, ^etfe,
Kicklada, Moleraga, Megaerbe, Gana, Sele, H^mta,
Shalada, Elmfi, and Lente. The fmall rivej: of
Lidda falling from a high precipice, when fwelled
with the winter rains, hollows out deep and large
refervoirs below, which it leaves full of w^ter when
the rains ceafe, fo that thefe people are here as well
fuppliedwith water as thofethat dwell on the large
rivers the Mareb and Tacazze. This was a circum-
ftance unknown, till this fagacious and provident
king ordered the place to be reconnoitred by Kaf-
mati Claudius, then marched and encamped on thp
river Lidda, which after a Ihort but violent courfe,
fall^ into the Mareb.

The

g6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

The Shangalla of Betcoom did nothing worthy of
their reputation or numbers. They had already
procured intelligence of the fate of great part of
their nation, aiid had (^ifperfed themfelves in un-
known and defolate places. The king, however,
made a confiderable number of Haves of the vounger
fort, and killed as many of the reft as fell into his
hands.

Leaving Betcoom, the army proceeded flill eall:-
ward ; palled through the mountains of the Habab,
into the low level country which runs parallel to
the Red Sea, at the bafe of thefe mountains, where
he fpent feveral days hunting the elephant, fome of
which he flew with his own hand, and turned then
to the left to Amba Tchou * and Taka.

The Taka are a nation of Shepherds living near
the extremity of the rains. They are not Arabs,
but live in villages, and v/ere part formerly of the
Bagla, or Habab ; they fpeak the language of
Tire, and are now reputed part of the kingdom of
Sennaar.

While the king was at Taka, he received the dif-
agreeable news, that, after he had left the Shangalla
on the Mareb, Muftapha Gibberti, a Mahometan
foldier in the fervice of Kafmati Fafa Chriftos of
Dedgin, had, with a fmall number of men, ven-
tured down, thinking that he fliould furprife the
Shangalla of Tzaada Amba, before they recovered
fron» their late misfortune. This Muftapha had
fiain two or three Shangalla with fire-arms ; and at
firfl they flood aloof as fearing the king. But find-

* The mountain of Salt. *

ing

THE SOUUCE OF THE NILE. 57

ing foon that it was no. part of his army, and
only a fmall body of adventurers, the Shangalla
now coUeded in numbers, furrounded Muftapha
and his party, whom they cut off to a man ;
and, purfuing their advantage, they entered and
took Dedgin, wounded Kaimati Fafa Chriftos, and
put the inhabitants of the town to the fword.

News of this misfortune were carried fpeedily to
Kafmati Claudius, governor of Tigre ; Caflem, a
Mahometan, led the Gibbertis, the people of that
religion in the province ; and, as he was an ad-
vanced party, came fpeedily to blows with the Shan-
galla, and was clofely engaged, with great appear-
ance of fuccefs, when Claudius came up with an
army that would foon have put an end to the con-
teft. But no fooner was his army engaged with
the Shangalla, than a panic feized him, and he
founded a retreat ; which, in an inftant, became a
mod fhameful flight. CafTem and his Gibbertis
fell, fighting to the lafl man in the middle of their
enemies. The Shangalla followed their advantage,
and great part of the AbylTinian army perifhed in.
the flight ; Claudius, though he efcaped, left his
ilandard, kettle-drums, and his whole province in
polTefTion of the enemy.

The king, upon hearing this, returned haftily
into Sire ; and his prefence eflablifhed order and
tranquillity in that province, already half abandoned
for fear of the Shangalla. From Sire the king
proceeded to Axum, where he celebrated his vifto-
ries over the Shangalla, by feveral days of feafting
and thankfgiving.

In

5^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

In the midft of this rejoicing, news were brought
that Murat, a fervant of the king, whom he had
difpatched to India with merchandife, to bring
fuch commiffions as he flood in need of, was ar-
rived at Mafuah, where Mufa the Naybe, or Turkifli
goviernor of the ifland, had detained him, and feized
his goods, under fome vexatious pretences. There
is not indeed a more mercilefs, thievifh fet of mif-
creants than in that government of Mafuah. But
the king knew too well the few refources that
ifland had, to be long in applying a remedy, with?
put nioving from Axum ; after being fully informe4
of the affair, in all its circumflances, by Murat, he
fent to Abba Saluce, Guebra Chriflos,and Zara-
brook of Hamazen, the governors of the diftrifts,
that as it were furround Mafuah, prohibiting all,
upon pain of death, to fuffer any provifions to be
carried by any perfon whatever into the ifland of
Mafuah,

Afevere famine inftantly followed, which was to
terminate in certain death, before any relief could
pome to them, unlefs from Abyflinia. The Naybe
Mufa, therefore, found into what a teirrible fcrape
he had got ; but hunger did not leave him a mo-
ment to deliberate. No third way remained, but
either he mud fee the king, or die ; and without
hefitatiori he chofe the former. He, therefore, fet
out for Axum, bringing with him Murat and all
the merchandifes he had feized, as alfo feveral very
confiderable prefents for Yafous himfelf, who ac-
cepted them, received his fubmilTion, and ordered
the communication with Abylliuia to be open a§

before.

the; source of the nile. 0

before. This done, he difmiffed the Naybe, who
returned to Mafuah in peace.

Tke next affair that came before the king was
that of Kafmati Claudius, (governor of Tigre)
who was accufed and found guijty of having fled
while the battle with the Shangalla was yet unde-
cided, leaving his ftandard and kettle-drums in the
power of the enemy. Befides his prefent mifoeha-
viour, ftrong prejudice exifted againft him, drawi^
from his former character ; for if was averred, from ^
very credible authority, that on one pccafion, upon
a very ilender appearance of fedition, he ordered
his troops to fire upon feveral priefts of Axum, fome
of whom were killed on the fpot. Befides which,
in the reign of Hatze Hannes, he was found guilty
pf capital crimes committed at Emfras, condemned
to die, and was already hanging upon the tree,
when a very feafonable reprieve arrived from the
king, and he was thereupon cut down whilfl yet
alive. Yafous contented himfelf with depriving him
pf his employment, and afterwards fending him to
perpetual banifhment.

The next brought to their trial were Za Woldo,
and Adera and his fons. Thefe lad were very near
relations to the king, for they were fons of Ozoro
!Kedufet Cbriftos, daughter of Facilidas. They were
accufed of having deferted their country and left it
wafte to be over-run by wild beafts, and a rendezvous
for the Shangalla, who thence extended their in?
curfions as far as Waldubba. Of this there was
ample proof againit them, and they were therefore
fentenced to die, but the king commuted their pu-

nifhment

6o TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

niftiment into that of being imprifoned for life in a
cave in the ifland of Dek.

As for the province of Sire itfelf, he declared all
the inhabitants and nobility, degraded from their
rank, and all lands, whether feus from the king, or
held by any other tenure, were confifcated, refumed
by, and reunited to the crown. He then reduced
the whole province from a royal government to a
private one, and annexed it to the province of Tigre,
whofe governor was to place over it a Ilium, or
petty officer, without any enfigns of power. And,
laftofall, he gave the government of Tigre to the
Ras Feres, or mafter of the horfe, in room of Kaf-
mati Claudius degraded and banifhed.

The many flriking examples which the king had

lately given, one clofe upon the other, of his own

perfonal bravery, his impartial juftice, his fecrecy

in his expeditions, and the certain vengeance that

followed where it was deferved, his punifhment of

the Zeegam, his expedition againfl the Shangalla, his

affair with the Naybe Mufa, and his behaviour to

the cowardly Claudius and daftardly nobility of

Sire, fully convinced his fubjefts of all degrees,

that neither family, nor being related to the crown,

nor the ftrength of their country, nor length of

time fmce they offended, nor indeed any thing but

a return to and continuance in their duty, could

give them fecurity under 'fuch a prince. Thus

ended the campaign of the Dobenah, fpoke of to

this day in Abyffinia as the greateft warlike atchieve-

ment of any of their kings. Twenty-fix thoufand

men are faid to have periflied by third when the

kin*^ took poiTdliDn of the water at Tzaada Amba.

And

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 6l

And yet, notwithftanding the fmall-pox which in
fome places exterminated whole tribes, the Dobenah
have not loft an inch of territory, but feem rather
to be gaining upon Sire.

Yafous arrived at Dancaz on the 8 th of March,
1692, having difmifled his army as he paffed Gondar.
From Dancaz he went to Lafta, and after a fhort
ftay there, came to Arringo in Begemder. At this
place the king received accounts that far exceeded
his expectations and gratified his warmeft wifhes.
He had long endeavoured to gain a party among the
Galla to divide them ; and, though no marks of fuc*
cefs had yet followed, he ftill had continued to ufe
his endeavours*

On his arrival at Arringo, he was met by a chief
of the fouthern Galla, called Kal-kend, who brought
him advice, that, while he was bufy with the Shan-
galla, an irruption had been made into Amhara
by the Galla tribes of Liban and Toluma ; that
they, the king's friends, had come up with them
at Halka, fought with them, and beat them, and
freed Amhara entirely from all apprehenfion*
The king, exceedingly rejoiced to fee his moft
inveterate enemies become the defenders of his
country, ordered the governor of Amhara to
pay the Kal-kend 500 webs of cottoh-cloth,
500 loads of corn, and efcort both the men and
the prefent till they were fafely delivered" in their
own country.

The 30th of June the king arrived at Gondar from
Arringo, and immediately fummoned an afiembly of
the c'ergy to meet and receive a letter from the
patriarch of Alexandria, brought by Abba Mafmur

of

6% TRAVELS to DISCOVER

of Agde, and Abba Diofcuros of Maguena, wh?J
were formerly fent to Egypt to afk the patriarch
why he difplaced Abuna Chriftodulus, and appointed
Abba Sanuda in his room, and defiring that Abba
Marcus fliould be made Abuna, and Sanuda depofed.
The clergy met very punOiually, and the patriarch's
letter was produced in the afl'embly, thefeal examin-
ed, and declared to be the patriarch's, and unbroken.
The letter being opened by the king's order, it
contained the patriarch's mandate to depofe Abba
Sanuda, and to put Marcus Abuna in his place,
which was immediately done by command of the
king.'

While Yafous was tlius bufied in dire£ling the
affairs of his kingdom with great wifdom and fuc-
cefs, both in church and ftate, a matter was in agi-
tation, unknown to him, at a diftance from his do-
minions, which had a tendency to throw them again
into confufion.

Towards the end of the Jaft century, there was
fettled at Cairo a number of Italian miffionaries of
the reformed Order of St. Francis, who, though
they lived in the fame convent, and were main-
tained at the expellee of the fathers of the Holy
Land, yet did they ft ill pretend to ht independent
of the guardian of Jerufalem, the fuperior of thefe

latter.

The expence of their mainteriance, joined with
their pretenfions to independence, gave great offence
to thofe religious of the Holy Land, who thereupon
carried their complaints to Rome, offering to be at
the whole charge of the miffion of Egypt, and to

furnifli

Tri£ SOURCE OF THE NILE. 63

furnifh from their own fociety fubjeds capable of
attending to, and extending the Chriftian faith*
This offer met with the defired fuccefs at Rome*
The million of Egypt, to the exclufion of every
dther Order, Was given to the fathers of Jerufalem^
or the Holy Land, whom we Ihall henceforth call
Capuchin friars. Thefg Capuchin's loft no time, but
immediately difftiiffed the reformed Francifcans,
whom wt fhall hereafter diftinguifh by the name of
Fi^ancifcans, fufFering only two of that Order to
remain at Cairo.

The Francifcans, thus baniflied, returned all to
Rome, and there, for feveral years together, openly
defended theit own caufe, infifting upon thejuftice
of their being replaced in the exercife of their an-
cient fanclions. This, however, they found abfo«
lutely impoffible. They were a poor Order, and
the inteteft of the capuchins had flopped every
avenue of the facred college agalnft them. Finding,
therefore, that fair and direft means could not ac-
complifh their ends, they had recourfe to others not
fo commendable, and by thefe they fucceeded, and
obtained their puipofe. They pretended that, when
the Jefuits were chafed out of Abyffinia, a great
number of Catholics, avoiding the perfecution, had
fled into the neighbouring countries of Sennaar and
Nubia ; that they flill remained moft meritorioufly
preferving their faith amidft the very great hardfhips
inflicted upon them by the infidels; but that, un-
der thefe hardfhips, they muft Toon turn Maho-
metans unlefs fpiritual afTiftance was fpeedily fent
them.

^4 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER ^

This reprefentation, ^ias totally void of truth as
ever fable was, was confirmed by the two Fran-
cifcans, who ftiil remained at Cairo by permiflion
of the Capuchins, or fathers of the Holy Land ; and,
when afterwards publiilied at Rome, it excited the
zeal of every bigot in Italy. All interefted them-
felves in behalf of thefe imaginary Chriftians of
Nubia ; and pope Innocent XII. was fo convinced
of the truth of the ftory, as to eftablifh a confide-
table fund to fupport the expence of thisj now called
the Ethiopic Miffion, the fole condu£l of which re-
mains ftill with the reformed Francifcans.

To take care of thefe fugitive Chriftians of Nubia,
though it was the principal, yet it was not the only
charge committed to the fathers of this miffion.
They were to penetrate into Abyffinia, and keep
the feeds of the Romifti faith alive there until a
proper time fnould prefent itfelf for converting the
whole kingdom.

In order to this, a large convent was bought for
them at Achmim, the ancient Panopolis in Upper
Egypt, that here they might be able to afford a re»
freTament to fuch of their brethren as lliould return
weary and exhaufled by their preaching among the
Nubian confeiTors ; and, for further affiftance, they
hadpermiffion to fettle two of their Order at Cairo,
independent of the fathers of the Holy Land, not-
withftanding the former exclufion.

Such is the ftate of this miffion at the prefent
time. No Nubian Chriftians ever exifted at th,e
time of their eftablifhment, nor is there one in
being at this day. But if their profelytes have not
increafed, their convents have. Achmim, Furffiout,

Badjoura,

THE SOURCE OF. THE NILE* 6^

Badjoura, and Negade are all religious houfes be«
.longing to this miffion, although I never yet was
able to learn, that either Heretic, or Pagan, or Ma-
hometan, was fo converted as to die in the Chriftian
faith at any one of thefe places ; nor have they been
much troubled with relieving their brethren, worn
out with the toils of Abyffinian journies, none of
them, as far as I know, having ever made one ftep
towards that country ; nor is this indeed to be re-
gretted by the republic of letters, becaufe, befides a
poor (lock, of fcholaftic divinity, not one of them
that I faw had either learning or abilities to be of
the fmallefl: ufe either in religion or difcovery.

It was now the mofl: brilliant period of the reign
of Louis XIV. almoft an Auguftan age, and gene-
rally allowed fo, both in France and among fo-
reigners. Men of merit, of all countries and pro-
feffions, felt the effefts of the liberality of this great
encourager of learning; public works were under-
taken, and executed fuperior to the boa fled ones of
Greece or Rome, and a great number and variety
of noble events conftituted a magnificent hiftory of
his reign, in a feries of medals. Religion alone
had yet afforded no hint for thefe. His condu6t
in this matter, inftead of that of a hero, fhewed him
to be a blind, bloody, mercilefs tyrant, madly
throwing down in a moment, with one hand, what
he had, with the afiiflance of great miniilers, been
an age in building v/ith the other. The Jefuits,
zealous for the honour of the king their great pro-
tedor, thought this a time to ftep in and wipe away
the (lain. With this view they fet upon forwarding
a fchemCjAvhich might have furnifned a medal fu-

VoJU. III. F perior

66 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

perior to all the reft, had its infcription been, " Thei^
Kings of Arabia and Saba ihall bring gifts.**

Father Fleuriau, a friend of Father de la Chaife,
the king's confeflbr, was employed to dired the
conful of Cairo, that he fliould, in co-operation with
the Jefuits privately, fend a fit perfon into Abyflinia,
who migiit infpire the king of that country with a
defire ol lending an erahaify into France, and, upon
the management of this poHtical affair, they founded
their hopes of getting themfelves replaced in the
niifiion they formerly enjoyed, and of again fuper-
feding their rivals the Francifcans, in direding all
the meafiires to be taken for that country's conver-
fion. Cut this required the utmoft delicacy, for it
was we'll known, that the court of Rome was very
much indifpofed towards them, imputing to their
haughtinefs, implacability, and imprudence, the lofs
ofAbyilinla. Their conduft in China, where they
tolerated idolatrous rites to be blended with Chrif-
tian wurinip, began alfo now to be known, and to
give the p-reateft fcandal to the whole church. It
was therefore, neceflary to make the king declare
iirft in their favour before they began to attempt to
conciliate the pope.

Louis took upon him the protection of this mif-
iion with all the readinefs the Jefuits defired ; and
the Jefuit Verfeau was fent immediately to Rome,
with ftrong letters to cardinal Janfen, prote^ftor of
I'rance, who introduced him to the pope.

Verfeau ]inew well the confequence of the pro-
teftion with which he was honoured. At his firft au-
dience he declared, in a very firm voice and manner,
to the popcj that the king had refolved to take upon

himfelf

9^

tH^ SOIJRCE OF THE NILfe. 6^

mmfelf the condu£l of the Ethiopic miffion, and
that he had c?. ft his eyes upon ther^^ (the jefuits) as
the fitted perfons to be entrufled with the care of
it, for reafons hejl knoijun to himfelf. !'he pope dif-
fembled ; he extolled, ill rhe moli magnifi<entterinsj
the king's great zeal for the advancemej-.t of reli-
gion, approved of the choice he had made of the
jefuits, and praifed their refolution as highly ac-
ceptable to him, immediately confenting that Ver-
feau, and five other Jefuits, (hould without delay
j)afs into Abyflinia*

But it very foon appeared, that, however this
might be the language of the pope, nothing could
be more remote from his intentions ; for, without -
the knowledge of the Jefuits, or any way confult-
ing them, he appointed the fupenor of the Fran-
cifcans to be his legate a latere to the king of Abyf*
finia, and provided him with prefents to that plince^
^nd the chief noblemen of his court.

Some time afterwards, when, to prevent ftrife ot
concurrence, the Jefuits applied to the pope to re-
ceive his directions which of the two fhould firft
attempt to enter Abyffinia, the Francifcans, or their
own Order, the pope anfwered fhortly. That it fhould
be thofe who were mod expert. Whether this ap-
parent indifpcfition of his Holinefs intimidated
Verfeau is hot known ; but, inftead of goino- to
Cairo, he went to Conftantinoplcj thence to Syria,
to a convent of his Order of which he was fuperior^
and there he (laid. So that the Ethiopic miffion at
Cairo remained in the hands of two perfons 'of
different Orders, the one Pafchal, an Italian Fran^

E a eifcaa

68 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

cifean friar, the other a Jefuit and Frenchman,
whofe name was Brevedent,

Brevedent was a perfon of the moft diftinguifhed
pieiy and probity, zealous in promoting his religion, ,
but neither imprudent nor rafh in his demonftra-
tions of it ; aftable in his carriage, chearful in his
dirpofiticn, of the mofl: profound humility and ex-
emplary patience. Befides this, he was reputed a
man of good talle and knowledge in profane
learning, and, what crowned all, an excellent
mathematician. He feems indeed to me to have
been a copy of the famous Peter Paez, who
f.rll gave an appearance of ftability to the Portu-
guefe coaverfion of Abyfiinia; like him he was a
jefuir, bat of a better nation, and born in a better
as re.

o

I mu!i here likewife take notice of what I have
•already hinted, that in Abyflinia the eharader of
ambatlador is not known. They have no treaties
of peace or commerce with any nation in the world :
But, for puvpofes already mentioned, factors are
employed ; and, Abyiiinia being every-where fur-
rounded by Mahometans, thefe of courfe have the
preference ; and as they carry letters from their
rnarterSj the cuftom of the Eafi: obliges them to
accompany thefe with prefents to the fovereigns of
the refpedive kingdoms through which they pafs,
and this circumftance dignifies them with the title
of ambaifadorin the feveral courts at whicfc they
have buhnefs. Such was Mufa, a faftor of the
king, whom we have feen detained, and afterwards
delivered by the Naybe of Mafuah, not many years

before

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 69

before, in this king's reign ; and fuch alfo was
Hagi Ali, then upon his mafler's'-bufinefs at Cairo,
when M. de Maillet was conful there, and had
received his inflru6lions from father Fleuriau at
Paris, to bring about this embafly from Abyf-
fmia,

Befides his other bufmefs, Hagi Ali had orders
•to bring with hinj a phyfician, if poffible, from
Cairo -; for Yafous and his eldefl: fon were both of a
fcorbmic habit, which threatened to turn into a
leprofy. Hagi Ali, irji former voyages, had been
acquainted with a capuchin friar Pafchal ; and,
having received medicines from him before, he
«ow applied to Pafchai to return with him into
Abyffinia, and undertake the cure of the king.
Pafchal very readily complied with this, upon
condition that he Ihould be allowed to take for
his companion a monk of his own Order, friar
Anthony ; to which Hagi Ali readily confented,
happy in being enabled to carry two phyfjcians to
Jiis mailer inftead of one.

The French conful was foon informed of this
.treaty with the friar Pafchal ; and, having very
€afy means to bring Hagi Ali to his houfe, he in-
formed him, that neither Pafchal nor Anthony were
phyficians, but that he himfelf had a man of his
own nation, whofe merit he extolled beyond any
thing that had hitherto been faid of Hippocrates or
Galen. Hagi Ali very willingly accepted of the
condition, and it was agreed that, as Verfeau had
not appeared, Brevedent above mentioned ibould
^ttend the phyfician as his fervant.

This

yo TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

This phyfician was Charles Poncet, aFrenchman^
fettled in Cairo, who was (as Mr. Mailiet fays)
bred a chymift and apothecary, and, if fo, was
neceffarily better fkilled in the efFefts and nature of
medicine than thofe are who call themfelves phyfi-
cians, and pradile in the eaft. Nothing againft
his private chara^er was intimated by the conful at -
this time ; and, with all deference to betier judg-
ment, I mud ftill think, that if Poncet did deferve
the epithets of drunkard, liar, babbler, and thief,
"which Mailiet abundantly bellows upon him towards
the end of this adventure, the conful could not
have chofen a more improper perfon^ as the repre-
fentative of his mafter, nor a more probable one
to make the defign he had in hand mifcarry ; nor
could he, in this cafe, ever vindicate the prevent-
ing Pafchal's journey, who mud have been much
fitter for aii the employments intended than fuch a
rpan as Poncet was, if one half is true of that which
the conful faid of him afterwards.

Mailiet, having fo far fucceeded, prevailed upon
one Ibrahim Hanna, a Syrian, to write five letters,
according to his own ideas, in the Arabic language,
pne of which was to the king, the four others to
the principal officers at the court of AbylTmia :
doubting, however, whether Ibrahim's expreilions
were equal to the fublimity of his fentiments, he
directed him to fubmit the letters to the confidera-
tion of one Fyancis, a monk, capuchin, or friar of
the Holy Land. Ibrahim knew not this capuchin ;
but he was intimate with another Francis of the re-
formed Fi'ancifcan Order, and to him by miftake
|j§ carried the letters.
■ " Thef^

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. . ^I

Tbefe Francifcans were the very men from whom
Mr. de Maillet would have wiihed to conceal the
fending Poncet with the Jefuit Brevedent ; but the
fecret being now revealed, Ibrahim Hanna was dif-
charged the French fervice for this miftake ; and
Hagi Ali departing immediately after with Poncet
and Brevedentj'no time remained for the Francifcans
to take the fteps they afterwards did to bring about
the tragedy in the perfon of Poncet, which they
completely effeded in that of Mr. Noir du Roule.

Mr. Poncet, farni(hed with a chefl: of medicines
at the expence of the factory, accompanied by father
Brevedent, who, in quality of his fervant, now took
the name of Jofeph, joined Hagi Ali, and the cara-
van deftined in the firlt place, to Sennaar, the capi-
tal of Nubia.

Poncet fet out from Cairo on the loth of June
of the year 1698, and, fifteen days after, they
came to Monfalout, a confiderable town upon the
banks of the Nile, the rendezvous of the caravan
being at Ibnah, half a league above Monfalout.
Here they tarried for above three months, waitino-
the coming of the merchants from the neighbour-
ing towns.

In the afternoon of the 24th of September, they
advanced above a league and a half diftance, and
took up their lodging at Elcantara, or the bridge,
on the eaflern bank of the Nile. A large califli, or
cut, from the Nile ftretches here to the eaft, and,
at that feafon, was full of water, the inundation
being at its height.

Poncet believes he was on the eaflern banks of
the Nile J but this is a midake. Siout and Mon-
falout,

*1% TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

falout, the cities he fpeaks of, are both on the
weftern banks of that river; nor had the caravan
any thing to do with the eaftern banks, when their
courfe was for many days to the weft, and to the
fouthvvard of weft. Nor was the bridge he pafled
a bridge over the Nile. There are no bridges upon
that river from the Mediterranean till we arrive at
the fecond cataraft near the lake Tzana in Abyf-
fmia. The amphitheatre and ruins he fpeaks of
are the remains of the ancient city Ifiu ; and what
he took for the Nile was a califti from the river to
fupply that city with water.

The 2d of Odlober the caravan fet out in earneft,
and paffed, as he fays, into a frightful defert of fand,
•i having firft gone through a narrow paflage, which
he does not mention, amidft thofe barren, bare, and
ftony mountains which border the valley of Egypt
on the weft.

The 6th of 0£lober they came to El-Vah, a
large village, or tov/n, thick-planted with palm-
trees, the Oafis Parva of the ancients, the laft in-
habited place to the weft that is under the jurifdic-
tion of Egypt. By foftcning the original name,
Poncet calls this Helaoue, which, as he fays, fig-
niiies fweetnefs. But furely this was never given
it from the productions he mentions to abound there,
vh. fenna and coloqviintida. The Arabs call EI-
Vah a ihrub or tree, not unlike our hawthorn
either in form or flower. It v^^as of this wood,
they fay, Mofes's rod was made when he fweetcnud
the waters of Marah. With a rod of this wood,
too, Kaleb Ibn el Waalid, the great deftroyer of
Chriftians, fweetened thefe waters at El-Vah, once

very

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 7;^

very bitter, and gave it the name from this miracle.
A number of very fine fprings burft from the earth
at El-Vah, which renders this fmall fpot verdant
and beautifulj though furrounded with dreary deferts
on every quarter ; it is fituated like an iiland in the
niidfl: of the ocean.

The caravan refted four days at El-Vah to pro-
cure water and provifions for the continuation of
the journey through the defert. Poncet's defcrip-
tion of the unpleafantnefs of this, is perfedly exaft,
and "without exaggeration. In two days they came
to Cheb, where there is water, but flrongly impreg-
nated with alum, as the name itfelf fignifies;
and, three days after, they reached Selima, where
they found the water good, rifing from an excel-
lent fpring, which gives its name to a large defert
extending weftward forty-five days journey to Dar
Fowr, Dar Sele, and Bagirma, three fmall princi-
palities of Negroes that live within the reach of
the tropical rains.

At Selima they provided water for five days ;
and, on the 26th of October, having turned their
courfe a little to the eaftward, came to Mofcho, or
Machou, a large village on the weflern banks of
the Nile, which Poncet ftill miftakes for the eaftern,
and which is the only inhabited place fince the leav-
ing El-Vah, and the frontiers of the kingdom of
Dongola, dependent upon that of Sennaar. The
Kile here takes the fartheft turn to the weflward,
and is rightly delineated in the French maps.

Poncet very rightly fays, this is the beginning of
the country of the Barabra, or Berberians, (I fup-
•pofe it is a miftake of the printer when called in the

narrative

74 . TRAVELS TO DISCO^^^ER

^

narrative Baraurasj. The true fignification of the
term is the land of the Shepherds, a name more
common and better known in the firft dynafties of
Egypt than in more modern hiftories. The Er-
bab (or governor) of this province received him
hofpitably, and kindly invited him to Argos, his
place of refidence, on the eaflern or oppofite fide
of the Nile, and entertained him there, upon hearing
from Poncet that he was fent for by the king of
Abyffinia.

After refrefhing themfelves eight days at Mof.
cho, they left it on the 4th of November, 1698, and
arrived at Dongola on the 13th of the fame month.
The country which he pafied along the Nile is very
pleafant, and is defcribed by him very properly.
It does not owe its fertility to the overflowing of
the Nile, the banks of that river being confidera-
bly too high. It is watered, however, by the in-
duftry of the inhabitants, who, by different machines,
raife water from the ftream.

"We are not to attribute to Poncet, but to thofe
who publiihed the ftory here put into the father
Brevedent'^s mouth about the fugitive Chriftians in
Nubia, which fable gave rife to the firft inftitution
of the Ethiopic mifTion. " It drew tears, fays he
" from the eyes of father Brevedent, my dear com-
•-'= panion, v/hen he receded that it was not lon^;
*' fince this was a Chriftian countJ y ; and that it
*' had not lolt the faith -but only for want of fome
" perfon who had zeal enough to confecrate himfelf
" to the jnftruclion of this abandoned nation." He
adds, that upon their way they found a great num-
ber

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 75

ber of hermitages and churches half ruined ; a fidioa
derived from the fame fource.

Dongola was taken, and apoftatized early, and
the ftones of hermitages and churches had long be-
fore this been carried off, and applied to the build-
ing of mofques. Father Brevedent, therefore, if
he wept for any fociety of Chriiiians at Dongola,
mud have wept for thofe that had perifhed there
500 years before.

Poncet was much careiTed at Dongola for the
cures he made there. The Mek, or king, of that
city wifhed him much to ftay and fettle there ; but
defifled out of refpect, v/hen he heard he was going
to the emperor of Ethiopia. Dongola, Poncet has
placed rightly on the eaflern bank of the Nile,
about lat. 20' 22'.

The caravan departed from Dongola on the 6th
of January, 1699 ; four days after which they enter-
ed into the kingdom of Sennaar, where they met
Erbab Ibrahim, brother of the prime minifter, and
were received civilly by him. tie defrayed their
cxpences alfo as far as Korti, where they arrived
the 13th of January.

Our travellers from Korti were obliged to enter
the great defert of Bahiouda, and crofs it in a S. E.
direftion till they came to Derreira, where they refted
two days, Vi-hich, Poncet fays, was done to avoid the
Arabs upon the Nile. Thefe Arabs are called Chai-
gie ; they inhabit the banks of that river to the N.E,
of Korti, and never pay the king his revenue with-
out being compelled and very ill treated.

The country about Derreira is called Belled Ullah,
from the caufe of its plenty rather than the plenty

itfelf.

^6 Tl^AVELS TO DISCOVER

itfelf. This fmall dlflri£b is upon the very edge of
the tropical rains, which it enjoys in part ; and, by
that, is more fruitful than thofe countries which
are watered only by the induftry of man. The
Arabs of thefe deferts figuratively call rain Raha-
met Ullah, ' the mercy of God', and Belled Ullah,
f- the country which enjoys that mercy/

Some days after the caravan came to Gerri. Pon-
cet fays, the ufe of this (lation was to examine ca-
ravans coming from the northward, whether they
had the fmall-pox or not. This ufage is now dif-
continued by the decay of trade. It mud always
have ferved little purpofe, as the infection oftener
comes in merchandife than by paflengers. At Gerri
great refpeS was (hewn to ppncet, as going to
Ethiopia.

I cannot conceive why Poncet fays, that, to avoid
the great windings of the Nile, he fiiould have been
obliged to travel to the north-eaft. This would
have plainly carried him back to the defert of Ba-
hiouda, and the Arabs ; his courfe muft have been
S. W. to avoid thg windings of the Nile, becaufe
he came to lierbagi, which he defcribes very pro-
perly as a delicious fituation. The next day they
came to Sennaar.

The reader, I hope, will eafily perceive that my
intention is not to criticife Mr. Poncet's journey.
That has been done already fo illiberally and un-
juftly that it has nearly brought it into difrepute
and oblivion. My intention^ is to illuftrate it ; to
examine the faQs, the places, and diftances it con-
tains ; to correct the miftakes where it has any, and
redore it to the place it ought to hold in geogra-
phy

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 77

phy and difcovery. It was the firfl: intelligible itine-
rary made through thefe deferts ; and I conceive it
\vill be long before we have another ; at any rate,
to reftore and eftablifh the old one will, in all fen-
fible minds, be the next thing to having made a
fecond experiment.

He furely is in fome degree of miflake about the
lituation of Sennaar when he fays it is upon an emi-
nence. It is on a plain clofe on the weftern banks
of the Nile. A fmali error, too, has been made
about its latitude. By an obfervation faid to have
been made by father Brevedent, the 21 ft of March,
J 699, he found the latitude of Sennaar, to be 13" 4'
north. The French maps, the moft correft we
have in all that regards the eaft, place this capital of
Nubia in lat. 15° and a few minutes. But the pub-
lic may reft aflured, that the correct latitude of
Sennaar, by a mean of very fmall differences of near
fifty obfervations, made with a three-feet brafs qua-
drant, in the courfe of feveral months I ftaid in that
town, is lat. 13=^ 34' 36''' north.

What 1 have to fay further concerning Sennaar
will come more naturally in my travels ; and I Ihall
only fo far confider the reft of Poncet's route, as
to explain and clear it from miftakes, Sennaar being
the only point in which our two trads unite.

I ftiall beg the reader to remark, that, from the
time of Poncet*s fetting out of Egypt till his arrival
at Sennaar, fo far was he from being ill-looked upon,
or any bad conftrudion being put upon his errand,
that he was, on the contrary, refpefted every where,
as going to the king of Abyffinia. It never was
then imagined he was to dry up the Nile, nor that

be

^^ *rfiAVELS t6 discover

he was a conjurer to change! its courfe, nor tliat Jief
was to teach the AbyfTinians to cafl Cannon and
make war, nor that he was loaded with immenfe
fums of money. Thefe were all pii^ fraudes^ lies
invented by the priefls and friars to incite thefe ig-
norant barbarians to a crime which, though it paffed
unrevenged, will juflly make thefe brethren in ini-
quity the deteilation of men of every religion in all
ages.

Poncet left Senriaar the 12th of May, 1699, and
croiTed the Nile at Baiboch, about four miles above
the town, where he ftopped for three days. This
he calls a fair village ; but it is a very miferable one,
confiding of fcarce ico hutSj built of mud and
reeds.

He departed the 15th, in the evening, and tra-
velled all the night as ^ar as Bacras, and arrived the
day after at Abec ; then at Baha, a long day's jour-
ney of about ten hours. He is miflaken, however^
when he fays Baha is fituated upon the banks of the
Nile, for it is upon a fmall river that runs into it.
But, at the feafon he paffed it, mod of thofe rivers
were dried up.

On the 19th he came to Dodar, a place as incon-
fiderable as Baha ; then to Abra, a large village ;
then to Debarke and Enbulbul. On the 25th they
came to Giefim. Giefim is a large village fituated
upon the banks of the Nile, in the middle of a fo-
reft of trees of -prodigious height and {ize^ all of
which are loaded with fruit or flowers, arid crowded
with paroquets, and variety of other birds, of a
thoufand different colours* They made a long flay
at this place, not Id's than liineteen days.

In*

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^9

In this interval, father Brevedent is faid to have
made an obfervation of the latitude of the place,
which, if admitted, would throw all the geography
of this journey into confufion. Poncet fays, that
Giefim is half-way between Sennaar and the fron-
tiers of Ethiopia, and that a fmall brook, a little be-*
yond Serke', is the boundary between thofe flates.
Now, from Sennaar to Giefim are nine ftages, and
one of them we may call a double one, but between
Giefim and Seike, only four; Giefim then cannot
be half way between Sennaar and Serke — Again,
the latitude of Sennaar is 130 4' north, according
to Brevedent, or rather ly 34'. Now, if the lati-
tude of Giefim be iC, then the diftance between
Sennaar and it muft be about 250 miles which they
had travelled in eight days, or more than thirty
miles a-day which, in that country, is abfolutely im«
pofTible.

But what mull make this evident is, that we know
certainly that Gondar, the metropolis to which they
were then going, is in lat. 12° 34' north. Gie-
fim then would be fouth of Gondar, and the cara-
van mufl have pafied it when the obfervation was
made. But they were not yet arrived at the confines
of Sennaar, much Icfs to the capital of AbyiTmia,
to which they were indeed advancing, but were ftilJ
far to the northward of it. There is a miftake
then in this obfervation which is very pardonable,
Brevedent being then ill of a mortal dyfentery, which
terminated m death foon after. We fhall, therefore
correct this error, making the latitude of Giefim
140 12' north, about lie Englifh miles from Sen-
naar, and 203 from Gondar.

The

^O TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

The nth of June they fet out from Giefim for
Beleb, then to Chow, snd next to Abotkna. They
refted all night, the 14th, in the delightful valley
of Sonnone, and, two days after, they came to
Serke, a large town of trade, where there are many
cotton weavers. Here ends the kingdom of Sen-
naar, the brook vv'ithout this town being the boun-
dary of the two dates.

Arrived now in Abyllinia, they halted at Tam-
biffo, a village which belongs to the Abuna ; next at
Abiad, a village upon the mountain. On the 2jd
they Hopped in a valley full of canes and ebony
trees, where a lion carried away one of their camels.
On the 2410 they paffed the Gandova, a large, vio-
lent, and dangerous river. The country being pro-
digioufly woody, one of their beads of carriage,
flragghng from the caravan, was bit on the hip by
n bear, as Mr. Poncet apprehends. But we are now
in the country correfponding to that inhabited by the
Shangalla, that is one of the hotteft in the world,
where the thermometer rifes to 100'' in the Ihade,
Bears are not found in climates like this ; and mofh
alTuredly there are none even in the higher and
colder mountains above. Poncet does not fay he
faw the be-ar, but judged only by the bite, which
might have been that of a lion, leopard, or many
other animals, but more probably that of the
hvcena.

The 27th they arrived at Girana, a village on
the top of a mountain. Here they left their camels,
and began to afcend from the Kolla into the more
temperate climate in the mountains of Abyffinia.
Ftcm Girana they came to Barangoa, and the next

day

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. $|

day to iTchelga, where anciently was the cuftdmhOufe
bf Sennaar while peace and commerce fubfifted be-
tween the two kingdoms. The 3d of July they ar-
rived at Barcos, or Bartcho, about half a day's
journey from Gondar ; and on the 9th of Auguft
father Brevedent died. Poncet was himfelf detained
by indifpofition at this village of Barcos till the 21ft
of July, on which day he fet out for Gondar and
arrived in the evening, where he fucceeded to his
wiflies, performing a complete cute upon his royal
patient in a very Ihort time ; and fo fulfilled this
part of his miflion as perfedtly as the ableft phyfician
could havedbrtei.

As for the other part witti which he was charged,
I doubt very much if it was in his power to per-
form itiii another manner than he did. It required
a mind full of ignorance and prefumptlon^ fuch as
was that of Mr. de Maillet and all the miffionaries, St
the head of whom he was^ to believe that it was pof-
fible for a private man, fuch as Poncet, without lan-
guage, without fundsi without prefents, or without
power or pofTibility of giving them any fort of pro-
tedion in the way, to prevail upon 26 or 28 per-
fons, on the word of an adventurer only, to attempt
the traverfmg countries where they ran a very great
rilk of falling Into flavery— ^o do what ? why, to go
to France, a nation of Franks whofe very name
they abhorred, that they might be inftruded in a
religion they equally abhorred, to meet with certain
death if ever they returned to their own country ;
and, unlefs they did return, they were of no fort of
utility whatever.
Vol. hi. G M. de

82 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

M. de Maillet fhould have informed himfelf well
in the beginning, ifit was poffible that the nobility
in AbyfTinia could be fo contemptible as to fuffer
twelve of their children to go to countries unknown,
^ upon' the word of a ftranger at lead of fuch a doubt-
ful charader as Poncet. I fay doubtful, becaufe, if
he was fuch a man as M. de Maillet reprefents him,
a drunkard, a liar, a thief, a man without religion,
a perpetual talker, and a fuperficial praQitioner of
what he called his own trade, furely the Abyfiinians
mud have been very fond of emigration, to have
left. their homes under the care of fiich a patron as
this. When did M. de Maillet ever hear of an
Abyflinian who was willing to leave his own country
and travel to Cairo, unlefs the very few priefts who
go for duty's fake, for penances or vows, to Jerufa-
Ism ? When did he ever hear of an Abyflinian lay-
man, noble, or plebeian, attending even the Abuna
though the firfl dignitary of the church ? We fhali-
fee prefetftly a poor Have, a Chridian Abyflinian boy,
ifnmedillfely under the protedion of M. de Maillet,
and going diredlly from him into the prefence of his
king, taken forcibly from the chancellor of the na-
tion*", and made a Mahometan before their eyes.

The Abyflinian embafly then demanded from
France, and recommended to M. de Maillet, was a
prefumptuous, vain, impradicable chimera, which
mud have ended in difappointment, and which
iiever could have clofed more innocently than it didv

* By Chancellor of llic Nation Is meant the oiHcer Immedi-
ately next the cnnful, who keeps the records, and has a depart-
ment abfolutely independent of the Conful. "

•Ifliall

THE SOURCE OF THE NItt:. ^^

I fhall pafs over all that happened during Poncet's
ftay at Gondar, as he did not imderftand the Ian-?
guage, and muft therefore have been very liable to
miflake. But as for what he fays of armies of
300,000 men ; of the king's drefs at his audience ;
of his mourning in purple ; of the quantity of jev/els
he had, and vi^ore ; of his having but one wife ; and
of large ftone-crofles being erefted on the corners
of the palace at Gondar ; thefe, and feveral other
things, feeni to me to have been fuperadded after-
wards. Nor do I think what is faid of the churches
and Chriftians remaining in the kingdom of Don-
gola, nor the monftrous lie about the gt)lderirod^
fiifpended in the air in the convent of Bilan |y is. at
all the narrative of Poncet, but of fome fanatic,
lying friar, into whofe polTeffion Poncet's manufcrlpt
might have fallen. The journey itfelf, fuch as I have
reftored it, is certainly genuine; and, as I believe
it defcribes the belt and fafeft way Into Abyflinia, I
have redified fome of the few errors it -had, and
How recommend it to all future travellf|s, and . to
the public.

This is to be underflood of his travels to Abyffinia,
his journey in returning being much more" inaccu-
rate and incomplete, the reafon of which we have
in his own words : " I have not, fa)'S he, exaftly
" noted down the places through which we palled,
*' the great weaknefs I then lay under not permit-
*' ting me to write as I could have wiflied." Ifliall,
therefore, fay little upon his return, as the deficiency

f Vid. Poncet.

G 2 will

84 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

■will be carefully fupplied by the hiftory of my owi4
journey from Mafuah, the road by which he left the
country being very nearly the fame as that by which
I entered.

It was on the 2d of May of the year 1700 that
Poncet left Gondar and took his journey to the town
of Emfras. Here there is a miftake in the very be-
ginning. Emfras *, at w;hich place I ftaid for fe-
yeral weeks, is in lat. 12" 12' 38^'', and long. 37° 38'
30''', confequently about 22 miles from Gondar al-
moit under the fame meridianj, or fouth from it ;
fo that, as he was going to the eaft, and northward of
eaft, this muft have been fo many miles out of his
way ; for, going towards Mafuah, his firll ftation
muH have biien upon the river Angrab.

The fame may be faid of his next to Coga. It
was a. royal refidence indeed, but very much put of
his way. He has forgot likewife, when he fays,that^
in the way from Gondar to Emfras, you muft go
over a very high mountain. The way from Gon-
dar to Emfras is the beaten way to Begemder,
Foggora, and Dara, and fo on to the fecond
catarad of the Nik. It is on that plain the
armies were encamped before the battle of Ser-
braxos f , whence the road pafles by Correva,
which is indeed upon a rifmg ground, Hoping gently
to the lake Tzana, but is not either mountain or
hill.

* It IS plain Poncet had no inflruments for obfeivatlon with
him, nor was he probably acqiiaiiued with the ufe of them,
•}- To be defcribed hereafter.

Seven

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 8^

Seven or eight days are afpace of timejufl enough
for the paffing through Woggora, where he juftly
remarks the heats are not fo exceffive as in the places
he came from. He takes no notice of the pafTage of
Lamalmon, which ought to have been very fenfible
to a man in a decayed ftate of health, the lefs fo as
he was only defcending it. Every thing which re-
lates to thepaflage of the Tacazze is jufl ?rnd proper,
only he calls the river itfelf the Tekefel, inflead of
the true name, the Tacazze. It was the Sivis of the
ancients ; and it is doing juftice to both countries,
when he compares the province pf Sire with the
mofl delicious parts of his own country of France.
This province is that alfo where he might very pro-
bably receive the young elephant, which he favs
awaited him there as a prefent to the l^ing of France,
and which died a few days after.

He pafled afterwards to Adowa. It is the ca-
pital of Tigre, is ftill the feat of its goyiernor, and
was that of Ras Michael in my time. All that he
fays of the intermediate country and its produdions,
fliew plainly that his work is genuine, and his re-
marks to be thofe of an eye-witnefs.

From this province of Tigre he enters the country
of the Baharnagafli, and arrives at Dobarwa, which
he erroneoufly calls Duvarna, and fays it is the ca-
pital of the province of Tigre, whereas it is that of
the Baharnagafh. Ifaac Baharnagafli, when in re-
hellion againft his fovcreign, furrendered this town
to the Turks in the year 1558, as may befeen at
large in my hiftory of the tranfadlions of thofe
times.

As

S6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

As the authenticity of this journey, and the reality
of Poncet's having been in Abyffinia, has been
queftioned by a fet of vain, ignorant, fanatic peo-
ple, and that from malice only, not from fpirit of
inveftigalion, of which they were incapable, 1 have
examined every part of it, and compared it with
\vhat I myftilf faw, and fhall now give one other in-
ftance to prove it genuine, from an obfervation Pon-
cet has made, and which has efcaped all the mif-
lionaries, though it was entire and vifible in my
time.

Among the ruins of Axum* there is a very
high obeliik, flat on both fides, and fronting the
fouth. It has upon it no hieroglyphic, but feveral
decorations, or ornaments, the fancy of the archi-
tect. Upon a large block of granite, into which
the bottom of it is fixed, and which ftands before
it like a table, is the figure of a Greek patera, and
on one fide of the obeHfli, fronting the fouth, is
the reprefeatation of a wooden door, lock, and a
latch to it, which fird: feems defigned to draw back
and then lift up, exadly in the manner thofe kind
of locks are fafhioned in Egypt at this very day^

Poncct obferved very juftly, there are no fuch
locks made ufe of in Abyliinia, and wonders how
they Ihould have reprefented a thing they had never
feeii,, and, having done fo, remained ftill incapable
to make or ufe it. Poncet was no man of reading
out of his own profellion ; he nowhere pretends it ;
he recorded this faft becaufe he faw it, as a traveller
Ihould do, and left others to give the reafon which

* See an elevation of this in my account df Axum.

he

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 87

he could not. Poncet calls this place lieleni, from
a fmall village of that name in the neighbourhood.
Had he been a fcholar he would have known that
the ruins he was obferving were thofe of the city
of Axum, the ancient metropolis of this part of
Ethiopia,

• Ptolemy Evergetes, the third Grecian king of
Egypt, conquered this city and the neighbouring
kingdom ; refided fome time there ; and, being
abfolutely ignorant of hieroglyphics, then long dif-
ufed, he left the obelifl-: he had ereded for afcertain-
ing his latitudes ornamented with figures of his
own choofmg, and the inventions of his fubjeds
the Egyptians, and particularly the door for a con-
venience of private life, to be imitated by his new-
acquired fubjeds the Ethiopians, to whom it had
hitherto been unknown.

From Dobarwa he arrived at Arcouva, which,
he fays, geographers mifcal Arequies. M. Poncet
might have fpared this criticifm upon geographers
till he himfelf had been infornied, for both are
equally mifcalled, whether Arcouva or Arequies.
" The true and only name of the place, known
either to Mahometans or Chriftians, is Arkeeko, as
the ifland to which he paffed, croffing an arm of
the fea, is called Mafuah, not Meffoua, as he every
tvhere fpells it.

From Mafuah, Poncet crofTed the Red Sea to
Jidda, paiTmg the ifland Dahalac and Kotumbal, a
high rock, the name of which is not known to
njany navigators.

Had old Murat, Mufa, and Hagi Ali, happened
at that time to have been upon fome mercantS^-

errand

88 A TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

errand to Cairo, there is no doubt but they would
have been preferred and become ambafladors to
France. They would have gone there, perplexed
the minifter and the conful with a thoufand lies and
contrivances, which the French never would have
been able to unravel ; they would have promifed
every thing; obtained from the king fome confi-
derable fum of money, on which they would have
undertaken to fend the embafly in any form that
was prefcribed, and, after their return home, never
been heard of more. But thofe worthies were,
probably, all employed at this time ; therefore the
only thing Poncet could do was to bring Murat,
fmce he was to procure at all ev^rfts an arnbaf«.
fador.

He had been a cook to a French merchant at
Aleppo ; was a maker of brandy at Mafuah ; an4
probably his uncle old Murat's fervant at the time.
But he was not the worfe ambaflador for this. Old'
Murat, Hagi Ali, and Mufa, had perhaps been alfo
cooks and fervants in their time. Prudence, fobriety,
and good conduct, ikill in languages, and acquain-
tance with countries, recommended them after-
wards to higher trufts. Old Murat probably meant
that his nephew fhould begin his apprenticefhip with
that embafly to France ; arfd M- Poncet, tp increafe
his confequence, and fulfil the coramjiflion the con-
ful gave him, allowed him to invent all the reft.

Poncet, from Jidda, went to Tor, and thence to
Mount Sinai, where, after fome flay, being over-
taken by Murat, they both made their entry into
Cairo.

M. de

* 4
THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. S^

M. de Maillet, the conful, was an old Norman
gentleman, exceedingly fond of nobility, confer
quently very haughty and overbearing to thofe he
reckoned his inferiors, among which he accounted
thofe of his own nation eflabliflied at Cairo, though
a very amiable and valuable fet of men. He was
exceedingly tefty, choleric, obftinate, and covetous,
though fagacious enough in every thing concerning
his own intereft. He lived for the moft part in his
clofet, feldom went out of his houfe, and, as far as
I could learn, never out of the city. There, how-
ever, he wrote a defcription of all Egypt, which
lince has had a confiderable degree of reputation *.

Maillet had received advice of the miferable ftate
of this embaify from Jidda, that the Sherriffe of
Mecca had talcen from Poncet, by force, two female
Abyffinian flaves, and that the elephant was dead ;
which particulars being written to France, he was
advifed in a letter from father Fleuriau by no means
to promote any embaffy to the court of Verfailles ;
that a proper place for it was Rome ; but that in
France they looked upon it in the fame light as they
did upon an embaffy from Algiers orTunis, which did
no honour to thofe who fent it, and as little to thofe
that received it ; this, however, was a new light.

M. de Maillet, by this letter, becoming mafter of
the ambaffador's defliny, began firfl: to quarrel with
him upon etiquette, or who fhould pay the firlt

* And there he wrote his Tcliamede, which fujipefes men
were firfl created fifhes, for which he was excommunicated. It
was an opinion perfedly worthy of alarming the Sorbonne,

viflt J

/

90 TRAVELS ;rO DISCOVER .

vifit; and, after a variety of ill-ufage, infifted upon
feeing his diipatches. This Murat refufed to per-
mit, upon which the conful fent privately to the
baflja, defiring him to take the difpatches or letters
from Murat, fending him at the fame time a con-
fiderable prefent.

The bafha on this did not fail to extort a letter
from Murat by threats of death. He then opened
it. It was in Arabic, in very general and indiffe-
rent terms, probably the performance of fome Moor
at Mafuah, written at Murat's inftance. And well
was it for all concerned that it was fo ; for had the
letter been a genuine AbyfTinian letter, like thofe
of the emprefs Helena and king David III. propof-
ing the deflruftion of Mecca, Medina, and the
Turkilh fhips on the Red Sea, the whole French
nation at Cairo would have been mafiacred, and
the conful and ambalfador probably impaled.

The Jefuits, ignorant of this manceuvre of M.
de Maillet, but alarmed and fcandalized at this
breach of the law of nations, for fuch the bafha's
having opened a letter, addreffed to the king of
France, was juftly confidered, complained to M.
Feriol, the French ambaflador at ('onftantinople,
who thereupon fent a capigi from the port, to
inquire of the baflia what he meant by thus vio-
lating the law of nations, and affronting a friendly
power of fuch confequence as France.

Thefe capigis are very unwelcome guefls to peo-
ple in office to whom they are fent. They are
alv/ays paid by thofe they are fent to. Befides this,
the report they carry back very often cofts that
perfon his life. The bailia, accufed by the capigi,

at

THE SOURCE OE THE NILE. 9I

at the inflance of the French ambaflador at Con-
ftantinople, anfwered like an innocent man, That
he had done it by dtfire of the French conful, from
a wifh to ferve him and the nation, oiherwife he
ihouJd never have meddled in the matter. The
confequence was, M. de Maillet was obliged to
pay the baiha the expence of the capigi ; . and, hav-
ing fome time afterwards brought it in account with
the merchants, the French nation at Cairo, by de-
liberation of the 6th of July of the year 1702, re-
fufed to pay 15(5 livres, the demand of the baflia,
and 518 livres for thofe of his officers.

The conful, however, had gained a complete
viftory over Murat, and thereupon determined to
fend Monhenaut, chancellor of France at Cairo,
with letters, which, though written and invented
by himfelf, he pretended to be tranllations from
the Ethiopian original.

But father Verfeau, the Jefuit, now returned to
Cairo, who had entered into a great diflrufl: of the
conful fmce the difcovery of his intrigue with the
bailia about Murat's letter, refolved to be of the
party. Pcncet, who was likewife on bad terms with
the conful, neither inclined to lofe the merits of
his travels into Abyflinia, nor trufl: the recital of
it to Monhenaut, or to the manner in which it might
be reprefented in the conful's letters. Thefe three,
Monhenaut, Poncet, and Verfeau, fet out therefore
for Paris with very different views and defigns.
'Ihey embarked a? Culac, the (liipping-place of
Cairo upon the Nile, taking with them the ears
of the dead elephant.

The

f)3 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Tlie remaining part of the prefent brought for
the king of France by this illuftrious embafly, was
an Abyflmian boy, a flave bought by Murat, and
who had been hid from the fearch of the Sherriife,
when he forcibly took from him the two Abyfli-
nian girls, part of the intended prefent aifo. This
boy no fooner embarked on board the veflel at
Biilac than a great tumult arofe. The janizaries
took the boy out of the veffel by force, and deli-
vered him to MuRapha Cazdagli, their kaya ; nor
^Guld all the intereil: of M. de Maillet and the
French nation, or all the manoeuvres of the Jefuits,
ever recover him.

As for Monhenaut, Poncet, and Verfeau, his pro-
tedors, they were obliged to hide themfelves from
the violence of the mob, nor dared they again to
appear till the velTel failed. And happy was it for
them that this fell out at Cairo, for, had they offered
to embark tiim at Alexandria, in all probability it
would have coft all of them their lives.

I mufl beg leave here tp fugged to the reader,
how dangerous, as well as how abfurd, was the
plan of this embaify. It was to confift of twenty-
eicrht Abyffinians, twelve of whom were to be fons
of noble families, all to be embarked to France.
What a pleafant day would the embarkation have
been to M. de Maillet ! What an honourable ap-
pearance for his king, in the eyes of other Chrif-
tian princes, to have fecn twenty-eight Chriflians
under his immediate protection, twelve of whom
we might fay were princes, fas all the nobility in
AbyiTinia are directly of the family of the king),
from motives of vanity only, by the pride of the

Jefuits,

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 93

Jefuits, and the ignorance of the conful, hurried in
one day into apoftacy and flavery 1 Whatever Maillet
thought of Poncet's condu£t, his bringing Murat,
and him only, cook as he was, was the very luckieft
ac<:ident of his life.

I know French flatterers will fay this would not
have happened, or, if it had, a vengeance would
have followed, worthy the occafion and the refent-
ment of fo gr^at a king, and would have prevented
all fuch violations of the law of nations for the
future. To this I anfwer. The mifchief would have
been irreparable, and the revenge taken, however
complete, would not have reftored them their reli-
gion, and, without their religion, they themfelves
would not have returned into their own country,
but would have remained neceflary facrifices, which
the pride and ralhnefs of the Jefuits had made to
the faith of Mahomet.

Befides, where is the threatened revenge for the
aflaflination of M. du Roule, then adual ambaffa-
dor from the king of France, of which 1 am now
to fpeak ? Was not the law of nations violated in
the flrongefl: manner poffible by his murder, and vvith-
OJt the fmalleit provocation ? What vengeance was
taken for this ? — Jufl the fame as would have been for
the other injury ; for the Jefuits and conful w^ould
have concealed the one, as tendernefs for the Francif-
can Friars had made them cover the other, left their
abominable wickednefs fliould be expofed. If the
court of France did not, their conful in Cairo fhould
have known what the confequence would be of de-
coying twenty-eight Abyflinians from their owa
country, to be perverted from their own religion,

and

/

/

94 Travels to biscoveR

and remain ilaves and Mahometans at Cairo, a t\uU
fance to all European nations eftabliflied there.

Upon the arrival of the triumvirate at Paris,
Monhenaut- immediately repaired to the minifler;-
Verfeau was introduced to the king, and Poncet,*
foon after, -had the fame honour. He was then
led as a kind of fhow, through all Paris, cloathed-
in the Abyffinian drefs, and decorated with his
g-o!d chain. But while he was vainly amufing-
bimfelf with this filly pageantry, the conful's letters
and the comments made upon them by Monhenaut,
went directly to deilroy the credit of his ever hav-
ing been in Abyffinia, and of the reality of Murat's
embaffy.

The Francifcan friars, authors of the murder of
M, du Roule, enemies to the miffion, as being the'
work of the Jefuits ; M. Piques, member of the Sor-
bonne, a body never much diftinguifhed for pro--
moling difcoveries, or encouraging liberal and free
inquiry J Abbe Renaudot, M. le Grande, and fome
ancient linguids, who, with great difficulty, by the
indaftry of M. Ludolf, had attained to a very fu-'
perficial knowledge of the AbyfTmian tongue, all
fell furioufly upon Poncet's narrative of his journey.
One found fault v/itii the account he gave of the
religion of the country, becaufe it was not fo con-
formable to the rites of the church of Rome, as they
had from their own imagination and prejudice, and
for their own ends conceived it to be. Others attack-
ed the truth of the travels, from improbabilities found, "
or fuppofed to be found, in the defcription of the
countries through which he had palled; while
others difcovered the forgery of his letters, by

faults

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 95

faults found in the orthography of that language,
not one book of which, at that day, they had ever
feen.

All thefe empty critlcifms have been kept alive
by the merit of the book, by this alone they have
any further chance of reaching poilerity ; while, by
all candid readers, this itinerary, fhort and incom-
plete as it is, will not fail to be received as a valua-
ble acquifition to the geography of thefe unknown,
countries of which it treats.

I think it but a piece of duty to the memory of a
fellovz-traveller, to the lovers of truth and the public
in general, to ftate the principal objeftions upon
which this outcry againit Poncet was raifed ; that,
by the anfwers they admii. of, the world may judge
whether they are or are not founded in candour,
and that before they are utterly fvpallowed up in
oblivion.

The firfi: is, that of the learned Renaudot, who
fays he does not conceive how an Ethiopian could
be called by the name of Murat. To this I anfwer,
Poncet, de Maillet, and the ^ Turkifh Balha, fay
Murat was an Armenian, a hundred times over;
but M. Renaudot, upo«. his own authority, makes
him an Ethiopian, and then lays the blame upon
others, who are not fo ignorant as himfelf.

Secondly, Poncet afferts Gondar was the capital
of Ethiopia ; whereas the Jefuits have made no men-
tion of it, and this is fuppofed a ftroiig proof of
Poncet's forgery. I anfwer. The Jefuits were ba-
nilhed in the end of Socinios's reign, and the be-
ginning of that of his fon Facilidas, that is, about
the year 1632 J they were finally extirpated in. the^-

end

g6 TRAVELS '/b disco^eK

ehd of this hfl prince's reign j that is, before the yeat*
1666, by his ordering the lad Jefuit Bernard No-
gueyra to be publicly hanged. Now Gondar was
tiot built till the end of the reign of Hannes I. who
tvas grandfon to Socinios, that is, aibout the year
1680. Unlefs, then, thefe holy Jefilit^, \vho, if
we believe the miffionaries, had all of then! a fight
into futurity before their tnartyrdoiti, had,^ from
thefe their /a/i vi/ions, defcribed Gondar as ta^ital
of AbylTmia, it does not occur to me how they
fhoiild be hiftoriiins of a fad that had iiot exiftence
till 50 years after they were dead.

Thirdly^ Poncet fpeaks of towns and villages in*
Ethiopia 5 whereas it is known there are no towns,
villages^ or cities, but Axum. — I believe that if the
AbyfTiiiians, who built the large and magnificent
city of Axurii, tiever had other cities, towns, and
villages, they were in this the mofl fmgular people
upon eatfh j Of, If places where 6000 inhabitants
Kve together in contiguous houfes, feparated with
broad ftreets where there are churches and markets,
be not towns and villages, I do not know the mean-
ijig of the term ; but if thefe are towns, Poncet
hath faid truth ; and many, more fuch towns, which
he never did fee nor defcribe, are in AbyfTmia at

this day.

Fourthly, The Abyfrmians live^- arid always have
lived, in tents, not in houfes.— ^It would have been a
very extraordinary idea in people living in tents to
have built fuch a city as Axum^ whofe ruins are as
large as thofe of Alexandria 5 and it would be,ftill
more extraordinary, that people, in fuch a climate
as Abyflinia, in the whole of which there is fcorch-

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 97

Ing weather for fix months, deluges^ rain, florms of
wind, thunder, lightning, and hurricanes, fuch as
are unknown in Europe, for the other fix, fliould
choofe to live in tents, after knowing how to build
fuch cities as Axum. I wonder a man's under-
ftanding does not revolt againfl: fuch abfurdities in
the moment he is ftating them.

The Abyffmians, while at war, ufe tents and en-
campments, to fecure the liberty of movements and
changing of ground, and defend themfelves, when
ftationary, from the inclemency of the weather.
But no tent has, I believe, yet been invented that
could ftand in the fields in that country from June
to. September; and they have not yet formed an
idea of Abyffinia who can fuppofe this.

I conceive it is ignorance of the language which
has led thefe learned men into this miftake. The
Abyflinians call a houfe, ftanding by itfelf, allotted to
any particular purpofe. Bet. So Bet Negus is a pa-
lace, or the houfe of a king : Bet Chriiiian is a church,
or a houfe for Chriftian worfnip ; whiill Bet Mocha
is a prifon, or houfe under ground. But houfes in
towns or villages are called Taintes, from the Abyf-
fmian word Tain, to fleep, lie down, reft, or repofe.
I fuppofe the fimilitude of this word to tents has
drawn thefe learned critics to believe, that, inftcad
of towns, thefe were only colleclions of tents. But
flill I think, no one acquainted v/ith the Abyfiinian
language, or without being fo, would be fo void of
underftanding as to believe, a people that had built
Axum of ftone, fhould endure, for ages after, a
tropical winter in bare tents.

The fifth thing that fixes falfehqod upon P.oncet
is, that he defcribes delicious valleys beyond Eu-

V«T TIT H

T»/^>"\ a *^ »-*

98 TRAVELS to DISCOVER

ropean Ideas : beautiful plains, covered with odori-
ferous trees and flirubs, to be every where in his way
on the entrance of Abyffinia ; whereas, when Sa-
lidan's brother conquered this country, the Arabian
books fay they found it deftitute of all this fruitfiil-
nefs. But, with all fubmiffion to the Arabian books,
to Abbe Renaudot and his irnmenfe reading, I will
maintain, that neither Salidan, nor his brother, nor
any of his tribe, ever conquered the country Pon-
cet defcribes, jior were in it, or ever faw it at a dif-

tance.

The province where Poncet found thefe beautiful
Icenes, lies between lat. 12 and I3^ The foil is
rich, black mould, which fix months tropical rain
are needed to water fufficiently, where the fun is
vertical to it twice a-year, and ftationary, with re-
fpeft to it, for feveral days, at the diftance of 10%
and at a lefler diftance ftill for feveral months 5
where the fun, though fd near, is never feen, but a
thick fcreen of watery clouds is conftantly inter-
pofed, and yet the heat is fuch, that Fahrenheit*s
thermometer rifes to ico" in the fhade. Can any
one be fo ignorant in natural hiflory, as Co doubt
that, under thefe circumftances, a luxuriant, florid,
odoriferous vegetation mult be the confequence ? Is
not this the cafe in evety continent or illand within
thefe limits all round the globe ?

But Poncet contradicts the Arabian books, and all
travellers, modem and ancient; for they unani-
moully agree, that this country is a dreary mife-
rable defert, producing nothing but Dora, which is
millet, and fuch like things of little or no value.
I wilh fmcerely that M. Renaudot, when he was

attacking

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 09

attacking a man's reputation, had been ^o goor! as
to name the author whofe authority he relied on.
I fhall take upon me to deny there ever was an Ara-
bian book which treated of this country. And with
regard to the ancient and modern travellers, his
quotations from them are, if poffible, ftill more vi-
fionary and ridiculous. The only ancient travellers,
who, as I believe, ever vifited that country, were
Cambyfes's ambaifadors ; who, probably, palT d this
part of Poncet's track when they went to the Ma-
crobii, and the mod modern authors (if they can
be called modern') that came nearefl: to it, were the
men feiit by Nero * to difcover the country, whofe
journey is very doubtful : and they, w^hen they ap-
proached the parts defcribed by Poncet, fay, " the
country began to be green and beautiful.'* Now I
wilh M. Renaudot had named any traveller more
modern than thefe meffengers of Nero, or more
ancient than thofe ambafladors of Cambyfes, who
have travelled through and defcribed the country
of the Shangalla.

I that have lived months in that province, and am
the only traveller that ever did fo, muft corroborate
every word Poncet has faid upon this occafion. Tq
dwell on landfcapes and pidurefque views, is a mat-
ter more proper for a poet than a hiftorian. Thofe
countries which are defcribed by Poncet, merit a
pen much more able to do them juflice than either
his or mine.

It will be remembered when I fay this, it is of the
country of the Shangalla, between lat. 12 and 13"

»
* Plin. vol. I lib. 6. cap. 30. p. 376.

H 2 north.

loS TRAl'ELS TO DISCOVER

north, that this is the people who inhat)!! a hot
woody flripe, called |Colla, about 40 or 50 miles
broad, that is, from north to fouth, bounded by the
mountainous country of Abyffinia, till they join the
Nile at Fazuclo, on the Weft.

I have alfo faid, that, for the fake of commerce,
thefe Shangalla have been extirp^ated in two places,
which are like two gaps, or cbafms, in which are
built towns and -villages, and through which cara-
vans pafs between Sennaar and Abyifmia. All the
reft of this country is impervious and inacceffible,
uhlefs by an armed force. Many armies have pe-
riftied here. It is a traft totally unknown,- unlefs
from the fmall detail that I have entered into con-
cerning it in my travels.

And here I muft fet the critic right alfo, as to

what he fays of the produce of thefe parts. There '

is no grain called Dara, at leaft that I know of. If

he meant millet, he fhould have called it Dora. It

is not a mark of barrennefs in the ground where this

grows: part of the fineft land in Egypt is fown with it.

The banks of the Nile which produce Dora w^ould

alfo produce wheat ; but the inhabitants of the defert

like this better ; it goes farther, and does not fubje^

them to the violent labour of the plough, to which

all inhabitants of extreme hot countries are averfe.

The fame I fay of what be remarks with regard
to cotton. The fineft valleys in Syria, watered by
the cool refrefhing fprings that fall from Mount
Libanus, are planted with this fhrub ; and, in the
fame grounds alternately, the tree which produces
its fifter in manufadlures, filk, whofe value is greatly
enhanced by the addition. Cotton clothes all Ethi-
opia >

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. lOI

opia ; cotton is the bafis of its commerce with India,
and of the commerce between England, France, and
the Levant ; and, were it not for fome fuch igno-
rant, fuperficial reafoners as Abbe Renaudot, cot-
ton, after wool, fhould be the favourite manufadure
of Britain. It will in time take place of that ui^-
grateful culture, flax ; will employ more hands, and
be a more ample field for diftinguifhing the inge-
nuity of our manufafturers.

We fee, then, how the lead confideration pollible
deftroys thefe ill-founded objeftions, upon which
thefe very ignorant enemies of Poncet attempted to
deftroy his credit, and rob him of the merit of his
journey. At laft they ventured to throw off the
mafk entirely, by producing a letter fuppofed to
be written from Nubia by an Italian friar, who aflferts
roundly, that he hears Poncet was never at the ca-
pital of Ethiopia, nor ever had audience of Yafous ;
but flole the clothes and money of father Brevedent,
then married, and foon after forfook his mfe and
Ethiopia together.

Malllet could have eafily contradicted this, had
he a6led honeftly ; for Hagi All had brought him
the king of AbyfTmla's letter, who thanked him for
his having fent Poncet, and fignified to him his re-
covery. But without appealing to M. Malllet upon
the fubject, I conceive nobody will doubt, that
Hagi All had a commiflion to bring a phyfician from
Cairo to cure his mafter, and that Poncet was pro-
pofed as that phyfician, with confent of the conful.
Now, after having carried Poncet the length of
Bartcho, where it is agreed he was when Brevedent
died, (for he was fuppofed there to have robbed

that

103 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

that father of his money) what could be Hagi AU*s
reafon for not permitting him to proceed half a day's
journey farther to the capital, and prefenting him
to the king, who had been at the pains and ex-
pence of fending for him from Egypt ? What ex-
cufe coqld Hagi Ali make for not producing him,
when he muft have delivered the conful's letters,
telling him that Poncet was come with the caravan
for the purpofe of curing him ?

Befides this, M. de Maillet faw Hagi Ali after-
wards at Cairo, where he reproached him with
his cruel behaviour, both to Poncet and to friar
Juftin, another monk that had come along with him
from Ethiopia. Maillet then muft have been fully
jnflrufted of Poncet*s whole life and converfation in
Ethiopia, and needed not the Italian's fuppofed
communication to know whether or not he had
been in Ethiopia. Befides, Maillet makes ufe of
him as the forerunner of the other enjbafly he was
then preparing to Gondar, and to that fame king
Yafous, which would have been a very ftrange ftep
had he doubted of his having been there before.

Suppofing all this not enough, ftill we know he
returned by Jidda, and the conful correfponded
with him there Now, how did he get from Bart-
cho to the Red Sea without paffing the capital, and
without the. king's orders or knowledge? Who
franked him at thofe number of dangerous barriers
at Woggora, Lamalmon, the Tacazze, Kella, and
Adowaj where,* though I had the authority of the
king, i could not fometimes pafs without caUing
force to my aiTidance r Who freed him from the
avarice of the Barbarnagafli, and' the much more

' formidable

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I03

formidable rapacity of that murderer the Naybe,
who, we have feen in the hiflory of this reign, at-
tempted to plunder the king's own factor Mufa,
though his mafter was within three days journey at
the head of an army that in a few hours could have
effaced every veftige of where Mafuah had ftood ?
All this, then, is a ridiculous fabrication of lies ;
the work, as I have before faid, of thofe who were
concerned in. the affair of the unhappy Du Roule.

Pon.cet, having lof]; all credit, retired from Paris
in difgrace, without any further gratification than
that which he at firft received. He carried to Cairo
with him, however, a gold watch and a mirror,
which he was to deliver to the conful as a prefent to
his companion Murat, whofe fubfiftence was imme-
diately flopped, and liberty given him to return to
Ethiopia,

Nor did Maillet's folly flop here. After giving
poor Murat all the ill-ufage a man could pofTibly
iuffer, he entrufled him with a Jefuit * whom he
was to introduce into Ethiopia, v/here he would
certainly have lofl his life had not the bad -treat-
ment he received by the way made him return be-
fore he arrived at Mafuah.

This firfl mifcarriage feemed only to have con-
firmed the Jefuits more in their refolutipn of pro-
ducing an embafTy. But it now took another form.
Politicians and flatefmen became the aftors in it,
without a thought having been beflowed to dimi-
nifh the enemies of the fcheme, or render their en-
deavours ufelefs, by a fuperior knowledge of the

* Father Beinat, a Frenchman.

manners

I04 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

manners and cuftoms of the country through which
this embaflv was to pafs.

No adventurer, or vagrant phyfician, (like Poncet)
was to be employed in this fecond embafly. A
minifter verfed in languages, negociation, and trea-
ties, accompanied with proper drugomans and oiE-
cers, was to be fent to Abyffinia to cement a per-
petual friendfhip and commerce between two na-
tions that had not a national article to- exchange
with each other, nor way to communicate by fea
or land. The minifter, who muft have known this,
very wifely, at giving bis fiat, pitched upon the
conful M. de Maillet to be the ambaffador, as a
man who was acquainted with the c^ufes of Poncet's
failure, and, by following an oppofite courfe, could
bring this embaffy to a happy conclufion for both
nations.

Maillet confidered himfelf as a general whofe
bufinefs was to dired: and not to execute. A tedi-
ous and troublefome journey throqgh dangerous
deferts was out of the fphere of his clofet, beyond
the limit3*of which he did not choofe to go. Be-
yond the limits of this, all was defert to him. He
excufed himfelf from the embaffy, but gave in a me-
morial to ferve as a rule for the condud of his fuc-
ceflbr in the nomination in a country he had never
f^en; but this, being afterwards adopted as awell-
confidered regulation, proved one of the principal
caufes of the ' mifcarriage and tragedy that fol-
lowed.

M* Noir du Roule, vice-conful at Damiata, was
pitched upon as the ambaffador to go to AbyfTmia.
He was a young nian of fome merit, had a confider-

able

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. lOg

able degree of ambition, and a moderate Ikill in
the common languages fpoken in the eaft, but was
abfolutely ignorant of that of the country to which
he w^as going, and, what was worfe, of the cuftoms
and prejudices of the nations through which he was
to pafs. Like mod of his countrymen, he had a
violent prediledlion for the drefs, carriage, and man-
ners of FrancCf, and a hearty contempt for thofe of
all other nations ; this he had not addrefs enough
to difguife, and this endangered his life. The whole
French nation at Cairo were very ill-difpofed to-
wards him, in confequencc of fome perfonal flight,
or imprudences, he had been guilty of; as alfo
towards any repetition of projedls which brought
them, their commerce, and even their lives into
danger, as the laft had done.

The merchants, therefore, were aveife to this
cmbafly ; bujt the Jefuits and Maillet were the avow-
ed fupporters of it, and they had with them the
authority of the king. But each aimed to be
principal, and had very little confidence or commu-
nication with his affociate. <

As for the Capuchins, and Francifcans, they were
mortally offended with M. de Maillet for having, by
the introduftion of the Jefuits, and the power of
the king of France, forcibly wrefted the Ethiopic
mifTion from them which the pope had granted, and
which the facred congregation of cardinals had con-
firmed. Thefe, by their continual communication
with the Cophts, the Chriflians of Egypt, had fo far
brought them to adopt their defigns as, one and all,
to regard the mifcarriage of du Roule and his em-

baffy,

106 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

balTy, as what they were bound to procure from
hoaour and mutual intereft.

Things being in thefe circumftances, M. du Roulc
arrived at Cairo, and took upon him the charge of
this embafly, and from that moment the intrigues
began.

The conful had perfuaded du Roule, that the pro-
per prefents he (hould take with him to Sennaar
were prints of the king and queen of France, with
crowns upon their heads ; mirrors, magnifying and
muhiplying objefts, and deforming them ; when
brocade, fattin, and trinkets of gold or filver, iron
or fleel, would have been infinitely more acceptable,

Elias, an Armenian, a confidential fervant of the
French nation, was firfl fent by way of the Red Sea
into Abyflinia, by Mafuah, to proceed to Gondar,
and prepare Yafous for the reception of that ambaf-
fador, to whom he, Elias, was to be the interpreter.
So far it was well concerted ; but, in preparing for
the end, the middle was neglefted. A number of
fpiars were already at Sennaar, and had poifoned the
minds of that people, naturally barbarous, brutal,
and jealous, Money, in prefents, had gained the
great ; while lies, calculated to terrify and enrage
the lower clafs of people, had been told fo openly
and avowedly, and gained fuch root, that the am-
baflador, when he arrived at Sennaar, found it,
in the firfl; place, neceifary to make a procez verbal,
or what we call a precognition, in which the names
of the authors, and fubflance of thefe reports, were
mentioned, and of this he gave advice to M. de
Maillet, but the names and thefe papers perifhed
with him. "^

h

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. to'j

It was on the 9th of July, 1704, thatM. du Roulc
Tet out from Cairo, *attended by a number of people
who, with tears in their eyes, forefavv the pit into
which he was falling. He embarked on the Nile ;
and, in his paffage to Slout, he found at every halt-,
ing place fome new and dangerous lie propagated,
which could have no other end but his deftruflion.

Belac, a Moor, and fa£lor' for the king of Sen-
naar, was chief of the caravan which he then joined,
Du Roule had employed, while at Cairo, all the
ufual means to gain this man to his intereft, and
had every reafon to fuppofe he had fucceeded. But,
on his meeting him at Siout, he bad the mortifi-
cation to find that he was fo far changed that it
cofl him 250 dollars to prevent his declaring him-
felf an abettor of his enemies. And this, perhaps,
would not have fufficed, had it not been for the
arrival of Fornetti, drugoman to the French nation
at Cairo, at Siout, and with him a capigi and chiaoux.
from Ifmael Bey, the port of jani-zaries, and from th^
baflia of Cairo, exprefsly commanding the go-
vernor of Siout, and Belac chief of the caravan, to
look to the fafety of du Roule, and protecl him at
the hazard of their lives, and as they ihould anfwer
to them.

All the parties concerned were then called toge-
ther ; and the fedtah, or prayer of peace, ufed in
long and dangerous journies, was folemnly recited
and aflented to by them all ; in confequence of
which, every individual became bound to ftand bv
his companion even to death, and not feparate him-
felffrom him, nor fee him wronged, though it was
for his own gain or fafety. This tefl brought all

the

I08 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

the fecret to light ; for Ali Chelebi, governor of
Siout, informed the ambafl'ador, that the Chriftian
merchants and Francifcan friars were in a confpiracy,
and had fworn to defeat and difappoint his embafiy,
even by the lofs of his life, and that, by prefents, '
they had gained him to be a partner in that con-
fpiracy.

Belac, moreover, told him, that the patriarch of
the Cophts had affured the principal people of which
that caravan confifled, that the Franks then travel-
ling with him were not merchants, but forcerers,
Vv^ho were going to Ethiopia, to obflrud, or cut off
the courfe of the Nile, that it might no longer flow
into Fgypt, and that the general refolution was to
drive the Franks from the caravan at fome place in
the defert which fuited their defigns, which were to
reduce them to perifh by hunger or third, or elfe
to be otherwife flain, and no more heard of.

The caravan left Siout the 1 2th of September. In
twelve days they pafled fhe lefler defert, and came
to Khargue, where they were detained fix days by a
young man, governor of that place, who obliged
M. du Roule to pay him 120 dollars, before he
would fuffer him to pafs further ; and at the fame
time forced him to fign a certificate, that he had been
permitted to pafs without paying any thing. This
was the firfl; fample of the ufage he was to exped
in the further profecution of his journey.

On the 3d of October they entered the great de-
fert of Selima, and on the i8th of fame month they
arrived at Machou, or Mofcho, on the Nile, where
. their caravan (laid a confiderable time, till the mer-
chants had traufafted their bufmefs. It was at this

place

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I09

place the ambaflador learned, that feveral Francif-
can friars had paiTed the caravan while it remained
at Siout, and advanced to Sennaar, where they had
ftaid lome time, but had lately left that capital upon
news of the caravan's approaching, and had retired,
nobody knew whether.

A report was foon after fpread abroad at Cairo,
but no one could ever learn whence it came, that
the ambaflador, arriving at Dongola, had been afiaf-
fmated there. This, indeed, proved falfe, but was,
in the mean time, a mournful prefage of the melan-
choly cataftrophe that happened foon afterwards.

M. du Roule arrived at Sennaar towards the end
of May, and wrote at that time ; but a packet of
letters was after brought to the conful at Cairo, bear-
ing date the 18th of June. The ambaflador there
mentions, that he had been well received by the
king of Sennaar, who was a young man, fond of
ftrangers ; that particular attention had been fiiewn
him by Sid Achmet-el-coom ; or, as he fhouid have
called him, Achmet Sid-el-coom, i. e. Achmet maf-
ter of the houfliold. This oflicer, fent by the king
to vifit the baggage of the ambaflador, could hot
help teftifying his furprife to find it fo inconfidera-
ble, both in bulk and value.

He faid the king had received letters from Cairo,
informing him he had twenty chefls of filver along
with him. Achmet likewife told him, that he him-
felf had received information, by a letter under the
• hand and feal of the mod refpedable people of
Cairo, warning him not to let M. du Roule pafs ;
for the intention of his journey into Abyflinia was
to prevail on Yafous to attack Mafuah and Suakem,

and

no TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

and take them from the Turks. Achmet would not
fufFer the bales intended for the king of Abyflinia to
be opened or vifited, but left them in the hands of
the ambaffador.

M. du Roule, however, in writing this account
to the conful, intimated to him that he thought
himfelf in danger, and declares that he did not be-
lieve there was on earth fo barbarous, brutal, and
treacherous a people, as were the Nubians,

It happened that the king's troops had gained
fome advantage over the rebellious Arabs, on which
account there was a feftival at court, and M. dii
Roule thought himfelf obliged to exert himfelf in
every thing which could add to the magnificence of
the occafion. With this intention he fhaved his
beard, and dreffed himfelf like an European, and in
this manner he received the vifit of the minifter
Achmet. M. Mace, in a letter to the conful of the
above date, complains of this novelty. He fays it
Clocked every body ; and that the * mirrors which
multiplied and deformed the objects, made the lower
forts of the people look upon the ambaffador and
his company as forcerers.

Upon great feftivals, in moft Mahometan king-
doms, the king's wives have a privilege to go out
of their apartments, and vifit any thing new that
is to be feen, Thefe of the king of Sennaar are
very ignorant, brutifh, fantaflic, and eafily offended.
Had M.du Roule known the manne-'S of the country,
he would have treated thefe black majefties with

* We have feen thefe were recommended by M. Malllet,
the conful.

ftronfr

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. Ill

ftrong fpirits, fweetmeats, or fcented waters ; and
he might then have fhewed them with impunity
any thing that he pleafed.

But being terrified with the glalTes, and difgufted
by his inattention, they joined in the common cry,
that the ambaflador was a magician, and contri-
buted all in their power to ruin him with the king ;
which, after all, they did not accomplifh, without
the utmoft repugnance and difficulty. The far-
theft length at firft they could get this prince to
go was, to demand 3000 dollars of the ambaflai
dor. This was exprefsly refufed, and private dif-
guft followed.

M. du Roule being now alarmed for his own
fafety, infifted upon liberty to fet out forthwith for
Abyflinia. Leave was accordingly granted him,
and after his baggage was loaded, and every thing
prepared, he was countermanded by the kini^, and
ordered to return to his own houfe. A few days
after this he again procured leave to depart ; which
a (hort time after was again countermanded. At
laft, on the loth of November, a meifenger from
the king brought him final leave to depart, which,
having every thing ready for that purpofe, he im-
mediately did.

The ambaflador walked on foot, with two country
Chriftians on one .hand, and Gentil, his French fer-
vant, on the other. He refufed to mount on horfe-
back, but gave, his horfe to a Nubian fervant to
lead. M. Lipi, and M. Mace, the two drugomans,
were both on horfeback. The whole company
being now arrived in the middle of the large fquare
before the king's houfe, the common place of exe-
cution

IIZ TRAVELS TO HISCOVER -

cution for criminals, four blacks attacked the ani«»
baffador, and murdered him with four ftrokes of
fabres. Gentil.fell next by the fame hands, at his
mafter's fide. After him M. Lipi and the two
Chriflians ; the two latter protefting that they did
not belong to the ambaflador*s family.

M. du Roule died with the greateft magnanimity^
fortitude, and refignation. Knowing his perfon
was facred by the law of nations, he difdained to
defend it by any other means, remitting his revenge
to the guardians of that law, and he exhorted all
his attendants to do the fame. But M. Mace, the
drugoman, young and brave, and a good hojfeman,
was not of the {heep kind, to go quietly to the
flaughter. With his piftols he fbot two of the
aifafllns that attacked him, one. after the other,
dead upon the fpot ; and was continuing to defend
himfelf with his fword, when a horfeman, coming
behind him, thruft him through the back with a
lance, and threw him dead upon the ground.

Thus ended the fecond atttempt of converting
Abyffinia by an embafly. A fcheme, if we believe
M. de Maillet, which had coft government a con-
fiderable expence, for in a memorial, of the ill of
0£lober, 1706, concerning the death of M. du
Roule, he makes the money and effefts which he
had along with him, when murdered, to amount to
200 purfes, or 25,000/. Sterlyig. This, however,
is not probable ; becaufe, in another place, he fpeaks
of M. du Roule's having demanded of him a fmall
fupply of money while at Sennaar, which friar.
Jofeph, a capuchin, refufed to carry for hiip. Such
a fupply would not have been neceffary if the am-

balTador

^ THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. II3

baflador had with him fuch a fiim as that already
mentioned ; therefore I imagine it was exaggerated,
with a view to make the Turkifh baflha of Suakent
quarrel with the king of Sennaar about the recover-
ing it.

The friars, who were in numbers at Sennaar, left
it immediately before the coming of M. du Roule.
This they might have done without any bad inten-
tion towards him ; they returned, however, imme-
diately after his murder. This, I think, very clearly
conftitutes them the authors of it. For had they
not been privy and promoters of the aflailination,
they would have fled with fear and abhorrence from
a place where fix of their brethren had been lately
fo treacheroufly flain, and were not yet buried, but
their carcafes abandoned to the fowls of the air,
and the hearts of the field, and where they them-
felves, therefore, could have no affurance of fafety.

They however pretended, firfl to lay the blame
upon the king of Abyffmia, then upon the king of
Sennaar, and then they divided it between them
both. But Elias, arrived at Gondar, vindicated
that prince, as we (hall prefently fee, and the lift
of names taken at Sennaar ; and a long feries of
correfpondence, which afterwards came out, and a
chain of evidence which was made public, incon-
teftibly prove that the king of Sennaar was but an
agent, and indeed an unwilling one, who two feve-
ral times repented of his bloody defign, and made
M, du Roule return to his own houfe, to evade
the execution of it.

The blood then of this gallant and unfortunate
gentleman undoubtedly lies upon the heads of the

Vol, III. I reformed

114 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

reformed Francifcaii friars, and their brethren, the
friars of the Holy Land. The interefl; of thefe two
bodies, and a bigotted prince, fuch as Louis XIV,
then was, was more than fufficient to flop all in-
cjuiry, and hinder any vengeance to be taken on
thofe holy affaffiits. But he who, unperceived,
follows deliberate murther through all its conceal-
ments and darknefs of its ways, in a few years re-
quired fatisfadion for the blood of M. du Roule, at
a time and place unforefeen, and unexpected .

We fhall now return to Gondar to king Yafous,
who being recovered of his difeafe, and having dif-
miffed his phyfician, was preparing to fet out on a
campaign againft the Galla.

Yafous, for his firft wife, had married OzoroMa-
lacotawit, a lady of great family and connections
in the province of Gojam. By* her he had a fon,
Techi Haiin^nout, who was grown to manhood, and
had hitherto lived in the mod dutiful affeftion and
fubmiflion to his father, who, on his part, feemed
tf> place unlimited confidence in his fon. He now
gave a proof of this, not very common in the an-
nals of Abyffinia, by leaving Tecla Haimanout be-
hind-him, at an age when he was fit to reign, ap-
pointing him Betwudet, with abfolute power to
govern in his abfence. Yafous,had a midrefs whom
he tenderly loved, a woman of great quality like-
wife, whofe name was Ozoro Kedufte. She was
filler to his Fit-Auraris, Agne, a very diflinguiflied
and capable oflicer, and by her he had three chil-
dren, David, Hannes, and Jonathan.

: It happened, while he was watching the motions
of the Galla, news were brought that Ozoro Ke-

'■^ - dultc

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. Ilg

dufte had been taken ill of a fever ; and though,
upon this intelligence, he difpofed his affairs fo as
to return with all poflible expedition, yet when he
came to Bercante, the lady's houfe, he found that
fhe was not only dead, but had been for fome time
buried. All his prefence of mind now left him ;
he fell into the moft violent tranfport of wild de-
fpair, and, ordering her tomb to be opened, he
went down into it, taking his three fons along with
him, and became fo frantic at the fight of the corpfe,
that it was with the utmofl: difficulty he could be
forced again to leave the fepulchre. He returned
firfl: to Gondar, then he retired to an ifland in the
lake Tzana, there to mourn his lofl miilrefs.

But before this, Elias, ignorant of what had
pafled at Sennaar, prefented M. de Maillet's letter
to him, befeecTiing *his leave for M. du Roule to
enter Abyffinia, and come into his prefence. This
he eafily procured : Yafous was fond of ftrangers ;
and not only granted the requeft, but fent a man of
his own to Sennaar with letters to the king to pro-
teft and defray the expences of the ambaflador to
Gondar. This man, who had affairs of his own,
loitered away a great deal of time in the journey,
fo that Elias, upon firfl hearing of the arrival of
the ambalTador, fef out himfelf to meet him at Sen-
naar. The king, in the mean time, having finiflied
his mourning, difpatched Badjerund Ouffas to his
fon the Betvvudet, at Gondar, ordering him forth-
with to fend him a body of his houfliold troops to
rendezvous on the banks of the lake, oppofite to
the ifland Tchekla Wunze, where he then had his
refidence.

I 3 It

I]6' TRAVELS TO DISCOVER .

It has been faid, contrary to all truth, by thofe
who have wrote travels into this country, that fons
born in marriage had the fame preference in fuc-
ceffion as they have in other countries. But this,
as I have faid, is entirely without foundation ; For,
in the fir ft place, there is no fuch thing as a regu-
lar marriage in Abyffinia ; all confifts in mere con-
fent of parties. But, allowing this to be regular,
not only natural children, that is, thofe born in con-
cubinage where no marriage was in contemplation ;
and adulterous baftards, that is, the fons of unmar-
ried women by married men ; and all manner of
fons whatever, fucceed equally as well to the crown
as to private inheritance ; and there cannot be a
more clear example of this than in the prefent king,
who, although he had a fon, Tecla Haimanout,
born of the queen Malacotawit in wedlock, was
yet fucceeded by three baftard brothers, all fons
of Yafous, born in adultery, that is, in the life of
the queen. David and Hannes were fons of the
king by his favourite Ozoro Keduftej BaculFa,
by another lady of quality.

Although the queen, Malacotawit, had paffed
over with feeming indiiference the preference the
king had given his miftrefs, Ozoro Kedufte, dur-
ing her lifetime, yet, from a very unaccountable
kind of jealoufy, flie could not forgive thofe violent
tokens of aiiedion the king had (hewn after her
death, by going down with his fons and remaining
with the body in the giave. Full of refentment for
this, Ihe had perfuaded her fon, Tecla Haimanout,
that Yafous had determined to deprive him of his
iucc^iiUon, to fend him and her, his mother, both

-to

THE 30URCE OF THE NILE. II7

to Wechne, and place his baflard brother, David,
fon of Ozoro Kedufle, upon the throne.

The queen had been very diligent in attaching to
her the principal people about the court. By her
own friends, and the affiftance of the difcontented
and banifhed monks, (he had raifed a great army
in Gojam under her brothers, Dermin and Paulu?,
Tecla Haimanout had fhewn great figns of wifdoni
and talents for governing, and very much attached
to himfelf fome of his father's oldeft j^nd ablelt
fervants.

It was, therefore, agreed, in return to Yjjfous's
meflage by Ouftas, to anfwer, That^ after fo long a
reign, and fo much bloodflied, the king would do
well to retire to fome convent for the reft of his
life, and atone for the many great fins he had com-
mitted ; and that he Ihould leave the kingdom in.
the hands of his fon Tecla Haimanout, as lh,e anci-
ent king Caleb had refigned his crown into the hands
of St. Pantaleon in favour of his fon Guebra Mafcal.
As it was not very fafe to deliver fuch a meifage to
a king fuch as Yafous, it was therefore fent to hini
by a common foot-foldier, who could ijot be an ob-
jeft of refentment.

The king received it at Tchekia Wunze, the
ifland in th^ lake Tzana, where he was then read-
ing. He anfwered with great Iharpnefs, by the
fame meflenger, " That he had been long informed
who thefe were that had feduced his fon, Tecla Hai-
manout, at once from his duty to him as his father,
and his allegiance as his fovereign ; that though he
did not hold them to be equally in fanclity to St.
Pantaleon, yet, fuch as they v/ere, he propofed im-
mediately

■Ws'

Il8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

mediately to meet them at Gondar, and fettle there
his foil's coronation."

This ironical meflage was perfedly underftood.
Thofe of the court that were with Tecla Haima-
nout, and the inhabitants of the capital, met toge-
ther, and bound themfeives by a folemn oath to live
' and die with their king Tecla Haimanout. The fe-
verity of Yafous was well known ; his provocation
now was a juft one ; and the meafure of vengeance
that awaited them, every one concerned knew to
be fuch that there was no alternative but death or
victory.

Neither party was flack in preparations. Kaf-
mati Honorius, governor of Damot, a veteran officer
and old fervant of Yafous, collefted a large body
of troops and marched them down the weft fide of
the lake. Yafous having there joined them, and
putting himfelf at the head of his army, began
his march, rounding the lake on its fouth fide to-
wards Dingleber.

Neither did Tecla Haimanout delay a -moment
after hearing his father was in motion, but march-
ed with his army from Gondar, attended with all
the enfigns of royalty. He encamped at Bartcho,
in that very field where Za Uenghel was defeated
and flain by his rebellious fubjecls. Thinking this
a pofl: ominous to kings, he refolved to wait for
his father there, and give him battle.

The king, in his march through the low country
ofDembea, was attacked by a putrid fever, very
common in thofe parts,' which fo increafed upon
him that he was obliged to be carried back to Tchekla
Wunze. This accident difcouraged his whole party.

His

THE, SOURCE OF THE NILE. II9

His army, with Honorius, took the road to Gojam,
but did not difperfe, awaiting the recovery of the
king.

But the queen, Malacotawit, no fooner heard
that Yafous her hufband was fick at Tchekla Wunze,
than (he fent to her fon Tecla Haimanout to leave
his unwholefome ftation, and march back imme-
diately to Gondar ; and, as foon as he was returned,
fhe difpatched her two brothers, Derminand Paulus,
with a body of foldiers and two Mahometan muf-
queteers, who, entering the ifland Tchekla Wunze
by furprlfe, (hot and difabled the king while fitting
on a couch ; immediately after which, Dermin thrud
him through with a fvvord. 1 hey attempted afftr-
wards to burn the body, in order'to avoid the ill-
will the fight of it muft occafion : In this, how-
ever, they were prevented by the priefts of the
ifland and the neighbouring nobility, who took pof-
feffion of the body, wailied it, and performed all
the rites of fepulture, then carried it in a kind of
triumph, with every mark of magnificence due to
the burial of a king, interring it in the fmall ifland
of Mitraha, where lay the body of all his anceftors,
and where I have ken the body of this king (till
entire.

Nor did the prince his fon, Tecla Haimanout,
now king, difcourage the people in the refped they
voluntarily paid to his father. On the contrary,
that parricide himfelf fheWed every outward mark
of duty, to the which inwardly his heart had
been long a flranger..

Poncet, who faw this king, gives this character
of him : He fays he was a man very fond of war,

but

120 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

but averfe to the fhedding of blood. However this
may appear a contradidion, or faid for the fake of
the antiihefis, it really was the true chaiafter of
this prince, who, fond of war, and in the perpetual
career of viftory, did, by pulhing his conquefts as
far as they could go, inevitably occalion the fpilling
of much blood. Yet, when his army was not in
the field, though he detefted a multitude of confpi-
racies among priefls and other people at home, whofe
lives in confequence were forfeited to the law, he
very rarely, either from his own motives, or the
perfuafion of others, could be induced to inflidl ca-
pital puniftiments though often ftrongly provoked
to it.

Upon his death the people unanimoufly gave to
him the name of Tallac, which fignifies the Great^
a name he has ever fmce enjoyed unimpeached in
the AbylTmian annals, or hiftory of his country^
from the which this his reign is taken. ,

TECLA HAIMANOUT I.

From 1704 to 1706. „

Writes in Favour of Du Rouk — Defeats the Rebels
— Is affhjjlnated while hunting,

H'LIAS the Armenian, of whom we have already
fpoken, and who was charged with letters of pro-
tedion from Yafous to meet M. du Roule at Sen-

naar.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I^I

naar,had reached within three days journey of that ca-
pital when he heard that king Yafous was aflaffinated.
Terrified at the news, he returned in the utmoft hafte
to Gondar, and prefented the letters, which had
been written by Yafous, to be renewed by his fon,
king Tecla Haimanout. Tecla Haimanout read his
father's letters, and approved of their contents,
ordering': them to be copied in his own name; and
Elias without delay fet out with them. I have in-
ferted a tranllation of thefe letters, which were ori-
ginally written in Arabic, and feem to me to be
of the few that are authentic among thofe many
which have been publifhed as coming from Abyf-
fmia.

*' The king Tecla Haimanout, fon of the king
" of the church of Ethiopia, king of a thoufand
*' churches.

S' 5Jnw (YB' i*

Son of ^

, . MART ,

*' On the part of the powerful auguft king, arbi-
" ter of nations, fhadow of God upon earth, the
*' guide of kings who profefs the religion of the
*' Meffiah, the moft powerful of Chriftian kings, he

* This is not the king's feal. It is the Invention of fome
Mahometan employed to write the letters.

« that

(C

132 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

" that maintains order between Mahometans and
'' Chriftians, protedor of the boundaries of Alex-
'' andria, obferver of the commandments of the
*' gofpel, defcended of the line of the prophets
" David and Solomon — may the bleffing of Ifrael
be upon our prophet and upon them. — To the
king Baady, fon of the king Ounfa, may his reign
pe full of happinefs, being a prince endowed with
thefe rare qualities that deferve the highefl praifes
"as governing his kingdom with diftinguilhed wif-
*' dom, and by an order full of equity. — The king
" of France, who is a ChrifHan, wrote a letter
*' feven or eight years ago, by which he fignified
" to me, that he wifhed to open a trade for the ad-
vantage of his fubjecls and of mine, which re-
quefl we have granted. We come at prefent to
" underftand, that he has fent us prefents by a
" man whofe name is du Roule, v^ho has likewife
" feveral others along with him, and that thefe
*' people have been arrefted at your town of Sen-
" naar. We require of you, therefore, to fet them
" immediately at liberty, and to fuffer them to
" come to us with all the marks of honour, and
'' that you fhould pay regard to the ancient friend-
fhip which has always fubfifted between our
predecelTors, fmce the time of the king of Sedg'id
" and the king of Kim, to the prefent day. We alfo
*' demand of you to fuiTer all the fubjecls of the
" king of France to pafs, and all tliofe that come
" with letters of his conful who is at Cairo, as
" all fuch li'ienchmen come for trade only, being
" of the fame religion with us. We likewife re*
" commend to you, that you permit to pafs freely,

" all

cc
«e
((
<(

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 12^

*« all French Chriftians, Cophts, and Syrians who
follow our rites, obferving our religion, and who
intend coming into our country ; and that you
do not fufFer any of thofe who are contrary to
our teligion to pafs, fuch as the monk Jofeph,
and his companions, whom you may keep at Sen-
naar, it being in no fhape our intention to fuffer
" them to come into our dominions, where they
** would occafion troubles, as being enemies to our
** faith. God grant you your defires." — Wrote
the loth of Zulkade, Anno 1118, i.e. the 21ft of
January, 1706.

^j^ The diredion is — " To king Baady,

*' fon of king Ounfa, may God favour him

" with his grace.'*

The firft thing I remark upon this letter is, the

mentioii of the ancient peace and friendfliip which

fubfifled between the predecelTors of thefe two

princes now correfponding. It was a friendfliip, he

fays, that had endured from the time of the king

of Seclgid, and the king of Kim, to the prefent day.

The kingdom of Sennaar, as we fliall fee, was but

a modern one, and recently eflablilhed by conquefl:

over the Arabs. Therefore the kingdoms of Sedgid

and of Kim were, before that conqueft, places

whence this black nation came that had eftabliftied

their fovereignty at Sennaar by conquefl: : from

which, therefore, I again infer, there never was

any war, conquefl:, or tribute between Abyfllnia

and that fl:ate.

The Arabs, who fed their flocks near the frontiers
of the two countries, were often plundered by the
kings of Abyfllnia making defcents into Atbara;

but

1^4 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

but this was never reckoned a violation of peace
between the two fovereigns. On the contrary, as
the motive of the Arabs, for coming fouth into
the frontiers of Abyffinia, was to keep themfelves
independent, and out of the reach of Sennaar, when
the king of Abyflinia fell upon them there, he was
underflood to do that monarch fervice, by driving
them down farther with in his reach. The Baharna-
gafli has been always at war with them ; they are
tributary to him for eating his grafs and drinking
his. water, nothing that he ever does to them gives
any trouble or inquietude to Sennaar. It is in-
terpreted as maintaining his ancient dominion over
the Shepherds, thofe of Sennaar being a new power,
and accounted as ufurpers.

M. de Maillet, nor M. le Grande, his hiftorian,
have not thought fit to explain who the monk Jo-
feph was mentioned in this letter. Now it is cer-
tain, that, when Murat and Poncet were returned
from Abyffinia, there was a miffionary of the minor
friars, who arrived in Ethiopia, had an audience of
the king, and wrote a letter in his name to the
pope, wherein he has foifled many improbabilities
and falfehoods ; and concludes with declaring on
the part of Yafous, that he fubmits to the fee of
Rome in the fame manner the kings his prede-
ceflbrs had fubmiited. He makes Yafous fpeak
Latin, too ; and it is perfectly plain from the * whole
letter, that, though he writes it himfelf, he cannot
conceal that the king Yafous wanted him very

* See the ktter itfelf, it is the lafl. In Le Grande's book, and in
Latin, if I remember rightly.

much

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 135

much away, and was very uneafy at his (lay at Gon-
dar. Who this was we know not, but fuppofe it
was one of thofe afTaflins of M. du Roule, carrying
on a private intrigue without participation of the
conful, fome of whom were afterwards detected in
Walkayt in the reign of David IV.

As for Elias, the forerunner of the French em-
bafly, now become the only remains of it, he con-
tinued in Abyffinia (to judge by his letter) in great
poverty, till the year 171 8, immediately after which
he went over to Felix, and firft wrote from Mocha
to M. de Maillet conful at Cairo, as it will appear
in the reign of David IV. where I have inferted his
letter ; that written to M. du Roule in the name
of Yafous, that of Tecla Haimanout to the Bafha
and Divan of Cairo, I have now here inferted, be-
caufe I have advanced fads founded upon them.

Translation of an Arabic Letter from the
King o/" Abyssinia to M. du Roule,

*' The king Tecla Haimanout, king of the efta-
** blifhed church, fon of the king of a thoufand
" churches.

" This letter cometh forth from the venerable,
auguft king, who is the fhadow of God, guide of
Chriflian princes that are in the world, the molt
powerful of the Nazarean kings, obferver of
the commandments of the gofpel, proteclor of
the confines of Alexandria, he that maintaineth
order between Mahometans and Chriftians, de-
fcended from the family of the prophets David
** and Solomon, upon whom being the bleffings of

Ifrael

((

12,6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

•^ Ifrael, may God make his happinefs eternal, and
*^ his power perpetual, and protecl his arms — So
« be it. — To his excellence the mod virtuous and
*' moft prudent man du Roule, a Frenchman fent
** to us, may God preferve him, and make him ar-
*' rive at a degree of eminence — So be it. — Elias,
" vour interpreter whom you fcnt before you,be-
*' ing arrived here, has been well received. Wc
" have under ftood that you are fent to us on tfle
" part of the king of France our brother, and are
*' furprifed that you have been detained at Sennaar.
" We fend to you at prefent a letter for king Baady,
"^ in order that he may fet you at liberty, and not
" do you any injury, nor to thofe that are with you,
" but may behave in a manner that is proper
both for you and to us, according to the religion of
Elias that you fent, who is a Syrian ; and all thofe
that may come after you from the king of France
'-^ our brother, or his conful at Cairo, fhall be well
'' received, whether they be ambaifadors or pri-
** vate merchants, becaufe we love thofe that are of
our religion. We receive" with pleafure thofe
who do not oppofe our laws, and we fend away
thofe that do oppofe them. For this reafon we
did not receive immediately Jofeph | with all his
companions, not choofing that fuchfort of people
'^^ fhould appear in our prefence, nor intending
" that they ftould pafs Sennaar, in order to avoid
" troubles which may occafion the death of many ;
but v;ith refpeft to yoUj have nothing to fear,
you may come in all fafety, and you Iliall be re-.

f Vid. the letter as quoted above.

** ceived

ii

THf^ SOURCE OF THE NILE. 1^7

" ceived with honour/' — Written the loth of the
month Zulkade, Anno ni8, /. ^. the 21ft of Ja-
nuary, of the year 1706.

fr^ The addrefs is — " Let the prefent be de-
" livered to M. du Roule at the town of Sen-
« naar."

I (hall only obferve upon this letter, that all the
priefts, who had flocked to Sennaar before M. du
Roule arrived there, difappeared upon his near ap-
. proach to that city, after having prepared the mif-
chief which diredly followed. And, no fooner was
the murder, which they before concerted, committed,
than they all flocked back again as if invited to a
fefliival. M, de Maillet fpeaks of feveral of them
in his letters, where he complains of the murder of
du Roule, and fays that they were then on their
way to enter Abyflinia. Of thefe probably was this
Jofeph, whom Tecla Haimanout ftridlly prohibits
to come farther than Sennaar, having feen what his
father had written concerning him in the firfl: letters
Elias was charged with.

Others are mentioned in Elias's letter to the conful
as having been in Abyflinia. He calls them thofe
of the league of Michael and Samuel, of whom we
fhall fpeak afterwards. But, even though the French
conful had ordered his nation to drive all the fub-
je(5ls of Sennaar from their houfes and fervice, nOne
of thefe miflionaries were afraid to return and abide
at Sennaar, becaufe they knew the murder of the
ambaflador was the work of their own hands, and,
without their inftigation, would never have been
committed.

The

ia8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

The unlucky meflfenger, Ellas, was again about
to enter Sennaar, when he received information that
du Roule was aflaffinated. If he had fled haftily
from this inaufpicious place upon the murder of
Yafous, his hade was now tenfold, as he confidered
himfelf engaged in the fame circumftances that had
involved M. du Roule's attendants in his misfor-
tunes.

The king, upon hearing the account given by
Elias of the melancholy fate of the ambaffador at
Sennaar, was fo exafperated, that he gave imme-
diate orders for recalling fuch of his troops as he
had permitted to goto any conliderable diftance j and,
in a council held for that purpofe, he declared, that
he confidered the death of M. du Roule as an affront
thact immediately affefted his crown and dignity.
He was, therefore, determined not to pafs it over,
but tP make the king of Sennaar fenfible that he,
as well as all the other kings upon earth, knew the
necfcflity of obferving the law of nations, and the bad
confequence of perpetual retaliations that muft fol-
low the violation of it. In the mean time, thinking
that the baflia of Cairo was the caufe of this, he
wrote the following letter to him.

Translation of an Arabic Letter from the
King of Abyssinia to the Basha and Divan
of Cairo.

** To the Pacha, and Lords of the Militia of Cairo:

" On the part of the king of AbylTmia, the King

•« Tecla Haimanout, fon of the king of the church

" of Abyfllnia.

« On

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. IZ^

** On the part of the auguft king, the powerful
*' arbiter of nations, fhadow of God upon earth,
" the guide of kings who profefs the religion of the
" Mefliah, the moft powerful of all Chriftian kings,
" he who maintains order between Mahometans and
*' Chriftians, protestor of the confines of Alexandria,
*' obferver of the commandments of the gofpel, heir
*' from father to fon of a moft powerful kingdom,
*' defcended of the family of David and Solomon, — -
*' may the bleffing of Ifrael be upon our prophetj
" and upon them ! may his happinefs be durable^
and his greatnefs lafting, and may his powerful
army be always feared. — To the m.oft powerful
lord, elevated by his dignity, venerable by his
" merits, diftinguifhed by his ftrength and riches
*' among all Mahometans, the refuge of all thofe that
" reverence him, who by his prudence governs and
" direds the armies of the noble empire, aiid com«
" mands his confines; victorious viceroy of Egypt,
" the four corners of which fhall be always ^nefpeded
'' and defended : — So be it.— And to all the dif-
" tinguiflied princes, judges, men of learning, and
*' other officers whofe bufinefs it is to maintain order
and good government, and to all commanders in
general, may God preferve them all in their dig-
" nities, in the noblenefs of their health. You
" are to know that our anceftors never bore any
" envy to other kings, nor did they ever occafion
*' them any trouble, or fhew them any mark of ha-
" tred. On the contrary, they have, upon all
" occafions, given them proofs of their friendfhips,
" affifting them generoufly, relieving them in their
'' neceflities, as well in what concerns the caravaa
Vol. III. K « and

cc

130 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

'* and pilgrims of Mecca in Arabia Felix, as iti

cc
cc

the Indies, in Perjia, and other diftant arid out-
of-the-way places, alfo by proteding diftinguifhed
perfons in every urgent neceffity.

Neverthelefs, the king of France our brother,
who profefTes our religion and our law, having
" been induced thereto, by fome advances of friend-
** fhip on our part fuch as are propeV, fent an ani-
" baffador to us ; I underftand that you caufed ar-
" reft him at Sennaar, and alfo another by name
*' Murat, the Syrian, whom you did put in prifon.
alfo, though he was fent to that ambaflador on
our part, and by thus doing, you have violated
the law of nations, as ambafladors of kings ought '
" to be at liberty to go wherever they will; audit
" is a general obligation to treat them with honour,
*' and not to moleft or detain them, nor fhould they
*' be fubjeft to pay euftoms, or any fort of prefents.
" We could very foon repay you in kind, if we
*' were inclined to revenge the infult you have of-
" fered to the man Murat fent on our part; the
'* Nile would be fuffieient to punifh you, fince God
" hath put into our power his fountain, his outlet,
" and his increafe, and that we can difpofe of the
fame to do you harm ; for the prefent we de-
mand of, and exhort you to defift from any fu-
•* ture vexations towards our envoys, and not dif-
turb us by detaining thofe who fhall be fent to-
wards you, but you (hall let them pafs and con-
<* tinue their route without delay, coming and go-
" ing wherever they will freely for their own ad-
« vantage, whether they are our fubjeds or French-

" men.

Cfr

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. l.^I

men, and whatever you fhall do to or for them,
we fhall regard as done to or for ourfelves."

It;^ The addrefs is — " To the bafha, princes,
*' and lords governing the town of great Cairo,
" may God favour them with his goodnefs.'*

There are feveral things very remarkable in this
letter. The king of Abyffmia values himfelf, and
his predecefTors, upon never having molefted or trou*
bled any of his neighbours who were kings, nor
borne any envy towards them. We are not then
to believe what we fee often in hillory, that there
"was frequent war between Sennaar and Abyffmia,
or that Sennaar was tributary to Abyffmia. That
flripe of country, inhabited by the Shangalla,
■would, in this cafe, have been firft conquered. But
it is more probable, that the great difference of cli-
mate which immediately takes place between the
two kingdoms, the great want of water on the fron-
tiers, barriers placed there by the hand of Naturej
have been the means of keeping thefe kingdoms
from having any mutual concerns ; and fa, indeed,
we may guefs by the utter filence of the books, which
never mention any war at Sennaar till the begin-
ning of the reign of Socinios.

I apprehend, that protecting diflinguifhed perfons
upon great occafions, alludes to the children of the
king of Sennaar, who frequently fly after the death
of their father to Abyffmia* for protedion, it being
the cuftom of that ftate to murder all the brothers
of the prince that fucceeds, inflead of fending
them to a mountain, as they do in Abyliinia.

* Abdelcader, fon of Ounfa, retired here.

fc2 The

13^ TRA\^ELS TO DISCOVER

The next thing remarkable is his protedion of
the pilgrims who go to Mecca, and the merchants
that go to India. Several caravans of both fet out
yearly from his kingdom, all Mahometans, fome of
whom go to Mecca for religion, the others to India^
by Mocha, to trade. But it is not poffible to under-
ftand how he is to protect the trade in Perfia, with
which country he certainly has had no fort of con-
cern thefe 800 years, nor has it been in that time
poflible for him either to moleft or proteft a Perfian.
What, therefore, I would fuppofe, is, that the king
has made ufe of the common phrafe which univer-
fally obtains h-ere both in writing and converfation,
calling Berel Ajam the Weft, and Ber el Arab the
Eaft coall of the Red Sea. — Ber el Ajam, in the
language of the country, is the coaft where there is
^^'ater or rain, in oppofition to the Tehama, or op-
pofite fhore of Arabia, where there is no water.
The Greeks and Latins tranllated this word into
their language, but did not un:derft3nd it ; only from
the found they called it Azamia, from Ajam. Now
Ajam, or Ber el Ajam, is the name of Ferfia alfo ;
and the French interpreter fays, the king of Abyf-
finia proteds the caravans of Ferfia ; when he Ihould
fay, the caravans, going through Ber el Ajam, the
Azamia of the ancients, to embark at the two ports
Suakem and Mafuah, both in the Country of that
name.

The next thing to remark here is, that the king
acknowledges Murat to be his ambaflador ; and it
is the arrefling him, which we have feen was done
at the inftance of M. de Maillet collufively, that the
king fays was a violation of the law of nations ; and

it

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 13

ry

it was this infult, done to Murat his ambaflTador,
that he all along complains of, not that offered to
du Roule, which he leaves to the king of France ;
for he fays exprefsly if he was to ftarve, or deftroy
them all, by flopping the Nile from coming into
Egypt, it would be on account of the infult offered
to Murat, the envoy, or man, lent on his part to
France. It is plain, therefore, that M. de Maillet
perfecuted the poor Syrian very wrongfully, and that
in no one inftance, from firft to laft, was he ever in
the right concerning that embaify.

This ftep, which juftice didlated, was not without
its reward j for Tecla Haimanout, who had affem-
bled his army on this account fooner than he other-
wife intended, found immediately after, that a rival
and rebel prince, Amda Sion, was fet up againft
him by the friends of his father Yafous, and that he
had been privately colleding troops, intending to
take him by furprife, when he was, however, at the
head of his army ready to give him battle.

The firft thing the king did was to difpatch a large
body of troops to reinforce Dermin, governor of
Gojam, and to him he fent pofitive orders to force
Amda Sion to fight wherever he fliould find him,
while he, with the royal army, came forward with
all expedition to keep the people in awe, and prevent
them from joining his rival.

Amda Sidn, on the other hand, loft no time.
From Ibaba, through Maitflia, he marched ftraight
to Gondar. Being arrived at the king's houfe at
Dingleber, be fat down on the throne with the en-
figns of royalty about him, and there appointed fe-
ve;-al officers that were moft needed, in the army,

the

134 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

the provinces, and about his perfon. During his
flay here, news were brought that Dermin had follow-
ed him flep by ftep in the very track he had marched,
and laid the whole country wafte that had (hewn him
any countenance or favour. Amda Sion*s heart
feemed to fail him upon this ; for he left Dingleber,
crofTed the ford at Delakus, and endeavoured to pafs
Dermin, by keeping on the weft fide of the Nile,
and on the low road by which he returned to Ibaba.
Dermin, well-informed as to his motions, and
perfedly inftruded in the fituation of the country,
inftead of pafling him, turned fliort upon his front,
crofling the Nile at Fagitta, and forced him to an
engagement in the plain country of Maitfha.
The battle, though it was obftinately fought by the
rebels, ended in a complete victory in favour of
the king. Thofe among the rebels who moft dif-
tinguiflied themfelves were the baniftied monks, the
sreateft part of whom were flain fighting defperately.
Among thefe, were Abba Welleta Chriftos, Tobias
and his brother Abba Nicolaus, who had been ring-
leaders in the late religious difputes in the time of
Yafous, and were now chiefs of the rebellioa againfl
his fon.

The greateft part of the lofs fell upon the com-
mon men of Gojam, of the clans Elmanaand Denfa.
No man of note among them was loft; only Amda
Sion who fell at their head in the beginning of the
engagement, fighting with all the bravery that could
be expeded from a man in his circumftances. The
- rebel army was entirely difperfed. On the king's
fide no man of confideratiori was flain^ but Anafte,
fon of O^oro Sabel Wenghel.

After

^ THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. {35

After having reinforced Dermin, the firft: thing
the king did was to fend three of his brothers, David,
Hannes, and Jonathan, to be imprifoned on the
mountain of Wechne. He then marched with his
army from Gondar ; and, being ignorant of what
had happened, hedifpatched his mafter of the horfe,
by way of Dingleber, to join Kafmati Dermin, in
caSa he had not flill been flrong enough to fight the
rebels. With his main army he took the road to
Tedda, intending to proceed to Gojam ; but, by
the way, was informed that Dermin had defeated and
flain his rival Amda Sion : and he had fcarce crofled
the Nile at Dara, when another meflenger arrived
with news that Dermin had alfo come up with Kaf-
mati Honorius and his army on the banks of the
Nile, at Goutto, had entirely defeated and (lain him,
together with his principal officers, and difperfed the
whole army. Upon this the king marched towards
Ibaba, and was there joined by Dermin, when gre^t
rejoicing and feafting enfued for feveral days.

On this occafion the king crowned his mother
Malacotawit, conferring upon her the dignity and
title of Iteghe ; the confequence of which flation I
have often defcribed. Having now no longer ene-
mies to fear, he was perfuaded, by fome of his fa-
vourites, firft to difmifs Dermin and his army, then
all the troops that had joined him, and go with a
few of his attendants, or court, to hunt the buffalo
in the neighbouring country, Idi ; which council the
young prince too raflily adopted, fufpeding no
treafon.

While the hunting-match lafled, a confpiracy was
formed by Gueber Mo, his two brothers, Palambaras,

Hannes,

136 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Hannes, and feveral others, old officers belonging W
the late king Yafous, who faw that he intended,
one by one, to weed them out of the way as foon
as fafely he could, and that the whole power and
favour was at laft to fall into the hands of the Iteghe,
and her brothers Dermin and Paulus. Accordingly
one morning, the confpirators having furrounded
him while riding, one of them thruft him through
the body with a fword, and threw him from his mule
upon the earth. They then laid his body upon a
horfe, and, with all poflible expedition, carried him
to the houfe of Azerta Michael, where he arrived
vet alive, but died immediately upon being taken
from the horfe. Badjerund Ouftas, and fome others
of his father*s old officers, who had attached them-
felves to him after his father's death, took the body
of the king and buried it in Quebran.

As foon as this aflaffination was known, the maf-
ter of the horfe, with the few troops that he could
Tather together, came to the palace, and took a
young fon of Tecla Haimanout, aged only four
years, whom he proclaimed king, and the Iteghe,
Malacotawit, regent of the kingdom. But Badje-
rund Ouftas, and thofe who had not been concerned
in the murdei^ of either king, went firaight to the
mountain of Wechne, and brought thence Tifili^
that is Theophilus, fon to Hannes, and brother to
the late king Yafous, whom they crowned at Em-
fras, and called him, by his inauguration name At-
ferar Segued.

TIFILIS.

tHE SOURCE OF ffHE NILE, 137

T I F I L I S.

From 1706 to 1709.

Dlffembles with his Brother's JJaJJins-— Execution of
the Regicides — Rebellion and Death of Tigi.

ThEOPHILUS, a few days after his coro-
nation, having called the whole court and clergy to-
gether, declared to them, that his faith upon the
difputable point concerning our Saviour's incarnation
was diiferent from that of his brother Yafous, or
that of his nephew Tecla Haimanout, but in every
refped conformable to that of the monks of Gojam,
followers of Abba Euflathius, and that of the Iteghe,
Malacotawit, Dermin, and Paulus. A violent cla-
mour was inftantly raifed againfl: the king by the
priefts of Debra Libanos, as having forfaken the re-
ligious principles of his predeceflbrs. But the king
was inflexible ; and this ingratiated him more with
the inhabitants of Gojam. Not many days after,
the king arrefted the mafter of the horfe, Johannes
Palambaras, the Betwudet Tigi, and feveral others,
all fuppofed to be concerned in the murder of the
late king, and confined them in feveral places and
prifons.

This laft aftion of the king entirely relieved the
minds of all the friends of Tecla Haimanout from
any further fear of being called to account for the
murder of Yafous ; and, in confequence of this,
the queen Malacotawit, with her brothers Dermin,

Paulus,

138 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Paulus, and all the murderers of the late king Ya,-
fous, came to Gondar that fame winter to do ho-
mage to Theophilus, whom they now thought their
greateft protedor.

But the wife and fagacious king had kept his fe-
cret in his own bofom. All his behaviour hitherio
had been only dillimulation, to induce his brother's
murderers to come within his power. And no
fooner did he fee that he had fucceeded in this, than
the very firfl: day, while they were yet at audieftce,
he ordered an officer, in his own prefence, to arreft
firft the queen, and then her two brothers Dermin
and Paulus. He gave the fame directions concern-
ing the rpft of the confpirators, who were all Mat-
tered about Gondar, eating, drinking, and fearing
nothing, but rejoicing at the happy days they had
promifed themfelves, and were now to fee : he or-
dered the whole of them, amounting to o^^j perfons,
many of thefe of the firft rank, to be all executed
that fame forenoon.

He began with the queen, who was taken Imme-
diately from his prefence and hanged by the com-
mon hangman on the tree before the palace gate ;
the firft of her rank, it is believed, that ever died fo
•vile a death, either in Abyflinia or any other
country, the hiftory of which has come down to
our hands. Dermin and Paulus were firft carried
to the tree to fee their fifter*s execution; after
which, one after the other, they were thruft
through with fwords, the weapon with which they
bad wounded the late king Yafous. But the two
Mahometans were (hot with mulkets, it having been
in that manner they had ended the late king*s life,

after

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I39

^fter Dermin had wounded him with a fword. As
they had committed high treafon, none of the bo-
dies of thefe traitors were allowed to be buried;
they were hewn (ji fmall pieces with knives, and
ftcewed about the ftreets, to be eat by the hyaenas
dfid dogs ; a mod barbarous and offenfive cuftom,
to which they ftridly adhere to this very day.

After having thus taken ample vengeance for the
murder of his brother Yafous, Theophilus did not
k6^ here. Tecla Haimanout was, it is true, a par-
ricide, but he was likewife a king, and his nephew ;
nor did it feem juft to Theophilus that it fhould be
left in the will of private fubjeds, after having ac-
knowledged Tecla Haimanout as their fovereign, to
choofe a time afterwards, in which they were to cut
him off for a crime which, however great, had not
hindered them from fwearing allegiance to him at
his acceffion, and entering into his fervice at the
time when it was recently committed. He, there-
fore, ordered all the regicides in cuftody to be put
to death ; and fent circular letters to the feveral go-
vernors, that they lliould obferve the fame rule as
to all thofe diredly concerned in the. murder of his
nephew Tecla Haimanout, who (hould be found in
places under their command.

Tigi, formerly Betwudet, had been imprifoned
in Hamazen, a fmall diftrjct near the Red Sea, un»
der the government of Abba Saluce. This man,
by birth a Galla, had efcaped from Harnazen, and
colleded a confiderable army of the different tribes
of his nation, Liban, Kalkend, and. BafTo ; and,
baving found one that pretended to be of the royal

blood.

140 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

blood, he proclaimed him l>ing, and put his army
in motion.

Upon the firfl news of this revolt, the king,
though attended with few troopsL immediately left
Gondar, ordering all thofe whofe duty it was to
join him at Ibaba. Having there coUeded a little
army, he marched immediately for the country of
the Baflb, deflroying every thing with fire and
fword. Tigi, in the mean time, by forced marches
came to Ibaba, where he committed all forts of
cruelties without diflinftion of age or fex. The
cries of the fufferers reached the king, who turned
immediately back to the relief of Ibaba ; and, not
difcouraged by his enemy's great fuperiority of
number, offered battle to them as foon as he arrived.
Nor did Tigi and his Galla refufe it ; but, on the
aStb day of March, 1709, a very obftinate engage-
ment eafued ; where, though the king was inferior
in forces, yet being himfelf warlike and adive, he
was fo well feconded by his troops that Baffo and
Liban were almofl entirely cut off.

In the field of battle there was a church, built
by the late king Yafotis after a victory gained there
over the Pagans, whence it had the name it then
bore, Debra Mawea, or the Mountain of Vidory,
A large body of thpfe Galla, feeing that all went
againft them in the field, iled to the church for a
fanduary, trufling to be proteded from the fury of
the foldiers by the holinefs of the place, and they
{o far judged well; for the king's troops, though
ihcy furrounded tlie church on every fide, did not
olTer to break into it, or moleft the enemy that had
fhcUered themfslves v.'ithin. Theophilus, informed

of

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I4I

of this fcruple of his foWiers, immediately rode up
to them, crying out, " That the church was de-
" filed by the entrance of fo many Pagans, and no
" longer fit for Chriflian worfhip, that they fhould
" therefore immediately put fire to it, and he would
" build a nobler one in its place." The foldiers
obeyed without further hefitation ; and, with cotton
■wads wrapt about the balls of their gunsj they fet
fire to the thatch, with which every church in
Abyfiinia is covered. The whole was inflantly con-
fumed, and every creature within it perifned. Many
principal officers and men of the beft families on
the king's fide, Billetana Gueta, Sana Denghel,
and Billetana Gueta Kirubel, Ayto Stephenous, fon
of Ozoro Salla of Nara, all men of great confide-
ration, were flain that day. What came of the
rebel prince was never known. Tigi, with his two
fons, fled from the field ; but they were met by a
peafant, who took them prifoners firfl ; and, after
difcovering who they were, put them all three to
death, and brought their heads to the king.

After fo fevere a rebuke, the Galla, on both
fides of the Nile, feemed difpofed to be quiet, and
the king thereupon returned to Gondar amidft the
acclamations of his foldiers and fubjects ; but fcarc<2
had he arrived in the capital when he was taken ill
of a fever, and died on the 2d of September, and
was buried at Tedda, after a reign of three years
and three months.

OUSTAS

J4^ travels to DISCOtTER

d U S T A S.

From 1709 to 1 7 14.

U/urps the Crowri'—AddiBed to hunting— Jctount of
the Shangalla—Adive and bloody Reign — Enter"
tains Catholic Priejis privately — Falls Jtck and
dies ; but how^ uncertain.

^ It has been already obferved in the courfe of this
hiitory, that the AbyfTmians, from a very ancient
tradition, attribute the foundation of their monarchy
to Meniiek fon of Solomon, by the queen of Saba,
or Azab, rendered in the Vulgate, the Queen of
the fouth. The annals of this country mention but
two interruptions to have happened, in the lineal
fucceflion of the heirs-male of Solomon^ The firfl
about the year 960, in the reign of Del Naad, by
Judith queen of the Falafha, of which revolution
we have already fpoken fufficiently. The fecond
interruption happened at the period to which we
have now arrived in this hiftory, and owed its origin,
not to any misfortune that befel the royal family, as
in the maflacre of Judith, but feemed to be brought
about by the peculiar circumftances of the times,
from a well-founded attention to felf-prefervation.
Yafous the Great, after a long and glorious reign,
had been murdered by his fon Tecla Haimanout.
Two years after, this parricide fell in the fame man-
ner. The aflafTmation of two princes, fo nearly

^xelated, and in fo (hort a time, had involved, from

different

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I43

different motives, the greateft part of the noble
families of the kingdom, either in the crime itfelf,
or in the fulpicion of aiding and abetting it.

Upon the death of Tecla Haimanout, Tifilis, or
Theophilus, brother of Yafous, had been brought
from the mountain, and placed on the throne as
fucceffor to his nephew j this prince was fcarcely
crowned when he made fome very fevere examples
of the murderers of his brother, and he feemed
privately taking informations that would have reach-
ed the whole of them, had not death put an end
to his inquiries and to his juftice.

The family of king Yafous was very numerous
on the mountain. It was the favourite ftore whence
both the foldiery and the citizens chofe to bring
their princes. There were, at the very inftant,
many of his fons princes of great hopes and of
proper ages. Nothing then was more probable than
that the prince, now to fucceed, would be of that fa-
mily, and, as fuch, interefted in purfuing the fame
meafures of vengeance on the murderers of his
father and of his brother, as the late king Theo-
philus had done ; and how far, or to whom this
might extend, was neither certain nor fafe to
truft to.

The time was now pafi: when the nobles vied
with each pther who Ihould be the firfl to fteal
away privately, or go with open force, to take the
new king from the mountain, and- bring him to
Gondar, his capital: A backwardnefs was vifible
in the behaviour of each of them, becaufe in each
©ne's bread the fear was the fame.

In

144 ^RAVELS to DISCOVER

In fd uncommon a conjunfture and difpofitlon of
men's mindSj a fubjeft had the ambition and bold-
nefs to offer hinifelf for king, and he was accord-
ingly ele£led. This was Ouftas*, fori of Delba
Yafous, by a daughter of the late king of that
name; and Abyflinia flow faw, for the fecond
time, a ftranger feated on the throne of Solomon.
Ouftas was a man of uridifputed merit, and had
filled the . greateft offices in the flate. He had been
Badierund, or mafter of the houfhold, to the lat^
king Yafous. Tecla Haimanoutj who fucceed-
ed, had made him governor of Samen ; and
thouo-h, in the next reign, he had fallen into
difgrace with Theophilus, this ferved but to ag-
grandize him more, as he was very foon after
reftored to favour, and by this very prince raifed
to the dignity of Ras, the firft place under the
king, and inverted at once with the government
of two provinces, Samen and Tigre. He was, at
the death of Theophilus, the greateft fubje6t in
Abvflinia ; one ftep higher fet him on the throne,
and the circumftances of the time invited him to
take it. He had every quality of body and mind
requifite for a king ; but the conftitution of his
country had made it unlawful for him to reign.
He took, upon his inauguration, the name of Tzai

Segued.

Ouftas, though a new king, followed the cuftoms
of the ancient monarchs of Abyffinia; for that very
reafon was unwilling to add novelty to novelty, and
it has been a conftant praftice with thefe to make a

* It fgviifies Juftus.

public

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I45

public hunting, match the firfl expedition of their
reign. On thefe occafions the king, attended by*
all the great officers of ftate, whofe merit and
capacity are already acknowledged, reviews his
young nobility, who all appear to the bed advantage
as to atms, horfes, and equipage^ with the greatefl
number of fervants and attendants. The fcene of
this hunting is always in the Kolla, crowded with
an immenfe number of the largeft and fierceft wild
beads, elephants, rhinoceros, lions, leopards, pan-
thefs, and buffaloes fiercer than them all, wild
boars, wild affes, and many varieties of the deer
kind^

As foon as the game is roufed, and forced out
of the wood by the footmen atid dogs, they all
fingly, or feveral together, according to the fize of
the beaft, or as ftrength and ability in managing
their horfes admit, attack the animal upon the plain
with long pikes or fpears, or two javelins in their
hands. The king, unlefs very young, fits on horfe-
back on a rifing ground, furrounded by the graver
fort, who point out to him the names of thofe of
the nobility that are happy enough to diftinguifh
themfelves in his fight. The merit of others is known
by report.

Each young man brings before the king's tent,
as a trophy, a pait of the beaft he has flain ; the
head and fkin of a lion or leopard ; the fcalp or horns
of a deer -, the private parts of an elephant ; the
tail of a buffalo, or the horn of aihinoceros. The
great trouble, force, and time neceffary to take
out the teeth of the elephant, feldom make them
ready to be prefented with the reft of the fpoils ;

Vol. III. L fire.

14^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

fire, too, is heceflary for loofing them from the^
jaw. The head of a boar is brought ftuck upoii'
a lance ; but is not touched, as being unclean.

The elephant's teeth are the king's perquifites. Of
tbefe round ivory rings aire turned for bracelets, and
a quantity of them always brought by him to be
diftributed among the moft deferving in the field,,
and kept ever after as certificates of gallant behavi-
our. Nor is this mark attended with honour alone.
Any man who fhall from the king, queen-regent,
cir governor of a prGvin<:e, receive fo many of thefe
rings as fhall cover his arm down to his wrift, ap-
pears before the twelve judges on a certain day, and
there, laying down his arm with thefe rings upon
if, the king's cook breaks every one in its turn with
a kind of kitchen-cleaver, whereupon the judges
give him acertifieate^ which proves that he is entitled
to a territory,, whofe revenue muft exceed 20 ounces
of gold, and this is never either refufed or delayed.
All the different fpecics of gamie, ho-wever, are not
equally rated,* He that flay& a GaOa, or Shangalla,
man to man, is entitled to two rings ; he that flays
an elephant, to two ; a rhinoceros, two ; a giraffa,
on account of its fpeed, and to encourage horfeman-
fhip, two ; a buffalo, two ; a lion, two ; a leopard,
one ; two boars, whofe tuflvs are grovt^n^ one j and
one for every four of the deer kind.

Great difputes conftantly arife aboat the killing of
thefe beads j to determine which, and prevent feuds
and quarrels, a council fits every evening, in which
is an officer called Diinjhafia., or Red Cap, from a
piece of red filk he wears upon his forehead, leav-
in<T the top of his head bare, for no perfon is allow-
ed

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I47

€d to cover his head entirely except the king, the
twelve judges, and dignified priefts. This officer
regulates the precedence of one nobleman over ano-
ther, and is poffefled of the hiftory of all pedigrees,
the nobleft of which are always accounted thofe
nearefl: to the king reigning.

Every man pleads his own caufe before the coun^
cil, and receives immediate fentence. It is a fettled
rule, that thofe who ftrike the animal firfl:, if the
lance remain upright, or in the fame dire6lion in
which it enters the beaft, are underftood to be the '
flayers of the beaft, whatever number combat with
him afterwards. There is one exception, however,
that if the beaft, after receiving the firft wound,
though the lance is in him, ftiould lay hold of a
horfe or man, fo that it is evident he would prevail
againft them ; a buifalo, for example, that ftiould
tofs a man with his horns, or an elephant that fliould
take a horfe with his trunk, the man who ftiall then
flay the beaft, and prevent or revenge the death of
the man or horfe attacked, ftiall be accounted the
flayer of the beaft, and entitled to the premium.

This was the ancient employment of thefe coun-
cils. In my time they kept up this cuftom in point
of form ; the council fat late upon moft ferious
affairs of the nation ; and the death, banifliment,
and degradation of the firft men in the kingdom
were agitated and determined here under the pre-
tence of fitting to judge the prizes of paffimes.
This hunting is feldom prolonged beyond a fort-
night.

The king, from ocular infpeiSlion, is.prcfumed
to be able to choofe among the young nobility
thofe that are ready for taking the neceftary charges

L 2 in

148 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

in the army ; and it is from his judgment in this
that the priefts foretel whether his rcigri is to be a
fuccefsful one, or to end in misfortune and difap-
pointment.

Ouftas, having taken a view of his nobility, jind
attached fuch to him as were mod neceffarv for
his fupport, fet out for this* hunting with great
preparations. The high country of Abyffinia is
deftitute of wood; the whole lower part of the
mountains is fown with different forts of grain ;
the upper part perfectly covered with grafs and
all forts of verdure. There are no plains, or.
very fmall ones. Such a country, therefore, is unfit
for hunting, as it is incapable of either fheltering
or nouriihing any number of wild beafts.

The lower country, however, called Kolla, is full
of wood, confequently thinly inhabited. The moun-
tains, not joined in chains or ridges, run in one
upon the other, but, ftanding each upon its parti- ■
cular bafe, are acceflibte all round, and interfperfed
with plains. Great rivers falling from the high
country with prodigious violence, during the tropi-
cal rains, have in the plains wafhed away the foil
down to the folid rock, and formed large bafons of
great capacity, where, though the water becomes
ftagnant in pools when the currents fail above, yet,
from their great depth and quantity, they refill being
confumed by evaporation, being alfo thick covered
with large fhady trees whofe leaves never fall. Thefe
large trees, which, in their growth, and vegetation
of their branches, exceed any thing that our ima-
gination can figure, are as neceffary for food, as the

pools

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE, l^.^

pools of water are for cifterns to contain dpink for
thofe monftrous beads, fuch as the elephant and
rhinoceros, who there make their conftant refidence,
and who would die with hunger and with thirft un-
lefs they were thus copioufly fupplied both with
food and water.

This country, flat as the deferts on which it borders,
has fat black earth for its foil. It is generally about
40 miles broad, though in many places broader and
narrower. It reaches from the mountains of the
Habab, or Bagla, which run in a ridge, as I have
already faid, from the fouth of Abyflinia * north
down into Egypt, parallel to the Red Sea, dividing
the rainy fcafons, and it ftretches like a belt from
eaft to weft to the banks of the Nile, encircling all
the mountainous, or high land part of Abyffinia ;
which latter country is, at all times, temperate, and
often cold, while the other is unwholefome, hazy,
clofe, and intolerably hot.

Many nations of perfect blacks inhabit this low
<:ountry, all Pagans, and mortal enemies to the
Abyllinian government. Hunting thefe miferable
wretches is the next expedition undertaken by a
new king. X^e feafon of this is juft before the
rains, while the poor favage is yet lodged under the
trees preparing his food for the approaching winter,
before he retires into his caves in the mountain,
where he palTes that inclement feafon in conftant
confinement, but as conftant fecurity ; for thefe na-
tions are all Troglodytes, and by the Abyilinians

9xe called Shangalla.

f

* Vide general map.

However

l^O TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

However Ouflas fucceeded in attaching to hint
thofe of the nobility that partook of his fports,
his good fortune in the capital was not equal
to it. A dangerous confpiracy was already forming
at Gondar by thofe very people who had perfuaded
him to mount the throne, and whom he had left at
.home, from a perfuafion that they only* were to be
trufted with the fupport of hi? intereft and the go-
vernment in his abfence.

Upon the firft intelligence, the king, with a chofen
body of troops, entered Gondar in the night, and
furprifed the confpirators while adlually fitting in
council. Ras Hezekias, his prime minifter, and
Heraclides, mafter of his houfhold, and five others
of the principal confederates, loft their ears and
nofes, and were thrown into prifon in fuch circum-
jlances that they could not Hve. BenaiaBafile, one
of the principal traitors, and the moft obnoxious
to the king, efcaped for a time, having had already
intelligence of Ouft^s*s coming.

The king having quieted every thing at Gondar,
being at peace with all his neighbours, and having
no other away to amufe his troops and keep them
employed, fet out to join the remainder of his
young nobility whom he had left in the Kolla to
attack the Shangalla.

The Shangalla were formerly a very numerous
people, divided into diftinft tribes, or, as it is called,
ilillerent nations, living each feparately in diftin£t
territories, each under the government of the chief
of its own name, and each family of that name un-
' der the jurifdi<5l;ion of its own chief, or head.

Thefe

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I5|L

Thefe Shangalla, during the fair half of the year,
'Jive under the fhade of trees, the lowed branches
of which they cut near the ftem on the upper part,
and then bend, or break them down, planting the
ends of the brandies in the earth. Thefe branches
they cover with the Ikins of wild beaft«. After this
they cut away all the fmail or fuperfluous branches
in the infide, and fo form a fpacious pavilion, which
at a diftance appears like a tent, the tree ferving for
the pole in the middle of it, and the large top over-
shadowing it fo as to make a very pidurefque ap-
pearance.

Every tree then is a houfe, under which live a
•multitude of black inhabitants until the tropical rains
begin. It is then they hunt the elephant, which
they kill by many various devices, as they do the
rhinoceros and the other large creatures. Thofe
who refide where water abounds, with the fame in-
duftry kill the hippopotami, or river-horfes, which
are exceedingly numerous in the pools of the ftag-
nant rivers. Where this flat belt, or country, is
broadeft, the trees thickeft, and the water in the
largeft pools, there the mofl: powerful nations live,
who have often defeated the royal army of Abyf-
fmia, and conftantly laid wafte, and fometimes
nearly conquered, the provinces of Tigre and Sire,
the mod warlike and moll populous part in Abyf-
finia.

The ifiofl confiderable fettlement of this nation
is at Amba Tzaada, between the Mareb and Ta-
cazze, but nearer by one-third to the Mareb, and
almoft N. W. from Dobarwa. Thefe people, who
have a variety of venifpn, kill it in the fair months,

and

153 TRAVELS TO DISCOVEK.

and hang it up, cut into thongs as thick as a man's
thumb, like fo many ropes, on the trees aroun^i
them. The fun dries and hardens it to a confidence
almofl like leather, or the hardeft fifti fent from
Newfoundland. This is their provifion for the win-
ter months : They firfl beat it with a wooden mallet,
then boil it, after which they roaft it upon the pm-?
\iers ; and it is hard enough after it bas uridergone
all thofe operations.

The Dobenah, the mofl: powerful pf all the Shan*
galla, who have a fpecies of fupremacy or command
over all the reft of the nations, live altogether upon
the elephant or rhinoceros. In other countries,
where there is lefs water, fewer trees, and more
grafs, the Shangalla feed chiefly upon more pro-
mifcuous kinds of food, as buffaloes, deer, boarSj
lions, and ferpents. Thefe are the nations nearer
the Tacazze, Ras el Feel, and the plains of Sire
in AbyfTmia, the chief of which nations is called
Baalii. And flill farther weft of the Tacazze, and
the valley of Waldubba, is a tribe of thefe, who
live chiefly upon the crocodile, hippopotamus, and
other fifh ; and, in the fummer, upon locufts,
which they boil firft, and afterwards keep dry in
baikets, moft curioufly made with fplit branches of
trees, fo clofely woven together as to contain water
almoft as well as a wooden veffel.

This nation borders nearly upon the Abyflinian
hunting-grpimd j but, not venturing to extend them-
felves in the chace of wild beafls, they are con-
fined to the neighbourhood of the Tacazze, and
rivers falling into it, where they fifh in fafety : the
banks of tliat river are deep, interrupted by fleep

precipices

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 1^5

precipices inacceffible to cavalry, and, from the
thicknefs of the woods, full of thorny trees of in-
numerable fpecies, almofl as impervious to foot.
Thefe ftreams, poflelfed only by themfelves, afford
the Baafa the mod excellent kinds of fi(h in the
mod prodigious plenty.

In that part of the Shangalla country more to
the eaflward, about N. N, E. of Amba Tzaada,
in the northern extremities of the woody part, where
the river Mareb, leaving Dobarwa, flows through
thick buflies till it lofes itfelf in the fands, there is a
pation of thefe blacks, who being near the country
of the Baharnagafti, an officer whofe province pro-
duces a number of horfe, dare not, for that reafon,
venture to make an extenfive ufe of the variety of
wild beads which throng in the woods to the fouth-
ward, for fear of being intercepted by their enemy,
conftantly upon the watch for them, part of his
tribute being paid in black flaves. Ihefe, therefore,
confine themfelves to the fouthern part of their ter-
ritory, near the Barabra.

The extraordinary courfe of this river under the
fand, allures to it multitudes of odriches, which,
too, are the food of the Shangalla, as is a beautiful
lizard, never, that I know, yet defctibed. Thefe
are the food of the eaftern Shangalla ; and I muft
here obferve, that this country and people were
much better known to the ancients than to us. I'he
Egyptians traded with them, and caravans of thefe
people were conftantly in Alexandria in the reigns
of the firft Ptolemies. . Moft of the produdions of
thefe parts, and the people themfelves, are mentioned
in the remarkable proceflion made by Ptolemy Phila-

delphus

154 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

.delphus on his acceffion to the throne of Egypt, as"
already obferved, though a confufion often arifes
jherein by this country being called by the name of
India.

Ptolemy, the geographer, clafTes thefe people ex-
adly enough, and diftinguiflies them very accu-
rately by their paFticuIar food, or dietetique regi-
men, though he errs, indeed, a little in the parti-
cular fituation he gives to the different nations.
His Rhizophagi,EIephantophagi, Acridophagi, Stru-
thiophagi, and Agriophagi, are all the clans I have
jufl defcribedj exifting under the fame habits to this
day» ,

This foil, called by the AbyfTmians Mazaga,
when wet by the tropical rains, and diflblving into
mire, forces thefe lavages to feek for winter-quarters.
Their tents under the trees being no longer tena-
ble, they retire with their refpeftive foods, all dried
in the fun, into caves dug into the heart of the
mountains, which are not in this country bafaltes,
marble, or alabafter, as is all that ridge which runs
down into Egypt along the fide of the Red Sea,
but are of a foft, gritty, fandy ftone, eafily excavated
and formed into different apartments. Into thefe,
made generally in the lleepell part of the; mountain,
, .^io thefe favages retire to fhun the rains, living upon
the flefli they have already prepared in the fair
weather.

I cannot give over tlie account of the Shangalla
without delivering them again out of their caves,
becaufe this return includes the hifloryof an ope-
ration never heard of perhaps in Europe, and by
which confiderable light is thrown upon ancient

hiftory.

f rf

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 1 5^

hlftory. No fooner does the fun pafs the zenith,
going ibuthward, than the rains inftantly ceafe \
and the thick canopy of clouds, which had ob-
fcured the iky during their continuance, being re-
moved, the fun appears in a beautiful fky of pale
blue, dappled with fmall thin clouds, which fooii
after difappear, and leave the heavens of a moft
beautiful azure. A very few days of the intenfe
heat then dries the ground fo perfedly, that it gapes
in chafms ; the grafs, ftruck at the roots by the rays,
fupports itfelf no more, but droops and becomes
parched. To clear this away, the Shangalia fejt
fire to it, which runs with incredible violence the
whole breadth of Africa, pafling under the trees,
and following the dry grafs among the branches with
fuch velocity as not to hurt the trees, but to occafion
every leaf to fall.

A proper diftanceis preferved between each habi-
tation, and round the principal watering-places ; and
here the Shangalia again fix their tents in the man-
ner before defcribed. Nothing can be more beau-
tiful than thefe fhady habitations ; but they have
this fatal effed, that they are difcernible from the
high grounds, and guide their enemies to the places
inhabited.

The country now cleared, the hunting begins, and,
with the hunting, the danger-of the Shang iia. Ail
the governors bordering upon the country, from the
Baharnagafli to the Nile on the wed, are obliged to
pay a certain number of ilaves. Ras el Feel (my go-
vernment) was alone excepted, for a reafon which,
had I (laid much longer in the country, would pro-
bably have been found more advantageous to Abyf-v

fini^

155 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

finia than all the flaves they procure by the barba-
rous and prodigal efFufion of the blood of thefe un-
happy favages ; for when a fettlement of thefe is
,furprifed, the men are all flaughteredj the women,
alfo, are many of them llain, many throw themfelves
down precipices, run mad, hang themfelves, or ftarve,
obftinately refufmg food.

The boys and girls under 17 and 18 years of age,
(the younger the better) are taken and educated by
the king, and are fervants in all the great houfes of
Abyffinia. , They are inftructed early in the Chrif-
tian religion, and the tailed, handfomeft, and bell
inclined, are the only fervants that attend the royal
perfon in his palace. The number of the men was
300 that had horfes in my time. They were once
280, and, before my time, lefs than 200. Thefe
are all cloathed in coats of mail, and mounted on
black horfes ; always commanded by foreigners de-
voted entirely to the king's will. By ftri6t atten-
tion to their morals, removing all bad examples
from among them, giving premiums to thofe that read
moft and bed, (for they had all time enough upon
their hands, elpecially in winterj and above all, by the
great delight and pleafure th-e king ufed to take in
converfing with them while alone, countenancing
and rewarding them in the line he knew I followed,
this body became, as to firmnefs and coolnefs in
action, equal perhaps to any of the fame number in
the world ; and the greateft difficulty was keeping
them together, for all the great men ufed to wifli
one#of them for the charge of his door, which is a
ve^y great trail among the Abyffinians. Theking*s
eafmefs was conflanily prevailed upon to promife

fuch,

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I57

fuch, atid great inconvenience always followed this,
till Ras Michael difcharged this praQ:ice by procla-
mation, and fet the example, by returning four
that he himfelf had kept for the purpofe before men-
tioned.

While what I havefaid is flill in memory, Imufl
apply a part of it to explain a paflage in Hanno's
Periplus. We faw, fays that bold navigator, when
rowing clofe along the coaft of Africa, rivers of fire,
which ran down from the highefl mountains, and
poured themfelves into thcfea; this alarmed him
fo much, that he ordered his gallies to keep a con-
liderable offing.

After the fire has confumed all the dry grafs on
the plain, and, from it, done the fame up to the
top of the highefl: mountain, the large ravines, or
gullies, made by the torrents falling from the
higher ground, being (haded by their depth, and
their being in poffeffion of the lafl; water that runs,
are the lateft to take fire, though full of every fo;'t of
herbage. The large bamboos, hollow canes, and
fuch like plants, growing as thick as they can ftand,
retain their greennefs, and are not dried enough
for burning till the fire has cleared the grafs frora
all the red of the country. At laft, when no other
fuel remains, Uie herdfmen on the top of the moun-
tains fet fire to thefe, and the fire runs down in the
tery path in which, fome months before, the water
ran, filling the whole gully with flame, which does
not end till it is checked by the ocean below where
the torrent of water entered, and where the fu§ of
courfe ceafes. This I have often feen myfelf, ^nd
been often nearly inclofed in it, and can bear wit-

Meis

/ *

158 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

hefs, that at a diftance, and by a flranger ignorant
of the caufe, h would very hardly be diflinguifhed
from a river of fire.

The Shangalla go all naked ; they have feveral
wives, and thefe very prolific. They bring forth chil-
dren with the utmofl eafe, and never reft or confine
themfelves after delivery, but wafting themfelves
and the child with cold water, they wrap it up in a
foft cloth made of the bark of trees, and hang it
upon a branch, that the large ants, with which they
are infefted, and the ferpents, may not devour it.

After a few days, when it has gathered ftrength,
the mother carries it in the fame cloth upon her
back, and gives it fuck with the breaft, which flie
throws over her fhoulder, this part being of fuch
a lenrth as, in fome, to reach almoft to their
knees.

The Shangalla have but one language, andx)f a
very guttural pronunciation. They worfhip various
frees, ferpents, the moon, planets, and ftars in certain
pofitions, which I nevet could fo perfectly under-
ftand as to give any account of them. A ftar pafling
near the horns of the moon denotes the coming of
an enemy. They have priefts, or rather diviners ;
but it fiiould feem that thefe were looked upon as
fervants of the evil-being, rather than of the good.
They prophecy bad events, and think they can afflicl
their enemies with ficknefs, even at a diftance. They
e-enerally wear copper bracelets upon their wrifts
and arms.

I have faid the Shangalla have each feveral
wives. This, however, is not owing to any inor-
dinate propenfity of the men to this gratification,

but

I--
tHE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 159

but to a much nobler caufe, which fnould make
European writers, who objed this to them, afhamed
at the injuftice they do the favage, who all his life,
quite the reverfe of what is fuppofed, fhews an ex-
ample of continence and chaftity, which the pur-eft
and moft refined European, with all the advantages
of education, cannot pretend to imitate.

It is not the men that feek to avail themfelves of
the liberty they have by their ufages of marrying as
often and as many wives as they pleafe. Hemmed
in on every fide by active and powerful en^mies^
who confider them as a fpecies of wild beafls, and
hunt them precifely as they do the elephant and rhi-
noceros, pla<:ed in a fmall territory, where they never
are removed above 20 miles from thefe powerful
invaders furnifhed with horfes and fire-arms, to both
of which they are flrangers, they live for part of the
fair feafon in continual apprehenfion. The other
part of the feafon, when the Abyflinian armies are
all collected and abroad with the king, thefe unhappy
favages are conflanlly employed in a mofl laborious
hunting of large animals, fuch as the rhinoceros,
the elephant, and giraffa ; and afterwards in the no
lefs laborious preparation of the iiefli of thefe qua-
drupeds which is to ferve them for food during the
fix months rains, when each family retires to its.fe-
parate cave in the mountain, and has no intercourfe
with any of its neighbours, but leaves the country
below immerfed in a continual deluge of rain. In
none of thefe cireuniflances, one fhould imagine, the
favage, full of apprehenfion and care, could have
much defire to multiply a race of fuch wretched be-
ings as he feels himfelf to be. It is the wife, not

the

i6o Travels to DiscotE^

the man that is the caufe of this polygamy ; and this
is furely i ftrong prefumption againfl what is com-
monly faid of the violence of their inclinations.

Although the Shangalla live in fepat-ate tribes ojT
nations, yet thefe nations are again fubdivided into>
families, who are governed by their own head, or
chief, and of a number of thefe the nation is com*
pofed, who concur in all that regards the meafures
cfdefence and offence againfl: their common enemy
the AbylTmian and Arab. "Whenever an eipeditiori
is undertaken by a nation of Shangalla, either againfl
their enemies, the Arabs on the north, orthofe who
are equally their enemies, the Abyflinians on the
fouth, fuppofe the nation or tribe to be the Baafa,
each family attacks and defends by itfelf, and theirs
is the fpoil or plunder who take it.

The mothers, fenfible of the difadvantage of jt
fmall family, therefore feek to multiply and increafe
it by the only "means in their power ; and it is by
their importunity that the hufband fuffers himfelf
to be overcome. A fecdnd wife is courted for him
by the firft, in nearly the fame manner as among
the Galla.

I will not fear to aver, as far as concerns thefe
Shangalla, or negroes, of Abyffmia, fand, I believe,
mod others of the fame complexion, though of dif*
ferent nations), that the various accounts we have
of them are very unfairly ftated. To defcribe them
juftly, we Ihould fee them in their native purity of
manners, among their native woods, living on the
produce of their own daily labours, without other *
liquor than that of their own pools and fprings, the
drinking of which is followed by no intoxication or

other

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. l6l

othet pleafure than that of alTuagmg thirft. After
having been torn from their own country and con-
nedionSj reduced to the condition of brutes, to la-
bour for a being they never before knew ; after ly-
ing, ftealing, and all the long lift of European crimes,
have been made, as it were, neceffary to them, and
the delufion occafioned by drinking fpirits is found,
however fhort, to be the only remedy that relieves
them from reflefling on their prefent wretched fitua-
tion, to which, for that reafon, they moft naturally
attach themfelves ; then, after we have made them
monfters, we defcribe them as fuch, forgetful that
they are now not as their Maker created them, but
fuch as, by teaching them our vices, we have tranf-
formed them into, for ends which, I fear, one day
will not be found a fufficient excufe for the enormi-
• ties they have occafioned,

I would not, by any means, have my readers fp
far miftake what I have now faid as to think it con-
tains either cenfure upon, or difapprobation of, the
flave-trade. I would be underftood to mean juft the
contrary ; that the abufes and negled of manners,
fo frequent in our plantations, is What the legiflaiure
fhould direft their coercion againfi^, not againft tiie
trade in general, which laft meafure, executed fo
fuddenly, cannot but contain a degree of injuftic^
towards individuals. It is a fliame for any govern-
ment to fay, that enormous cruelties towards any
fet of men are fo evident, and have arrived to fuch
excefs, without once haying been under conflderation
of the legiilature to corred them. It is a greater
fhame ftill for that goveniment to" fay, that thefe
crimes and abufes are now grov>-n to fuch a height
. Vol. III. M that

r6a TRAVELS TO DlSCOVElt

that wholefome feverity cannot ei^adicate them ; and-
it cannot be any thing but an indication of effemi-
nacy and weaknefs at once to fall to the deftru^tion
of an obje6l of that importance, without having
firft tried a reformation of chofe abufes which alone,
in the minds of fober men, can make the trade ex-
(ieptionable.

The incontinence of thefe people has been a fa-
vourite topic with which blacks have been branded;
but, throughout the whole of this hiftory, I have fet
down only what I have obferved, without confulting
er troubling myfelf with the fyftems or authorities
of others, only fo far, as having thefe relations in my
recollection, I have compared them with the fad,
and found them erroneous. As kte as two cen-
turies ago, Chriilian priefls were the only hiftorians
of heathen manners.

In the number of thefe Shangalla, or negroes,
of which every department of Gondar was full,
I never faw any proof of unbridled defires in
either fex, but very much the contrary ; and I mull
remark, that every reafon in phyfics flrongly mili-
tates againft the pi^cfumption.

The Shangalla of both fexes, while fingle, go en-
tirely naked : the married men, indeed, have a very
«fiender covering about their waift, and married wo-
men the fame. Young men and young women, till
long pad the age of puberty, are totally uncovered,
and in conftant converfation and habits with each
other, in w/^ods and folitudes, free from conilraint,
and without aay punifliment annexed to the tranf-
grcffion. Yet ',?riminai commerce is much lefs fre-

quePit

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I63

quent among them than in the fame number chofen
among Chrijflian nations where the powerful preju-
dices of education give great advantages to one fex
in fubduing their paffions, and where the confe-
quences of gratification, which always involve fome
kind of punifliment, keep within bounds the defires
of the other.

No one can doubt, but that the conftant habit of
feeing people of all ages naked at all times, in the
ordinary tranfadlions and neceflities of life, mufl
greatly check unchafte propenfities. But there are
flill further reafons why, in the nature of things an
extraordinary vehemence of paffion fhould not fall
to be a diftinguifhing charaderiflic among the Shan-
galla. Fahrenheit's thermometer rifes there be-
yond 1 00". A violent relaxation from profufe per-
fpiration mufl greatly debilitate the favage. In
Arabia and Turkey, where the whole bufmefs of
man's life is the devoting himfelf to domeflic plea-
fure, men remain conftantly in a fedentary Hfe, eat
heartily, avoiding every manner of exercife, or ex-
pence of animal fpirits by fweats. Their countries,
too, are colder than that of the^ Shangalla, who liv-
ing .fparingly under aburning fun, and obliged to
procure food by laborious hunting, of confequence
deprive themfelves of that quantity of animal fpirits
neceffary to lead them to any extreme of voluptu-
cufnefs. And that this is the cafe is feen in the
conftitution of the Shangalla women, even though
they are without fatigue.

A woman, upon bearing a child or two, at 10 or
1 1 years old, fees her breafl fall immediately down

M 2 t9

l64 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

to near Jier knees *. Her common manner of fuck-
ling her children is by carrying them upon her back,-
as our beggars do, and giving, the infant the bread
dver her llioulders. They rarely are mothers after
22, or begin x:hiid-bearing befoit^hey are lo; fo
that the time of chjl4-beai:ing is b,iit 12 years. In
Europe, very many ^examples there are of women
bearing children at 14, the civil law fixes puberty at
12, but by ail inuendof fecms to allow it may be
fomething earlier. Women fouietimes in £urop«
bear children at 50. The, fcale of years of child-
bearing between the favage and the European isy
therefore, as 12 is to 38. There can be little doubt
but their defires are equal to their ftrength and con-
flitution; but a Shangalla at 22 is more wrinkled
and deformed, apparently by old age, . than is a
European woman of 60.

To come {liil nearer ; it is a fafl known to na-
turalifts, and which the application of the.' thermo-
meter fufTiciently indicates, that there is a great and
fenfible difference in the degree of animal heat in
both fexes of diiferent nations at the fame ages o-r
time of life. The vpluptuous Turk eftranges him-
felf from the faireft and finsfl of his CircalFian and
Georgian women in his feraglio, and, during the
^yarm months in fummer, addifts himfelf only io
ner-To {laves brought from the very latitudes we are
now fpeaking of; the fenfible difference of the
coolnefs of their fkins leading l.im to give them the
preference at that feafon. On the other hand, one

* Juvenal, fat. 13. 1. 163.

f Nifi malitia fupplci.tietatein,.

brown

THE SOUilCE OF THE NILE. l6^

brown Abyffinkn girl, a companion for the winter
months, is fold at ten times the price of the faireft
Georgian or Circaffian beauty, for oppofite reafons.

The very great regard I lliall conftantly pay my
fair readers has made me, as they may perceive,
enter as tenderly as poflible into thefe difcufTions,
which, as a philofopher and a hiftorian, I could
not, however, wholly omit : the mod ufeful fludy
of mankind is man ; and not the leaft intereflino-
view of him is when, ftripped of his vain-glory
and the pageantry of palaces, he wanders naked and
uncorrupted among his native woods and rivers.

I mult mention, greatly to the credit of two of the
firft: geniufes of this age, M. de Buffon and Lord
Kaimes, that they were both fo convinced by the
arguments above mentioned, ftated in greater de-
tail and with more freedom, that they immediately
ordered their bookfeller to ftrike out from the fub-
fequent editions of their work all that had been ad-
vanced againfi: the negroes on this head, v/hich they
had before drawn from the herd of prejudiced and
ignorant compilers, Grangers to the manners and
language of the people they were diflionouring by
their defcriptions, after having before abufed them
by their tyranny.

The Shangalla have no bread : No grain or pulfe
will grow in the country. Some of the Arabs
fettled at Ras el Feel, have attempted to make bread
of the feed of the Guinea grafs ; but it is very
taftelefs and bad, of the colour of- cow-dlm«-, 'and
quickly producing worms.

They are all archers from their infancy. Their '
bows are all made of wild fennel, thicker than the'

common

l66 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

common proportion, and about feven feet long,
and very elaftic. The children ufe the fame bow
in their infancy that they do when grown up ; and
are, by reafon of its length, for the firft years, ob-
liged to hold it parallel, inftead of perpendicular to
the horizon. Their arrows are full a yard and a
half long, with large heads of very bad iron rudely
fhaped. They are,- indeed, the only favages I ever
knew that take no pains in tjie make or ornament
of this weapon. A branch of palm, ftript from
the tree and made flraight, becomes an arrow ; and
none of them have wings to them. They have thi§
remarkable cuflom, which is a religious one, that
they fix upon their bows a ring, or thong, of the
ikin of every bead flain by it, while it is yet raw,
from the -lizard and ferpent up to the elephant.
This gradually fliffens the bow, till, being all co-
vered over, it can be no longer bent even by its
mailer. That bow is then hung upon a tree, and
a new one is made in its place, till the fame cir-
cumRance happens ; and one of thefe bows, that
which its mafter liked beft, is buried with him in
• the hopes of its rifmg again materially with his
body, when he fhall be endowed with a greater
degree of ftrength, without fear of death, or being
fubjecled to pain, with a capacity to enjoy in excefs
every human pleafure. There is nothing, however,
fpiritualjn this refurredion, nor what concerns the
jbul, but it is wholly corporeal and material ; al-
though fome writers have plumed themfelves upon
their fancied difcovery of what they call the favages
lielief of the immortality of the foul.

Before

THE SOtJRCE OF THE NILE.

. Before I take leave of this fubject, I mufl agaiij
explain, from what I have already faid, a difficult
paffage in claffical hiftory. Herodotus * fays, that,
in the country we have been jufl now defcribing,
there was a nation called Macrobii, which was cer-
tainly not the real name of the Shangalla, but one
the Greeks had given them, from a fuppofed cir-
cumftance of their being remarkable long livers,
as that name imports. Thefe were the , wefterrj
Shangalla, fituated below Guba and Nuba, the
gold country, on both fides of the Nile north of
Fazuclo.

The Guba and the Nuba, and various black na-
tions that inhabits the foot of that large chain of
mountains called Dyre and Teglaf, are thofe in
whofe countries the fined gold is found, which is
wafhed from the mountains in the time of violent
rains, and lodged in holes, and roots of trees and
grafs, by the torrents, and there picked up by the
natives ; it is called Tibbar, or, corruptly, gold-
duft. The greateft part finds its way to Senijaar by
the different merchants. Pagan and Mahometan,
from Fazuclo and Sudan. The Agows and Gibber-
tis alfo bring a fmall quantity of it to Gondar, moftly
debafed by alloy ; but there is no gold in Abyffinia,
nor even in Nubia, weft of Tchelga, among the
Shangalla themfelves.

Cambyfes marched from Egypt exprefsly with a
view of conquering the gold country, and fent mef-
fengers before him to the king, or chief of it, re-

* Herod, lib. 3. par, 17. & feq.

f Supposed to be the Garamantica Vallf? of Ptolcniy.

quirirng

l68 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

quiring bis immediate fubrniffion. lomit romanti^
and fabulous circumftances j but the anfwer of the
king of Macrobii to Cambyfes was. Take this bow,
and till you can bring me a man that can bend it,
you are not to talk to us of fubmiffion. The bow
was accordingly carried back with the defiance, but
notie of the Perfian army could bend it. Yet it
V/as their own weapon with which they pra£lifed
Irom their infancy ; and we are not to think, had k
been poffible to bend this bow, but that fome of
their numerous archers would have done it, for
there is no fuch difproportion in the ftrength of men.
But it was a bow which had loft its elaftic force
from the circumftance above mentioned, and had
been long given up as impoffible to be bent by the
Ivlacrobii themfelves, and was now taken down
from the tree where it had probably fome time hung,
and grown fo much the lefs flexible, and intended
to be buried, as thofe bows are, in the grave with
their ma.fter, who is to ufe it, after his refurredlion,
?n another world, where he is to be endowed with
ftrength infinitely more than human : it is probable
this bow would have broke, rather than have bent.
If the fituation of thefe Macrobii in Ptolemy did
i-jot put it paft difpute that they were Shangalla, we
fhould hefitate much at the charafteriftic of the na-
tion ; that they were long livers ; none of thefe na-
tions are fo ; 1 fcarcely remember an example fairly
vouched of a man paft fi^ay. But there is one cir-
f.umdance that I think might have fairly led Hero-
dotus into this miftake ; fome of the Shangalla kill
their fick, weak, and aged people ; there are others
that honour age, and protedl it. The Macrobii, I

fuppofe.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 169

fuppofe, were of this laft kind, who certainly, there -r
fore, had many old men, more than the others.

I (hall now juft mention one other obfervatloii
tending to illuftrate a paffage of ancient hiflory.

Hanno, .in his Periplus, remarks, that, while fail-
ing along the coafl of Africa, clofe by the fliore,
and probably near the low country called Kolla, in-
habited by the kind of people we have been jufl
defcribing, he found an univerfal filence to prevail
the whole day, without any appearance of man or
bead : on the contrary, at night, he faw a number
of fires, and heard the found of mufic and dancing.
This has been laughed at as a fairy tale by people
who affeft to treat Hanno's fragment as fpurious ;
for my own part, I will not enter into the contro-
verfy.

A very great genius, (in fome matters, perhaps,
the greatefl that ever wrote, and in every thing that
he writes highly refpeftable) M. de Montefquieu,
is perfedly fatisfied that this Periplus * of Hanno is
genuine ; and it is a great pleafure again to endea-
vour to obviate any doubt concerning the authen-
ticity of the work in this fecond palTage, as I have
before done in another.

In countries, fuch as thofe that we have been now
defcribing, and fuch as Hanno was then failing by,
when he made the remark, there is no twilight.
The flars, in their> full brightnefs, are in polTeffion
of the whole heavens, when in an inftant the fun
appears without a harbinger, and they all difappear

* DoufwcH'sDinertallon of Hanno's Pcrriplus — Monterqnieii,
torn. I. lib. 21. cap. II.

tocrethero

170 TRAVELS TO DISCOVEH

fogetber. We fliall fay, at fun-rifing the thermo-
meter is from 48' to 60° j at 3 o'clock in the after-
lioon it is from 1 00" to 115°; an univerfal relaxa--
tion,. a kind of irrefiftible languor and averfion to
ivll adion takes .poffeflion of both man and bead ;
the appetite fails, and fleep and quiet are the only
things the mind is capable of defiring, or the body
of enduring : cattle, birds, and beads all flock to
the fhade, and to the neighbourhood of running
flreams, ct deep ftagnant pools, and there, avoid-
ing the eifefts of the fcorching fun, pant in quiet
and inaclion. From the fiime motiv-e, the wild bead
ilirs not from his cave ; and for this, too, he has
an additional reafon, becaufe the cattle he depends
upon for his prey do not (troll abroad to feed ; they
, are afleep and in fafety, for with them are their dogs
imd. their fliepherds.

But no fooaer does the fun fet, than a cold night
i^dantly fucceeds a burning .day ; the appetite im-
mediately returns ; the cattle fpread themfelves
abroad to feed, and pafs quickly out of the fhep^
herds fight into the reach of a mukitude of beafljs
feeking for their prey. Fires, the only remedy, are
cvery-where lighted by the fhepherds to keep thefe at
a i-efpedful diftance ; and dancing, fmging, and '
n)ufic at once exhilarate the mind, and contribute,
by alarming the beads of prey, to keep their flocks
m fafety, and prevent the bad effects of fevere cold f.
This was the caufe of the obfervation Hanno made in

* This renfation of the favage in the heat of Africa feems to
be unknown to the enemies of the Have-trade ; they talk much
of heat, without ^nowing the raaterial fufFcring of the negro is

jK

LTom

cold»

failing

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I^I

failing along the coaft, and It was true when he made
it : juft the fame may be obferved ftill, and will be,
fo long as the climate and inhabitants are the fame,

I have been more particular in the hiftory of this
extraordinary nation, becaufe I had, by mere acci^
dent, an opportunity of informing myfelf fully and
with certainty concerning it ; and, as it is very im-
probable that fuch an opportunity will occur again
to any European, I hope it will not be ungratefully
received.

I (hall only add an anfwer to a very obvious quef^
tlon which may occur. Why is it that, in this
country, nothing that would make bread will grow ?
Is it from the ignorance of the inhabitants in not
choofing the proper feafons, or is it the Imperfedion
of the foil ? To this I anfwer. Certainly the latter.
For the inhabitants of Ras el Feel were ufed to plow
and fow, and did conftantly eat bread ; but the
gfain was produced ten or fifteen miles off upon the
fides of the mountains of Abyffinia, where every
certain number of foldiers had fmall farms allowed
them for that purpofe by government ; but flill
they could never bring up a crop in the Maza-
ga ; iand the progrefs of the mifcarriage was
this : Before the month of May all that black
earth was rent into great chafms, trode into duff,
and ventilated with hot winds, fo as to be a^ per-
fect caput mortuufji, incapable 'of any vfigetarion.
Upon the firft fprinkling of rain the chafms are filled
up, and the whole country refembles dry garden-
mould newly dug up. As the fun advances the rains
jncreafe ; there is no time to be loH; now ; this is
the feafon for fowing ; let us fuppofe wheat. In one

, night's

I7'3 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

night's thi^e, whik the wheat is fwelling in the
ground, up grows an immenfe quantity of indige-
nous natural grafs, that, having fowed itfelf laft
year, has lain ever fnice in a natural matrix, ready
to ftart at the moft convenient feafon. Before the
wheat, or any grain foever can appear, this grafs
has ihot up fo high and fo thick as abfolutely to
choke it. Suppofe it was poffible to hoe or weed it,
the grafs will again overtop the grain before it is
an inch from the ground. Say it could be again
hoed or cleared, by this time the rains are fo con-
tinual, the black earth becomes a perfeQ: mire. The
rain increafes, and the grain rots without producing
any crop.

The fame happens to millet, or Indian corn ; the
rain rots the plant which is thrown down by the
wind. It is equally deflroyed if fown at the end of
the rains ; the grafs grows up, wherever the ground
is cleared, in a greater proportion, if poffible, than
in the beginning of the year ; and the rain ceafmg
abruptly, and the fun beginning to be intenfely hot
the very day it paifes the zenith, the earth is re-
duced to an impalpable powder, whilft. the grain
and plant die without ever fhewing a tendency to
germinate.

We left the king, Quftas, after detecting a con-
fpiracy, ready to fall upon fome fettlement of Shan -
galla. This he executed with great fuccefs, and
furrounded a large part of the nation called Baafa,
encamped under the trees fufpefting no danger. He
put the grown people to the fvvord, and took a pro-
digious number of children of both fexes captive.
He was intending alfo to puHi his conquefl: farther

among

^ The source of the nile. 1^3

among thefe favages, when he was called to Gondar
by the death of his prime minifter and confident,
Ras Fafa Chriftos,,

Befides his attention to hunting and government,
the king had a very great tafte for architecture,
which, in Abyffinia, is a very popular one, though
fcarcely any thing is built but churches. In the
feafon that did not permit him to be in the field, he
beftowed a great deal of leifure and money this way ;
" and he was, at this time, bufy ereding a magni-
ficent church to the Nativity, about a mile below
Gondar, on the fpiall river Kahha.

But the feafon of hunting returning before he
had finiflied it, he left it to repair to Bet Malo, a
place in the Kolla, where he had built a hunting-
feat, not far diftant from the Shangalla, called Baafa.
Here he had a moft fuccefsfui hunting-match of the
buffalo, rhinoceros, and elephant, in which he
often put himfelf in great danger, and diftinguifhed
himfelf in dexterity and horfemandiip greatly above
any of his court. He returned upt>n news, that
perfons, whom he had fecretly employed, had ap-
prehended Betwudet Bafiie, and his- fon Claudius,
who had efcaped when the laft confpirators were
l^ized. Both thefe he fentenced immediately tcy
lofe their eyes.

Thefe hunting-notches, fo punctually obferved,
and fo eaga-ly followed by a man already paft the
fiovver of his youth, had, in their firfl appearance,
nothing but found policy. The king's title was
avowedly a faulty one ; and the many confpiracies
that had been formed had fliewn him the nobility
were not ail of them difpofed to bear his yoke j no-
thins:

174 TJ^AVELS TO DISXOVfeR

thing then was more political than to keep a confi-
derable number of them employed in field-exercifes,
to be informed of their inclinations, and to attach
them to his perfon^by favours. At the head of this
little, but very adlive army, he was ready in a mo-
ment to fall upon the difafFe£ted, before they could
colled ftrength fufficient for refiftance. Time, how-
ever, (liewed this was not entirely the reafon of thefe
continual intervals of abfence for fo long a time in

the Kolla.

Notwithftanding the misfortune that had befallen •
,the French ambaffador, M. du Roule, at Sennaaf*
in the reign of Yafous I. and Tecla Haimanout his
fon, under Baady el Ahmer, there had ft ill remain-
ed below, in Atbara, fome of thofe miffionaries
who had courage and addrefs enough to attempt
the journey into Abyffinia, and they fucceeded in
it. Oullas had probably been privy to their arrival
in Yafous*s time, and had, equally with him, a
favourable opinion of the RomiQi religion.

Thefe miffionaries, though Yafous was now dead,

were perfedly well received by Ouftas ; he had given

them in charge to Ain Egzle, an old and loyal fer-

vant of Yafous, and governor of Walkayt. He had

placed alfo with them an Abyffinian pricfty who had

been in Jerufalem, and was well-affecled to the

Rgmiih faith, to be their interpreter, ftay with them

a-Kvays, and manage their interefts, while he him-

felf, dealing frequently from the hunting-matches,

heard mafs, and received the communion, returning

back to his camp, as he flattered himfelf, unper-

ceived. Thefe meetings with the priefts were not,

however, fo well concealed but that they came to the

^ • knowledge

THE SOORCE OF THE NILE. 1^%

knowledge of many people about court, both fecu'ars
and clergy. But the king's character, for feverity
and vigilance, made every body conline their thoughts,
.whatever they were, within their own breads.

The employment of this year was a fbort journey
to Ibba, a large market-town, where there is a royal
refidence, below Maitfha, on the- weft, or Gojani
fide of the Nile, from which it is about three days
^diflance. From this he returned again, and went
"to Tcherkin, a fmall village in Kolla, beyond Ras
el Feel, in the way to Sennaar, the principal abode
of the elephant. But, in the firft day's hunting,
Yared, mafter of his houfiiold, and a confiderabie
favourite, being torn to pieces by one of thefe qua-
drupeds, he gave over the fport, and returned very-
forrowful to bury him at Gondar, leaving three of
his fervants to execute a defign he had formed
againft the Bafaa in that neighbourhood.

From the conftant interruptions Ouftas .hatVmet
■with in all thefe hunting-matches, and his fuccefs,
notwithftanding, whenever he had himfelf attended,
the divining monks bad prophefied his reign was
to be fhort, and attended with much bloodilied ;
nor were they for once diftant from the truth;
for, in the month of January, 1714, while he was
over-looking the workmen building -the church of
Abba Antonius at Gondar, he was taken fudd^snly
ill, and, fufpefting fome unwholefomenefs or wii<:}j-
craft in his palace, he ordered his tent to be pitch-
««, ed without the town till the apartments fhould be
fmoaked \vith gunpowder. But this was done fo
carelefsly by his fervants, that his houfe was burnt
10 the ground, which was rooked upon as a very

•. bad

176 TRAVELS to DISCOVER

bad omen, and made a great impreflion upon the
minds of the people.

The 27th of January it was generally underftood
that the king was darigetoully ill, and that his com-
plaint was every day increafing. Upon this the
principal officers went, according to the ufual cuf-
tom, to condole with and comfort him. This
"was at leafl what they pretended. Their true, er-
rand, however, was pretty well known to be an^^
endeavour to afcertaln whether the ficknefs was of
the kind likely to continue, till meafures could be
adopted with a degree of certainty to take the reins
of government out of his hand.

vl'he king eafily divined the reafon of their com-
ing. Having had a good night, he ufed the ftrength
that he had thereby acquired to roufe himfelf for a
moment, to put on the appearance of health, and
fhew himfelf, as ufual, engaged in his ordinary dif-
patch of bufmefs. The feeming good countenance
of the king made their condolence premature. Some
excufe, however, for fo formal a vifit, was necefla-
ry ; but every apology was not fafe. They adopted
this, which they thought unexception able, that
hearing he was fick, which they happily found he
was not, they came to propofe to him a thing
equally proper whether he was fick or well ; that he
would, in time, fettle the fucceffion upon his fon
F^il, then in the mountain of Wechne, as a means
of quieting the minds of his friends, preventing
bloodfiied, and fecuring the crown to his family.
Ouftas did the utmofl to command himfelf upon
this occafion, and to give them an anfwer fuch as furt-
ed a man in health wno hoped to live many years.
But it was now too Jate to play fuch a part; and,

in

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I77

in 'fplte of his utmofl diffimulation, evident figns
of decay appeared upon him, which his vifitors con-
jectured would foon be pafl: diffembling, and they
agreed to ftay with the king till the evening.

But the foldiers on guard, who heard the propo-
fal of fending for Ouftas's fon, and who really be-
lieved that thefe men fpoke from their heart, and
were in earnefl, were violently difcontented and angry
at this propofal. They began to be weary of novelty,
and longed for a king of the ancient royal family*
As foon, therefore, as it was dark they entered
Gondar, and called together the feveral regiments,
or bodies of foldiers, which compofed the king^s
houfiiold. Having come to a refolution how they
were to ad, they returned to their quarters where
theySjjI'^re upon guard, and meeting the great officers
coming out of Ouftas's tent, where they, too, had
probably agreed upon the fame meafure, though it
was not known, the foldiers drew their fwords, and
flew them all, being feven in number. Among
thefe were Betwudet Tamerte, and the Acab Saat ;
the' one the principal lay-officer, the other the
chief ecclefiaftic in the king's houfe.

This maflacre feemed to be thp fignal for a gene-
ral infurreftion, in the courfe of which, part of
the town was fet on fire. But the foldiers, at thejr
firfl; meeting in the palace*, had fnut up the coroiia-

tion-

* There feems here fome contradiftion which needs explana-
tion. It is fald that the palace was burnt before Ouftas went to
his "tent. How then could the foldiers^pfiemblc in it afterwards ?
The palace confifts of a number of feparate houfes at no gteat

Vol. III. N diftance,

17^ TRAVELS TO DISCO'VEJR.

tion-chamber, and the other royal apartments, and
poHcfled themfelves of the kettle-drum by which all
proclamations were made at the gate, driving away,
and rudely treating the multitude on every fide*
At laft they brought cut the drum, though it was
yet night, and made this proclamation:; — " David,
fon of our late king Yafous, is our king/' — .The tu-
mult and dilbrder, neverthelefs, ftill continued ;
during all which, it was very remarkable no one
ever thought of offering an injury to Ouftas.

While thefe things were paffing at Gondar, a vio-
lent alarm had feized all the priijces upon the moun-
tain of Wechne. They had been treated with feve-
rity during Ouftas's whole reign. Their revenues
had been witb-held, or at leaft: not regularly paid,
and they had been reduced nearly to perifli for want
of the neceifaries of life. When, therefore, the ac-
counts of Ouftas's illnefs arrived, and that the prin-
cipal people had propofed to name Fafil his fan,
then their fellovv-prifoner, tofucceed him, their fears
no longer reminded them of the hardfliips of his
father's reign, as they expeded utter extirpation as
the only meafure by which he could provide for his

dittance, biic detached from one another with one room in each.
That where the coronation is perfovnaed is called Anbafa Bet;
another, where the king fits in feftivals, is called ZafFan Bet ; ano-
ther is called Werk Sacala, the gold-bo'.ife; another Gimja Bet, or
the brocade- houfe, where the wardrobe and the gold {luffs ufed for
prefents, or received as fuch, arc laid. Now, we fuppofe Ouftas in
anyone of thefe apartments, fay Zeffaii Bet, which he left to go to
bis lent, and it was then burnt ; ilill there remained the corona^
tion-houfe where the ieg<|tlia was kept, which the foldiers locked
up that it might not be ufed to crown Fafil, Outlasts fon, whom
they thought the feycn great men they bnd murdered confpired
{M place upon the throne after his father.

own

' THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 1^9

ownfecurity. Full of thefe fears, they agreed, with
one confent, to let down from the mountain fifty
princes of the greatefl; hopes, all in the prime of
life, and therefore mofl: capable of defending their
own right, and fecuring the lives of thofe that re-
mained upon the mountain, from the cruel treat-
ment they muft obvioufly expeft if they fell into
the hand of an ufurper or ftranger.

The brother of Betwudet Tamerte, who, with the
fix others, had been murdered before Ouflas's tent,
was, at this time, guardian of the mountain of
Wechne. His brother's death, however, and the
unfettled flate of government, had fo much weak-
ened both his authority and attention, that he either
did not choofe, or was not able, to prevent the
efcape of thefe princes, all flying for their lives, and
for the fake of preferving the ancient conftitution
of their country. And that this, and no other was
their objedl, appeared the inftant the danger was re-
moved; for, as foon as the news that David was
proclaimed at Gondar arrived at the mountain, all
the princes returned of their own accord, excepting
Bacuffa, younger brother to the king, who fled to
the Galla, and lay concealed among them for a time.

On David's arrival at Gondar, all the old mif-
fortunes feemed to be forgotten. The joy of having
the ancient royal line refl:ored, got the better of
thofe fears which firft occafioned the interruption.
The prifons were thrown open, and David was
crowned the 30th of January 1714, amidft the accla-
mations of all ranks of people, and every demon-
ftration of feftivity and joy.

N a „ David

l8o TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

David was fon of Yafous the Great, "^nd coiife-
quently brother to the parricide Tecla Haimanout,
but by another mother. At his coronation he was
juft twenty-one years of age, and took for his inau-
guration name Adebar Segued.
• In all this time, however, Oudas was alive. Ouflas
was, indeed, fick, but ftill he was king : and yet it is
furprifing that David had been now nine days at
Gondar, and no injury had been offered to Ouflas,
nor any efcape attempted for him by his friends.

It was the 6th of February, the day before Lent,
when the king fent the Abuna Marcus, Itchegue
Za Michael, with fome of the great officers of
ftate, to interrogate Ouflas judicially, for form's
fake, as to his title to the crown. The queflions
propofed are very lliort and fimple — " Who are
" you ? What brought you here?" To thefe plain
interrogatories, Ouftas, then flruggling with death,
anfwered, however, as plainly, and without equivo-
cation, " Tell my king David, that true it is I
" have made myfelf king, as much as one can be
" that is not of the 'royal family; fori am but a
*' private man, fon of a fubjedt, Kafmati Delba Ya-
'' fous : all I beg of the king is to give me a little
" time, and let me die with ficknefs, as I iliortly
" fhall, without putting me to torment and pain."

On the loth day of February, that is, four days
after the interrogation, Ou(las died, but whether
of a violent or natural death is not known. The
hifloriahof his reign, a cptemporary writer, fays,
fome reported that he died of .an amputation of
his leg by order of the king j others, that he was

flrangled j

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. l8l

ftrangled ; but that mod people were of opinion
that he died of ficknefs ; and this I think the mod
probable, for had the king been earneftly fet upon
his death, he would not have allowed fo much time
to pafs, after his coronation, before his rival was
interrogated ; nor was there any reafon to allow
him four days after his confeffion. David's mo-
deration after the death, moreover, feems to ren-
der this Rill more credible ; for he ordered his body
to be buried in the Church of the Nativity, which he
had himfelf built, with all the honours and public
ceremonies due to his rank as a nobleman and fub-
je6t, who had been guilty of no crime, inflead of
ordering his body to be hewn in pieces, and^fcattered
jalong the ground without burial, to be eat by the
dogs ; the invariable punifnment, unlefs in this one
inftance, of high-treafon in this country.

Pofterity, regarding his merit more than his titk,
have, however, kept his name ftill among the lift of
kings ; and tradition, doing him more juftice ftill
than hiftory, has ranked him among the beft that
pvef reigned in Abyflinia.

PAVID

i

l83 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

DAVID IV.

From 171410 1719.

Convocation of the Clergy — Catholic Priejls executed-
Afecond Convocation — Clergy infult the King — His ,
fevere PuniJlDment—King dies of Foifon*

JL HE moderation of the king, both before and
after the death of Ouftas, and perhaps fpme other
favourable appearances now unknown to us, fet the
monks, the conflant pryers into futurity, upon pro-
phecying that the reign of this princq was to be
equal in length to that of Jiis father Yafous the
Great, and that it was to be peaceable, full of juftice
and moderation, without execution, or effufion of
fivil blood.

David, immediately upon his acceffion, appointed
Fit-Auraris Agne, Ozoro Kedufte's brother *, his
Betwudet, and Abra Hezekias his mafter of the
houfehold ; and was proceeding to fill up the in-
ferior pofts of government, when he was interrupted
by the clamours of a multitude of monks demand-
ing a convocation of the clergy.

Thefe aflemblies, however often folicited, are nevey
called in the reign of vigorous princes, but by the
fpecial order of the fovereign, who grants or refufe^
them purely from his ov/n free-will. They are, how-
ever, particularly expected at the acceffion of a new

* MIftrefs to Yafous, and mother to David.

prince.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. iS^

prince, upon any apprehenfion of herefy, or sny
novelty or abuib in church-government.

The arrival of a new Abuna from Kgypt is alfo
a very principal reafon for the eonvocation. Thefe
aflemblies are very numerous. Many of the mofl:
difcreet members of the church abfent themfelves
purpofely. On the other. haRd, the monks, who, bv
vows, have bound tlj^emfelves to the moil painful
ayftsrities and fufferings ; thofe that devote them-
felves to pafs their lives in the deep and uni/^^hole-
fome valleys of the country ; hermits that flarve on
the points of cold rocks ; others that live in deferts
furrounded with, and perpetually expofed to. wild
beads ; in a word, the whole tribe of fanatics, falfe
prophets, diviners, and dreamers, people who affeil:
to fee and foreknow what is in future to happen, by
living in perfect ignorance of what is pafling at the
prefent ; people in conftant habits of dirt and naf-
tinefs, naked, or covered with hair ; in fhort, a col-
ledionof monfters, fcarcely to be defcribed or con-
ceived, compofe an ecclefiaftical alTembly in Abyf-
fmia, and are the leaders of an ignorant and furious
populace, who adore them as faints, and are always
ready to fupport them in fome violation of the
laws of the country, or of humanity, to which, by
their cuftoms and manner of life, their very fird
appearance ihews they have been long ftrangers.

David, however averfe to thefe aifemblies, could
not decently refufe them, now a new prince was ht
on the throne, a new Abuna vv'as come from Egypt,
and a complaint was ready to be brought that the
-church was in danger. The all'embly met in the
ufual place before the palace. The Itchegue or

hea4

1S4 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

head of the monks of Debra Libanos, was ready
^ with a complaint, which he preferred to the king.
He dated it was notorious, but ofi'ered to prove it
if denied, that three Romiili priefts, with an Abyf-^
fmian for their interpreter, were then eflabiilhed in
Walkayt, and, for feveral years, had been there
maintained, protected, and confulted by the late
king Ouflas, who had often affifted at the cele-
bration of mafs as folemnized by the church of
Rome.

David was a rigid adherent to the church of
Alexandria, and educated by his mother in the tenets
ofy:he monks of Saint Euflathins, that is, the mod
declared enemies of everything approaching to the
tenets of the church of Rome. He was confequently,
not by inclination, neither was he by duty, obliged
to undertake the defence of meafures adopted by
Oufias, of which he was befides ignorant, having
been confined in the mountain of Wechne. He
ordered, therefore, the miffionaries, and their in-
terpreter, whofe name was Abba Gregorius, to be
apprehended,

Thefe unfortunate people were accordingly pro-
duced before the mod prejudiced and partial of all
tribunals. Abba Mafmare and Adug Tesfo were
adduced to interrogate and to interpret to them,' as
they unjderftood the Arabic, having been at Cairo
^and Icrufalem. The trial neither was, nor was in-
tended to be long. The firft queition put was a
very direct one ; Do you, or do you not, receive the
council of Chalcedon as a rule of faith ? and, Do
you believe that Leo the pope lawfully and regu-
larly prefided ?X it, and conducted it ? To this the

prifoners

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 185

pnfoners plainly anfwered. That they looked upon
the council of Chalcedon as the fourth general
council, and received it as fuch, and as a rule of
faith : that they did believe pope Leo lawfully and
regularly prefided at it, as being head of the Ca-
tholic church, fucceflbr to St. Peter, and Chriil's
vicar upon earth. Upon this a general fliout was
heard from the whole aflfembly ; and the fatal cry,
♦' Stone them." — " Whoever throws not three
flones, he is accurfed, and an enemy to Mary,"
immediately followed.

One priefl: only, diflinguiihed for piety and learn-
ing among his countrymen, and one of the chief
men in the alTembly, with great vehemence declared
they were tried partially and unfairly, and con-
demned unjuftly. But his voice was not heard
amidfl the clamours of fuch a multitude ; and the
monks were accordingly by the judges condemned
to die. Ropes were inflantly thrown about their
necks, and they were dragged to a place behind the
church of Abbo, in the way to Tedda, where they
were, according to their fentence. Honed to death,
fuffering with a patience and refignation equal to
the firft martyrs.

The juilice, however, which we owe to the me-
mory of the deceafed M. du Roule, muft- always
leave a fear in every Chriftian mind, that, Ipotted
as thefe milTionaries were with the horrid crime of
the premeditated, unprovoked murder of that am-
baffador, the indifference they teftified at the ap-
proach, and in the immediate fuffering of death, had
its origin rather in hardnefs of heart than in the
quietnefs of their confciences. Many fanatics have

been

i§5 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

been known to die, glorying in having perpetrated
the moft horrid crimes to which' the fentence of
eternal damnation is certainly annexed in the book
before them.

1 have often, both on purpofe and by accident,
paffed by this place, where three large, and one
fmall pile of ftones, cover the bodies of thefe un-
fortunate fufferers ; and, with many heavy reflec-
tions upon my own danger, I have often wondered
how thefe three priefts, of whatever nation they were,
paffed unnoticed among the number of their frater-
nity, whofe memory is honoured with long pane-
gyrics by the Romifli writers of thofe times, as def-
tined one day to appear in the kalendar. Though
thofe that compofe the long lift of Tellez died with
piety and refignation, they were furely guilty in the
way they almoft all were engaged, contrary to the
laws and conftitution of the country, in actions and
defigns that can be fairly qualified by no other name
than that of treafon, while no fuch political meddling
out of their profeffion ever was reproached to thefe
three, even by their enemies.

Tellez fays not a word of them ; Le Grande, a
zealous Catholic writer of thefe times, but little ;
though he publifhes an Arabic letter to conful Mail-
let, which mentions their names, their fulferings,
and other circumftances attending them, I fhall,
therefore, take the liberty of offering my conje£lure,
as I think this filence, or the fuppreflion of a fa£l,
gives me a title to do ; but fhall nrft produce the
letter of Elias Enoch, upon which I found my
judgment.

Translation

T^HE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 187

Translation of an Arabic Letter lurote t§
M. DE Maillet.

" After having aflfured M. de Maillet, the con,
^* ful, of my refpeds, and of the continuation of
*' my prayers for his health, as being a gentleman
*' venerable for his merits, diftinguiihed by his
knowledge and great penetration, of a noble birth,
always beneficent, and addided to pious adions,
(may God preferve his life to that degree of ho-
nour due to fa refpedable a perfon,) I now write
you from the town of Mocha. I left AbylTmia in
?' the year 171 8, and came to this town of Mocha
'* in extreme poverty, or rather abfolutely deftitute.
*' God has affifted me : I give praife to him for
his bounty, and always remain much obliged to
you. What follows is all that I can inform you
as touching the news of Abyffinia. King Ya-
fous is long fince dead : his fon, Tecla Haima-
nout, having feized upon the kingdom by force,
caufed his father to be afiaffinated. This king
Yafous, having given me leave to go to Sennaar,
furnifhed me with a letter addrefled to the king
there, in which he defired him to put no obflacles
in the way of du Roule the French ambaflador's
journey, but to fufFer him to enter Ethiopia. He
alfo gave me another letter addreffed to the
*' bafha and officers of Grand Cairo ; and another
" letter to the ambaflador hirnfelf, by which he
*'• fignified to him that he might enter into Ethiopia
f without fear. Accordingly I had departed with
^^ thefe letters for Sennaar 5 but kiiig Tecla Haima-

" nout.

ii

66
(C

cc
<e
<c

£C
CC

«c
<c

l88 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

" nout, foil of king Yafous, having taken poffefTion
" of the kingdom while I was yet in Abyirinia,
«« I returned and delivered to him the letters which
«' had been given me by his father. It was now
« three months fmce Tecla Haimanout had been
*' upon the throne 5 he approved of the letters, and
*« caufed them to be tranfcribed in his own name ;
«' and ordered me to go and join du Roule the
«' ambalTador, and accompany him back again to
«« Gondar. King Yafous had already fent an
^' officer to meet the ambaffador at Sennaar ; and
*« he had been gone fix months without my know-
« ledp-e ; but that officer, having trifled away his
<' time in trading, did not enter Sennaar till that
«' kinp- had caufed the ambaffador to be murdered,
«' together with thofe that were with him. As for
" me not knowing what had happened, I was ad-
" vancing with the orders of Tecla Haimanout,
<« when, being now within three days journey of
*« Sennaar, I heard of the ambaflador's death, and
*' that of his companions ; and being terrified at
« this I returned into Abyffinia to let Tecla liai-
<« manout know what the king of Sennaar had
" done. Immediately upon hearing of this, Tecla
?' Haimanout formed a refolution to declare war
f« a^ainft the king of Sennaar, but was foon after
«' fiain in a mutiny of the foldiers. He reigned two
f^ years. Tifilis, brother of Yafous, fucceeded him,
" and reigned three years and three months.
«« Ouftas, nepliew of King Yafous, fucceeded Tifilis,
^« and ufurped the kingdom, of which Ii€ was ac-
f tiially prime minider, being fon of a fifter of
?* Yafotts, Ouilas was dethroned, and died foon

^' .after.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 1S9

'* after. David, Ton of Yafous, fucceeded him, and
** reigned five years and five months. The friars^
" who arrived in Ethiopia in the reign of Ouftas,
*' were floncd to death, upon the fucceflion of David
*' to the throne, by thofe that were of the party of
" David. A fon of Michael^ whom he had by a

flave, aged only fix years, was itoned with him.

It was i\\Q fourth fon he had. I made Yafous be-
*' lieve that the religion of the French was the fame
*« with that of Ethiopia," &c. &c.

From this letter, we fee a boy of fix years old,
fon ef one of thefe priefts or friars, was floned to
death with them ; and his heap of Hones appears
with thofe of the others. It was, indeed, a common
teft of the people fufpecled to be priefts, who Hole
into AbylTmia, to offer them women, their vows
being known, and that they could not marry. I
apprehend, to avoid deteftion, one at leafl of them
had broken Lis vow of celibacy and chaftity, and
that this child was the cohfequence, but not the
only one, as Enoch lays, in his letter, he had three
others ; and this probably was the reafon why the
Catholics of thofe times had configned their merit
to oblivion, rather than record it with their failings.

For althous^h we know that there were friars who
had been in Ethiopia fince the time of- Ouftas, we
fliould not have been informed who they were, had
it not been for a fmall Iheet, publifhed at Rome in
the year 1774, by a capuchin prieft called Theodo-
fms Volpi, lent to me by my learned and worthy
friend the honourable Dalnes Barrington. From
this we find, that thele three were, Liberatp de
Wies, apoflolical prefed in Auflria ; Michael Pius

of

190 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

of Zerbe, in -the province of Padua ; and Samuel
de Beumo, of the Milanefe. The account of their
death is the fame as already given, though the pub-
iifher fuppreifes the ftoning of the child, and the
exiftence of the three other, fruits of the feraphic
miffion, through the endeavours of father Michael
Pius of Zerbe, of the prorvince of Milan. The child,
too, floned to death v^ith his father, was fix years
old, and was, as Elias fays, fourth fon of Michael;
and it was in 17 14 this cataftrophe happened, fo
that this will bring thefe fathers entrance into Nubia
about the time of the murder of M. du Roule : fo
confident with every crime is fanaticifm and falfc
religion.

The barbarous monks, gratified in the firil: in-
ftance, would not be contented without extending
their vengeance to Abba Gregorius, the Abyffinian
prieft, the interpreter. But David, who found upon
trial, that, in going to attend the priefls in Walkayt,
he had only obeyed the exprefs command of Ouftas,
then his fovereign, abfolutely refufed to fuffer him
to be either tried or punllhed, but difmilTed him,
without further cenfure or queftion, to his native

country.

While David was thus employed at Gcndar, news
were broupbt to him that his brother BacufFa had
left the Galla, and was then in a fmall town in Be-
eemder, called Wetan. It was this prince who,
top-ether with fifty others of the royal family, were
let down from the mountain of Wechne, upon
Ouitas's fon being propofed, and he alone refufed
to return upon his. brother's acceiiion to the throne.
David fent Azaleffi, Guebra Mehedin, and Badje-

rund

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I9I

Tund Welled de I'Oul, to Wetan, where they ap-
prehended Bacuffa bj^ furprife, and lodged him in
the mountain of Wechne, after having cut off a
very fmall part of the tip of his nofe, which was
fcarcely difcernible when he came to the throne.

Kafmati Georgis had been baniftied to the moun-
tain in the reign of the late king, where he had con-
traded an intimate friendlhip with David. He had
alfo married a fifter of Ozoro Mamet, by whom
Yafous had feveral children, particularly one Wel-
leta Georgis, a prince then of years to govern, and
confined to the mountain. David, on his coming
to the throne, did not forget his old friendlhip on the
mountain ; and, paffmg by Emfras, he fent to
Wechne to bring down Kafmati Georgis to Ar-
ringo, one of the king's palaces in Begemder, where
he intended to pafs the fummer. On his return he
gave him the government of Gojam ; and his fa-
vourite Agne, his uncle, dying at this time, very
much regretted, Georgis was alfo created Betwudet
in his place.

This year Abuna Marcus died ; and his fucceflbr,
Abuna Chriftodulus, arriving the third day of No-
vember, this made the calling of another affembly
of the clergy abfolutely neceffary, although, from
the humour the lafl; was in, the whole time of their
meeting, the king was very little inclined to it.

The monks in Abyflinia, as I have often faid, are
divided into two bodies, thofe of Debra Libanos,
and.thofe of Abba Euflathius. Some have ima-
gined that the difference between thefe two bodies
arifesfrom a difpute about the two natures in Chrift.
But this is from mifinformation 5 for, were a difpute

to

193^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

to -arlfe about the two natures in Chrift, each party
\vould declare the other a heretic ; but at pre-
fent a few equivocal words, ufed to define the mode
and moment of our Saviour's incarnation, though
neither opinion is thought heretical*, have the ef-
fed to make thefe two fed:s enemies all their lives.

The Abuna is the head of the Abyffinian church;
yet, as he is known to be a flave of the Mahome-
tans, upon his firliL arrival, and permiffion obtained
from the king, the aifembly meets in a large outer
court, or fquare, before the palace, where he is
interrogated, and where he declares which of the
two opinions he adopts. If he has been properly
advifed, he declares for the ruling and flrongeffc
party ; though fometimes he is determined, by the-
addrefs of thofe about him, to fide with the weakeft ;
and very often, if he has had no inftruction on his
arrival, he does not know what this reference means ;
for no trace of fuch difpute exifls among his bre-
thren in Cairo, from whence he came. He is,
moreover, aftranger to the language, and the words
containing either opinion, which, for fhortnefs fake,
are made to mean a great deal more than they at firft
lesm to import ; and, whether freely or literally
tranfiated, are equally unintelligible to a foreigner.
After -the Abuna has declared his choice, this is
announced by beat of drum to the people, and is
called Ncigar Ha'unanout, oi', the Proclamation of
the Faith. The only ordinary effect this declara-

* But there can be v.o doubt both opinions are abfoUite he-
r.efy, in the moft liberal fenfe of that word, as exprefsly denying
our Saviour's confubitaJiLiality,

tioa

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I93

tlon has, is to make the perfon who is at the head
of one party an adverfary to him who is at the head
of the other, all his life after.

The king at his acceflion makes his declaration
alfo. The clergy maintain, that he fhould do this
in an affembly called for that purpofe, though the
king denies that there is any neceffity for the clergy
to be prefent; but he confiders it as his privilege to
choofe his own time and place, and announces it to
the people, by proclamation, at what time, and in
what manner, he thinks mofl convenient.

Although David had given his permiffion to af-
femble the clergy to hear the Abuna's declaration,
he did not think himfelf bound to aiTift at it, and,
therefore, he fent to the monks of Debra Libanos,
and thofe of Abba Euflathius, to go to the Abuna
with Betwudet Georgis, who fliould interrogate the
Abuna, and report the anfwer to the kipg, who
thereupon would order it to be proclaimed to the
people. The monks of Debra Libanos refufed this,
as they did not confider Georgis as indifferent, be-
ing known to be a (launch Euftathian. They de-
clared, therefore, they would neither hear nor re-
gard what the Abuna faid, unlefs it was in the king's
prefence ; and this was juft what David was refolved
not to humour them in.

Betwudet Georgis, the great officers of ftate, and
mofl: of the people of confideration about Gondar
waited upon- the Abuna as the king had command-
ed ; and the Betwudet having defired him to make
his profeffion, he would only give this evafive an-
fwer. That his faith was in all refpeds the fame as
Vol. III. O that

194 tRAVELS TO DISCOVER

that of Abba Marcos and Abba Sanuda, the ancient
and orthodox Abunas.

This anfwer left every party at liberty to imagine
that the Abuna was their own. But this evafion
did not content the king, who therefore ordered
the Betwudet, without taking further notice of the
Abuna, to make proclamation in terms of the pro-
feffion of the monks of Abba Euftathius. This
occafioned great heats among the monks of Debra
Libanos. They ran all with one accord to the
Itchcgue's houfe, for he is their general, or chief
of their convent, and here they came to the moft
violent relolutions, declaring that they would die
either together, or man by man, in fupport of their
privileges and the freedom of their aflemblies.
From the Iichegue's houfe they ran to the Abuna's,
without foliciting or receiving any permiflion froin
the king : and, upon interrogation, they fucceeded
with the Abuna to the height of their wilhes ; for he
anfvvered in the precife words of their profeflion —
" One God, of the Father alone, united to a- body
perfectly human, confubftantial with ours, and by
that union becoming the Mefliah ;" in direft oppo-
fition to what was proclaimed by the king's order
at the gale of the palace the day before — Perfe£t
God and perfect man, by the union one Chrift,
whofe body is compofed of a precious fubftance,
called Bahery, not confubftantial with ours, or de-
rived from his mother.

Had they ftopt here it had been well ; but the
victory was too great, too unexpeded, and complete,
to admit of their fitting quietly down without a
triumph. They returned, therefore, from the

Abuna's,

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I95

Abuna*s, frantic with joy, (houting, and finging,
and more peculiarly one kind of fong, or hallelujah,
ufed always upon vidories obtained over infidels.
As they .paiTed the door of the king*s palace, fome
of the officers of the houfehold, Azage Zakery,
Azage Tecla Haimanout, and Badjerund Welleta
David, moderate men, lovers of peace, and inclined
to no party, endeavoured to perfuade them to con-
tent themfelves with what they had done, to dif-
perfe, and each go to his home, before fome mif-
chief overtook them. But they were too high-
minded. They redoubled their fongs ; and, in
this manner, again aflembled in the Itchegue's houfe
to deliberate on what further th^y were to attempt ;
when one of the monks, a prophet, or dreamer, de-
clared, " That God had opened his eyes, and tha£
he then faw a cherub with a flaming fword guard-
ing the Itchegue's gate :" with fuch a centinel they
concluded that they were perfectly fafe from any
attempts of man.

In the mean time, however, the king was vio-
lently affeded at the feditious behaviour of the
monks ; nor did he hefitate a moment in what man-
ner he was to punifh it. As they had employed
the fong which was fung only for vidories obtained
over infidels, by which they meant to allude par-
ticularly to the king, he detached a body of Pagan
Galla to punifh them : having furrounded the
Itchegue's houfe, where the monks were aifembled,
they forced open the gate, (and the cherub with
the flaming fword not interfering) they fell, fword
in hand, upon the unarmed priefls, and in an in-
ftant laid above a hundred of the principal of them

O z deai

196, TRAVELS XO t)ISCOVER

dead upon the floor. They then fallied out with
their bloody weapons into the flreet, and hewed to
pieces thofe that attended the procefTion, and who
were flill diverting themfelves with their fong. Gon-
dar now appeared like a town taken by ftorm ; every
flreet was eovered with the dead, and dying ; and
this malfacre continu ed till next day at noon, when,
by proclatnation, the king ordered it to ceafe.

David, now fatisfied as to the priefts, thought he
owed to the Abuna a mortification for his double-
dealing. He fent, therefore, the foldiers to take
him out of his houfe, and bring him to the gate of
the palace, where the poor wretch, half dead with
fear, expetled every moment to fall by the bloody
hands of the Djawi. Having enjoyed his panic fome
time, the king ordered him to be placed clofe befide
the kettle-drum, and a profeflion of faith was made
in the royal prefence, and announced by beat of
drum to the people, agreeing in evefy refpeft to
that publifhed the firft day by Betwudet Georgis,
and dire6lly contradiding what he had faid with
his' own mouth to the monks of Debra Libanos,
which was the oecafion of the riot.

This bloody, indifcriminate maflacre had com-
prehended too many men of worth and diftindion
not to oecafion great difcontent among the principal
people both within and without the palace. Con-
fpiracies againft the king were now every where
openly talked of, the fruits of which foon appeared.
David fell fick, and thofe about him endeavoured to
perfuade him that it was the remains of an injury
which he had lately received from a fall off his
horfe. But, upon the meeting of a council, on the

9th

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. I^*/

9th of March, 1719, it was difcovered and proved,
that Kafmati Late and Ras Georgis had employed
Kutcho, keeper of the palace, to give a ftrong poi-
fon to the king, which he had taken that morning
from the hands of a Mahometan. Ras Georgis
was then brought before the council, and fcarcely
denied the fad ; upon which his only fon was or-
dered to be hewn to pieces before his face, and im-
mediately after the father's eyes were pulled out.
Kutcho, keeper of the palace, and the Mahometan
who gave the poifon, were hewn to pieces with
fvyords before the gate of the palace, and their
mangled bodies thrown to the dogs. The king died
that evening in great agony.

The king's favourite, Betwudet Georgis, found
himfelf now in a mofl dangerous fituation. David
his protestor was dead, and he was left now alone to
anfwer for thofe bloody meafures of which he was
univerfally believed to be the advifer. It was abfo-
lutely neceifary, therefore, if poffible, to fecure a
fucceflbr of David's own family, who might flop the
profecutions againfl: him for fteps the king had adopts
ed as his own, and as fuch had carried into exe-
cution.

We have already obferved, that, when baniflied
to the mountain of Wechne by Ouftas, he had con-
tracted there, firft a friendfhip with David, and, at
the fame time, vviih another prince, Ayto Welled
Georgis, who was fon to Yafous by Ozoro Mamet,
whofe filler Georgis had married, and confequently
was uncle to Ayto Welleta Georgis, as having mar-
ried his aunt, filler to Ozoro Mamet. When this
prince now arrived at manhood, he knew himfelf

perfedly

198 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

perfeflly fecure ; and, therefore, a number of the
men in power being then affembled at his houfe,
he loft no time, but furrounded it with a body of
foidiers. He propofed to them Welled Georgis as
immediate fucceflbr to David. The people prefent,
feeing themfelves in the foidiers hands, and con-
vinced from the recent examples, that Georgis was
not very tender in the ufe of them, in appearance
chearfuHy, and without hefitation, approved of the
Betwudet's choice ; and Lika Jonathan, one of the
chief civil judges performed the office of crier, pro-
claiming with an audible voice, " Ayto Welled
Georgis, brother to our late king David, fonof our
great king Yafous, he is now our king. Mourn
for the king that is "dead, but rejoice with the king
that is alive." This is the ordinary ftile of the pro-
clamation. Mutual congratulations and promifes
paffed among the members of the meeting, but
with very different refolutions.

All the company, efcorted by a body of archers,
and ancther of fuzileers, with Betwudet Georgis at
their head, repaired to the great place before the
palace to make the fame proclamation by beat of
drum that they had done in the Betwudet's houfe.
They found the drum ready, and the whole body
of the king's houfehold troops under arms, and
drawn up before it. Upon the fight of their com-
panions, the foidiers left the Betwudet, and fell into
a proper place referved vacant for them by their
brethren. Without lofs of time the drum was beat,
and a proclamation made, " Bacuffa, fon of Yafous,
is our king ! Mourn for the dead, and rejoice with
the living." Loud acclamations from the peo-

pl e

THE SOURCe OF THE NILE. I99

pie were echoed back again by the foldleis, and
Bacuffa's name was received with univerfal accla-
mations. Some of the principal people then went
to the council-chamber, and fent proper officers,
with a good body of troops, to efcort the king from
Wechne.

Upon their arrival they found the fentiraents of
the princes upon the election wene widely different
from thofe teftified by the people. They all to a
man declared their diffent from that election. They
upbraided BacufFa for his brutal manners ; for his
■violent, unfociable, unrelenting temper, from the
which, they faid, they had the cruelleft confequences
to apprehend ; and, indeed, it was not without great
reafon that they made thefe remonftrances ; for Ba-
cufFa, when he efcaped from the m9untain, fled for
refuge among the Galla, and received there a very
ftrong tincture of the favage manners of that na-
tion, which neither thofe of Gondar nor the army
could have an opportutitty to judge of. Refolute,
jpidive, and politic, he was very well formed to
. hold the reins of government in unfettled times ;
but his temper of itfelf exceedingly fufpicious, and
the little regard he had for the Ijfe ftf man, made
' his whole reign (as it was feared) one continued
tragedy. So that, notwithftanding the goodnefs of
his underllanding, and many ads of wifdom and
juftice, he is confidered as a bloody, mercilefs ty-
rant, and his memory regarded with the greatelt
deteftation.

On the firft news of the infurredion of the

princes on Wechne, Kafmati Amha Yafous, gover-

^ or of Begemder, marched with his whole force

and

2,00 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

and encamped under the mountain. He then re-
ceived Bacuffa as king, having refcued him from the
hands of his relations ; and, in order to obviate, as
much as poffible, any future trouble, he obliged
the different branches of the royal family to a re-
conciliation with each other, making Bacuffa, on the
one fide, fwear that he was not to remember nor
revenge any injury or affront received upon the
mountain ; and them on the mountain fwear alfo,
that they would forget all old difagreements, con-
fider Bacufia as their king, and not create him any
trouble in his reign by efcapes, or other rebellious
pradices.

As it was then night, Bacuffa ftaid in the houfe
of Azage Affarat, and the next morning came to
Serbraxos, whence he fent to the monks of Tedda,
to meet him there. From Tedda he proceeded to
Gondar, where he was met by the Abuna and
Itchegue amidft the acclamations of a prodigious
number of people.

BACUFFA.

From 1 719 to 1729.

Bloody Reign — Exterminates the Confpirators — 'Coun-
terfeiis JOeath — -Becomes very popular,

AlONEST men, who loved their country, faw
the dangerous fituation it was then in. Every day
had produced initances of a growing indifference

to

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. iSoI

to that form of government which, from the earllefl
times, they had looked upon as facred ; and upon
every flight and unreafonable difgufl: a perfon of
confequence thought he had met with, a party was
immediately formed, and nothing lefs was agreed
on than direftly imbruing their hands in the blood
of their fovereign.

A prince was neceflary who had qualities of mind
proper to enable him to put a flop to thefe enor-
mities before they involved the fl:ate in one fcene of
anarchy and ruin. BacufFa was thought to anfwer
thefe expe6lations ; and, in the end, he was found
to exceed them. Silent, fecret, and unfathomable
in his defigns, furrounded by foldiers who were his
own flaves, and by new men of his own creation,
he removed thofe tyrants who oppofed their fove-
reigns upon the fmallefl: provocation. Confpiracy
followed confpiracy, and rebellion rebellion; but
all were defeated, as foon as they had birth, by the
fuperior activity and addrefs of the king.

I have faid he was called BacufFa by the Galla ;
but, in compliance with the cuftom of Abyflinia,
already mentioned, he had aflumed ftill two other
names, which were, Atzham Georgis, his name of
baptifm, and Adebar Segued, which means " re-
verenced by the towns or inhabited places of the
country," given him at his inauguration. As for
that of BacufFa, which meant the ineaorahle^ it was
the lefs difhonourable from having been given him
by impartial flrangers from their own obfervation
while he was yet in private life j his whole conduct
afterwards fhewed how juflly.

The

%0% TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

The king has near his perfon an officer who Is
meant to be his hiftoriographer. He is alfo keeper
of his feal, and is obliged to nvake a journal of the
king's actions, good or bad, without comment of
his own upon them. This, when the king dies, or
at lead foon after, is delivered to the council, who
read it over, and erafe every thing falfe in it ; whilfl
they fupply any material fa£l that ihay have been
p.mitted, whether purpofely or not. This woulc|
have been a very dangerous book to have been
kept in Bacuffa's time ; and, accordingly, no per-
fon chofe ever to run that rilkj and the king's
particular behaviour afterwards had ftill the further
effe£l, tht^t nobody would fupply this deficiency after
his death, a general belief prevailing in Abyffinia
that he is alive to this day, and will appear again in
all his terrors. It is owing to this circumflance that
we have nothing complete of this king's reign j
only a few anecdotes are prefer ved, fome of them
very odd ones. I fhall only, for the prefent, choofe
fuch of thofe as lead me to the fubjed I have in
hand.

Bacuff^i vi^as exceedingly fpnd of divinations,
dreams, and prophecies, fo are all the Abyflinians j
but he imbibed an additional propenfity to thefe,
among the Pagans to whom he had fled. One day,
when walking alone, he perceived a prieft exceed-
ingly attentive in obferving the forms that little
pieces of draw, cut to certain lengths, made upon
a pool of water into which ran a fmall dream. From
the combination of thefe in letters, or figures, as
they chanced to fall, an anfwer is procured to th?

doubt

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^03-

<3oubt propofed, which, if you believe thefe idlers,
is perfeftly infallible.

BacufTa in difguife, drefled like a poor man, is
faid to have aiked the priefl: after what he was in-
quiring. The priefl: anfwered. He was trying whe-
ther the king would have a fon, and who fliould
govern the kingdom after him. The king abode
the invefl:igatioh patiently; and the anfwer was.
That he (hould have a fon; but that a Welleta
Georgis fhould govern the kingdom after him for
thirty years, though that Welleta Georgis fhould
be neither his fon nor any defcendant of his. Full
of thought at this untoward predidion, he har-
boured it in his bread without communicating it to
any one, and refolved to blafl the hopes of every
Welleta Georgis that fhould be fo unfortunate as
to ftand within the poiTibility of reigning after him.
Many innocent people of different parts difappeared
from this unknown crime ; and eleven princes on
the mountain of "^echne, fome fay more, loft
their lives for a name that is very common in Abvf-
fmia, without one overt aft of treafon, or even a
fufpicion of what they were accufed. A panic now
flruck all ranks of people, without terminating in
any fcheme of refiftance ; which fufEciently fliewed
that the king had fucceeded in difiblving all con-
federacies among his fubjedls, and defl:roying radi-
cally that rebellious fpirit which had operated fo
fatally in the laft: reigns.

It is a cufl:om among the kings of Abyflinia,
efpecially in intervals of peace, to difappear for a
time, without any warning. Sometimes, indeed,
one or two confidential fervants, pretending to be

bulled

204 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

bufied in other affairs, attend at a diftance, and
keep their eye upon him, while, difguifed in diffe-
rent manners, he goes like a ftranger to thofe parts
he intends to vifit. In one of thefe private jour-
nies, paffmg, into Kuara, a province on the N. E.
of Abyflinia, near the confines of Sennaar, Bacuffa
happened, or counterfeited, to be feized by a fever,
a common difeafe of that unwholefome country. He
was then in a poor village belonging to fervants of
a man of diftindion, whofe houfe was on the top
of the hill immediately above, in temperate and
wholefome air. The hofpitable landlord, upon the
firfl hearing of the diflrefs of a flranger, immedi-
ately removed him up to his houfe, where every
attention that could be fuggefled by a charitable
mind was beflowed upon his difeafed gueft, who
prefently recovered his former flate of health, but
not till the kind afTiftance and unwearied diligence
of the beautiful daughter of the houfe had made
the deepeft imprefTion upon him, and laid him un«
der the greatefl obligations.

The family confifled of five young men in the
flower of their youth, and one daughter, whofe
name was Berhan Magafs, the Glory of Grace ;
exceedingly beautiful, gentle, mild, and affable;
of great underflanding and prudence beyond her
age ; the darling, not only of her own family, but
of all the neighbourhood.

Bacuffa recovering his health, returned fpeedily
to the palace, which he entered privately at night;
and appeared early next morning fitting in judg-
ment, and hearing caufes, which, with thefe princes,
is the firfl public occupation of the day.

A mefTenger,

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 2,0^

A meffenger, with guards and attendants, was
immediately fent to Kuara, and Berhan Magafs
hurried from her father's houfe, Ihe knew not why,
but her furprife was carried to the utmoft, by being
prefented and married to the king, no reply j condi-
tion, or ftipulation being fuffered. She gained,
however, and preferved his confidence as long as
he lived : not that Bacuffa valued himfelf upon con-
ftancy to one wife, more than the reft of his pre-
decelTors had done. He had, indeed, many mif-
trefles, but with thefe he obferved a very fingular
tule; he never took to his bed any one woman
whatever, the fair Berhan Magafs excepted, with-
out her having been firft fo far intoxicated with
wine or fpirits as not to remember any thing that
pafled in converfation.

While Bacuffa was on his concealed journey to
Kuara, a very dangerous confpiracy was forming
at Gondar, under the immediate condu6t of Ozoro
Welleta Raphael, the king's fifter, a very ambitious
woman, and of an unquiet, enterprifing temper*
Difgufted by her brother's refufal of a gift of fome
crown lands which were then .vacant, and without
any owners, fhe thought no vengeance adequate to
the affront, but dethroning Bacuffa. With this
view flie engaged feveral men of power in her in-
tereft, and particularly the black fervants of the
palace who attend immediately upon the king's
perfon, and were to feize upon, or deftroy him,
the moment he returned. This plot, in all its par-
ticulars, was conveyed to the king.

There was an old, abandoned houfe of king
Yafous, at Bartcho, about a day's journey fouth of

Gondar ;

2C6 tRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Gondar ; it ftands on a very extenfive plain. The
king intending, as he faid, to repair, or rather
clean and prepare this houfe for his immediate re-
ception, ordered all the black flaves from Gondar
thither for that purpofe, together with fome of their
ringleaders. Kafmati Waragna, in the mean time,
was ordered to bring a thoufand horfemen of his
Galla Djawi. He arrived at Bartcho nearly at the
fame time with the black fervants, who being un-
armed, as fufpeding nothing, and on foot, after a
fharp reproof from the king, were all furrounded
and cut to pieces by the hands of Waragna, and
orders were immediately fent to Gondar to extir-
pate the remainder there ; and this execution laid a
foundation for a feud, that endures to this day be-
tween the Galla troops and the black horfe, who
were then abolifhed, as the Galla have been fmce,
though both were of the king's houfhold formerly,
before David's or Bacuffa's time. As for Welleta
Raphael, ftie was feized that fame night, and was
conveyed to Walkayt, to be confined there, with
private indrudlions, however, to put her to death
fpeedily, which were executed accordingly.

The queen had a fon within the year, whom the
council named Yafous, after his grandfather, whofe
memory will ever be dear in Abyllinia ; and this
again revived the old apprehenfions that Welleta
Georgis was to govern the country (as the prophet
faid) for thirty years. Tormented with this idea,
rather than the havoc it had occafioned, he devifed
with himfelf a fcheme which he thought would cer-
tainly deted this future ufurpcr of his crown and

dethroner

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^07

dethroiier of his child. But firfl: he dire<^ed that
the queen fhould be crowned, a ceremony that car-
ries great confequences along with it when folem-
nized properly, as at that time (he is made regent,
or Iteghe, in all minorities that may happen after-
wards*

After he had created his wife Iteghe, Bacuffa pre-
tended to be fick : feveral days paffed without hopes
of recovery ; but at laft the news of the king's
death were publifhed in Gondar. The joy was fo
great, and fo univerfal, that nobody attempted to
conceal it. Every one found himfelf eafed of a
load of fear which had become infupportable. Se-
veral princes efcaped from the mountain of Wechne
to put themfelves in the way of being chofen ; fome
were fent to by thofe great men who thought them-
felves capable of effeding the nomination, and a
fpeedy day was appointed for the burial of the
king's corpfe, when Bacuffa appeared, intheordi-,
nary feat of juftice, early in the morning of that
day, with the Iteghe, and the infant Yafous, his
fon, fitting in a chair below him.

There was no occafion to accufe the guilty. The
whole court, and all ftrangers attending there upon
bufinefs, fled, and fpread an univerfal terror through
the whole ftreets of Gondar. All ranks of people
were driven to defpair, for all had rejoiced ; and
much lefs crimes had been before puniftied with death.
What this fedition would have ended in, it is hard
to know, had it not been for the immediate refolu-
tion of the king, who ordered a general pardon and
amnefty to be proclaimed at the door of the palace.

There

SOS TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

There are two kettle-drums of a large fize placed
one on each fide of the outer gate of the king's
houfe. They are called the lion and the lamb. The
lion is beat at the proclamations which regard war,
attainders for confpiracies and rebellions, promotions
to fuprenie commands, and fuch-like high matters.
The lamb * is heard only on beneficent, pacific
occafions, of gifts from the crown, of general am-
nefties, of private pardons, and reverfals of penal
ordinances. The whole town was in expedation
of fome fanguinary decree, when, to their utter fur-
prife, they heard the voice of the lamb, a certain
fign of peace and forgivenefs ; and fpeedily fol-
lowed by a proclamation, forbidding people of all
degrees to leave their houfes, that the king's word
was pledged for every one's fecurity ; and that all
the principal men (hould immediately attend him
within the palace, in a pubhc place which is called
the Aflioa, and that upon pain of rebellion.

The king appeared cloathed all in white, being
the habit of peace ; his head was bare, dreffed,
anointed, and perfumed, and his face uncovered.
He thus advanced to the rail of the gallery, about
lo feet above the heads of the audience, and, in a
very graceful, compoied, but refolute manner, be-
gan a fhort oration to the people. " He put them
" in mind of their wantonnefs in having made
*' Ouftas, a man not of the royal line of Solomon,
** king of Abyffinia ; of their having incited his

* This drum is of beaten filver; the Abyffinlans fay, that
this metal alone is capable of conveying the fweet found contain-
ed in a proclamation of peace. It was carried off by the rebels
after the retreat of Seibraxos.

** brother.

(C

ti

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 209

brother, Tecla Halmanout, to aflaffinate their
father Yafous ; that they had afterwards murder-
" ed Tecla Haimanout himfelf, one brother, and
" lately his other brother David, his own immediate
" predecefTor : That he had taken due vengeance
" upon all the ringleaders of thofe crimes, as was
" the duty of his place, and, if much blood had
" been fhed, it was becaufe many enormities had
been committed ; but that knowing now that
order was eftablifhed, and confpiracies extinguifh-
*' ed among them, he had counterfeited death, to
fignify an end was put to Bacuffa and his bloody
meafures ; that he now was rifen again, and ap-
peared to them by the name of Atzham Georgis,
" fon of Yafous the Great ; and ordered every man
*' home to his houfe to rejoice at the acceflion of a
" new king, under whom they fhould have juflice,
" and live without fear, as long as they refpeded
" the king that God had anointed over them."

This fpeech was followed by the loudefl accla-
mations, " Long live Bacuffa ! Long live Atzham
*' Georgis !** It was well known that this king
never failed in his word, or any way prevaricated
in his promifes. Every one, therefore, went home
in as perfed peace as if war had never been among
them J and Bacuffa's delicacy in this refped: was
feen a few days after ; for Hannes his brother hav-
ing been brought clandeftinely from Wechne by
Kafraati Georgis, a nobleman of great confequenc^,
they were both taken by the governor of Wechne
and fent in chains to the king. The ordinary pro-
cefs would have been to put them inftantly to death,
as being apprehended in the very highefl aft of
Vol. III. P treafoaj

210 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

treafon ; nor would this have alarmed any perfonc
vvhatei'er, or been thought an infradion of the
king's late promife. Bacuffa, however, was of
another mind. He fent the criminal judges, wha
ordinarily (it upon capital crimes, to meet the twa
prifoners in their way to Gondar, and carried them
back to the foot of the mountain of Wechne to
have their crimes proved, and to be tried there out
of his prefence and, influence, where they were
both condemned, Hannes to have an arm cut off,
Georgis to be fent to prifon to the governor of Wal-
kayt, with private orders to put him to death; both
which fentences were executed, though Hannes fo
far recovered that he was king of Abyffinia in my-
time, notwithrtanding this mutilation ; but it was a
dired violation of the laws of the land.

It is faid that a difcovery, which happened in the
king's feigned illnefs, promoted this fudden revolu-
tion of manners. In one of his fecret tours through
Begemder, (after Tigre, the moft powerful pro-
vince in Abyilinia, and by much the mofl: plentiful)
beiisg difguifed like a poor man, dirty and fa-
tigued with the length of the way and heat of the
weather, he came to the houfeof.a private pcr-
fon, not very rich, indeed, but of noble manners
and carriage, and who, by the juftice and mildnefs
of his behaviour and cuftoms, had acquired a great
degree of influence among his neighbours. The fa-
ther was old and feeble, but the fon in the vigour
of his age, who was then (landing in a large pool
of water, at his father's door, waihing his. own cot-
ton cloak, or wrapper, which is their upper garment j
an occupation below no young man in Abyilinia. -

... Bacuffa.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 211

Bacuffa, as overcome with heat, threw himfelf
down under the (hade of a tree, and, in a faint voice
and foreign dialed, intreated the young man to
wafh his cloak likewife, after having finifhed his
own. The young man confented mod willingly ;
and, throwing by his own garment, fell to wafhing
the ftranger's with great diligence and attention.
In the mean time, Bacuffa began quedioning him
about the king, and what his opinion was of him.
The young man anfwered, he had never formed
any. Bacuffa, however, ftill plied him with quef-
tions, while he continued waffling the cloak, with-
out giving him any anfwer at all ; at laft, being
able to hold out no longer, he gathered Bacufi'a*s
cloak in his arms, wet as it was, and threw it to
him : " I thought, fays he, when you prayed me
to take your cloak, that I was doing a charitable
action to fome poor Galla, fainting with fatigue, and
perhaps with hunger ; but, fince I have had it in
my hands, I have found you an inft:rud:or of kings
and nobles, a leader of armies and maker of laws.
Take your cloak, therefore, and waffi it yourfelf,
which is what Providence has ordained to be your
bufmefs; it is a fafer trade, and you will have lefs
time to cenfure your fuperiors, which can never be
a proper or ufeful occupation to a fellow like you."
The king took his wet cloak, and the rebuke
along with it, and, on his return, he fent for th?
man to Gondar, and raifed him in a ffiort time to
the firfl offices in the fl:ate. He poflefled his entire
confidence ; and he deferved it. He was the only
man to whom the king had confided his fears of
the ufurpex Welleta Georgis. While Bacufl^a was

P 3 fuppofed

2,1-2, TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

fuppofed to be ill, the queen and this officer aniy
prefent, he mentioned, for the firfl: time, fome fur^
prife that no fuch perfon as Welleta Georgis had
appeared during fo long and fo many inquiries, and
could not help dropping fome words as if he doubt-
ed the truth of this prophecy.

Badjerund Waragna, for that was the name of
the king's friend, maintained modeftly that it miglit
be a temptation of the devil to miflead him to his
deflrudlion. He told the king, that, by his own
account of it, this Welleta Georgis was to have na
power over bim, as he was only to appear in his
fon's time. He begged him, therefore, to lay afide
ail further thoughts of his prophecy, whilfl: he
trufted his fon's fucceffion to God's mercy, and to
the prayers, the charity, and prudence of the queen.
The Iteghe all this time was loft in filence. She
defired the king to repeat to her the whole circum-
jflances of the prophecy, which he diftinftly did.
" I wifli," fays fhe laughing, " this Welleta Geor-
gia may not be now nearer us than we imagine ; per-
haps in the palace." " In the palace 1" fays the
king, with great emotion.'* " I doubt fo,'* fays
the queen ; " fuppofe it fliould be me your own
wife ; for Welleta Georgis was the name given to
me in baptifm ; and your late coronation of me.,
Ihould a minority happen in the perfon of your
fon, or even a grandfon, undoubtedly leaves me re^
gent of the kingdom by your own intentions when
you made me Iteghe.

Whether the king was convinced or not, is not
known ; but he, from tlris time, defifted from hi?
pcrfecution of Welleta Georgis ; and this the queen

oftea

THE SOURCE OF THE J^ILE, 2,1^

often told me among feveral anecdotes of that fmgular
reign. She was my great patronefs while at Gondar,
and from her I received conftant protection in the
moft difaftrous times. To the credit of the prophet,
(he continued regent full thirty years ; till the folly
and ambition of her own family gave her a mafter
that put an end to all her influence, except what
flie enjoyed from exemplary piety, and the moft ex<»
tenfive works of charity and mercy.

The king died after a vigorous reign, and after
having cut off the greateft part of the ancient nobi-
lity near Gondar, who were of age to have been
concerned in the tranfadions of the laft reigns.
This has rendered his memory odious, though it is
univerfally confefled he faved his country from aa
ariftocratical or democratical ufurpation ; both equals*
ly unconftitutional, as they equally ftruck at the
root of monarchy.

The queen, with very great prudence, concealed
the day of the king's death 5 nor did any one, after
the laft experiment, afFedl ralhly to believe that his
death was real. Thus all were upon their guard
againft another refurre<^ion. In that interval, flie
called her brothers from Kuara, and ftrengthened her
fon's and her own government, by putting the prin-
cipal offices of ftate into the hands of perfons at^
tached to her family, fo that, though her fon Yafous
was an infant, no attempt wa§ at* that time made
towards any revolution. Even after the king's death
was known to be real, for many years afterwards
there were people of credit at different times found,
who faid they had met him at fundry places alive j
whether by inftigation, for any particular purpofe,
or not, is difficult to fay.

y A S Q U S

214 TRAVELS TO DISCOVEH

YASOUS II. OR, ADIAM SEGUED.

From 1729 ta 1753.

'Rebellion in the beginning of this Reign- — King ad-
dided to hunting-^To buildings and the Arts of
Peace — Attacks Sennaar — Lofes his Army — Takes
Samayai — Receives' Baady King of Sennaar under
his Protection,

^xSeSIDES the queen, mother of Yafous, Bacuffa
had feveral other wives and divers children by them ;
none of them, however, had any degree of intereft,
or many followers, owing to the very fmgular prac-
tice of BacufFa, already mentioned, in- not admit-
ting to his bed^ from the time of his coming to
the crown, any women except the queen, mother
of Yafous, without having firfl: fo far intoxicated
them with liquor as to produce an oblivion of all
that pafied at the interview. Some fay this arofe
from his own jealous ideas ; but the mofl general
opinion was, that it was a kind of covenant with
the queen, by which flie pardoned him this tempo-
rary alienation of his perfon, for this fecurity, that
he was to give her no rival in his confidence. In-
deed, his own temper led him naturally to eftrange
hirafelf froni every intimate connection, that could
pretend to any lawful fhare with him in government.
And this had gone fo far, that he fent his wife, fa-
vourite

THE SOURCE OF THE WILE. ^I5

Vourite as (he was, and his fon Yafons, to the low,
hot, and unwholefome province of Walkayt, the
ordinary place to which flate criminals were ba-
nilhed, in order that they might be under the eye
©f Ain Egzie, ^ confidential fervant of his, and go-
vernor of that province. It is true this was done
without any mark of difgufl: ; and the queen re-
turned immediately by his own command ; but Ya-
fous flaid at Walkayt with Ain Egzie, till he was
four years old, without the Idng bis father having
Ihewn any anxiety for bis return.

The queen's firft care was to call her brothers
to court. I'he eldeft. Welled de I'Oul, had been a
favourite of the late king, and occupied under him a
very confiderable pod in the palace. Geta, her fe-
cond brother, was a man of flow parts, but eftecmed
a good foldier ; being covetous^ he was not a fa-
vourite of the people, and lefs fo of the king. The
third was Efhte, fpronounced in that country Shitti};
he was amiable, liberal, and brave, but rather given
to indolence and pleafure, which alone hindered
him from being a good ftatefman and general. - He
was a kind friend to flrangers, a -good mailer, and
placable enemy ; ftedfaft to his promife, and on all
occafions a lover of truth; a quality fo very rare
in Abyflinia, that it was faid there had not been one
in ihk refped like hirn fmce the time of Yafous the
Great. Notwithftanding this^ Bacuffa liked him
not, as being too great a favourit^of the people, and,
for that reafon, never gave him any employment.

The next brother was Eufebius, a very brave and
ikilful foldier, but rafli, avaricious, paffionate and
treacherous, and as great an enemy to truth as

his

a,l6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

his brother Efhte was a friend to it. < Bacuffa, upon
fome flight complaint, had refolved to put him to
death ; and, though he was difliiaded from this, he
could never be fo far reconciled to him as ever to
releafe him from prifon. The fifth brother was
Netcho, whom the defire of living at home, or,
perhaps, a want of money to defray his expences
at court, kept low and in obfcurity all his life time.
Yet be was a tried, gallant, and flcilful foldier ; and
in later years, when I was at Gondar, was often
praifed as fuch by Ras Michael, the beft judge, be-
caufe the greated general of his time, though, by
reafon of Netcho's private life, and abfence frorn
court, he never charged him with any impor-
tant commifllon. Another brother was dead, and
had left a fon called Mammo, a good horfeman,
the only quality, as far as I know, that he pof-
, fpffed to which could juftly be annexed the epithet of
Good.

Of thefe brothers, Geta and Netcho were alive in
my time. Efhte was dead, but had left two fonsj
Ayto Engedan and Ayto Aylo, who were among
the moft intimate of my friends, from my enter-
ing Etl^iopia till my leaving it ; both were brave
and good, and endowed \vith excellent qualities.
Engedan, without any allowance for his country,
and want of education, was, I think, by very much,
the moft amiable and complete man that I have
ever yet feen.

Sanuda, fon of Welled de TOul, played a very
confiderable part in the revolution that happened in
my time ; was of a figure more than ordinary grace-
ful ; was brave, and did not w^nt good difpofuions ;

but

The source of the nile. ai7

but thefe were obfcured by debauchery in wine
^nd women, to which there were no bounds, Eufe*
bius left two fons, both more worthlefs and profli-
gate than himfelf, and both came to untimely ends ;
Guebra Mehedin, the elded, was flain in a private
quarrel at Lebec by a near relation, Kafmati Ayab-
dar^ after having robbed my fervants and plundered
my baggage, m Foggora, near the village of Dara ;
and the fecond. Ay to Confu, was killed in rebellion,
at the battle of Serbraxos, among the Begemder
horfe, fighting agalnft his fovereign.

Mammo we Ihall find adffl^ infignificant parts at
times, never trufted, nor of confequence to any one.
As for the queen herfelf, fhe was reputed the hand-
fpmeil woman of her time. She was defcended
from Vidor, eldeft brother to Menas, and fon of
David, who died without coming to the crown.
This daughter was married to Robel, governor of
Tigre, whofe mother was a Portuguefe, and the
queen inherited the colour of her European ancef-
tors ; indeed was whiter than moft Portuguefe. She
was very vain of this her defcent ; had a warm at-
tachment to the Catholic religion in her heart, as
far as Ihe could ever learn it ; nor did fhe value
herfelf lefs upon her beauty, as we may judge by
the feveral names fhe took at different times. The
firft was Iteghe Mantuab, or the beautiful queen ;
the fecond was Berhan Magwafs, or the glory of
grace ; thpugh her chriftened name v^as Welleta
Georgis, as we have already obferved*

After the death of her hufband, BacufFa, fhe is
faid to have defcended to a variety of attachments of

ihort

5l8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

fliort duration. She married a man of quality*,
Kafmati Netcho of Kuara, by v.'hom (he had three
daughters. The firft was Ozoro Either, of whom I
ihall often fpeak, being, next to her mother, the
greateft friend I had in Abyflinia, and one who had
the moft frequent opportunities of being fo. She
was married, in very early life, to Kafmati Netcho
of Tcherkin, a man of great perfcmal qualities, and
who had a very large territory, reaching down to
the Pagan blacks, or Troglodytes, called Shan-
galla.

This marriage was of very fhort duration. Netcho
left one fon, Ay to Confu, my very great and firm,
though young friend, who likewife inherited his
father's fortune and virtues. She was afterwards
married to Ayo Mariam Barea, (excepting Ras
Michael) reputed the befl; general in AbyfTmia, but
who died before I came into the country. By him
flie had one fon and a daughter, infants. Laftly,
(he was married to Ras Michael, by whom fhe had
two fons, the favourites of Michael's old age. Ruftic
and cruel as that old tyrant was, bred up in blood,
and delighting in it, Ihe governed him defpotically,
from the day- of her marriage, yet fo prudently, as
to excite the envy of no one, excepting the mur-
derers of her hulband Mariam Barea, who, luckily,
were alfo the conftitutional enemies of her country.

The fecond daughter of the Iteghe was Ozoro
Welleta Ifrael, the mofl: beautiful woman in Abyfr
fmia, with whom I had very little acquaintance, fhe
being at conflant war with Ras Michael. She had
married a nobleman of the firft confideration, to

whom

THE SOURCE OF THE NIL^. 319

*whom half of the large and rich province of Gojani
belonged, by whom Ihe had Aylo, one of the largeft
men that I ever faw, the only particular remark-
able in him.

The third was Ozoro Altafh, married to Welled
Hawaryat, Ras Michael's fon, by whom ihe had
three children, two fons and one daughter. One
of them died of the fmall-pox foon after my ar-
rival at Gondar, as did his father alfo ; the other
fon and daughter happily recovered.

Bacuffa had provided fuificiently for the fecurity
of his provinces, by placing tried and veteran officers
in his governments. Elias, indeed, was Ras and
Betwudet at Gondar, and he was fufpe£ted of wifhes
contrary to his allegiance ; but far before any, in
the confidence of the late king, was Waragna Sha-
laka, that is, colonel of a regiment of Djawi Galla,
with which he defended the provinces of Damot
and Agow againfl his countrymen on the other fide
of the Nile ; for he was a Galla of that nation
himfeif^ and his name was U(ho, which fignifies
a dog. But it was more by his intereft, which he
preferved with thofe people, than by his arms,
that he kept thofe barbarians from wafting that
country.

The reader will eafily remember the firfl occafion
of his coming to Gondar was when Bacuffa faw him
waftiing his clothes in a pool of water ; and from the
reproof, and his behaviour to the king on that occa-
fion, as well as the duty and implicit obedience he
paid to his commands afterwards, he was called Wa-
ragna, by way of contradidion, that word fignify-
ing a fturdy rebel, or one that ftands up in defiance

of

220 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

of the king. That name became much more fa>.
mous afterwards in the perfon of his fon, Waragna
Fafil, to the very great detriment of the country in
general.

The firft thing the queen did was to fend Shalaka
Waragna, and Billetana Gueta David, with a large
body of Mahometan fufileers, Djawi and Toluma
Galla, to guard the mountain of Wechne, where
the males of the royal family were imprifoned,
that no competitor might be releafed from thence.
The next ftep was to marry Ozoro Welleta Tecla
Haimanout to Ras Elias, to confirm him, if poffible,
in his much fufpedted allegiance. After which, the
Ras, judges, and foldiers of the king's houfehold,
made this proclamation — " BacufFa, king of kings,
is dead ! Yafous, king of kings, liveth ! Mourn for
thofe that are dead, and rejoice with thofe that are
alive 1" Orders were then given for burying Ba-
cufFa with all magnificence polTible.

The firfl thing that feemed the beginning of trou-
ble in the new regency, and likely to deflroy the
calm that had hitherto fubfifted, was an information
given by Azage Georgis againfl Tecla Saluce, a
great officer at court. Georgis accufed him before
the king and council, that he had been heard to
fay that king Yafous was dangeroufly ill. Tecla
Saluce abfolutely denied this charge, and faid it was
an invention of his enemy Georgis, and challenged
him to prove it. Evidence being called, he was
convifted in the mofl dired and fatisfadory man-
ner ; was therefore condemned to death, and hewn
to pieces at the king's gate that fame day by the

comr?ion foldiers.

Here

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. :J2I

Here is a fpecies of treafon without any overt
a£b. The imagining the king's death, which feems
much to refemble the law of England, may be de-
fended from the importance of the cafe, but fcarcely
from any principle of juftice or reafon.

It foon appeared that a confpiracy had been on
foot; feveral great men fled from court, among
thefe Johannes, who had the charge of the king's
horfes. But Shalaka Waragna and Billetana Gueta
David, being fent immediately after him, this con-
fpiracy was foon ftifled, and the ringleaders difperf-
ed, moftly into Amhara, where they w^re taken
prifoners by Woodage, governor of the province,
and fent to the king. Johannes, finding it impofli-
ble to efcape, tookoneof thofe papyrus boats ufed in
navigating the lake Tzana ; and, being driven by
the wind, landed in an ifland * belonging to the
queen, where he was taken prifoner, with his wife
and family, and delivered up on condition that he
fhould not be put to death.

Kafmati Cambi, returning from Damot, fell acci-
dentally upon Palambaras Mafmari and feveral others,
and brought them prifoners to Gondar. A council
was thereupon held, and the confpirators put upon
their trial. Palambaras Mafmari, and Abou Barea,
who was'one of the judges, were condemned to
be hanged on the tree before the palace-gate.
Johannes and the rell were committed to clofe pri-
fon, in the hands of the Betwudet.

It was thought a proper expedient to check thefe
diforders, to haften the coronation of the ,king,

though^

S2^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

though very young. The judges and all the officers
being aiTembled in the prefence-chamber, where
the king fits on his throne, (for in the council-
chamber he fits in a kind of cage, or clofe balcony)
where no part of him is difcovered, Sarach Mafferi
Mammo, whofq office it was, flood up with the Kees
Hatze,or king's almoner; when this laflhad anointed
him with oil, Mammo placed the crown upon his
head ; upon which the whole aifembly, his mother
only excepted, fell down and paid him homage ;
and at his inauguration he took the name of Adiam
Segued. .

On a feparate throne, on his right hand, fat the
queen-mother. She, too, was crowned, though not
anointed ; but the fame homage was performed to
h€r that had been done to the king, who fat on the
throne with his head covered ; nor did the Abuna
interfere, nor was his attendance judged any part of
the ceremony.

The firft feeds of difcontent had been fown in
Damot, where a party of rebels had attacked Kaf-
mati Cambi in the night, cut mod of his army to
pieces, and obliged Shalaka Job to fly into Gojam,
and then return in hade to Gondar.

The king found no better remedy againfl this
rebellion than to appoint Kafmati Vv^aragna governor
of Damot, and Sanuda guardian of Wechne, with
orders to take with him a fon of the late Ouflas the
ufurper, and confine him with the king's fons upon
that mountain. At the fame time he appointed
Ayo 'Tovevnor of Begemder ; both thefe preferments
beintr much to the fatisfaclion of the whole nation.
Wara-nia, knowing the neceffities of his province,

marched

- THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^2^3

marched from Gondar with what forces he could
colleft, and took up his head-quarters at Samfeen,
where, on the very night after his arrival, he was
fet upon by Tenfa Mammo at the head of the Agows.
However unexpected this was, Waragna, a good
foldier, was not to be taken by furprife. He knew
the country, and had not a great opinion either of
the force or courage of the enemy, or capacity of
their general. Prefenting, therefore, only one half
of his troops, which could not be eafily difcovered in
the dark, he fent Fit-Auraris Tamba to make a fmall
compafs, and fall upon their rear with the other
half. Mammo's troops thinking this to be a frefh
and feparate army, immediately took to flight, and
were many of them flain, after leaving behind them
their tents, baggage, and the greateft part of their
fire-armSj which had been of very little fervice to
them in the dark.

Waragna, who knew the confequence of his pro-
vince was the riches of it, and the dependence the
capital had upon it for conftant fupplies of provi-
fions, was loth to purfue his victory farther, if any
means could be fallen upon to bring about a paci-
fication. To effed this, he difpatched meflengers
to his friends, the Galla, on the other fide of the
Nile, ordering them to be ready to pafs the river on
the day he ihould appoint, and to lay wade the
country of the Agow with fire and fvvord. He then
decamped with his army from Samfeen, and marched
to Sacala, and took up his head-quarters in St.
Michael's church, where he found the Agows in
the utmoft terror from apprehenfion of being over-
run with barbarians. But he foon eafed them of

their

^24 TRAVELS TO DISCOYEK

their fears by a proclamation, in which he told theni
plainly, that At was owing to the goodnefs of the
country, and not any merit in the people, that the
king's palace and capital was fo plentifully fupplied
with provifions from thence; that all his purfuit
was peace, but that he was refolved to efFed that
end by every poflible means ; therefore the time was
now come that they were to make a refolution, and
abide by it, to fubmit and behave peaceably as good
■citizens ought ; or, when his army of Galla joined
him, he would extirpate them to the laft man. In
the mean time, he publiflied an amnefty of all that
had pafled.

The Agows knew well that they were in the hands
of one who was no trifler, nor in his heart much
their friend. They ran to him, ready to make that
compofition which he fhould raife from them for
their paft tranfgreflions and his future proteftion.
The tribute laid upon them, for both, was moderate
beyond all expedation, 2000 oxen for the king and
queen, and 500 for himfelf ; upon which he left
Sacala, and entered Goutto, a very fertile country,
between Maitfha and the Agows, where he ufed
the fame moderation, and by thefe means quieted
and reconciled his whole province.

Nothing could have been more advantageous to
the king^s affairs than the prudent condudt of this
wife officer, which left him at liberty to afford him
his affiftance ; for in the mean time a confpiracy
was formed at Gondar, which had taken deep root,
and had a powerful fadlion, Elias, late Ras and
Betwudet, Tenfa Mammo, Guebra I'Oul, Matteos
and Agne, all principal men in Gondar, and pof.

feffed

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 2,'Z^

lefled of great riches and dependencies throughout
the whole kingdom. >

On the 8th of December, 1 734, being joined by
their followers from without, they all rendezvoufed
upon the river Kahha, below the town. After
holding council in the king's houfe which is there,
they refolved to proclaim one of the princes upon
the mountain Wechne, named Hezekias^ king.
For this purpofe, furnilhed with a kettledrum, they
marched in three divifions, by three different ways^
to the palace, avowedly with an intention to force
the gates and murder the king and queen. But
Fit-Auraris Ephraim, having intelligence of this
tumult, firft Ihut up and obftrudted all the entrances
to the king's houfe, then gave advice to Billetana
Gueta, Welled del'Oul, of -the rebellion of Tenfa
Mammo, their defign to murder the king, and
their having proclaimed Hezekias.

Thefe immediately repaired to the king's houfe
to take council together what was to be done, and
to defend the place if it was necelfary. The rebels
were now drawn up, and were beating their kettle-
drum to make their proclamation, " Hezekias was
king !'* while Shalaka Tchinfho, a young nobleman
of great hopes, wha commanded the troops in the
court where was the outer gate, impatient to hear
an ufurper proclaimed in the very face of his fove-
reign, directed the outer-court gate to be opened,
and, with two bodies of Galla, Djawi and Toluma,
and feveral corps of lances, which compofe the
king's houfehold, however inferior in number, he
ruflied upon the rebels fo fuddenly, that they were
foon obliged to think of other occupation.
VoJ.. III. Q^ The

22i6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

The firll that fell was AfalefH Lenfa, who flood-
by the drum, and was flain by Shalaka Tchinfiio
with his own hand ; hi§ drum taken and fent to the
king as the firft fruits of the day. The foldiers,
encouraged by the example of their leader, fell
fiercely upon the rebels, difperfed and broke through
them wherever they fa w the.greatefl: number toge-
ther ; a great flaughter was made, and Tenfa Mam-
mo, with difficulty, efcaped. The vidory indeed
would have been complete, had not an accidental
fliot from a diitance wounded Shalaka Tchinflio
mortally. His own people carried him within the
gate of the palace, where he gloriouily expired at-
the feet of his fovereign.

The rebels, notwithftanding this check, increafed
everyday in number and refolution, when the news
arrived that Waragna had compofed all the diffe-
rences in Damot, Agow, and Goutto, and, at the
head of a numerous army, was waiting the king's
orders. This intelligence firft had the effect to dif-
concert the rebels, who fuddenly left the capital in
their way to Wechne.

The king, now mafter of Gondar, ordered a
proclamation to be made for all perfons whatever
holding fiefs of the crown, as alfo all others, to
allemble before him on a fhort day, where thev
Itchegue and Abuna, holding the pidure of our
Saviour, with the crown of thorns*, up before the
the people, did adminifler to them a folemn oath,
to live and die with the king and Iteghe j a feeble

* A relick of the moft precious kind, believed to have come
from Terufakm, and been painted by St. Luk^,

experiment.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^2,%^

experiment, often tried by a weak government.
The only confequence of this was prefent expence
to the crown in a diftribution of beef, honey,
butter, wheat, and all kinds of provifions ; after
which each man returned to his houfe, ready to re-
peat the perjury ten times a day for the fame emolu-
ment, and with the fame fmcerity.

Meffengers were next difpatched to Kafmati Wa-
ragna, ordering him to come to Gondar with the
greateft force he could raife. The fame day Azage
Kyrillos, whom the king had made governor of
Wechne, and Azage Newaia Selafle, went to the
mountain, pretending that king Yafous was dead,
and that the choice of the principal members of go-
vernment had fallen upon Hezekias, who thereupon,
was delivered to him, and faluted king; and, with-
out lofmg time, they marched to Kahha, and en-
camped on that river below Gondar.

In the mean while, the great men and officers
of the court, and in particular thofe that had eftates
and houfes in Gondar, began to confider the danger
of the town at the fo near approach of the rebels.
Several diftrifts, or ftreets, fituated on eminences,
by fliutting up accefs to them, were made tenable
pofts, and, having filled them with good foldiers,
they fet about the defence of the town and annoy-
ing the enemy. Hezekias had removed to the houfe
of Bafha Arkillidas ; and it was agreed to fend their
whole forces to fee if they could fucceed in forcing
the king's houfe. But before this another ftrata-
gem was tried to alienate the minds of the people
of Gondar from their fovereign. It was faid that
certain Roman Catholic priefts had arrived at Gon-

0^2 dar;

2'Z8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

dar ; that they were fliut up privately in the palact
with the king and queen; and, upon the Abuna
and Itchegue coming to Hezekias to alk him how he-
happened to be proclaimed king, without making
to them fome confeffion of his faith, ( a queftion
they put to all young or weak princes), Hezekias
anfwered, It was becaufe he had. heard the Itchegue,,
and the reft of the clergy, feemed to be carelels
about the true faith, by fuffering Catholic priefts to
live with the king in the palace. A great ferment
immediately followed ; all the monks, priefts, and
madmen that could be aflembled, fand on thefe oc-
cafions they gather quickly), with the Itchegue and
Abuna at their heads, went to Dippabye, the open
place before the palace, and pronounced the Iteghe,
Yafous, and all their abettors, accurfed and given
up to burn with Dathan and Abiram.

For feveral days and nights attempts were made
to fee fire to, and break open the gate. But the
loyalifts charged them fo vigoroufly upon all thefe
occafions, efpecially Billetana Gueta Welled de
I'Oul, and the walls of the palace werefo exceed-
ingly thick and ftrong, that little progrefs was made
in proportion to the men thefe attempts coft daily.
However, on that fide of the palace called Adenaga,
the rebels had lodged themfelves fo near as to fet
part of it on fire.

The king's houfe in Gondar ftands in the middle
of a fquare court, which may be full an Engliih mile
in circumference. In the midft of it is a fquare
tower, in which there are many noble apartments.
A ftrong double wall furrounds it, and this is joined
by a platform roof; loop-holes, and conveniences

for

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 2^9

for dlfcharglng miffile weapons, are difpofed all
around it. The whole tower and wall is built of
.ftone and lime; but part of the tower being de-
moliflied and laid in ruins, and part of it let fall for
want of repair, fmall apartments, or houfes of one
ftorey, have been built in different parts of the area,
or fquare, according to the fancy of the prince then
reigning, and thefe go now by the names of the an-
cient apartments in the palace, which are fallen
down.

Thefe houfes are compofed of the frail materials
of the country wood and clay, thatched with flraw,
though, in the infide, they are all magnificently
lined, or furnifhed. They have likewife magnifi-
cent names, which we have mentioned already.
Thefe people, barbarous as they are, have always
had a great tafte for magnificence and expence.
All around them was filver, gold and brocade, before
the Adelan.war, in which they loft the commerce of
that country, by lofing their connection with India.

The next night the foldiers of Elias made their
lodgments fo near the walls, that, with fiery arrows,
they fet one of thefe houfes, called " Werk Sacala,**
within the fquare, in fiames ; but Welled de I'OuI,
with the Toluraa Galla, fallying at that inftant, fur-
prifed Elias's foldiers, not expecting fuch interrup-
tion, and put the greateft part of them to the fword,
fetting on fire the houfes that were near the palace,
till part was entirely burnt to the ground. The next
night, an attempt was made upon the gate to blow
it up with gunpowder ; but, before it was completed,
jhe two rebels employed in the work were {hot dead-
from the wall, and their train mifcarried.

On

(2^2,0 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

On the 25th of December they burned a new
houfe in the town built by the king, called Rig-
gobee Bet. Thefe frequent fires had turned the
minds of people in general very much againft He-
zekias the rebel. The night after, there was ano-
ther great fire in the king's houfe ; Zeffan Bet, and
another large building, were deftroyed by the rebels,
as was the church of St. Raphael. Gondar looked
like a town that had been taken by an enemy, and
battles were every day fought in the ftreets with no
decifive advantage to either parly. Some part of
the town was on fire every night ; nobody knew
for what reafon, nor what was the quarter that was
next to be burnt.

In the mean time, Azage Georgis arrived in the
country of the Agows at Bafil Bet, where Warag-
na was, and delivered him the king's order, that he
ihould make all polTible hafte to his ailiftance at
Gondar, with as large an army as he could fuddenly
bring ; and thefe difpatches conferred upon him at
the fame time, as a mark of favour, the pod of Ibaba '
Azage, or governor of Ibaba, together with Elma-
na and Denfa, two diftrids inhabited by Galla, fub-
jecls to the king, which pofts were then held by
Tenfa Mammo, and forfeited by his rebellion.

The next morning Waragna left his head-quar-
ters at Bafil Bet ; thence he marched to Gumbali,
and thence to Sima. At Sima he heard, that, the
day before, it had been proclaimed at Ibaba, by
orders of Tenfa Mammo, that Yafous was dead,
and Hezekias was now king ; upon this intelligence
* • he marched from Sima, and, while it was yet early
jn the day, he came to Ibaba.

The

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 23I

The firft inquiry was concerning the Shum (or
chief of the town; left there by Tenfa Mammo ;
and this man, coming readily to him to receive his
commands, and offer bim any fervice in his power,
was a{ked by whofe orders the proclamation of He-
zekias was made ? Being anfwered, by Tenfa Mam-
mo's, he directed the Shum and his two fons to be
hanged on three feparate trees in the middle of the
town ; the Shum with the nagareet round his neck
which had ferved in the proclamation of Hezekias ;
he then declared Tenfa Mammo a rebel and outlaw,
and confifcated his eftate to the king's ufe.

At Ibaba he met Fit- Auraris Tamba, with a large
body of Damots and Djawi ; then he decamped from
Ibaba, and, at the bridge over the Nile, was met by
Azage Georgis, with all Maicfha Elmana, and Denfa
following, and thence proceeded to Waira, where
he fet Arkillidas at liberty. This opcer, after dif-
tinguifhing himfelf before all others in the king's
defence, had been taken prifoner by Tenfa Mammo,
• iand fent thither. Advancing into Foggora, with a
large army, he halted at Gilda, and fent fome fol-
diers on the road to Gondar, to fee if he could ap-
prehend any travellers, efpecially thofe going or
coming to or from market. But after three days
waiting on the road, the foldiers returned without
any perfonor intelligence, by which he judged the
town was already in great flraits. In two days after,
he advanced to Wainarab, and thence he fent his
Fit- Auraris forward to fet a houfe at Tedda on fire,
to Ihew to the king at Gondar that he was thus far
advanced to his alTiftance. This barbarous cuftom of
burning a houfe wherever an army encamps, though

hut

23^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

but for an hour, is invariably pra6lifed, as a fignal
by armies, throughout all Abyffinia.

At this time there was a treaty begun betweer^
the' king and Tenfa Mammo. The rebels, weary
of the little advantage they had gained, and hearing
Waragna was about to march againft them, offer-
ed the queen her own terms, provided fhe pubr
lifhed a general amnefty, and that each man fhould
be allowed to keep the pods he had before the re-
bellion. Ihe queen, weary and terrified v/ith war,
readily agreed . to this propofal ; and this facility,
inftead of accelerating the treaty, gave the rebel?
an opportunity of aiking further terms, and a fet-
tlement was fpoken of for the king Hezekias, in .
fome of the lov/ provinces near Walkayt.

Welled de I'Oul, the queen's brother, a man in
whom the rebels had truft, feconded his fifter's de-
fire, and carried on the treaty, but from different
motives ; it was his opinion, that, to make peace
with the rebels, leaving their party unbroken, was
to fpread the infedion of rebellion all over the
kingdom ; and to let them keep their pgfts, was
leaving a fword in their hands to enable them to de-
fend themfelves on any future occafion. He there-
fore thought, that, as the king had Waragna now
at his command, they fhould make ufe of him to
pluck up this rebellion by the roqts, cut off all the
ringleaders, and difperfe the fadlion ; but, in the
mean time, in order to be able to effed this, they
fhould keep up the appearance of being anxious
for agreeing, in order to lull the enemy afleep, tilj
Waragna made his in(lru6lions and defigns known
;o the king.

From

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 2^:^

From Wainarab, Waragna fent a mefTenger to
let the king and queen know of his arrival ; and
with him came Arkillidas, that no doubt might re-
main of the truth of the meflfage. This officer told
the king, that Waragna (hould advance to Tedda,
and offer the rebels battle there ; but if they retired
{as he heard they intended) to Abra, he would fol-
low them thither. He defired the king alfo to iflue
his orders to the feveral Shuma.to guard the roads,
that as few of the ringleaders ^f the rebels might
efcape as poflible.

Hezekias, with his army, decamped, taking the
Toad to Woggora ; and Waragna, following him,
came up with him at Fenter, on January 20th, 1735.
The rebels, inferior in number, though they did
not wifli an engagement at that time, were too high
minded to avoid it when offered. Both armies
fought a long time with equal fortune j and though
Waragna at the firfi; onfet had ilain two men with
l)is own hands, and taken two prifoners, the battle
was fupported with great firmnefs till the evening,
when Waragna ordered all his Galla, the men of
Maitfha, Elmana, and Denfa, to leave their horfes,
and charge the enemy on foot. This confident ftep
unknown and unprattifed by Galla before, had the
defired effe£l:. The Galla now fought defperately
for life, not for victory, being deprived of their
only m.eans of faving themfelves by flight.

Moft of the principal officers among the rebels
being killed or wounded, their army at lad was
broken, and took to flight. Hezekias was furrounded
and taken, fighting bravely ; being firfi: hurt in the
kg, and then beat off his horfe with a ffone. The

purfuit

234 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

purfult was prefently ftayed. Tenfa Mammo efcaped
fafjgly through Woggora, a difafFefted province;
and had now paffed the Tacazz^, when he was taken
by the men of Sir^, and brought to the king for
the reward that had been offered for his head by
Waragna.

" Hezekias was brought to his trial before the king^^
nor did he prefunie to deny his guilt. He was
therefore fentenced to die, and committed to clofe
prifon. Tenfa Mammo was arraigned, and, although
he confelTed the treafon, he pleaded the peace he
had made with the king before the arrival of Wa-
ragna at Gondar. This plea was unanimoully over-
ruled by the judges, becaufe the treaty had not been
completed. He was, therefore, fentenced to die,
and immediately carried out to the daroo-tree before
the palace, and hanged between two of his mod con-
fidential counfellors.

The Abuna and Itchegue were next ordered to
appear, and anfvver for the crime of high treafon in
excommunicating the king ; they declared they
proceeded on no other grounds than an information,
that the king and queen were turned Franks, and
had two Catholic priefts with them in the palace.
The men complained'of were produced, and proved
to be two Greeks ; Petros, a native of Rhodes, and
Demetrius. This explanation being given, the Abuna
and Itchegue thereupon afked pardon of the king
and queen, and were ordered to make their recan-
tation at Dippabye, which they immediately did,
declaring they were wrong, and had proceeded on
faiie information.

It

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 335

It was on the 28th of January that Sanuda and
Adero were ordered to carry king Hezekias to
Wechne, which they did, and left him there with-
out disfiguring him in any part of his body, as is
the cruel, but ufual cuftom in fuch cafes. But
both the Iteghe and her fon were of the mofl: mer-
ciful difpofition ; and the general reputation they
had for this was often the caufe of tumults and re-
bellions that would not have had birth in feverer
leigns.

It was not long after this when there appeared a
pretender to the crown, very little expected. He
faid he was the old king BacufFa ; that he had given
it out that he was dead, for political reafons, and
was come again to claim his crown and kingdom.
Never was refurre<!rtion fo little wiftied for as this ;
a violent fear fell upon part of the multitude for fome
time ; but his name making no party, whether true
or falfe, he was feized upon without bicodfhed,
tried, and condemned to die. This punifhment
was changed into one of a/2///)^<f gentler kind, the
cutting off his leg, and fending him to Wechne.
The operation, always performed in the groffeft
manner by an ax, high up the leg, and near the knee,
is generally fatal; for there is no one, having either
fkill or care, to take up the ends of the veins and
arteries feparated by the amputation; they only
apply ufelefs ftiptics and bandages, of no effedl, till
the patient bleeds to death. This is the common
cafe, fo that the pretended Bacuffa died, in confe-
quence of the operation, before he came to Wechne,
though he was by his fentence reprieved from
death.

The

23<5 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

The king, now arrived at the feventh year of
his reign, proclaimed a general hunt, which is a
declaration of his near approach to manhood ; but
he purfued it no length, and again returned to
Gondar.

At that time, a great party of the queen's rela-
tions was made againft Ayo governor of Begemder.
It began by a competition between Kafmati Geta
the queen's brother, and Ayo, who fhould have
that province. The common voice was for Ayo,
not only as a man of the greatefl intereft in the pro-
vince, but in all refpeds unexceptionable through-
out the kingdom. Welled de I'Oul, (brother to
Geta) however, being now Ras and Betwudet, Geta
governoj- of Samen, Eufebius, and all the reft of
them in high places at coprt, Geta was preferred
to the government of Begemder. Ayo, though
avowedly a good fubjeft of the king, was determined
not to be made a facrifice to a party. He therefore
refufed to refign his government, and prepared to
defend himfelf. .

Upon this, Adero, governor of Gpjam, with the
whole forces of that province, palTed the Nile, and
entered Begemder ; Geta on the fide of Samen, and
laft of all Welled de TOul marched with a royal
army to join the forces that had already begun to
lay wade the country, where unufual exce^Tes were
committed. Ayo's houfe was burned to the ground,
i'o v/ere all thofe of his party, and their lands de-
ftroyed, greatly to the general damage of the pro-
vince and capital. Ayo was now obliged to fave him-
felf by flight. It was faid, that the king fthough
his army was ready; refufed to march againft Ayo ;

but

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 337

but with a party of his own fet out for Aden, on
the frontiers of Sennaar, to hunt there ; nor did he
return till the executions were over in Begemder.

Adero fell back to Gojam, and Welled de I'Oul
to Gondar foon after. The king himfelf appeared
very much contented with his own expedition, ia
which he had fhown great dexterity and bravery,
having killed two young elephants, and a gomari,
or hippopotamus, with his own hands. Nor did
he flay any time at Gondar, or make any prefer-
ments, the ufual confequences of vidories, but pre-
pared again for another hunting expedition, or an
attack upon the Shangalla. The queen and Welled
de rOul oppofed ftrongly his refolution. But Yafous
feemed to be weary of being governed. He was
fafl: advancing to manhood, and of a difpofition
rather forward for his age. His expedition againft
the Shangalla was attended with no accident ; and
he returned to Gondar on the 3d of June, with a
number of flaves, much better pleafed that he had
neglected, rather than taken, his mother's advice.

It was on the 23d day of December that Yafous
again fet out on another hunting party, and killed
two elephants and a rhinoceros. He then p^Bfeeded
to Tchelga, and fromTchelga to Waldubbaji^ence
he went to the rivers Gandova and Shimfa. Thefe
are two rivers we fhall have occafion frequently to
fpeak. of in our return through Sennaar, in which
kingdom the one is called Dender, the other Rahad.
Here he exercifed himfelf at a very violent fpecies
of hunting, that of forcing the gieratacachin, which
means long-rail ; it is othervvife called giraffa ia
Arabic. It is the tallefl: of beads ; I never faw it

dead.

-a*

53S TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

dead, nor, I think, more than twice alive, and then
at a diftance. It"-is, however, often killed by the
elephant-hunters. Its (kin is beautifully variegated
when young, bu^ turns brown when arrived at
any age. It is, I apprehend, the camelopardalis,
and is the only animal, they fay, that, in fwiftnefs,
will beat a horfe in the fair field.

It was not with a view to hunt only, that Yafous
made thefe frequent excurfions towards the frontiers
of Sennaar. His refoiution was formed (as it ap-
peared foon after) in imitation of his forefather
Socinios, to revive his right over the country of
the Shepherds, his ancient vaffals, who, fince the
acceffion of (Irength by uniting with the Arabs, had
forgot their ancient tribute and fubje^tion, as we
have already obferved.

The king in five days marching from Gidara
came to a ftation of the Daveina, which is a tribe
of fhepherds, by much the ftrongefl: of any in
Atbara. He fell into their encampment, a little
before the dawn of day. The firft fhew they made
was that of refiflance, till they had got their horfes
and camels faddled ;' they then all fled, after the
king had killed three of them with his own hand.
Ras Woodage fignalized himfelf iikewife by having
. flain the fame number with the king. The cattle,
women, and provifions fell all into the king's hand,
and were driven off to Gondar. Their arrival gave
the town an entertainment to which they had a
long time been flrangers. Many thoufand camels
were affembled in the plain, where ftands the palace
of Kahha, (upon a river of that name) large flocks
of horned cattle, of extraordinary beauty, were

alfo

THE SOURCE OF THE NIL£. 239

alfo brought from Atbara, which the king ordered
to be diftributed among his foldiers, and the priefts
of Gondar, and fuch of the officers of ftate as had
been neeeffarily detained on account of the police,
and had not followed the army.

This year, 1736, there happened a total eclipfc
of the fun which very much affeded the minds of
the weaker fort of people. The dreamers and the
prophets were everywhere let loofe, full of the
lying fpirit which poffeffed them, to foretel that
the death of the king, and the downfal of his go-
vernment were at hand, and deluges of civil blood
were then fpeedily to be fpilt both in the capital
and provinces. There was not, indeed, at the
time any circumftance that warranted fuch a pre-
diction, or any thing likely to be more fatal to
the ftate, than the expenditure of the large fums
of money that the turn the king had taken fubjeded
him to.

He had built a large and very coftly church at
Kofcam, and he was ftill engaged in a more expen-
five work in the building of a palace at Gondar.
He was alfo rebuilding his houfe at Riggobee-ber,
(the north end of the town) which had been de-
moliflied by the rebels ; and had begun a very large
and expenfive villa at Azazo, with extenfive groves,
or gardens, planted thick with orange and lemon
trees, upon the banks of a beautiful and clear river
which divides the palace from the church of Tecla.
Haimanout, a large edifice which, feme time before,
he had alfo built and endowed. Befides all thefe
occupations, he was deiejfly engaged in ornament-
ing his palace at Gondar/" A rebellion, maffacre,

or

^4^* TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

or forae fuch misfortune, |iad happened among
the Chriftians of Smyrna ; who, coming to Cairo,
and finding that city in a flili lefs peaceable Hate
than the one which they had left, they repaired
to Jidda in their way to India ; but miffing the
monfoon, and being deftitute of money and necef-
faries, they crolfed over the Red Sea for Mafuah^.
and came to Gondar. There were twelve of them
fdv^er-fmiths, very excellent in that fine work called
. jfilligrane, who were all received very readily by the
king, liberally furnifhed both with neceffaries and
luxuries, and employed in his palace as their own
taft e directed them.

^, By the hands of thefe, and fever al AbyfTmians
whom they had taught, fons of Greek artilts whok
fathers were dead, he finifhed his prefence-chamber
in a manner truly admirable. The fkirting, which
in our country is generally of wood, was finifhed
with ivory four feet from the ground. Over this
were three rows of mirrors from Venice, all joined
tocrether, and fixed in frames of copper, or cor-
nices gilt with gold. The roof, in gaiety and tafte,
correfponded peifeclly with the magnificent finifh-
ing of the room ; it was the work of the Falafha,
and confifted of painted cane, fpHt and difpofed in
Mofaic figures, winch produces a gayer etfeft than
it is poilible to conceive. This chamber, indeed,
was never perfectly finifhed, from a want of mirrors.
The king died ; tafle decayed ; the artifls were ne-
glected, or employed themfelves in ornamenting fad-
dies, bridles, fwords, and other military ornaments,
for which they were very ill paid ; part of the mir-
rors fell down j part remained till my time j and 1

was

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 24!

was prefent when the laft of them were dedroyed,
on a particular occafion, after the battle of Ser-
braxos, as will be hereafter mentioned.

The king had begun another chamber of equal
expence, confifting of plates of ivory, with ftars of
all colours ftained in each plate at proper diftances.
This, too, was going to ruin ; little had been done
in it but the alcove in which he fat, and little of
it was feen, as the throne ard perfon of the king
concealed it.

Yafous was charmed with this multiplicity of
works and workmen. He gave up himfelf to it
entirely ; he even wrought with his own hand, and
rejoiced at feeing- the facility with which, bv the
ufe of a compafs and a few ftraight lines, he could
produce the figure of a ftar equally exact with any
of his Greeks. Bounty folio >ved bounty. The
befl: villages, and thofe near the town, were given
in property to the Greeks, that they might recreate
themfelves, but at a diftaUce, always liable to his
call, and with as little lofs of time as poffible. He
now renounced his favourite hunting-matches and
incurfions upon the Shangalla and Shepherds of
Atbara.

The extraordinary manner in which the kinn- em-
ployed his time foon made him the objeft of public
cenfure. Pafquinades began to be circulated through-
out the capital ; one in particular, a large roll of
parehment, intituled, ••' The expeditions of Tafoiis
the Littt'e."' The. king in reality was a man of ihort
ftature. The Ethiopic word Tannufh, joined to the
king's name Yafous el Tannufh, applied both to
his ftature and adlions. So Tallac, the name given

Vol. III. R yo

24^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

to another Yafous, his predeceflbr, fignified great
in capacity and atchievement, as well as that he was
of a large and rnafculine perfon.

Thefe expeditions, though enumerated in a large
fheet of parchment, were confined to a very few
miles ; from Gondar to Kahha, from Kahha to Kof-
cam, from Kofcam to Azazo, from Azazo to Gon-
dar, from Gondar to Kofcam, from Kofcam to
Azazo, and fo on. It was a fmiilar piece of ridicule
upon his father Philip, as we are informed, that,
in the lad century, coil Don Carlos, prince of Spain,
his life.

This fatire neftled Yafous exceedingly ; and, to
wipe off the imputation of inactivity and want of
ambition, he prepared for an expedition againft
Sennaar. It was not, however, one of thofe in-
roads into Atbara upon the Arabs and Shepherds,
whom the Funge bad conquered and made tributary
to them ; but was a regular campaign with a royal
army, aimed direcl!ly at the very vitals of the mo-
narchy of Sennaar, the capital of the Funge, and
at the conqueft or extirpation of thofe (Irangers en-
tirely from Atbara.

We have feen, in the courfe of our hiflory, that
thefe two kingdoms, Abyffinia and Funge, had
been on very bad terms during feveral of the lail
reigns ; and that perfonal affronts and flights had
paiTod between the cotemporary princes themfelves.
Baady, fonofL'Oul, who fucceeded his father in
the year 1733, had been dillinguillied by no ex-
ploits worthy of a king, but every day had been
llained with afts of treachei-y and cruelty unworthy
of a man. No intercourfe had pafied between Ya-
fous

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^43

fous and Baady during their refpeftive reigns ; there
was no war declared, nor peace eftablifhed, nor
any fort of treaty fubfifting between them.

Yafous, without any previous declaration, and
without any provocation, at lead as far as is knov.'n,
raifed a very numerous and formidable army, and
gave the command of it to Ras Welled de I'Oul ;
and Kafmati Waragna was appointed his Fit-Auraris.
The king commanded a chofen body of troops, fe-
parate from the reft of the army, which was to aft
as a referve, or as occafion fhould require, in the
pitched battle. This he ardently wifhed for, and
had figured to himfelf that he was to fight againft
Baady in perfon. Yafous, from the moment he en-
tered the territory of Sennaar, gave his foldiers th^
accuftomed licence he always had indulged them
with, when marching through an enemy's country.
He knew not, in thefe circumftances, what was meant
by mercy ; all that had the breath of life was facri-
ficed by the fword, and the fire confumed the reft.

An univerfal terror fpread around him down to
the heart of Atbara. The Shepherds and Arabs, as
many as could fly, difperfed themfelves in the woods,
which, all the way from the frontiers of Abyffinia
to the river Dender, are very thick, and in fome
places almoft impenetrable. Some of the Arabs,
either from affedion or fear, joined Yafous in his
march ; among thefe was Nile Wed Ageeb, prince
of the Arabs ; others taking courage, gathered, and
made a ftand at the Dender, to try iheir fortune,
and give their cattle time to pafs the Nile, and iheUy
if defeated, they were to follow them. Kafmati
Waragna, (as Fit-Aurajis) joined by the king, no

R 2 fooncf

'ii44 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

fooner came up with thefe Arabs oil the banks or
the Dender, than he fell furioufly upon them, broke
and difperfed them with a confiderable llaughter ;
then leaving Ras Welled de I'Oul with the king,
and main body to encamp, taking advantage of the
confufion the defeat of the Arabs had occafioned,
he advanced by a forced march to the Nile, to
t3:ke a view of the town of Sennaar.

Baady had affembled a very large army on the
other fide of the river, and was preparing to march
out of Sennaar ; but, terrified at the king's ap-
proach,- the defeat of the Arabs, and the velocity
with which the Abyffinians advanced, he. was about
to change his refolution, abandon Sennaar, and
retire north into Atbara.

There is a fmall kingdom, or principality, called
Dar Fowr, all inhabited by negroes, far in the de-
fert weft of Sennaar, joining with two other petty
negro Hates like itfelf, flill farther weftward, called
Sele and Bagirma, while to the eaRward it joins
with Kordofan, formerly a province of Dar Fowr^.
but conquered from it by the Funge.

riamis, prince of Dar Fowr, bad been banidied
from his country in a late revolution occafi'oned by
an unfucceisful war againft Sele and Bagirma, and
had Eed to Sennaar, where he had been received"
kindly by Baady, and it was by -his afiiftance the
Funge had fubdued Kordofan. This prince, a gal-
lant fotdier, could not bruik to fee the green ftand-
ard of his prophet Mahomet flying before an army
of Chriftians ; and, being informed of the king's
march and feparation from the main body nearly as
foon as it happened,, he propofed to Baady, , jhat, as

an

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 2,^K

Jih allurement to Yafous to pafs the river with only
the -troops he had with him, he ihould do from
prudence what he refolved to do from fear, and fall
back behind Sennaar leaving it to Yafous to enter j
but, in the mean time, that, he ftiould difpatch him
with 4000 . of his befl: horfe, armed with coats of
mail, to pafs the Nile at a known place below, on
the right of Welled de I'Oul, on whom he fhould
fall by furprife, aiid, if lucky enough to defeat him,
as was probable, he would then clofe upon Yafous's
rear, which would of neceffity either oblige him to
furrender, or lofe his life and army in attempting to
repafs the river between the two Nubian armies.
This council, for many reafons, was perfedly agree-
able to Baady, who inftantly fell back from cover-
ing Sennaar, and then detached Hamis tp make a
circuit out of fight, and crofs the Nile as propofed.
,In the mean time, Yafous advanced to Bafbochj
where he found the current too rapid, and the
river too deep for his infantry. He difpatched
therefore, a meflenger to Welled de I'Oul for a re-
inforcement of horfe, and gave his infantry orders
to retire to the main body upon the arrival of the
reinforcement of cavalry. This refolution he had
t^iken upon advancing higher up the river from Baf-
boch, till oppofite to the town of Sennaar, and
when divided only from it by the Nile. He there
faw the confufion that reigned in that large town.
No preparation for refiftance being vifible, the
cries of women at the fight of an enemy fo near them
and the hurry of the men deferring their habitation
loaded with the raoft valuable of their effeds, all in-

creafed

^/^6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

creafed the king's impatience to put himfelf In ppf-
feflion of this capital of his enemy.

It happened that an Arab, belonging to Nile Wed
Ageeb, had feen the manoeuvre of Hamis and his
cavalry. This man, crofling the Nile at the neareft
ford, came and told his mafter. Wed Ageeb, v^hat he
had feen, who informed the king of his danger. Upon
interrogating the Arab, it was found that the affair
of Welled de I'Oul would certainly be over before
the king could poffibly join him ; and in that cafe he
muftfali in the midfl of a yidorious army, and his
deflru6lion muft then be inevitable, if he attempted
it. It was, therefore, agreed, as the only means pof-
fible to lave the king and that part of the army he
had with him, to retreat in the route Shekh Nile
fnould indicate to them, marching up with the river
Nile clofe on their right hand, and leaving the de-
fert between that and the Dender, which is abfo-
lutely without water, to cover their left. This was
executed as foon as refolved.

In the mean time, Hamis had croffed the Nile,
and continued his march with the utmoft diligence,
and, in the clofe of the evening, had fallen upon
Welled de TOul as unexpededly as he could have
wiilied. The Abyffinians were ev^y where flaughter-
ed and trodden down before they could prepare
themfelves for the leaft refi fiance. All that could
fly flieltered themfelves in the woods : but this re-
fuge was as certain death as the fword of the Funge ;
for, after leaving the river Dender, all the country
behind them was perfeftly deflitute of water. Ras
Welled de I'Oul, and fome other principal officers,
under the diredion of fome faithful Arabs, efcaped,

and.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 247

and, with much difficuhy, two days after, joined
the king.

Befides thefe, the army, eonfifting of 18,000 men,
either perifhed by the fword, by thiifl, or were taken
prifoners ; all the facred reliques, which the Abyf-
fmians carry about with their armies to enfure vic^
tory, and avert misfortune ; the pidure of the
crown of thorns, called feie quarat rafou; pieces of
the true crofs ; a crucifix that had on m^ny occafi-
ons fpoke, (which fliould ever after be dumb fmce
it fpoke not that day) ; all thefe treafures of pried-
craft were taken by the Funge, and carried in tri-
umph to Sennaar. Great part of thofe Arabs, who
had joined the king in his march northward, had
now quitted him and attached themfelves to the
purfuit of the fugitive remains of Welled de TOul's
army. As thefe Arabs were thofe that lived neareft
the Abyflinian frontier, and to whom the king had
done no harm, becaufe they had moftly joined him,
no fooner was he informed of their treachery, but
jufl arrived in their country, and fcarcely out of
danger from the purfuit of the Funge, Yafous
turned jQiort to the left, deflroying with fire and
fword all the families of thofe that had forfaken
him, and fo continued to do till arrived on the
bank of the Tacazze.

The Arabs and Shepherds there, many of whom
had juft returned from the deitrudtion of Welled de
rOul's army at Sennaar, and were now rejoicing
their families with the news of fo complete a vidtory,
and that all danger from the Chriftian army was
over, were aftonifli^d to fee Yafous at the head of a
frelh and vigorous army, burning and deftroyino-

their

Ci>^^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

their country, and committing ill fort of devafta-
tion, when thqy thought him long ago dead, or
fugitive, and Ikulking half-familhed on the banks of
tlie Dender.

The king returned in this manner to Gondar,
carrying more the appearance of a conqueror, than
one who had fuffered the lofs of a whole army, his
foldiers being loaded with the fpoils of the Arabs,
and multitudes of catfle' driven before them. It
was but too vifible, however, by the countenances
of many, how wide a difference there was between
uhe lofs and the acquifition.

It was, indeed, not from the prefence or behavi-
our of the king, nor yet from his difcourfe, that it
could be learned any fuch misfortune had befallen
him. On the contrary, he affeSed greater gaiety
than ufual, when talking of the expedition ; and
fald publicly, and laughing, one day, as he arofe
from council. " Let all thofe who were not pleafed
'vvith the fong of Kofcam fing that of Sennaar."
From this many were of opinion, that he enjoyed
a kind of malevolent pleafure from the misfortune
which had befallen his army, who, not content witli
feeing him cultivate and enjoy the arts of peace, had
urged hiui to undertake a war of which there was
no need, and for which there was no provocation
given, though in it there was every fort of danger
to be expected.

Although Yafous gave no confolation to his peo-
ple, the priefts and fanatics foon endeavoured to
prepare them one. Tenfa Mammo arrived from
Sennaar with the crown of thorns, the true "xfrofs,
and all the reft of that precious merchandife, fafe

and

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 349

end entire, only a little profaned by the bloody
hands of the Moors. Ras Welled de rOul's armv,
confifting of 18,000 of then- fellow-citizens, was
lying dead upon the Dender. It was no mj^tter ;
they had got the fpeaking crucifix, but had paid
8000 ounces of gold for it. Still it was no matter ;
they had got the crown of thorns. The priefts
made proceffions from church to church, fmging
hallelujahs and fongs of thankfgiving, when they
fliould have be(/a in fackcloth and allies, upon their
knees deprecating any further challifement upon their
pride, cruelty, and profanenefs. All Gondar was
drunk with joy ; and Yafous himfelf was aftonjfliecl
too fee them fmging the fong of Sennaar much
more willingly than that of Kofcara.

At this time died Abuna Chriftodulus ; and it was
cuftomary for the king to advance the money to
defray the expence of bringing a fuccefibr. But
Yafous's money was all gone to Venice for mirror? ;
and, to defray the expence of bringing a new Abuna,
as well as of redeeming of the Cicred reilqjties, he
laid a fmall tax upon the churches, faying merrily,
" that the Abuna and the crolfes were to be main-
tained, and repaired by the public ; but it wa$ in*
cumbent upon the church to purchafe new ones
when they weie worn out.'*

Theodorus, priefl of Dcbra Selalo, Likianos of
Azazo, and Georgis called Kipti, were configned
to the care of three INIahometan merchants and
brokers at court, whofe names were Hamet Ali, Ab-
dulla, and Abdelcader, to go to Cairo and fetch a
fnccelTor for Chriftodulus. They arrived at Hama-
zen on April 29th 1743, where the Mahometan

guides

3^0 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

guides chofe rather to pafs the winter-feafon than at
Mafuah, as at that place they were apprehenfive they
would fufFer extortions and ill-ufage of every fort.
We know not what came of Georgis Kipti ; but, as
foon as the rainy feafon was over, Theodorus and
Likianos came ftraight to Mafua.

As foon as the Naybe got the whole convoy of
priefts and Mahometans into his hands, he demanded
of them half of the money the king had given them
to defray the expences of fetching the Abuna. He
pretended alfo, that both Mahometans and Chrifti-
ans fliould have paiTed the rainy feafon at Mafuah.
He declared that this was his perquifite, and that he
had prepared great and exquifite provifions for them,
which being fpoiled and become ufelefs, it was but
reafonable they lliould pay as if they had confumed
them : till this was fettled, he declared that none of
them fliould embark or ftir one ftcp from Mafuah.

The news of this detention foon arrived at Gon-
dar } and Yafous gave orders that Michael SuhuJ,
governor of Tigre, (afterwards Rasj and the Ba-
harnajrafii, (hould with an army blockade Mafuah,
fo as to ftarve the Naybe into a more reafonable be-
haviour. But, before this could be executed, the
Naybe had called the prlefls before him, and de-
clared, if they did not furrender the money that in-
ftant, he would put them to death ; and, in place of
giving them time to refolve, he gave them a very
plain hint to obey, by ordering the executioner to
ftrike off the heads of two criminals condemned for
other crimes, after having brought them into their
prefence. The poor wretches, Theodorus and Likia-
nos did not refemble Portuguefe, who would have

braved

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 2,^1

braved thefe threats in the purfuit of martyrdom.
The fight of blood was the mod convincing of all
arguments the Naybe could ufe. They gave up the
money, leaving the divifion of it to his own dif-
cretion. He then hurried them on board a vefiel,
giving Michael and the Baharnagafh notice that they
were gone in fafety, and that he had obeyed the
king's orders in all refpeds. Michael was at that
time in the llrifteft friendfhip with the Naybe, who
was his principal inftrument in collecting fire-arms
in Arabia to ftrengthen him in the quarrel he was
then meditating againfl: his fovereign.

On the 8th of February 1744 the priefls and
their guides failed from Mafuah ; and they did not
arrive at Jidda till the 14th of April. There they
found that the fiiips for Cairo were gone, and that
he had loft the monfoon ; and, as no misfortune
comes fingle, the SherrifFe of Mecca made a de-
mand upon them for as much money as they had
paid the Naybe ; and, upon refufal, he put Abdel-
cader in prifon, nor was he releafed for a twelve-
month after, when the money was fent from Abyf-
fmia ; and it was then agreed, that y^ ounces of
gold * fhould in all future times be paid for leave
of palTage to thofe who went to Cairo to fetch the
Abuna ; and 90 ounces a-piece to the SherriiFe, and
to the Naybe, for allowing him to pafs when chofen,
and furnifhing him with neceffaries during his ftay
in their refpeftive government ; and this is the
agreement that fubfifts to this day.

* About one hundred and eighty-fi:: pounds, an ounce of o-oJj
at a medium being i o crowns.

In

252 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

In this interim, Likianos of Azazo, one of the
priefts, weary of the journey ana of his religion,
and having quarrelled with Abdulla, renounced the
Chriftian faith, and embraced that of Mahomet ;
and Theodorus, Abdulla, and Hamet All, being the
only three remaining, hired a vcifel at Jidda to carry
them to the port of Suez, the bottom of the Arabic
Gulf. Before they had been a rnonth at fea, Ab-
dulla died, as did Hamet Ali feven days after they
arrived at Suez. They had been on fea three
months and fix days from Jidda to that port, be=
caufe they failed againfl the monfoon.

It was the 25th of June that Theodorus arrived
at Cairo, delivered the king's prefent, the account
of the Abuna's death, and the king's defire of having
fpeedily a fuccelTor. The patriarch, having called
together all bis bifhops, priefls, and deacons, con-
ferred the dignity on a monk of the Order of St.
Anthony, the only Order of monks the Coptic
church acknowledges. Thefe pafs a very auftere
life in two convents in a dreary defert, never taft-
ing flefh, but living on olives, fait fardines *, wild
herbs, and the word of vegetables. Yet fo attached
are they to this foiitude, that, when they are called
to be ordained to this prelature of AbyiTmia, a war-
rant from the baflia, and a party of Turks, is ne-
ceffary to bring this eled one to Cairo in chains,
where he is kept in prifon till he is ordained :
guarded afterwards, and then forced on board a veffel
which carries hirn to Abyflinia, whence he is certain
never to return.

* Tills Is a fifh common in the Mediterranen, of the kind of
anchovies, the common food of the galley-flaves, and lower fort of

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 253

The Abuna departed from Suez the 20th of Sep-
tember 5 the beginning of November he arrived :it
Jidda; in February, T745, he failed from Jidda,
taking with him Abdelcader, now freed fromprifon^
he arrived at Mafuah the 7th of March, and im-
mediately fent an exprefs to notify his arrival to
the king and qi^een, and to Ras Welled de POul
Congratulations upon the event were returned from
each of them ; they requefted he would immedi-
ately come to court ; but this the Naybe refufed
to permit, till he had firft received his du^s ; and
Yaibus feemed inclined to pay no more for him tharx
what he had coft already.

The priefls, and devout people in Tigre, were
very defirous to free the Abuna from his confine-
ment in Mafuah. They faw that the king was not
inclined to advance money, and all of them knew
perfedlly, that, whatever face he put upon the mat-
ter, the Ras would not give an ounce of gold to
prevent the Abuna from flaying there all his life.'
In this exigency they applied to Janni, a Greek,
living at Adowa, (of whom I fliall hereafter fpeak,}
a confidential fervant and favourite of Michael, and
alfo well acquainted at Mafuah, to fee if he could get
him releafed by ftratagem. Janni concerted the
affair with the monks of the monaflery of Bizan
two of whom conducted the Abuna by night out of
the iflandof Mafuah, and landed him fafely in their
monaflery in the wildernefs, with the myron^ or
confecrated oil, in one hand, and his miifal, or li-
turgy, in the other. So far the efcape was com-
plete J but unluckily no orders had been given for

Theodorus,,

:^S4 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Theodorus, who accordingly remained behind at
Mafuah.

The Naybe, exafperated at the Abuna's flight,
wreaked his vengeance on poor Theodorus ; he put
him in irons, and threw him into clofe prifon, where
he remained for two months. There was no re-
medy but paying 80 ounces cf gold to the Naybe
for his releafe j he might elfe have remained there
for ever.

The king, not a little furprifed at thefe frequent
infolences on the part of the Naybe, began to in-
quire what could be the reafon ; for he perfectly
knew, not only Suhul Michael, the governor of
Tigre, but even the Baharnagafli, could reduce Ma-
fuah to nothing with their little finger ; and he was
informed, that a ftrong friendfhip fubfifted between
the Naybe and Suhul Michael, and that it was by
relying on his friendfhip that the Naybe adventured
to treat the king's fervants, at different times, in
the manner he had done.

Yafous, defirous to verify this himfelf, and dif-
folve the bands of fo unnatural a friendfhip, marched
into Tigre with a confiderable army. Faffing by
Adowa, the refidence of Suhul Michael, he was
pleafed with the warlike appearance of this his feat
of government, and the perfeft order and fubordi-
nation that reigned there. Certain diforders and
tumults were faid to prevail in the neighbouring
province of Enderta where Kafmati Woldo com-
manded. ""I'he favage people, called Azabo, living
at Azab, the low country below Enderta and the
Dobas, (a nation of Shepherds near them, flill more
favage, if poilible, than them) had laid wafle the dif-

triifts

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 255

trids that were next to their frontier, burning the
churches, and flaying the priefts in the daily inroads
which they made into Abyffinia. All thefe things,
bad enough indeed, were at this time aggravated, as
was thought, for two reafons ; the fipfl: was to call
an odium upon Kafmati Woldo, Michael's great
enemy, as incapable of governing his province ;
the fecond, to prevent the king in his progrefs to
Mafuah, as he openly profeffed his fixed intention
was to punilh the Naybe with the utmofl feverity.

The protedion of his fubjeds, therefore, from the
favages, was reprefented to the king as the molt
prefling fervice ; and, marching with his ufual di-
ligence ftraight to Enderta, he was met there by
Kafmati Woldo, an old experienced officer, who
aiming at no preferment, paying his tribute pundu-
ally, and having been conftantly occupied in repel-
ling the incurfions of the Pagans on the frontier,
had not been at court fince the reign of Theo-
philus.

After receiving the neceflary information about
the country he intended to enter, and taking Kaf-
mati Woldo's two fons with him, the king defcended
into the low country of Dancali, once a petty Ma-
hometan kingdom, and friendly to Abyffinia, now a
mixture of Galla and ^ the natives called Taltal.
Without delay he pulhed on to Azab, fpreading de-
folation ^l^ou&h that little province, always defert
enough from its nature, though formerly, from its
trade, one of thericheftfpots in the world.

The king then turned to the right upon
the Dobas, who, not expeclixng an army of that
ftreng-thjifled and left their whole cattle a prey to'"*^"-^ ,

Yafous

0,^6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Yafous aiid his foldiers ; a greater number was
fcarce ever feen in Abyffinia. The "king now re-
turned to Enderta,^ where he confirmed Kafmati
Weldo in his government with diflinguiftied mark;?
of favour; and he this year again came back vic-
torious to Gondar, leaving his campaign againll the
Naybe for another feafon.

In pafling by Ado^'?a, a fray happened among
the king*s troops and thofe of Michael ; feveraj
were killed on both fides ; and, as the difpute was
between Tigre and Amhara, the two great divifions
of the country, it threatened to create a party-quarrel
between the foldiers of one divifion and thofe of
the other. No notice was taken of this when Ya-
fous marched eaftwatd ; but, on his return, Michael
begged the king to interfere, and make peace be-
tween the tVv'O parties. To this Yafous anfwered.
That he did^ not think it worth his while, for thev

' ml

would make peace themfeives when they were tired
of quarrelling.

Whether this was the motive of fending for
Michael to Gondar, c*r whether it was the flory of
the Naybe, or w.at elfe was the king's motive,
we do not know ; but, fo foon as he was arrived
in the capital, he fent Kafmati Ephraim, and Sha-
laka Kefla, into Tigre,. commanding Michael'sV-
tendance at Gondar. This Michael abfolutely re-
fufed ; he pretended Kafmati Woldo had edranged
the king's alledion from him^ and that Yafous had
called him to Gondar, now to put him to death,
upon a pretence of his foldiers quarrel with the
king's troops. This refufal was repeated to Yafous,
itbout any palliation whatever j and he inftantly

marched

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. %^f

mal-ched ffom Gondar, and encamped upon the
river Waar, where he was rtmforced a few days
afterwards by Ras Welled de l*Oul, whofe inten-
tion was to perfuade Michael to fubmiffion ; for he
had been advifed not to trufl: the king's oath of for-
givenefs unlefs he had likewife that of Welled de

roui.

The king's readinefs difconcerted Suhul Michael.
Though well armed and appointed himfelf, as alfo
an excellent general, he did not rilk the prefenting
himfelf againfl: the king on a plain ; for Yafous was
much beloved by thefoldiers, and always very kind
and liberal to them.

The mountain Samayat, though not the moft in-
acceflible in Tigre, was a place of great confequence
and ftrength, when pofTeiTed by an army and officer
fuch as Michael. To this natural fortrefs he car-
ried all his valuable effeds, occupied and obftrufted
all the avenues to it, and refolved there to abide
his fortune. The king, with his army, fat down
at the foot of the mountain j and, encircling it with
troops, he ordered it to be aflaulted on four fides at
once ; on one, by Kafmati Ayo, governor of Be-
gemder; on the fecond, by Kafmati Waragna j the
third, by Kafmati Woldo ; and the fourth, by Ras
Welled de I'Oul. The king himfelf went round
about to every place, giving his orders, encourag*
ing his men, and fighting himfelf in the foremofl
ranks like a common foldier. The mountain was at
length carried, with much bloodftied on both fides,
and Michael was beat from every part of it but
one, which, though not llrong enough to hold out
Yoi. III. -S againfl;

258 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

agalnft the king's army, if well defended could not
be carried without great lofs of men.

Here Michael delired to capitulate* But, before
he left the mountain and furrendered to the king,
he defired that an officer of truft might be fent to
him, becaufe he had then upon the mountain a
large coileclion of treafure, which he defired to keep
for the king's ufe, otherwife it would be diffipated
and loll in the hands of the common foldiers. The
Ras fent two confidential officers, who took from
the hands of Michael a prodigious fumof gold, the
precife amount of which is not named. He then
defcended the mountain, carrying, as is the cuftom
of the country for vanquifhed rebels, a ftone upon
his head, as confeffing himfelf guilty of a capital
crime. A violent ftorm of rain and wind prevented,
for that day, his coming into the prefence of the
king ; and the devil, as the Abyffinians believe,
began in that ftorm a correfpondence with him
which continued many years ; I myfelf have often
heard him vaunt of his having maintained, ever fmce
that time, an "intercourfe with St. Michael the
archangel.

On the morning of the 27 th of December, Ras
Welled de I'Oul ordered Michael to attend him in
the habit of a penitent ; and, followed by his com-
panions in misfortune, (that part of his troops
which was taken on the mountain) and furrounded
bv a number of foldiers, with drums beating and
colours flying, he was carried into the king's
prefence.

Ras Welled de I'Oul had, with difficulty, en-
gaged the king's promife that he was not to put him

to

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 2^59

to death. The good genius of Yafous and his fa-
mily was labouring by one lad effort to fave him.
On feeing Michael upon the ground, Yafous fell
into a violent tranfport of rage, ipurned him with
his foot, declaring he retracted his promife, and
ordered him to be carried out and put to death be-
fore the door of his tent. Ras Welled de POul,
Kalmati Waragna, Kafmati Woldo, and all the of-
ficers of confideration, either of the court or army,
now fell with their faces upon the ground, crying
to the king for mercy and forgivenefs. Yafous,
if in his heart he did not relent, ftill was obliged to
pardon on fuch univerfal felicitation ; and this he
did, after making the following obfervation, which
foon after was looked on as a prophecy : " I have
pardoned that traitor at your inftance, becaufe I at
all times reward merit more willingly than I punifli
crimes ; but I call you all to witnefs, that I wafh my
hands before God to-day of all that innocent blood
Michael fiiall (lied before he brings about the de-
ftruclion of his country, which I know in his heart
he has been long meditating."

I cannot help mentioning it as an extraordinary
circumftance, that at the time I was at Gondar, in
the very height of Suhul Michael's tyranny, a man
quarrelled with another who was a fcribe, and ac-
dufed him before Michael of having recorded this
fpeech of the king, as I have now ftated it in a
hiftory that he had writtenofYafous's reign. The
book was produced, the paffage was found and
read ; and I certainly expected to have feen it torn
to pieces, or hung upon a tree about the author's
neck. On the contrary, all the Ras faid was, " If

S 2 what

26o TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

what he writes is true, wherein is the man to blame?*'
And turning with a grin to Tecla Haimanout, one ,
ol the judges, he faid, " Do you remember ? I do
believe Yafous did fay fo.'* The book was re-
ftored to the author, and no more faid of the mat-
ter, not even an order was given to erafe the paf-
fage. He had no objedion to Yafous and to his
whole race being prophets ; he had only taken a
refolution that they fliould not be kings.

A general filence followed this fpeech of Yafous,
inftead of the acclamations of joy ufual in fuch
cafes. The king then ordered Ras Welled de I'Oul
to lead the army on to Gondar, which he did with
great pomp and military parade, while the king,
who could not forget his forebodings, retired to an
ifland, there to fall fome days in confequence of a
vow that he had made. This being finifhed, Ya-
fous returned to Gondar ; and, as he was now in
perfed peace throughout his kingdom, he began again
to decorate the apartments of his palace. A large
number of mirrors had arrived at this time, a pre-
fent from the Nay be of Mafuah, who, after what
had happened to his friend Michael, began to feel
a little uneafy about the fate of his ifland.

While Yafous was thus employed, news were
fent him from Kafmati Ayo, governor of Begem-
der, that he had beat the people of Lafta in a pitch^
ed battle in their own country, had forced their
llrong-holds, difperfed their troops, and received
the general fubmiflion of the province, which had
been in rebellion fmce the time of Hatze Socinios,
that is, above i oo years. Immediately after thefe
news, came Ayo himfelf to parade and throw his

unclean

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 26l

unclean trophies of vidlory before the king, and
brought with him many of the principal people of
Lafta to take the oaths of allegiance to the king.

Yafous received the accounts of the fuccefs with
great pleafure, and ftill more fo the oaths and fub-
miflions made to him. He then added Lafta to the
province of Begemder, and cloathed Ayo magni- %
ficentiy, as well as all thofe noblemen that came
with him from Lafta. The end of this year was
not marked with good fortune like the beginning.
A plague of locufts fell upon the country, and con-
fumed every green thing, fo that a famine feemed
to be inevitable, becaufe, contrary to their cuftom,
they had attached themfclves chiefly to their grain.
This plague is not fo frequent in Abyilinia as the
Jefuits have reported it to be. Thefe good fathers
indeed bring the locufts upon the country, that
by their pretended miracles, they may chace theni
away.

Michael had continued fome time in pfifon, in
the cuftody of Ras Welled de i'OuI. But he was
afterwards fet at full liberty; and it was now the
17th year of Yafous's reign, when, on the 17th of
September, 1 746, at a great promotion of officers
of ftate, Michael, by the nomination of the king
himfelf, was reftored to his government of Tigre ;
and, a few days after, he returned to that province.
All his ancient friends and troops flocked to him as
foon as he appeared, to welcome, him upon an
event looked upon by all as nearly miraculous.
Nor did Michael difcourage that idea himfelf, but
gave it to be underftood, among his moft intimate
friends, that a vifton had alTured him that he was

thence

«*

26% TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

thenceforward under the immediate protedion of St.
Michael the archangel, with whom he was to con-
fuli on every emergency.

As foon as he had got a fufficient army together,
the firft thing he did was to attack Kafmati Woldo,
■without any provocation whatever ; and, after beat-
ing him in two battles, he drove him from his
province and forced him to taice refuge among the
Galla, where, foon after, by employing fmall pre-
fents, he procured him to be murdered ; the or-
dinary fate of thofe who feek proteftion among thofe
faithlefs barbarians.

It will feem extraordinary that the king, who
had fuch recent experience of both, the one diftin-
guilhed for his duty, the other for his obftinate re-
bellion, fhould yet tamely fuffer his old and faithful
fervant to fail before a man whom in his heart he
fo much miftrufted. But the truth is, all Michael's
danger was pall: the moment he got free accefs to
the king and queen, though he was defervedly ef-
teemed to be the ablefi: foldier in Abyffiniaof his
time, he was infinitely more capable in intrigues,
and private negpciations at court, than he was in
the field, being a pleafant and agreeable fpeaker in
common converfation ; a powerful and copious
orator at council ; his language, whether Amharic
or Tigre, (but above all the latter) corred and ele-
gant above any man's at court ; fteady to the mea*.
fures he adopted, but often appearing to give them
up eafily, and without paffion, when he faw, by the
circumftances of the times, he could not prevail :
though violent in the purfuit of riches, when in his
own province, where he fpared no means nor man

\ to

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 0,6^,

to procure them, no fooner had he come to Gondar
than he was lavifh of his money to extreme ; and
indeed he fet no value on it farther than as it fervej
to corrupt men to his ends.

When he furrendered his treafure at the mountain
Samayat, he is faid to have divided it into feveral
parcels with his own hand. The greateft (hare feli
to the king, who thought he had got the whole ; but
the officers who received it, and faw different quan-
•tities deltined for the Iteghe and Ras Welled de
rOul, took care to convey them their fliare, for
fear of making powerful enemies. Kafmati Wa-
ragna had his part ; and even Kafmati Woldo,
though Michael foon after plundered and flew him.
All Gondar were his friends, becaufe all that ca-
pital was bribed on this occafion. It was gold he
only lent them, to refume it, (as he afterwards did)
with great intereft, at a proper time.

It ftill remained in the king's bread to wipe ofF
his defeat at Sennaar, as he had, upon every other
occafion, been victorious ; and even in this, he ftill
flattered himfelf he had not been beat in perfon.
He fet out again upon another expedition to Atbara;
inftead of coafting along the Dender, he defcended
along the Tacazze' into Atbara, where, finding no
refiftance among the Shepherds, he attached himfelf
in particular to the tribe called Daveina, which, in
the former expedition, had joined Welled de POul's
army. Upon the firft news of his approach they
had fubmitted .; but, notwithftanding all promifes
and pretences of peace, he fell upon them unawares,
jand almofl extirpated the tribe.

SuhuT

/ * Jr.

. 364 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER''^

Suhul Michael, while the king was thus occupied
in the frontier of his province, did every thing that
a faith/ul, aftive fubjeft could do. He furniflied
him conftantly with the bed intelligence, fupplied
him with the provifions he\vanted, and made, from
time to time, flrong detachments of troops to rein-
force him, and to fecure fuch pods as were moft com-
modious and important in cafe of a retreat becom-
ing neceflary.

Yafous, who had fucceeded to his wifh, was fully
fenfible of the value of fuch fer vices, and feiit, there-
fore, for Michael, commanding his attendance at
Gondar. There was no fear, no hefitation now,
as before in the affair of Samayat. He decamped
upon the firfl: notice, even before the rainy feafon
was over, and arrived at Gondar on Auguft 30th,
1747, bringing with him plenty of gold ; few fol-.
diers, indeed, but thofe picked mpn, and in better
order, than the king had ever yet ieen troops.

It was plain nov/ to every body, that nothing could
flop Michael's growing fortune. He alone feemed
not fenfible of this. He was humbler and lefs affum-
ing than before. Thofe whom he had firfl: bribed
he continued dill to bribe, and added as many new
friends to that lifl; as he thought could ferve him.
He pretended to no precedency or pre-eminence at
court, not even fuch as was due to the rank of his
place, but behaved as a flranger that had no fixed
abode among them.

One day, dining with Kafmati Geta, the queen's

brpther, whq was governor of Samen, and drinking

. nutof acomraon-glafs decanter called Brulhe, when

It is the privilege and cuflom; of the governor of

Tigre

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 1^65

Tigre to ufe a gold cup, being afked. Why he did
not claim his privilege ? he faid. All the gold he
had was in heaven, alluding to the name of the
mountain Samayat, where his gold was furren-
dered, which word fignifies Heaven. The king,
who liked this kind of jefts, of which Michael was
full, on hearing this, fent him a gold cup, with a
note written and placed within it, " Happy are they
who place their riches in heaven ;" which Michael
directed immediately to be engraved by one of the
Greeks upon the cup itfelf. What became of it I
know not; I often wifhed to have found it out,
and purchafed it. I faw it the firfl day he dined after
coming from council, at his return from Tigre,
after the execution of Abba Salama ; but I never ob-
ferved it at Serbraxos, nor fince. I heard, indeed,
a Greek fay he had fent it by Ozoro Efther, as a pre-
fent to a church of St Michael in Tigre.

Enderta was now given him in addition to the
province of Tigre, and, foon after. Sire and all the
provinces between the Tacazze and the Red Sea ;
fo he was now mafter of near half of Abyflinia.

The reft of this king's reign was fpent at home
in his ufual amufements and occupations. Several
fmall expeditions were made by his command, un-
der Palambaras Selafle, and other officers, to har-
rafs the Shepherds, whom he conquered almofl
down to Suakem. His ravages, however, had been
confined to the peninfula of Atbara, and had not
ever pafled to the eaftward of the Tacazze, .but
he had impoverifhed all that country. After this,
by his orders, the Baharnagaih, and other officers,
entered that divifion called Derkin, between the

Mareb

S66 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Mareb and the Atbara, and, ftill further between
the Mareb and the mountains, in a part of it called
Ajam. In this country Haffine Wed Ageeb was de-
feated by the Baharnagafh with great flaughter ; and
the Shekh of Jibbel Mufa, one of the mofl: power-
ful of the Shepherds, was taken prifoner by Palam-
baras Selafie, without refiftance, and carried, with
his wife, his family, and cattle, in triumph to Gon-
dar, where, having fworn allegiance to the king, he
was kindly treated, and fent home with prefents,
and every thing that had been taken from him.

This year, being the 24th of Yafous*s reign, he
was taken ill, and died on the 2 1 ft day of June, 1753,
after a very fhort illnefs. As he was but a young
man, and of a ftrong conftitution, there was fome
fufpicion he died by poifon given him by the queen's
relations, who were defirous to fecure another mi-
nority rather than ferve under a king, who, by every
aclion, ftiewed he was no longer to be led or go-
verned by any, but leaft of all by them.

Yafous was married very young to a lady of no-
ble family in Amhara, by whom he had two fons,
Adigo and Aylo. But their mother pretending to a
fhare of her hufband's government, and to intro-
duce her friends at court, fo hurt VVelleta Georgis
the Iteghe, or queen-regent, that fhe prevailed on
the king to hanifh both the mother and fons to the
-.^hnountain of Wechne.

In* order to prevent fuch interference for the fu-
ture, the Iteghe took a ftep, the like of which had
never before been attempted in Abyflinia. It was
to bring a wife to Yafous from a race of Galla.
Vler name was Wobit, daughter of Amiizo, to whonl

Baculf^

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^67

BacufFa had once fled when he efcaped from the
mountain before he was king, and had been kindly-
entertained there. Her family was of the tribe of
Edjow, and the divifion of Toluma, that is, of the
fouthern Galla upon the frontiers of Amhara. They
were efl:eemed the politeft, that is, the lead barbar-
ous of the name. But it was no matter, they
were Galla, and that was enough. Between them
and Abyffmia, oceans of blood had been fhed, and
flrong prejudices imbibed againfl them, never to be
effaced by marriages. She was, however, brought
to Gondar, chriftened by the name of Beflabee,
and married to Yafous : By her he had a fon,
jQamed Joas, who fucceeded his father.

J O A S.

From 1753 to 1769.

This Prince a Favourer of the Galla his Relations —
Great Dijeniions on bringing them to Court — War of
Begemder — Ras Michael brought to Gondar — De-
feats Ayo — Mariam Barea refufes to be acceffary to
his Death — King favours Waragna Fafil — Battle of
Azazo — K,ing affaffinated in his Palace,

U PON the fir ft news of the death of king Ya-
fous the old officers and fervants of the crown, re-
membering the tumults and confufjon that hap-
pened

S68 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

pened In Gondar at his acceffion, repaired to the
palace from their different governments, each with
a fmall well-regulated body of troops, fufficient to
keep order, and ftrengthen the hands of Ras Welled
de rOul, whom they all looked upon as the father
of his country. The firft who arrived was Kafmati
Waragna of Damot ; then Ayo of Begemder, and
very foon after, though at much the greatell diftance,
Suhul Michael, governor of Tigre. Thefe three
entered the palace, with Welled de I'Oul at their
head, and received the young king Joas from the
hands of the Iteghc his grandmother, and proclaimed
him king, with the ufual formalities, without any
oppofition or tumult whatever.

A number of promotions immediately followed ;
but it was obferved with great difcontent by many,
that the Iteghe's family and relations were grown
now fo numerous, that they were fufficient to occupy
all the great offices of ftate without the participation
of any of the old families, which were the ftrength
of the crown in former reigns ; and that now no
preferment was to be expefted uniefs through fome
relation to the queen-mother.

Welled Hawarayat, fon to Michael governor of
Tigre, had married Ozoro Altafh, the queen's third
daughter, almofl a child; and long before that,
Netcho of Tcherkin had married Ozoro Efther,
likewife %'ery young ; and Ras Michael, old as he
was, had made known his pretenfions to Ozoro Wel-
leta Ifrael, the queen's fecond daughter, immediately
younger than Ozoro Efther. Thefe propofals, from
an/^ld man, had been received with great contempt
and derifion by Welleta Ifrael, and fhe perfevered

fo

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. %6^

fo long in the derifion of Michaers courtfhip, that
it left ftrong impreffions on the hard heart of that
old warrior, which (hewed themfelves after in very
difagreeable confequences to that lady all the time
Michael was in power.

The firft that broke the peace of this new reign
was Nanna Georgis, chief of one of the clans of
Agows of Damot. Engaged in old feuds with the
Galla on the other fide of the Nile, the natural
enemies of his country, he could not fee, but with
great difpleafure, a Galla fuch as Kafmati Waragna,
however worthy, governor of Damot, and capable,
therefore, of over-running the whole province in a
moment, by calling his Pagan countrymen from the
other fide.

Waragna, though this was in his power, knew
the meafure was unpopular. Kafmati Eflite was the
queen's brother, and governor of Ibaba, a royal re-
fidence, which has a large territory and falary an-
nexed to it. When, therefore, at council, he had
complained of the injury done to him by Nanna
Georgis, he refufed the taking upon him the re-
drefling thefe injuries, and punifliing the Agows,
unlefs Kafmati Elhte was joined in the cammiffion
with him.

The reafon of this was, as I have often before
obferved, that, as the Agows are thofe that pay the
greateft tribute in gold to the king, and furnifh the
capital with all forts of provifions, any calamity
happening in their country is feverely felt by the
inhabitants of Gondar ; and the knowledge of this
occafions a degree of prefumption and confidence
in the Agows, of which they have been very often

the

270 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

the dupes. This, indeed, happened at this very
inflant. For Waragna and Eihte marched from
Gondar, and with them a number of veteran troops
of the king's houfhold of Maitfiia, depending on
Ibaba ; and this army, without bringing one Galla
from the other fide of the Nile, gave Nanna Georgis
and his Agows fuch an overthrow that his clan was
nearly extirpated, and many of the principal of
that nation llain.

Nanna Georgis, who chiefly was aimed at as the
author of this revolt, efcaped, with great difficulty,
wounded, from the field ; and the feud which had
long fubfifled between Waragna*s family and the
race of the Agows, received great addition that
day, and came down to their poflerity, as we fhall
foon fee by what happened in Waragna's fon*s
time at the bloody and fatal battle of Banja.

The next affair that called the attention of go-
vernment, was a complaint brought by the monks
of Magwena, a ridge of rocks of but fmall extent
not far from Tcherkin, the eftate of Kafmati Net-
cho. Thefe mountains, for a great part of the
year, almoft calcined under a burning fun, have,
in feveral months, violent and copious fhowers of
rain, which, received in vafl caves and hollows of
the mountain, and out of the reach of evaporation,
are means of creating and maintaining all forts of
Verdure and all fcenes of pleafure, in the hot feafon .
of the year, when the rains do not fall elfewhere ;
and as the rocks have a confiderable elevation above
the level of the plain, they are at no feafon in-
fe£led with thofe feverifh diforders that lay the
low country wafle.

Netcho

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. Q,"]!

Netcho was a man of pleafure, and he thought,
fince the monks, by retiring to rocks and deferts,
meant thereby to fubjeft themfelves to hardfliip and
mortification, that thefe delightful and flowery fcenes,
the groves of Magwena, were much more fuited to
the enjoyment of happinefs with the young and
beautiful Ozoro Eflher, than for any fet of men,
who by their aufterities were at conftant war with
the flefh. Upon thefe principles, which it would
be very difficult for the monks themfel/es to refute,
he took poffeffion of the mountain Magwena, and
of thofe bowers that, though in poffeffion of faints,
did not feem to have been made for the folitary
pleafures of one fex only. This piece of violence
was, by the whole body of monks, called Sacrilege.
Violent excommunications, and denunciations of
divine vengeance, were thundered out againfl Kaf-
mati Netcho. An army was fent againfl him; he
was defeated and taken prifoner, and confined upon
a mountain in Walkayt, where foon after he died,
but -not before the Iteghe had fhewn her particular
mark of difpleafure, by taking her daughter Ozoro
Eflher, his wife, from him, that fhe, too, and her
only fon Confu, might not be involved in the monk*s
excommunications, and the imputed crime of fa-
crilege.

At this time died Kafmati Waragna, full of years
and glory, having, though a flranger, preferved his
allegiance to the lafl, and more than once faved the
flate by his wifdom, bravery, and adlivity. He is
almoft a fingle example in their hiftory, of a great
officer, governor of a province, that never Vvas in
rebellion, and a remarkable inflance of BacufFa's

penetration.

i'i-

%"]% TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

penetration, who, from a fingle converfation with
him, while engaged in the vilefl employment, chofe
him as capable of the greatefl offices, in which he
ufefully ferved both his fon and grandfon.

Soon after, Ayo governor of Begemder, an older
officer ftill than Waragna, arrived in Gondar, and
refigned his government into the queen's hands.
This refignation was received, becaufe it was under-
flood that it was diredlly to be conferred upon his fon
Mariam Barea, by far the mod hopeful young Abyffi-
nian nobleman of his time. Another mark of favour,
foon followed, perhaps was the occafion of this.
Ozoro Efther, the very young widow of Netcho,
was married, very much againfl her own confent,
to the young governor of Begemder, and this mar-
riage was crowned with the univerfal applaufe of
court, town, and country j for Mariam Barea pof-
fefled every virtue that could make a great man
popular ; and it was impoffible to fee Ozoro Efther,
and hear her fpeak, without being attached to her
for ever after.

Still the complaint remained, that there was no
promotion, no diftindtion of merit, but through
fome relation to the queen-mother j and the truth
of this was foon fo apparent, and the difcontent it
occafioned fo univerfal, that nothing but the great
authority Ras Welled de I'Oul, the Iteghe's brother,
poiTeffed, could hinder this concealed" fire from
breaking out into a flame.

The queen, mother to Joas, was Ozoro Wo-
bit, a Galla. Upon Joas's acccffion to the throne,
therefore, a large body of Galla, faid to be i 2go
horfe, were fent as a prefent to the young king

as

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 273

as the portion of his mother, A number of
private perfons had accompanied thefe j part from
curiofity, part from defire of preferment, and part
from attachment to thofe that were already gone
before them. Thefe lad were formed into a body
of infantry of 600 men, and the command given
to a Galla, whofe name was Woofheka; fo that
the regency, in the perfon of the qlieen, feemed to
have gained frefli force from the minority of the
young king Joas, as yet perfectly fubjeO: to his
mother.

There were four bodies of houfhold troops ab-
folutely devoted to the king's will. One of thefe,
the Koccob horfe, was commanded by a young
Armenian not 30 years of age. He had been left
in Abyflinia by his father in Yafous's time, and care
had been taken of him by the Greeks. Yafous
had diftinguifhed him by feveral places while a mere
youth, and employed him in errands to Mafuah and
Arabia, by which he became known to Ras Michael.
Upon the death of Yafous, the Iteghe put him
about her grandfon Joas, as Baalomal, which is,
gentleman of the bed-chamber, or, companion to the
king. He then became AfaleiFa el Camiflia, which
means groom of the Jloie, but at lafl was promoted
to the great place of Billetana Gueta Dakakin, cham"
berlain, or majler of the houJhoU, the third poll in
government, by which he took place of all the go-
vernors of provinces while in Gondar.

There is no doubt Joas would have made him Ras,
if he had reigned as long as his father. Befides
his own language, he underftood Turkifh, Arabic,
and Malabar, and was perfedly mafter of the Tigre.

Vol. III. T But

^74 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

But his great excellence was his knowledge of Am=
haric, which he was thought to fpeak as c'haftely and
elegantly as Ras Michael himfelf. He is reported
likewife to have poffeffed a fpecies of jurifprudence^^
whence derived I never knew, which fo pleafed the
Abyffinians^ that the judges often requefted his
attendance <m the king ; at which time he fat at the
head of the fable, where it is fuppofed the king
would plac himfelf did he appear perfonally in
judgmentj (whkh, as it may be learned from
divers phces in this hiftory, he never does) ; cer-
tain mornings in the Week, therefore, he fat pub-
licly in the market-place, and gave judgment foon
after the break of day.

I faw this young man with his father at Loheia.
He underftood no European language ; was juft then
returned from India, and had a confiderable quan-
tity of diamonds, and other precious flones, to fell*
He fpoke with tears in his eyes of AbyfTmia, from
which he was banifned, and urged that I fliould
take hirn there with me. But I had too much at
{take to charge myfelf with the confequences of
anybody's behaviour but my own, and therefore
refufed it.

The great favour the Galla were in at court en-
couraged many of their countrymen to follow them j
and, by the king*s defire, two of his uncles were fent
for, and they not only came, but brought with them
a thoufand horfe. Thefe were two young jnen,
brothers of the queen Wobit, juft now dead. The
eldeft was named Brulhe, the younger Lubo. In
an inftant, nothing was heard in the palace but
Gallat The king himfelf afl'efted to fpeak nothing

eife.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^75

elfe. He had entirely intruded the care of his per-
fon to his two uncles ; and, both being men of
intrigue, they thought themfelves fufficiently capable
to make a party, fupport it, and place the king at
the head of it ; and this they effected as foon as
it was conceived, whiift the Abyffinians faw, with
the utmoft deteftation and abhorrence, a Gallan and
inimical government ereded in the very heart or
metropolis of their country.

Woodage had been long governor of Amhara.
He had fucceeded Palambaras Dure in Bacuffa's
time, when he had been promoted to the dignity
of Ras.

Thefe two were heads of the only great families

in Amhara, who took that government as it were

by rotation. Woodage, in one of the excurfions

into Atbara, had made an Arab's, or a Shepherd's

daughter, prifoner, baptized her, and lived with

her as his miftrefs. The paffion Woodage bore to

this fair Have was not, however, reciprocal. She

had fixed her affedlions upon his eldefl fon, and

their frequent familiarities at laft brought about the

difcovery. This very much fhocked Woodage j

but, inftead of having recourfe to public juftice,

he called his brothers, and fome other heads of his

family before him, and examined into the fa£l with

them, defiring his fon to defend himfelf. The crime

was clearly proved in all its circumftances. Upon

which Woodage, by his own authority, condemned

his fon to death ; and not only fo, but caufed his

fentence to be put in execution, by hanging the

young man over a beam in his own houfe. As for

the flave, he releafed h^r, as not being bound to

T 2 any

%^6 TRAVELS TO DISCOTER

any return of afFeftion to him, from whom fhe ha3
only received evil, and been deprived of her natu-
tal liberty.

It feems this claim of patr'ia polejias was new in
Abyfiinia; and Bactiffa took it fo ill, that he de-
prived Woodage of his office, and bani(hed him to
Amhara;, then governed by Palambaras Dure. T6
this lofs of influence another circumftance contri-
buted. He was a relation of Yafous*s firft: wife,
who, by the Itegh.e*s intrigues, had been fent with
her two fohs to the mountain of Wechne, and Joas,
a yoting Ton of Yafotfs, preferred in their places.

It happened that Palambaras Dure died ; and as
the fucceflion fell regularly upon the unpopular
Woodage, the king's uncle, Liibo obtained a pro-
mife of the government of Amhara for himfelf. AH
Gondar was jfhocked at this flrange choice : Amitzo
and his Etijow were already upon the foujthern
frontiers of that province, domiciled there ; and
there Wcis no doubt but this nominatron would put
Amhara into his poflefTion for ever. All the in-
habitants of Gondat were ready to run to their
arms to oppofe this appointment of the king ; and
it was thought that, under-hand, the Iteghe fomented
this diflatisfaftion. The king, howe\er, terrified
by the violent refentment of the populace, at the
inftance of Ras Welled de I'Oul, recalled his no-
mination.

At this time Michael, who faw the confequence of
thefe dlfputes, but abftained from taking any fhare,
becaufe he knew that both parties were promoting
his interefl: by their mutual animofity, came to

Gondar

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^7^

Gondar in great pomp, upon an honourable er-
rand.

Baady, fon of TOul, king of Funge, or, as they
are called in the Abyffinian annals, Noba*, who
had defeated Yafous at Sennaar, after a tyrannical
and bloody reign of thirty-three years, was depofed
in the year 1764 by Naffer his fon, whom his minifter
Shekh Adelan, with his brother Abou Kalec, go-
vernor of Kordofdn, had put in his place; and
Baady had fled to Suhul Michael, whofe fame was
extended all over Atbara. Mifhael received him
kindly, promifed him his bed feryices with Joas,
and that he would march in perfon to Sennaar, and
reinftate him with an army, if the king ihould {q
command.

Michael conduced him into the prefence of the
king, where, in a manner unbecoming a fovereign,
and which Joas*s fucceffor would not huve permitjted,
(le kiffed the ground, and declared himfelf a vaffal
of AbyfTmia. The king ailigned him a large reve-
nue, and put him in poffeflion of the government
of Ras el Feel upon the frontier of vSennaar, where,
Ras Welled de I'Oul advifed him to wait patiently
till the diffenfions that then prevailed at court were
quieted, when Michael fhould have orders to rein-
ftate him in his kingdom. This was a v/ife counfel,
but he to whom it was given was not wife, and
therefore did not follow it. After feme fhort ftay
at Ras el Feel he was decoyed from this place of
refuge by the intrigues of Adelan, and brought to.

* Noba, in the language of Sennaar, fignifies Soldier ; it i*

truft-

probably from this the ancient name of Nubia firft came.

i'jS TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

trufl himfelf in Atbara, where he was betrayed and
taken prifoner by Welled Haflcn, Shekh of Teawa,
and murdered by him in Teawa privately, as we Ihall
hereafter fee, two years after his flight from Gondar.

At this time, Ras Welled de TOul's death was
a fignal for all parties to engage. Nothing had
with-held them but his prudence and authority ;
and from that time began a fcene of civil blood,
which has continued ever fmce, was in its full vi-
gour at the time when I was in Abyflinia, and with-
out any profpeft that it would ever have an end.

The great degree of power to which the brothers
and their Galla arrived j the great affeftion the
king fliewed to them, owing to their having early
infeded him with their bloody and faithlefs princi-
pies, gave great alarm to the queen and her relati-
ons, whofe influence they were every day diminifli-
ing. The laft ftroke, the deat^ of Welled de TOuI,
feemed to be a fatal one, and to threaten the entire
dilToltition of her power. In order to counterbalance
this, they aflbciated to their party and council Ma-
riam Barea, who had lately married Ozoro Either,
and was in pofleflion of the fecond province in the
jflate for riches and for power, and greatly increafed
in its importance by the officer that commanded it.
Upon the death of Welled de I'Oul, the principal
fear the party of the Galla had was, that Mariam
Barea fliould be brought to Gondar as Ras. The
union between him and Kafmati Eflile, formerly as
flrong by inclination as now it was by blood, put
them in terror for their very exiflience, and a ftroke
was to be ftruck at all hazards that was to feparate
thefe interefls for ever. .

EOite,

THE SOURCE OF THE NIJ.E. ^79

Efljt^, upon taking pofleflion of the province of
Damot, found the Djawi, eflabliftied upon the fron-
tiers of fhe province, very much inclined to revolt.
Notwith (landing peace had been eftabliflied among
the Agows ever fmce Nanna Georgis had been de-
feated at the laft battle, the Galla had ftill conti-
nued to rob and diflrefs them, contrary to the pub-
lic faith that had been pledged to them.

Eflite was too honeft a man to fuffer this ; but
the truth was, the Djawi had felt the advantage of
having a man like the late Waragna governor of
Damot ; and they wanted, by all means, to deduce
the minifters to the neceflity of making that com-
mand hereditary in his family, by Fafil his fpn being
preferred to fucceed him.

This Fafil, whom I Ihall hereafter call Waragna
Falil, a name which was given to^ diftinguifli him
from many other Fafils in the army, was a man then
about twfenty-two, whom Efhte had kept about him
in a private (lation, and had lately given him a
fubaltern command among his own countrymenj,
the Djawi of Damot. From the fervices that he
had then rendered, it was expeded a greater pre-
ferment was to follow.

The infolence of the Djawi had come to fuch a
pitch that they had offered Elhte battle ; but they
had fled with very little refiflance, and been driven
over the Nile to their countrymen whence they
(^ame. Efhte, roufed from his indolence, now Ihew-
ed himfelf the gallant foldier that he really was.
He crofTcd the Nile at a place never attempted be-
fore ; and thoush he loft a confiderable number of
luen in the pafifage, yet that difadvantage was more

than*

tSo TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

than compenfated by the advantage it gave him of
falling upon the Galla unexpeftedly. He there-
fore deftroyed, or difperfed, feveral tribes of them,
poffelTed himfelf of their crops, drove off their cattle,
wives, and children, and obliged them to fue for
peace on his own terms ; and then repafled the
Nile, re-eftablifhing the Djawi, after fubmiflion,
in their ancient poiTeffions.

Upon news of Welled de POul's death, and the
known intention of the queen that Efhte (hould fuc-
ceed him in the office of Ras, he was muftering
his foldiers to march to Gondar : Damoti, the Agows,
GouttQ, and Maitfha, all readily joined him from
every quarter ; and Waragna Fafil had been fent to
bring in the Djawi with the reft. Efhte had march-
ed by flow journies from Bure, flenderly attended,
to arrive at Goutto the place of rendezvous ; and,
being come to Fagitta, in his way thither, he en-
camped upon a plain there, near to the church of
St. George.

It was in the evening, when news were brought
him that the whole Djawi had come out, to a man^
from good-will, to attend him to Gondar. This
mark of kindnefs had very much pleafed him j
and he looked upon it as a grateful return for his
mild treatment of them after they were vanquifhed,
A flool was fet in the fhade, without a fmall houfe
where he then was lodged, that he might fee the
troops pafs ; when Hubna Fafil, a Galla, who com-
manded them, availing himfelf of the privilege
of approaching near, always cuftomary upon thefe
occafions, run him through the body with a lance,

and

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^8l

and threw him dead upon the ground. The reft
of the Galla fell immediately upon all his attendants,
put them to flight, and proclaimed Waragna Fafil
governor of Damot and the Agows.

This intelligence was immediately fent to their
countrymen, Brulhe and Lubo, at Gondar, who
prevailed upon the king to confirm Waragna Fafil
in his command, though purchafed with the murder
of the worthieft man in his dominions, who was
his own uncle, brother to the Iteghe ; and this was
thought to more than counterbalance the acceffion of
ftrength the queen's party had received from the
marriage of Ozoro Efther with Mariam Bar ea.

In critical times like thefe, the greateft events are
produced from the fmallefl: accidents. Ayo, father
to Mariam Barea, had always been upon bad terms
with Michael. It was at firft emulation between
two great men ; but after Ayo had affified the kino-
in taking Michael prifoner at the mountain Samayat,
this emulation had degenerated into perfed hatred
on the part of Michael.

Juft before Kafmati Ayo had refigned Begemder
to his fon, and retired to private life, two fervants
of Michael had fled with two fwords, which they
ufed to carry before him, claiming the proteftion
of Kafmati Ayo. Michael had claimed them before
the king, who, loath to determine between the two,
not being at that time infl:igated by Galla, had
accepted the propofal of Michael to have the matter
of right tried before the judges j but, upon his
refignation of the province, and retiring, the thing
had blown over and been forgotten.

Soon

583 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Soon after this acceflion of Mariam Barea, Michael
intimated to him the order the king had given that
the judges Ihould try the matter of difference be-
tween them. Mariam Barea refufed this, and up-
braided Michael . with meannefs and proftitution of
the dignity he bore, to confent to fubmit himfelf
to the venal judgment of weak old men, whofe
confciences were hackneyed in prejudice or partiali-
ty, and always known to be under the influence
of party. He put Suhul Michael in mind alfo,
that, being both of them the king's lieutenant-
generals, reprefentatives of his perfon in the pro-
vinces they governed, noble by birth, and foldiers
by profeffion, they had no fuperior but God and
their fovereign, therefore it was below them to ac-
knowledge or receive any judgment between them
unlefs from God, by an appeal to the fword, of
from the king, by a fentence intimated to them by
a proper officer; that Suhul Michael might chofe
either of thefe manners of deciding the difference
as fhould feem beft unto him ; and if he chofe
the latter, of abiding by the fentence of the king,
he would then reftore him the fwords upon the
king's firfl: command, but he defpifed the judges,
and difowned their jurifdidion.

This fpirited anfwer was magnified into the crime
of difobedience and rebellion. Michael purfued
k no further. He knew it was in good hands,
whi^ciij when once the matter was fet a-going, would
iiever let it drop. Accordingly, to every one's fur-
prifc but Michael's, a proclamation was made, that
the king had deprived Mariam Barea of his govern-
ment

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 2iS

o

merit for difobedieuce, and had given it to Kafmati
Brulhe his uncle, now governor of Begemder.

All Abyffinia was in a ferment at this promotion.
The number, power, and vicinity of that race of
Galla being confidered, this was but^ another way
of giving the richeft and {trongefh barrier of Abyf-
finia into the hands of his hereditary and bloody
enemy. There could be no doubt, indeed, but that
as foon as Brulhe (hould have taken pofleffion of
his government, it would be inftantly over-run by
the united force of that favage and Pagan nation ;
and there was nothing afterwards to avert danger
from the metropolis, for the boundaries of Begem-
der reach within a very fliort day's journey of
Gondar.

Mariam Barea, one of the nobleft in point of
birth in the country where he lived, fetting every
private confideration afide, was too good a citizen
to fuffer a meafure fo pernicious to take place
quietly in his time, while the province was under
his command. But, befides this, he confidered
himfelf as degraded and materially hurt both in
honour and intereft, and very fenfibly felt the af-
front of being, himfelf and his kindred, fubjefted
to a race of Pagans whom he had fo often over-
thrown in the held.

The king's army marched, under the command
of his uncle Brulhe, to take pofleffion of his go-
vernment ; it was with much difficulty, indeed, that
Joas could be kept from appearing in perfon, but
he was left under the iafpedion and tuition of his
uncle Lubo, at Gondar. Brulhe made very flow ad-
vances J his army feveral times alfembled, as often

dilbanded

•w *

^84 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

difbanded of itfelf ; and near a year was fpent be-
fore he could move from his camp on the lake
Izana, with a force capable of fhewing or main-
taining itfelf in Begemder, from the frontiers of
which he was not half a day*s journey.

Mariam Barea remained all this time inactive in'
Begemder, attending to the ordinary duties of his
office, with a perfect contempt of Brulhe and his
proceedings.- But, in the interim, he left no means
untried to pacify the king, and difluade him from
a meafure he faw would be; ruinous the flate in
general.

Mariam Barea, though young, had the prudence
and behaviour of a man of advanced years. He
was efteemed, without comparifon, the braveft fol-
dier and bed general in the kingdom, except old
Suhul Michael, his hereditary rival and enemy.
But his manners were altogether different from thofe.
of Michael. He was open, chearful, and unre-
ferved ; liberal, even to excefs, but not from any
particular view of gaining reputation by it; as
moderate in the ufe of victory as indefatigable to
obtain it ; temperate in all his pleafures j eafily
brought to forgive, and that forgivenefs always
fmcere; a fteady obferver of his word, even in
trifles ; and diftinguifhed for two things very un-
common in Abyffmia, regularity in his devotions,
and conftancy to one wife, which never was im-
Deached. In his lafl: remonftrance, after many pro-
ieiTions of his duty and obedience, he put th.e
king in mind, that, at his'inveftiture, " The laws
" of the country impofed upon him an oath whicli,
" he took in prefence of his majefly, and, after

" receiving

TriE SOURCE OF THE NILE. CSc;

" receiving the holy facrament, that he was not to
" fufFer any Galla in Begemder, but rather, if need-
" ful, die with fword in hand to prevent it; that
" he confidered the contravening that oath as a
" deliberate breach of the allegiance which he
" Owed to God and to his fovereign, and of the
" truft ,repofed in him by his country; that the
" fafety of the princes of the royal family, fequef-
" tered upon the mountain of Wechne, depended
*' upon the obfervance of this oath; that other-
*' wife they would be in conftant danger of being
*' extirpated by Pagans, as they had already nearly
*' been in former ages, at two different times, up-
" on the rocks Damo and Gefhen ; he begged the
** king, if, unfortunately, he could not be recon-
" ciled to him, to give his command to Kafmati
" Eufebius, or any Abyflinlan nobleman, in which
*' cafe he would immediately refign, and retire
** to private life with his old father/*

He concluded by faying, that, " As he had
" formed a refolution, he thought it his duty to
*' fubmit it to the king ; that, if his majefty was
" refolved to march and lead the army himfelf, he
" would retire till he was ftopt by the frontiers of
" the Galla, and the farthefl limits of Begemder ;
" and, fo far from molefting the army In their
" route, the king might be afTured, that, though

his own men fhould be ftraitened, abundance of

every kind of provlfion and refrefhment fliould be
" left in his majefty*s route. But If, contrary to

his wifh, troops of Galla, commanded by a Galla,
** Ihould come to take poffeflion of his province, he

" would

cc

cc

' • 286 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

I * would ^ght them at the Well of Fernay *3 before

" one Galla fhould drink there, or advance a pike-
*' length into Begemder.'*

This declaration was, by orders of Ras Michaelj
entered into the Deftar, and written in letters of
gold, after Mariam Barea's death, no doubt at the
inftigation of Ozoro Eft her, jealous for the reputa-
tion of her dead hufband. It is intitled, ibe dutiful
declaration of the governor of Begemder ; and is figned
by two Urabares, or judgesc W^hethet the original
was fo or not, I cannot fay.

The return made to this by the king was of the
harfhefl: kind, full of taunts and feoffs, and pre- ,
fumptuous confidence ; announcing the fpeedy ar-
rival of Brulhe, as to a certain vidlory *, and, to
fhew what further aififtance he trufted in, he or-
dered Ras Michaei to be proclaimed governor of
Samen, the province on the Gondar fide of the Ta-
cazze, that no obflacle might be left in the v/ay of
that general from Tigie, if it fhould be refolved upon
to cr.ll him.

* In Abyffmia there is a kind of glafs bottle, very

lioht, and of the fize, lliape, and flrength of a Flo-
rence wine-flalk ; only the neck is wider, like that
of our glafs decanters, twifted for ornament fake,
and the lips of it folded back, fuch as we call
cannon-mouthed. Thefe are made at Triefte on
the Adriatic : and thoufands of packages of thefe
are brought from Arabia to Gondar, where they
are in ufe for all liquors, which are clear enough

* A well near Karoota, immediately on the frontiers of Ee-
gemdcr.

to

cc
cc
cc
cc

cc

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. Q^S"]

to bear the glafs, fuch as wine and fpirits. They are
very thin and fragil, and are called brulhe. Mariam
Barea, provoked at being fo undervalued as he was
in the king's meflage, returned only for anfwer.
Still the king had better take my advice, and
not fend his jBrz^//;^'s here; they are but weak,
and the rocks about Begemder hard ; at any rate^
they do right to move llowly, otherwife they
might break by the way."
As foon as this defiance was reported to the king
and his counfellors all was in a flame, and orders
given to march immediately. The whole of the
king's houfehold, confiding of 8coo veteran troops,
were ordered to join the army of Brulhe. This,
though it added to the difplay of the army, contri-
buted nothing to the real ftrength of it ; for all,
excepting the Galla, were refolved neither to fhed
their own blood nor that of their brethren, under
the banners of fo detefted a leader.

This was not unknown to Mariam Barea ; but
neither the advantage of the ground, the knowledge
of Brulhe's weaknefs, nor any other confideration,
could induce him to take one ftep, or harrafs his
enemy, out of his own province ; nor did he fuffer a
mufket to be fired, or a horfe to charge, till Brulhe's
van was drawn upon the brink of the well of Fernay,
After he had placed the horfe of the province of
Lafta oppofite to the Edjow Galla, againft whom
his defign was, the armies joined, and the king's
troops immediately gave way. The Edjow, how-
ever, engaged fiercely and in great earneft with the
horfe of Lafta, an enemy fully as cruel and favage
as themfelves, but much better horfemen, better

armed

armed, and better foldiers. The moment the king's
troops turned their backs, the trumpets from Ma-
riam Barea's army forbade the purfuit ; while the
reft of the Begemder horfe, who knew the inten-"
tion of their general, furrounded the Edjow, and
cut them to pieces, though valiantly fighting to the
laft rhan.

Bnilhi; fell, among the herd of his countrymen,
not diftingiiifhed by any atlion of valour. Mariam
Barea had given the moft exprefs orders to take
him alive ; or, if that could not be, to let him ef-
cape 5 but by no means to kill hint. But a me-
nial fervant of his, more willing to revenge his maf-
ter*s wrongs than adopt his moderation, forced his
way through the crowd of Galla, where he faw
Bralhe fighting ; and^ giving him two wounds
throilo^h his body with a lance, left him dead upon
the field, bringing away his horfe along with him
to his mailer as a token of his vidory. Mariam
Barea, upon hearing that Brulhe was dead, forefaw
in a moment what would infallibly be the confe-
quence, and exclaimed in great agitation, " Michael
and all the army of Tigre will march againft me be-
fore autumn/*

He was not in this a falfe prophet ; for no fooner
Was Brulhe's defeat and death known, than the
il'in^, from refentment^ fear the fatal ruler of weak
minds, the conftant inftigation of Lubo, and the
remnant of Brulhe's party, de<:lared there was no
fafety but in Ras Michael. An exprefs was there-
fore immediately fent to him, commanding his
attendance, and conferring upon him the office of
Ras, by which he became inverted with fupreme

power

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 389

power, both civil and military. This was an event
Michael had long wifhed for. He had nearly as
long forefeen that it mufl happen, and would in-
volve both king and queen, and their refpeclive par-
ties, equally in deftrud.ion ; but he had not fpent
his time merely in refledion, he had made everv
preparation pofliblej and was ready^ So foon then
as he received the king's orders, he prepared to
march from Adowa with 26,000 men, all the befl
foldiers in Abyfliniaj about io,oco of whom were
armed with firelocks.

It happened that two Azages, and feveral other
great officers, were fent to him into Tigre with thefe
orders, and to inveft him with the government of
Samen. Upon their mentioning the prefent fitua-
tion of affairs, Michael fharply refleded upon the
king's conduct, and that of thofe who had coun-
felled him, which mufl: end in the ruin of his famllv
and the ftate in general. He highly extolled Ma-
riam Barea as the only man in Abyflinia that knew
his duty, and had courage to perfevere in it. As
for himfelf, being the king's fervant, he would obev
his commands^ whatever' they were, faithfully, and
to the letter j but, as holding now the iirfl place in
council, he muft plainly tell him the ruin of Mariam
Barea would be fpeedily and infallibly followed by
that of his country.

After this declaration, Michael decamped with his
army encumbered by no baggage, not even provi-
fions, women, or tents, nor ufelefs beafts of burden.
His foldiers, attentive only to the care of their arms
lived freely and licentioufly upon the miferable coun-
Vol.. III. U j^.jgj

'l()0 ' TRAVELS TO DISCOVER '

tries through which they paffed, and which they
laid wholly wafle as if belonging to an enemy.

He advanced, by equal, lleady, and convenient
inarches, in diligence, but not in hafte. Not con-^
tent with the fubfiftance of his troops, he laid a-
compofition of money upon all thofe dilfridts within
a day's niarch of the place through which he paffed ;
and, upon this not being readily complied with, he
burnt the houfes to the ground, and flaughtered
the inhabitants. Woggora, the gr.mary of Gondar,
full of rich large towns and villages, was all
on fire before him ; and that capital was filled
with the miferable inhabitants, ftript af every
thing, flying before Ras Michael as before an army
of Pagans. The king^s underftanding was now re-
ftored to him for an inftant ; he faw clearly the
mifchief bis warmth had occafioned, and was truly
fenfible of the rafli Hep he had taken by introducing
Michael. But the dye was cafl ; repentance was no
longer in feafon ; his all was at ftake, and he was
tied to abide the iffue.

Michael, with his army in order of battle, ap-
proached Gondar with a very warlike appearance.
He defcended from the high lands of Woggora into
the valleys which furrou-nd the capital, and took
poffefTion of the rivers Kahha and Angrab, which
tun through thtfe valleys, and v/hich alone fupply
Gondar with water. He took poft at every entrance
into the town, and every place commanding thofe
entrances, as if he intended to'^befiegc k. This
conduO: ftruck all degrees of people with terror,
from the king and queen down to the lowed inha-
bitant.

fcE SOURCE OF THE I^JILE. ^9!

bitant. All Gondar pafled an anxious night, fear-
ing a general maflacre in the morning ; or that
the town would be plundered, or laid under fome
exorbitant ranfom, capitation, or tribute.

But this was not the real defign of Michael; he
intended to terrify, but to do no more. H^ en-
tered Gondar early in the morning, and did ho-
mage to the king in the moft refpedtful manner.
He was inverted with the charge of Has by Joas
himfelf; and from the palace, attended by two
hundred foldiers, and all the people of note in the
town, he went fttaight to take pofleflion of the houfe
which is particularly appropriated to his office, and
fat down in judgment with the doors open.

Marauding parties of foldiers had entered at fe-
veral parts of the town, and begun to ufe that
licence thev had been accuftomed to on their march,
pilfering and plundering houfes, or perfons that
feemed without proteftion. Upon the firft com-
plaints, as he rode thiough the town, he caufed
twelve of the delinquents to be apprehended, and
hanged upon trees in the ftreets, fitting upon his
mule till he faw the execution performed. After
he had arrived at his houfe, and was feated, thefe
executions were followed by above fifty others in
different quarters of Gondar. That fame day he
eftablifhed four excellent officers in four quarters of
the town. The firll was Kefla Yafous, a man of
. the greateft worth, whom I Ihall frequently mention
as a friend in the courfe of my hiftory ; the fecond,
'Billetana Gueta Welleta Michael, that is, firft mafler
of the houfehold to> i^ king. He had given that
old officer that office, upon fuperfeding Lubo the

U 2 ' kinrr'^

393 tRAVELS TO DISCOVER *

king's uncle, without any confent aflved or givert.
He was a man of a very morofe turn, with whom I
was never connefted. The third was Billetana
Gueta Tecla, his filler's fon, a man of very great
worth and merit, who had the foft and gentle man-
ners of Amhara joined to the determined courage of
the Tigran.

Michael took upon himfelf the charge of the fourth
diftrift* He did not pretend by this to ereft a mi-
litary government in Gondar j on the contrary,
thefe officers were only appointed to give force to
the fentences and proceedings of the civil judges,
and had not deliberation in any caufe out of the
camp. But two Umbares^ or judges, of the twelve
were obliged to attend each of the three diflrids ;
two were left in the king's houfe, and four had their
chamber of judicature in his.

The citizens, upon this fair afpeft of government,
v.'here juftice and power united to proteft them, dif^
miffed all their fears, became calm and reconciled to
Michael the fecond day after his arrival, and only
regretted that they had been in anarchy, and ftran-
gers to bis government fo long.

The third day after his arrival he held a full
council in prefence of the king. He fliarply rebuked
both parties in a fpeech of confhderable length, in
which he expreffed much furprifc, that both king
and queen, after the experience of fo many years,
had not difcovered that they were equally unfit to
govern a kingdom, and that it was impofllble to
keep diftant provinces in order, when they paid
fuch inattention to the police of the metropolis.
Great part of this fpeech applied to the king, who,

with

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 293

with the Tteghe and Galla, were in a balcony as
ufual, in the fame room, though at fome diftance,
and above the table where the council fat^ t»ut
within convenient hearing.

The troubled (late, the deftruftion of Woggora,
and the infecurity of the roads from Damot, had
made a famine in Gondar. The army pofleifed
both the rivers, and fuffered no fupply of water to
be brought into the town, but allowed two jars for
each family twice a day, and broke them when they
returned for more *.

Ras Michael, at his rifing from council, ordered
a loaf of bread, a brulhe of water, and an ounce of
gold, all articles portable enough to be expofed in
the market-place, upon the head of a drum, without
any apparent watching. But though the Abyffini-
ans are thieves of the firfl: rate, though meat and
drink were very fcarce in the town, and gold flill
fcarcer, though a number of ftrangers came into it
with the army, and thcL nights were almoft con-
ftantly twelve hours long, no body ventured to at-
tempt the removing any of the three articles that,
from the Monday to the Friday, had been expofed
night and day in the market-place unguarded.

All the citizens, now furrounded with an army,
found the fecurity and peace they before had been
ftrangers to, and every one deprecated the time when
the government fhould pafs out of fuch powerful
hands. All violent oppreftbrs, all thofe that valued

* This is commonly done in times cf trouble, to keep the
townfmen in awe, as if fite was intended, which would not be in
their power to quench.

themfeives

394 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

themfelves as leaders of parties, faw, with air, in>
dignation which they durft not fufFer to appear,
that they were now at laft dwindled into abfolute in-
fignificance.

Having fettled things upon this bafis, Ras Michael
next prepared to march out for the war of Begem-
der ; and he fummoned, under the fevered penal-
ties, all the great officers to attend him with- all the
forces they could raife. He infifted likewife that
the king himfelf fhould march, and refufed to let
a fmgle foldier flay behind him in Gondar ; not that
he wanted the affiftance of thofe troops, or truft^d
to them, but he faw the deftrudion of Mariam
Barea was refolved on, and he wifhed to throw
. the odium of it on the king. He affefted to fay of
himfelf, that he was but the infirument of the king
and his party, and had no end of his own to attain.
He expatiated upon all occafions, upon the civil and
military virtues of Mariam Barea ; faid, that he
himfelf was old, and that the king (hould walk coolly
and cautioufiy, and confider the value that officer
would be of to his poflerity and to the nation when
he Ihould be no more.

Upon the firfl: news of the king's marching,
Mariam Barea, who was encamped upon the fron-
tiers near where he defeated Brulhe, fell back to
Garraggara, the middle of Begemder. The king
followed with apparent intention of coming to a
battle without lofs of time; and Mariam Barea, by
his behaviour, ffiewed in what different lights he
viewed an army, at the head of which was bis fo-
vereign, and one commanded by a Galla.

No

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. Z^^

No fuch moderation was flievvn on the king's
part. His army burnt and deftroyed the whole
country through which they pafied. It was plain,
that it was Joas's intention to revenge the death
of Brulhe upon the province itfelf, as well as upon
Mariam Barea. As for R as Michael, the behavioup
of the king's army had nothing in it new, or that
could either furprife or difpleafe him. Friend as he
■was to peace and good order, at home, his inva-
riable rule was to indulge his foldiers in every li-
cence that the mod profligate mind could v/ifh to
commit when marching againfl an enemy.

It was knov/n the armies were to engage at Nefas
Mufa, becaufe Mariam Barea had faid he would
fight Brulhe, to prevent him entering the province,
but retreat before the king till he coyld no longer
avoid going out of it. The king then marched
upon the tra6l of Mariam Barea, burning and de-
ftroying on each fide of him, as wide as poffible,
by detachments and fcduring parties. Alio Fafil,
an officer of the king's houfehold, a man of low
birth, of very moderate parts, and one who ufed to
divert the king as a kind of buffoon, othervvife a good
foldier, had, as a favour, obtained a fmall party of
horfe, with which he ravaged the low country of
Begemder.

The reader will remember, in the beginning of
this hiftory, that a fmgular revolution happened,
in as fingular a manner, the ufurper of the houfe of
Zague having voluntarily refigned the throne to the
.kings of the line of Solomon, who for feveral hun-
dred years had been banifned to Shoa. Tecia
Haimanout, founder of the monaftery of Debra

Libanos,

C2,g6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Libanos, a faint, and the lad AbyfTinian that enjoyed
the dignity of Abuna, had the addrefs and influ-
ence to bring about this revolution, or refignation,
and to reftore the ancient line of kings. A treaty
was made under guarantee of the Abuna, that large
portions of Lafta fhould be given to this prince of
the houfe of Zague, free from all tribute, tax, or fer-
vice whatever, and that he fhould be regarded as an
independent prince. The treaty being concluded,
the prince of Zague was put in pofleflion of his
lands, and was called Y'Lafta Hatze, which figni-
fies, not the king of Lafla, but the king at or in
Lafta *. He refigncd the throne, and Icon Amlac
of the line of Solomon, by the queen of Saba, con-
tinued the fucceffion of princes of that houfe.

That treaty, greatly to the honour of the con-
tracting parties, made towards the end of the 13th
century, had remained inviolate till the middle of the
18th; no affront or injuftice had been offered to
the prince of Zague, and in the number of rebel-
lions which had happened, by princes fetting up
their chiims to the crovyn, none had ever proceeded,
or in any fhape been abetted, by the houfe of
Zague, even though Lafla had been fo frequently
in rebellion.

As Joas was a young prince, now for the firfl
time in the province of Begemder and paffmg not
far, from his domains, the prince of Zague thought
it a proper civility and duty to falute the king in his
paffage, and congratulate him upon his acceflion to

* Nearly the fame diftin£lion as the filly one made in Britain
between the French kii?g and king of France.

the

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^97

the throne of his father. He accordingly prefented
himfelf to Joas in the habit of peace, while, accord-
ing to treaty, his kettle-drums, or nagareets, were
filver, and the points of his guard's fpears of that
metal alfo. The king received him with great cor-
diality and kindnefs ; treated him with the utmofl
refpe£t and magnificence ; refufed to allow him
to proflrate himfelf on the ground, and forced him
to fit in his prefence. Michael went ftill farther ;
upon his entering his tent he uncovered himfelf to
his waift, in the fame manner as he would have
done in prefence of Joas. He received him (land-
ing, obliged him to fit in his ov/n chair, and ex-
cufed himfelf for ufing the fame liberty pf fitting,
only on account of his qwn lamenef§.

The king halted one entire 4ay to feafl: this royal
gueft. He was an old man of few words, but thofe
very inoffenfive, lively, and pbafant ; in fliort, Ras
Michael, not often accu domed to fix on favourites
at firfl: fight, was very much taken with this Lafta
fovereign. Magnificent prefents were made on all
fides ; the prince of Zaguc took his leave and re-
turned ; and the whole army was very much pleafed
and entertained at this fpecimen of the good faith
and integrity of their kings.

He had now confiderably advanced through his
own country, Lafta, which was in the rear, when
he v^'as met by Alio Fafil returning from his plunder-
ing the low country, who, without provocation, from
motives of pride or avarice, fell unawares upon the
innocent, old man, whofe attendants, fecure, as they
thought, under public faith, and accoutred for pa-
rade and not for defence, became aa eafy facrifice,

the

C,gS TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

the prince being the firfl killed by Alio FafiPs own
hand.

Fafil continued his march to join the king, beat-
ing his filver kettle-drums as in triumph. The
day after, Ras Michael, uninformed of what had
palled, inquired who that was marching with a na-
gareet in his rear ? as it is not allowed to any other
perfon but governors of provinces to ufe that inftru-
ment ; and they had already reached the camp.
The truth was prefently told j at which t!:e Ras
fhewed the deeped compundtion. The tents were
already pitched when Fafil arrived, who, riding
into Michael's tent, as is ufual with officers return-
ing from an expedition, began to brag of his own
deeds, and upbraided Michael, in a drain of mockery,
that he was old, lame, and impotent.

This raillery, though very common on fuch oc-
cafions, was not then in feafon; and the lad part of
the charge againd him was the mod ofFenfive, for
there was no man more fond of the fex than
Michael was. The Ras, therefore, ordered his at-
tendants to pull Fafil off his horfe, who, feeing
that he was fallen into a fcrape, fled to the king's
tent for refuge, with violent complaints againd
Michael. The king undertook to reconcile him to
the Ras, and fent the young Armenian, commander
of the black horfe, to defire Michael to forgive Alio
Fafil. This he abfolutely refufed to do, alle^ging,
that thepaffing overFafil's infolence to himfelf would
be of no ufe, as his \i^e was forfeited for the death
of the prince of Zague.

The king renewed his requed by another meflen-
ger ', for the Armenian excufed himfelf from going,

■ by

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 2:99

by faying boldly to the king, That, by the law of all
nations, the murderer fliould die. To the fecond
requeft the king added, that he required only his
forgivenefs of his infolence to him, not of the
death: of the prince of Zague, as he would dired:
what fliould be done when the neareft of kin claimed
the fatisfadion of retaliation. To this Ras Michael
Ihortly replied, '** I am' here to do juftice to every
one, 2ind will do it without any confideration or
refped of perfons." And it was now, for the firfl: "
time, Abyfiinia ever faw a king folicit the life of a
fubjeft of his own from one of his fervants, and be
refufed.

The king, upon this, ordered AlloFafil to defend
himfelf; and things were upon this footing, the
affair likely to end in oblivion, though not by for-
givenefs. But, a very fliort time after, the prince of
Zague's eldeft fon came privately to Michael's tent
in the night ; and, the next morning, when the
judges were in his tent, Michael fent his door-keeper
(Hagos) reckoned the bravefl: and mod: fortunate
in combat of any^private man in the army, and to
whom he trufted the keeping of his tent-door, to
order Alio Fafil to anfwer at the inftancc of the
prince of Zague, then waiting him in court. Why he
had murdered the prince his father ? Fafil was ado-
nifhed, and refufed to come : being again cited in
a regular manner by Hagos, he feemed defirous to
avail himfelf of the king*s permiflion to defend him-
felf, and call together his friends. Hagos, without
giving him time, thrufl: him through with a lance ;
then cut off his head, and carried it to chael's

tent

30O TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

tent, repeating what paffed, and the reafon of his
killing him.

As a refufal in all fiich inftances is rebellion, this
had palTed according to rule : a party of Tigrans
was ordered to plunder his tent ; and all the ill-
got fpoils which he had gained from the poor in-
habitants of Begemder were abandoned to the fol-
<iiers. Fafirs head was given to the prince of
Zague, as a reparation for the treaty being violated ;
the filver nagareet and fpears were returned ; and,
highly as this affair had been carried by Ras Michael,
the king never afte^ mentioned a word of it. But
this was univerfally allowed to be the firft caufe pf
their difagreement.

Mariam Barea, feeing no other way to fave his
province from ruin but by bringing the affair to a
fhort iffue, refolved likewife to keep his promife.
He retired to Nefas Mufa, and encamped in the
fartheft limits of his province; behind thi^ are the
Woollo Galla, relations of Amitzo the king*s pa-
rents. Joas and Ras Michael followed him with-
out delay, and, having called in all the out-pofts,
both fides prepared for an engagement.

About nine in the morning Mariam Barea pre-
fented his army in order of battle. Michael had
given orders to Kefla Yafous and Welleta Michael
how to form his. He then mounted his mule, and
with fome of his officers rode out to view Mariam
Barea's difpofition. The king, anxious about the
fqrtune of the day, and terrified at fome reports that
had been made him, by timid or unlkilful people,
of the warlike countenance of Mariam Barea's
army, fent to the Ras, whom he faw reconnoitring,

to

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 30I

to know his opinion of what was likely to happen.
" Tell the king," fays the veteran, " that a young
man like him, fighting with a fubjedl fo infinitely
below him, with an army double his number, fhould
give him fair play for his life and reputation. He
ihould fend to Mariam Barea to encreafe the flrength
of his center by placing the troops of Lafla there,
or we fhall beat him in half an hour^ without either
honour to him or to ourfelves." The king, how-
ever, did not underftand that fort of gallantry ; he
thought half an hour in fufpence was long enough,
and he ordered immediately a large body of muf-
quetry to reinforce Fafil, who commanded the cen-
ter, and thereby he weakened his own left wing.

Michael, who commanded the right of the royal
army, had placed himfelf and his fire-arms in very
rough ground, where cavalry could not approach
him, and where he fired as from a citadel, and
foon obliged the left wing of the rebels to retreat.
But the king, Kefla Yafous, and Lubo on the left
were roughly handled by the horfe of Lafta, and
would have been totally defeated, the king and Lubo
having already left the field, had not Kefla Yafous
brought up a reinforcement of the men of Sire
and Temben, and retrieved the day, at lead brought
things upon an equal footing.

Fafil, with the horfe of Foggora and Damot, and
a prodigious body of the Djawi and Pagan Galla
defirous to (hew his confequence, and confirm him-
felf in his ill-got government by his perfonal beha-
viour, attacked the Begemder horfe in the center fo
irrefiftibly, that he not only broke through them in
feveral places, but threw the whole body into a

ihameful

S02i TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

ifhameful flight. Mariam Barea himfelf was wounded
in endeavouring to flop them, and hurried away, in
fpite of his inclination, crying out in great agony,
" Is there not one in ray army that will flay and fee
me die like the fon of Kafmati Ayo ?'* It was all in
vain ; PowufTen, and a number of his own officers,
furrounding him, dragged him as it were by force
out of the field. The country behind Nefas Mufa
is wild, and cut with deep gullies, and the woods
almofl impenetrable ; they were therefore quickly
out of the enemy's purfuit, and fafe, as they thought,
under the proteftion of the V/oollo Galla. The
whole army of Begemder was difperfed, and Michael
early forbade further purfuit.

The account of this battle, and what preceded it-^
from the murder of the prmce of Zague, is not in
the annals or hiftory of Abyffinia, which I have hi-
therto followed ; at leafl; it has not appeared yet,
probably out of delicacy to Ozoro Either, fear of
Ras Michael, and tefpect to the charader of Mariam
Barea, whofe memory is ftill dear to his country.
But the whole was often, at my defire, repeated to
me by Kefla Yafous, and his officers who were there,
whom he ufed to queflion about any circumflance he
did not himfelf remember, or was abfent from ;
for he was a fcrupulous lover of truth ; and nothing
pleafed him fo much as "the thought that I was writ-*,
inp" his hiftory to be read in my country, although
he had not the fmalleft idea of England or its
fituation.

As for the converfation before the battle, it was
often told me by Ayto Aylo and Ayto Engedan,
fons of Kafmati Efhte, who were with the Ras when

he

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE.

S^^

he delivered the meflage to the king, and were
kept by him from engaging that day in refpe6t to
Mariam Barea, who was married to their aunt Ozoro
Eaher.

The king and Lubo fent Woofheka to their
friends among the Woollo, who delivered up the
unfortunate Mariam Barea, with twelve of his officers
who had taken refuge with him. Mariam Barea
was brought before the king in his tent, covered with
blood that had 'flowed from his wound ; his hands
tied behind his back, and thus thrown violently
with his face to the ground. A general murmur
which followed fhewed the fentiments of the fpec-
tators at fo woful a fight ; and the horror of it
feemed to have feized the king fo entirely as to de-
prive him of all other fentiments.

I have often faid, the Mofaical law, or law of re-
taliation, is conftantly obferved over all Abyffinia as
the criminal law of the country, fo that, when any
perfon is llain wrongfully by another, it does not be-
long to the king to punifh that offence, but the
. judges deliver the offender to the nearefl relation of
the party murdered, who has the full power of put-
ting him to death, felling him to flavery, or pardon-
ing him without any fatisfaftion.

Lubo faw the king relenting, and that the greateft
. crime, that of rebellion, was already forgiven. lie
flood up, therefore, and, in violent rage, laid claim
to Mariam Barea as the murderer of his brother :
the king flill faying nothing, he and his other Galla
hurried Mariam Barea to his tent, where he was
killed, according to report, with fnndry circum-
ftances of private cruelty, afterwards looked upon as

great

304 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

great aggravations. Lubo, \^ith his own hand, is
faid to have cut his throat in the manner they kill
fheep. His body was afterwards disfigured with
many wounds, and his head fevered and carried
to Michael, who forbade uncovering it in his tent.
It was then fent to Brulhe*s family in their own.
country, as a proof of the fatisfadion his friends
had obtained ; and this gave more univerfal um-
brage than did even the cruelty of the execution.

Several officers of the king's army, feeing the
bloody intentions of the Galla, advifed Powuflen,
and the eleven other officers that were taken pri-
foners, to make the bed ufe of the prefent opportu-
nity, and fly to the tent of Michael and implore his
proteftion. This they mofl willingly did, with the
connivance of Wooflieka, who had been intruded
with the care of them, and Lubo having finifhed
Mariam Barea, came to the king's tent to feek the
unhappy prifoners, whom he intended as vidims to
the memory of Brulhe likewife. Hearing, however,
that they were fled to Michael's tent, he fent Woo-
fheka to demand them ; but that officer had fcarce
opened his errand, in the gentlefl: manner poffible,
when Michael in a fury, cried out, Cut him in pieces
before the tent-door. Wooftieka was indeed lucky
enough to efcape ; but we fliall find this was not
forgot, for his punifhment was more than doubled
foon afterwards. -

At feeing Mariam Barea's head in the hands of
a Galla, after forbidding him to expofe it in his
tent, Michael is faid to have made the following
obfervation : ^' Weak and cowardly people are al-
w^ays in proportion cruel and unmerciful. If Brulhe's

wife

THE SOURCE Ot' THE NILK. 3^5

wife had done this, I could have forgiven her ; but
for Joas, a young wan and a king, whofe heart
ihould be opened and elated with a firft victory, to
, be partaker with the Galla, the enemies of his coun-
try, in the murder of a nobleman fuch as Mariaui
Barea, it is a prodigy, and can be followed by no
good to himfelf or the ftate ; and I am much de-
ceived if the dav is not at hand when he ihall curfe
the moment that ever Galla croiled the Nile, and
look for a man fuch as Mariam Barea, but he fhall
not find hint." And, indeed, Michael was very well
entitled to make this prophecy, for he knew his own
heart, and the defigns he had now ready to put in
execution.

It is no wonder that thefe free communications
gave the king reafon to diftruft Michael. And it
was obferved that "Waragna Fafil had infinuated him-
felf far into his favour : his late behaviour at the
battle of Nefas Mufa had greatly increafed his im-
portance with the king ; and the number of troops
he had now with him made Joas think himfelf in-
dependent of the Rasi Fafil had brought with him
iiear 30,000 men, about 20,000 of whom were
horfemen, wild Pagan Galla, from Bizamo and other
nations fouth of the Nile. The terror the favages
occafioned in the countries through which they
paiTed, and the great diforders they committed,
gave Ras Michael a pretence to infill that all thole
wild Galla fliould be fent back to their own country.
I fay this was a pretence, becaufe Michael's foldiers
were really more cruel and licentious, becaufe
more confident and better countenanced than thefe
ilrangers were. But the war was over, the armies
Vol. III. X to

'7

o6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

to be difbanded, thefe Pagans were confequently to
return home ; and they were all fent back accord-
ingly, excepting i2,oco Djawi, men of Fafii's own
tribe, and fome of the beft horfe of Maitftia, Agow, .
and Damot.

This was the firft appearance of quarrel between
Pafil and Ras MiehaeL But other accidents followed
fart: that blew up the flame betwixt them ; of which
the following was by much the moll remarkable,
and the moft unexpected.

At Nefas Mufa, near to the field of battle, was
a houfe of Mariam Barea, which he ufed to remove
to when he was bufy in wars with the neighbouring
Galla. It was furrounded with meadows perfedly
well-watered, and full of luxuriant grafs. Fafil,
for the fake of his cavalry, had encamped in thefe
meadows ; or, if he had other views, they are not
known ; and though all the doors and entrances of
the houfe were fhut, yet within was the unfortunate
Ozoro Efther, by this time informed of her hufband's
death, and with her was Ay to Aylo, a nobleman of
great credit, riches, and influence. He had been
at the campaign of Sennaar, and was fo terrified at
the defeat, that on his return, he had renounced
the world, and turned monk. He was a man of no
party, and refufed all pods or employments ; but
was fo eminent for wifdom, that all fides confulted
him, and were in fome meafure governed by him.

This perfon, a relation of the Iteghe's, had, at
her defire, attended Ozoro Efther to Nefas Mufa,
but,, adhering to his vow, went not to battle with
her hufband. Hearing, however, of the bad dif-
pofition of the king, the cruelty of the Galla, and

the

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 307

the power and ambition of Fafil, whofe foldiers
were encamped round the houfe, he told her that
there was only one refolution which flie could take
to avoid fudden ruin, and being made a facrifice
to one of the murderers of her hufband.

This princefs, under the faired form, had the
courage and decifion of a Roman matron, worthy
the wife of Mariam Barea, to whom fhe had borne
two fons. Inftrufted by Aylo, early in the morn-
ing, all covered from head to foot, accompanied
by himfelf, and many attendants and friends, their
heads bare, and without appearance of difguife, they
prefented themfelves at the door of Michael's tent,
and were immediately admitted. Aylo announced
the princefs to the Ras, and (he immediately threw
herfelf at his feet on the ground.

As Michael was lame, though in all other refpe6ls
healthy and vigorous, and unprepared for fo extra-
ordinary an interview, it was fome time before he
could get upon his feet and uncover himfelf before
his fuperior. This being at lafl; accomplifhed, and
Ozoro Eflher refufmg to rife, Aylo, in a fev/ words,
told the Ras her refolution was to give him inftant-
ly her hand, and throw herfelf under his protedion,
as that of the only ^man not guilty of Mariam Ba-
rea's death, who could fave her and her children
from the bloody cruelty and infolence of the Galla
that furrounded her. Michael, fanguine as he was
in his expectations of the fruit he was to reap from
his victory, did not expert fo foon fo fair a fample
of what was to follow.

To decide well, inftantly upon the firfl view, of
things, was a talent Michael pofleiTed fuperior to any

X 2 man

308 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

man in the kingdom. Though Ozoro Efther had
never been part of his fchemes, he immediately faw
the great advantage which would accrue to him by
making hef fo, and he feized it ; and he was cer-
tain alfo that the king, in his prefent difpofitioDj
would foon interfere. He lifted Ozoro Eflhet, and
placed her upon his feat; fenffor Kefla Yafous and
his other officers, and ordered them, with the ut-
inofl: expedition, to draw up his army in order of
battle, as if for a review to afcertain his lofs. At
the fame time he fent for a prieft, and ordered fepa-
tate tents to be pitched for Ozoro Efther and her
houfhold. All this was performed quickly; then
meeting her with the prieft, he was married to her
at the door of his own tent in midft of the ac-
clamations of his whole army. The occafion of
thefe loud fliouts was foon carried to the king, and
was the firft account he had of this marriage. He
received the information with violent difpleafure,
wdiich he could not ftifle, or refrain from exprefling
it in the fevereft terms, all of which were carried to
Ras Michael by officious perfons, alraoft as foon as
they were uttered, nothing foftened.

The confequences of the m.arriage of Ozoro Efther
were very foon feen in the inveterate and determin-
ed hatred againft the Galla. Efther, who could not
fave Mariam Barea, facrificed herfelf that ffie might
avenge his death, and live to fee the lofs of her
huft^and expiated by numberlefs hecatombs of his
enemies and murderers. Mild, gentle, and com-
paffionate as, from my ovi^n knowledge, ftie certain-
ly was, her nature was totally changed when fne caft
back her eyes upon the fufferings of her huft^and ;
nor could fhe be ever fatiated with vengeance for

thofe

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 3©9

thofe fufferings, but conftantly ftlmulated Ras Mi-
chael, of himfelf much inclined to bloodflied, to
extirpate, by every poflible means, that odious na-
tion of Galla, by whom fhe had fallen from all her
hopes of happinefs.

Fafil, as being a Galla, the firfl: man that broke
through the horfe of Begemder, and wounded and
put to flight her hufband Mariam Barea, was in con-
fequence amor^g the black lift of her enemies. Fa-
fil, too, had murdered Kafmati Efhte, who was her
favourite uncle, faft friend to Mariam Barea, and
the man that had promoted her marriage with him.
The great credit of Fafil with the king had now
given Ras Michael violent jealoufy. Thefe caufes
of hatred accumulated every day, fo t!^t Michael
had already formed a refolution to deftroy Fafil, even
though the king fhould perifli with him. In thefe
fentiments, too, was Gufho of Amhara, a man of
great perfonal merit-, of whofe father, Ras Wood-
age, we have already fpoken, who had filled fuccef-
fively all the great ofEces in the laft reign. He was
immenfely rich ; had married a daughter of Ras
Michael, and afterwards fix or feven other v/omen,
being much addi(fled to the fair fex, and was latelv
married to Ozoro Welleta Ifrael, the Iteghe's daugh-
ter. Nor v/as he in any fhape an enemy to wine ; but
very engaging, and plaufible in difcourfe and beha-
viour ; in many refpeds a good ofHcer, careful of
his men, but faid to be little felicitous about his
word or promife to men of any ether profeffion but
that of a foldier.

An accident of the moft trifling kind brought
about an open breach between the king and the Ras

which

n

lO TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

which never after was healed. The weather was
very hot while the army was marching. One day,
a little before their arrival at Gondar, in paffing over
the vaft plain between the mountains and the lake
Tzana, (afterwards the fcene of much bloodihed^
Ras Michael, being a little indifpofe^ with the heat^
and the fun at the fame time affecting his eyes, which
were weak, without other defign than that of (had-
ing them, had throvi^n a white cloth or handkerchief
over his head. This was told the king, then with
Fafil in the center, who immediat^ely fent to the
Ras to inquire what was the m.eaning of that novelty,
and upon what account he prefuqied to cover his
head in his prefence ? The white handkerchief was
immediately taken off, but the affront was thought
fo heinous as never after to admit of atonement.

It mufl: be here obferved, that, when the army
is in the field, it is a diftindion the king ufes, to
bind a broad fillet of fine muflin round his head,
which is tied in a double knot, and hangs in two
long ends behind. This, too, is worn by the go-
vernor of a province when he is firlt introduced
into it ; and, in abfence of the king, is the mark
of fupreme power, either dired pr delegated, in the
perfon that wears it.

Unlefs on fuch occafions, no one covers his
head in prefence of the king, nor in fight of the
houfe or palace where the king refides ; But it was
not thought, that, being at fuch a diftance in the
rear, he was in the king's prefence, nor that what
was caufed by infirmity was to be conflrued into
prefumption, or weighed by the nice fcale of jealous
prerogp.tive.

The

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 311

The armies returned to the valleys below Gon-
dar, and encamped feparately there, Fafil upon the
river Kahha, and Ras Michael on the Angrab. Gufho
was on the right of Michael and left of Fafil, a little
higher up the Kahha, near Kofcam, the Iteghe's
palace; but he was on the oppofite fide of the river
from Fafilj where he had a houfe of his own, and
feveral large meadows adjoining. Gu(ho*s fervants
and foidiers now began cutting their mafter^s grafs,
and were foon joined by a number of Fafil's people,
who fell, without ceremony, to the fame employ-
ment. An interruption was immediately attempted,
a fray enfued, and feveral were killed or wounded
on both fides, but at laft Fafil's people were beat
back to their quarters.

Gulho complained to Ras Michael of this violation
of his property ; and he being now in Gondar, and
holding the office of Ras, was, without doubt, the
fuperior and regular judge of both, as they were both
out of their provinces, and immediately in Michael's,
Upon citation, Fafil declared that he would -fubmit
to no fuch jurifdi6lion ; and, the cafe being referred
to the judges next day, it was found unanimoufly
in council, that Ras Michael was in the right, and
that Fafil was guilty of rebellion. A proclamation
in confequence was made at the palace-gate, fuper-
feding Fafil in his government of Damot, and in
every other office which he held under the king, and
appointing Boro de Gago in his place, a man of
great interefl in Damot and Gojam, and with the
Galla on both fides of the Nile, and married to a
filter of Kafmati Efhte's, "by another mother, other-
wife a man of fmall capacity.

Fafil,

312 TKAVELS TO DISCOVER

Fafil, after a long and private audience of the
king in the night, decamped early in the morning
with his army, and fat down at Azazo, the high
road between Damot and Gondar, and there he in-
tercepted all the provifions coming from the foutb-
ward to the capital.

It happened that the houfe in Gondar, where Ras
Michael lived, was but a fmall diflance from the
palace, a window of which opened fo dire^ly into
it, that Michael, when fitting in judgment, could
be di{lin6tly feen from thence. One day, when
moft of his fervants had left him, a fhot was fired
into the room from this window of the palace,
which, though it miffed Michael, wounded a dwarf,
who was {landing before him fanning the flies from
off his face, fo grievoufly, that the page fell and
expired at the foot of his mailer. This v/^s confi-
dered as the beginning of the hoftillties. No body
knew from whofe hand the fhot came ; but the win-
dow from which it was aimed fufficiently fhewed,
that if it was not by dire<3:ion, it mufl: at lead have
been fired with the knowledge of the king.

Joas loft no time, but removed and encamped at
Tedda, and fent Wooiheka to Michael with orders
to return to Tigrc, and not to fee his face ; and,
at the fame time, declared Lubo governor of Be-
gemde-r and Amhara. The Ras fcarcely could be
brought to fee Wooiheka ; but did not deign to
give any further anfwer than this, " That the king
" fhould know, that the proper perfons to corref-
" pond with him as Ras, upon the affairs of the
" kingdom, were the judges of the town, or of
" the palace j not a Have like Wooiheka, whofe

" life.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 313

^' life, as well as that of all the Gallas in the king's
" prefence, was forfeited .by the laws of the land.
*' He cautioned him from appearing again in his
** prefence, for if he did, that he fhouid furely
« die."

The next day a meflage came from the king,, by
four judges, forbidding the Ras again to drink of
either the Angrab or the Kahha, but to ftrike his
tents and return to Tigre upon pain of incurring
his highefl: difpleafure. — To this Michael anfwered.
That, true it was, his province was Tigre, but
that he was now governor of the whole realm ;
that he was an extraordinary ofBcer, called to
prevent the ruin of the country, becaufe, con-
*^ fefledly, the king could not do it ; that the reafon
of his coming exifted to that day ; and he was
very willing to fubmit it to the judges for their
^' folemn opinion, whether the kingdom, at pre-
" fent in the hands of the Galla, was not in more
*' danger from the power of tliofe Galla than it was
*' from the conftitutional influence of Mariam Ba-
" rea. He added, that he expefted the king fliould
be ready to march againfl: Fafil, for which pur-
pofe he was to decamp on the morrow.'* The
king returned an abfolute refufal to march : The
Ras thereupon made proclamation for all the Galla,
of every denomination, to leave the capital, the
next day, upon pain of death, declaring them out-
lawed, and liable to be flain by the hrft that met
them, if, after twenty-four hours, they were found
in Gondar or its neighbourhood, or, after ten days,
in any part of the kingdom. After this, accom-
panied

<c

(C

314 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

panifid by Gu{ho, he decamped to diflodge Fafil
from the flrong poll which he held at Azazo.

By the king's refufal to march with Ras Michael
in perfon, it was fuppofed that his houfhold troops
would not join, but remain with him to garrifon
his palace. Joas, however, was too far decided in
favour of Fafil 'o remain neuter. Michael had en-
camped the 21ft of April, in the evening, on the
fide of the hill above Azazo, in very rough and
rocky ground, as unfavourable for Fafil's horfe as
the flope it had was favourable for Michael's muC-
quetry.

The battle was fought on the 2 2d, in the morn-
ing, and there was much blood fhed for the time
that it lafted. A nephew of Michael, and his old
Fit-Auraris, N^tcho, were both flain, and Fafil was
totally defeated. The Galla, who had come from
the other fide of the Nile, were very much terrified
at Michael's fire-arms, which contained what they
called the zibib, or 'grape, meaning thereby the
ball. Fafil retired quickly to Damot, to increafe
and collect another army again, and to try his for^
tune after the rains.

It happened, unfortunately, that among the prl-
foners taken at Azazo were fome of the king's
black hoife. Thefe being his flaves, and fubjedt
only to his commands, fufficiently Ihewed by whofe
authority they came there. They were, therefore,
all called before Michael ; two of them were firft
interrogated, whether the king had fent them or
not ? and, upon their denying or refufing to give
an anfvver, their throats were cut before, their com-
panions. The next queftioned was a page of the

king,

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 315

king, who feeing, from the fate of his friends, what
\vas to follow his denial, frankly told the Ras,
that it was by the king's fpecial orders they, and a
confiderabl-e body of the houlhold troops, had joined
Fafil the night before j and further, that it was the
Armenian, who, by the king's order, had fired at
him, and killed the dwarf who was fanning the
flies from him.

Upon this information all the prifoners were dif-
mifled. The army returned the fame night to Gon-
dar, and, though they had been fafting all day, a
council was held, which fat till very late, at the
rifing of which a melTenger was difpatched to Wechne
for Hatze Hannes, who was brought to the foot of
the mountain the next day. In the fame night Sha-
laka Becro, Nebrit T«cla and his two fons, Lika
Netcho and his two.^fons, and a monk of Tigre,
called Welleta Chriftos, were fent to the palace to
murder the king, which they eafily accomplifhed,
having found him alone. The)H|jj|uried him in the
Tchurch of St, Raphael, as we fliall find from the
regicide's own confeflion, when he was apprehended,
when we {hiil relate the particulars.

At the fame time Michael exhibited a flrange con-
trail in his behaviour to the Armenian, who had
fled to the houfe of the Abuna for refuge. He fent
and took him thence, and banifhed him from Abyf-
finia, but fo confi4erately, tljat he difpatched a fer-
vant with him to Mafuah to furnifh him with necef-
faries, to fee him embark, and fave him from the
cruelty and extortions of the Naybe.

HANNES

.l6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

H A N N E S II.

1769.

Hamies, Brother to Bacuffa^ chofen King—Is brought

fromWechne — Crowned atGondar — Refufes to march

againji Fafd — Is poifoned by Order of Ras Michael.

Ai ANNES, a man pad feventy years of age, made
his entry into Gondar the 3d of May, 1769. He
was brother to Bacufta, and having in his time
efcaped from the mountain, and being afterwards
taken, his hand was cut off by order of the king
his brother, and he was fent back to the place of
his confinement. ' *

It is a law of Abyffinia, as we have already ob-
ferved, derived from that of Mofes, that no man
can be capable either of the throne or priefthood,.
unlefs he be perfe6t in all his limbs ; the want of a
hand, therefore, certainly difqualified Hannes, and
it was with that intent it had been cut off. When
this was objefted to him in council, Michael laugh-
ed violently, and turned it into ridicule ; " What
" is it that a king has to do with his hands ? Are
" you afraid he Ihall not be able to faddle his own
'•' mule, or load his own baggage ? Never fear that ;
*• when he is under any fuch difficulty, he has only
" to call upon me *, and I will help him.'*

* ViThat made the ridicule here was, Michael was older than
the king, and could not (land alone.

Hannes,

THE SOURCE OF THE MILE. 31^

Hannes, befides his age, was vety feeble in body;
and having had no converfation but with monks
and priefts, this had debiHtated his mind as much
as age had done his body. He could not be per-
fuaded to take any ihare in government. The whole
day was fpent in plalms and prayers ; but Ras Mi-
chael had brought from the mountain with him
two fons, Tecla Haimanout the eldeft, a prince of
fifteen years of age, and the younger, called George,
about thirteen.

Guebra Denghel, a nobleman of the firft family
in Tigre, had married a daughter of Michael by one
of his wives in that province. By her he had one
daughter, Welleta Selaffe, whom Michael, in the be-
ginning, while Joas and he were yet friends, had
deftined to be queen, and to be married to him.
Hannes was of the age only to need a Shunnamite j
and Welleta SelafTe, young and beautiful, and who
merited to be fomething more, was deftined as this
facrifice to the ambition of her grandfather. A
kind of marriage j 1 believe, was therefore made,
but never confummated. She lived with Hannes
fome months in the palace, but never took any (late
upon her. She was a wife and a queen merely in
name and idea. Love had in that frozen compofi-
tion as little (hare as ambition, and thofe two great
temptations, a crown and a beautiful miflrefs, eould
not animate Hatze Hannes to take the field to defend
them. Every pofTible method was taken by Michael
to overcome his reluctance, and do away his fears.
All was vain ; he wept, hid himfelf, turned monk,
demanded to be fent again to Wechne, but abfo-
lutely refufed marching with the army.

Michael,

3lB TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Michael, who had already feen the danger of
leaving a king behind him while he was in the field,
and finding Hannes inexorable, had recourfe to poifon,
which was given him in his breakfaft ; and the Ras,
by this means, in lefs than fix months became the
deliberate murderer of two kings.

TECLA HAIMANOUT II.

1769.

Succeeds his Father Ha?ines-- His Chara&er and pru-
dent Behaviour — Cultivates Michael's Friend/hip —
Marches willingly againft Faftl — Defeats him at
Fagitta — Defcription of that Battle,

TpECLA HAIMANOUT fucceeded his father.
He was a prince of a moft graceful figure, tall for
his age, rather thin, and of the whiteft ftiade of
Abyflinian colour, fuch are all thofe princes that
are born in the mountain. He was not fo dark in
complexion as a Neapolitan or Portugueze, had a
remarkably . fine forehead, large black eyes, but
which had fomething very fi:ern in them, a firaight
nofe, rather of the largefl:, thin lips, and fmall
mouth, very white teeth and long hair. His fea-
tures even in Europe, would have been thought
fine. He was particularly careful of his hair, which
he dreffed in a hundred different ways. Though

he

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 319

he had been abfent but a -very few months from his
native mountain, his manners and carriage were
thofe of a prince, that from his infancy had fat upon
an hereditary throne. He had an excellent under-
ftanding, and prudence beyond his years. He was
faid to be naturally of a very warm temper, but
this he had fo perfedlly fubdued as fcarcely ever to
have given an inftance of it in public. He entered
into Ras Michael's views entirely, and was as for-
ward to march out againft Fafil, as his father had
been averfe to it.

From the timeof Hannes's acceflion to the throne,
Tecla Haimanout called Michael by the name of
Father, and during the few flight ficknefles the Ras
had, he laid by all his ftate, and attended him with
an anxiety well becoming a fon. At this time I en-
tered Abyflinia, and arrived in Mafuah, where there
was a rumour only of Hatze Hannes's illnefs.

The army marched out of Gondar on the i oth
of November, 1769, taking the route of Azazo and
Dingleber. Fafil was at Bure, and had afiembled
a large army from Damot, Agow, and Maitfha.
JBut Welleta Yafous, his principal officer, had brought
together a ftill larger one, from the wild nations of
Galla beyond the Nile, and this not without fome
difficulty. The zibib, or bullet, which had deflroyed
fo many of thera at Azazo, had made an impreffion
on their minds, and been reported to their country-
men as a circum (lance very unpleafmg, Thefe wild
Pagans, therefore, had, for the firft time, found a
reludance to invade their ancient enemies the Abyf-
fmians.

Fafil,.

SZ6 tRAVELS TO DlSCOl^^R

Fafil, to overcome this fear of the zibib, had
loaded fdme guns with powder, arid fired theiii
very near at fdme of his friends, which of courfe
had hurt nobody. Again he had put bail in his
gun, and fired at cattle afar off; and thefe being
for the moft part flightly wounded, he inferred
from thence that the zibib was fatal only at a dif-
tance, but that if they galloped refolutely to the
mouth of the gun, the grape could do no more
than the firfl gun he fired with powder had done
to thofe he had aimed at.

As foon as Fafil heard that Michael was on his
march, he left Bure and advanced to meet him,
his wi(h being to fight him if poffible, before he
fhould ertter into thofe rich provinces of the Agowsj
from whence he drew the maintenance of his army,
and expeded tribute. Michael's condu£l warranted
this precaution. For no foorier had he entered Fafil's
government, than he laid wafle all Maitllia, deftroy-
ing every thing with firfe and fword. The old gene-
ral indeed being perfeftly acquainted with the
country, and with the enemy he was to engage, had
already fixed upon his field of battle, and meafured
the ftations that would conduft him thither.

Inftead of taking up the time v»'ith fpreading the
defolation he had begun, after the firft two days,
by forced marches he came to Fagitta, confiderably
earlier than Fafil expe6l€d. This field that Michael
had chofen, was rocky, uneven, and full of ravines
in one part, and of plain fmooth turf on the other,
which divifions were feparated by a brook full of
large ftones*

The

THE SOURCE OE THE NILE. 32,1

The Nile was oii Ras Michaers left, afid in this
rugged ground he ftationed his lances and mufque-
try ; for he never, made gf eat account of his horfe.
Two large churches, St. Michael and St. George,
planted thick with cedars, and about half a mile
diftant from each other, were on his right and left
flanks, or rather advanced farther before his front.
A deep valley communicated with the moft level of
thefe plains, defcending gently all the way from the
celebrated fources of the Nile^ which were not
more than half a day's journey diftant. Michael
drew up his army behind the two churches, which
w^re advanced on his right and left flanks, an^
among the cedars of thefe he planted 500 mufque-
teers before each church, whom the trees perfedly
concealed ; he formed his horfe in front, knowing
them to be an objed: the Galla did not fear, and
likely to lead them on to charge raflily. Thefe he
gave the command of to a very adtive and capable
officer, Powuffen of Begemder, one of thofe eleven
fervants of Mariam Barea, whofe lives Michael faved,
by protecting them in his tent after the battle of
Nefas Mufa. He had directed this officer, with a
few horfe, to fcour the fmall plain, as foon as he
faw the Galla advancing into it from the valley.

As foon as the fun became hot, FafiPs wild Galla
poured into the plain, and they had now occupied
the greateft part of it, which was not large enough
to contain his whole army, when their fliirmifiiing
began by their driving Powuffen before them, who
fled apparently in great confufion, crofled the brook,
and joined the horfe, and formed nearly between the
churches. The Galla, defirous to purfue, were

Vol. III. Y impeded

SiT, TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

impeded by the great ftones, fo that they were in a
crowd at the pafTage of the brook.

Ayto Welleta Gabriel, faftor to Ozoro Efther,
was intoxicated with liquor, but he was a brave
man, very active and ftrong, and of a good under-
ftanding, though, according to a cuftom among
them, he, at times, to divert the Ras, played the
part c^f a buffoon. In this character, with his muf-
quet only in his hand, he, though on foot, Ikirmifhed
in the middle of a party of Powu0en*s horfe. When
they turned to fiy, Welleta Gabriel found if con-
venient to do fo likewife, and he crofTed the brook
without looking behind him. Upon turning round,
he faw the Galla halt, as if in council, in the bed
of the rivulet, and taking up his gun as a bravado,
he levelled at the crowd, and had the fortune to
hit the principal man among them, who- fell dead
among the feet of the horfes.

A fmall paufe enfued ; the cry of the Zibib ! the
Zibib! immediately began, and a downright con-
fufion and flight followed. The Galla, already
upon the plain, turned upon thofe coming out of
the valley, and thefe again upon their companions
behind them. The cry of Zibib Ali* ! Zibib
Ali! was repeated through the whole, fpreading
terror and difmay wherever it was heard. No-
body knew what was the misfortune that had be-
fallen them. Welleta Yafous, who commanded
the van, was carried away by the multitude flying :
Fafil, who- was at the head of the Damot.and Agows,

* They have the grave along with them.

bad'

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 32,;^

had not entered the valley, nor could any one tell
him what was the accident in the plain.

Even Michael himfelf, (as I have heard him fay)
when, fitting upon hh mule on a fmall emi-
nence, he faw this extraordinary confufion and re-
treat, was not able to affign any caufe for it. Though
no man on thefe occafions had more prefence of
mind, he remained for a time motionlefs without
giving any orders. The troops, however, that lay
hid in the groves of cedars before the churches, who
had been filent and attentive, and Powuffen, who
commanded the horfe which had been fkirmifhing,
faw diftinftly the operation of Welleta Gabriel, and
the confufion that had followed it ; without lofs of
time they attacked the Galla in the valley, and were
foon joined by Gulho and the reft of the army.

Fafil, in defpair at a defeat of which he knew not
the caufe, came down among the Galla, fighting-
very bravely, often facing about upon thofe that
preffed them, and endeavouring at leaft to retreat in
fome fort of order ; but the mufqueteers from the
church, commanded by Hezekias, inftead of enter-
ing the valley, had advanced and afcended the hills,
fo that from the fides of them, in the utmoft fecu-
rity, they poured down fhot upon the fliers beneath
them.

Fafil here loft a great part of his army ; but fee-
ing a place in one of the hills accefTible, he left the
valley, and afcended the fide of the mountain, lead-
ing a large body of his own troops ; and, having
gained the fmooth ground behind the mufqueteers,
he came up with them, whilft intent only upon
annoying the Galla, and cut 300 to pieces. Con^

Y 2 tent

3H TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

tent with this advantage, and fihdifig his army eti-
tirely difperfed, he paflfed the fources bfthe Nile at
Geefh, defcended into the plain of Afloat, aiid en-
camped near Gooderoo, a fmall lake there, intending
to pafs the night, and colTecl his fcattered' forces.

MichaePs army had given over purfuitj biit
PowufTen, with fome. chofen harfe of Lafta and
JBegemder, followed Fafil upon his track, and came
up with him a little before the dufk of the evening,
on the fide of the lake. Here a great flaughter of
wounded and weary men enfued : Fafil fled, and no
refiftance was attempted, and the foldiers, fatiated
with blood, at laft returned^ and purfued the enemy
no-- further.

It was the next day in the evening before Po-
wufTen joined the camp, having put to the fword,
without mercy, ail the ftragglers that fell in the way
upon his return. The appearance of this man and
his behaviour made Michael's joy complete, who
already had begun to emertain fears that fome un-
t6ward accident had befallen him.

This was the battle of Fagiita, fought on the 9th
of December, 1769, on the very ground in which
Fafil, jufl: five years before, had murdered Kafmati
Efhte. Thofe philofopbers, who difclaim the di-
redion of a divine Providence, will calculate how
many chances there were, that, in a kingdom as big
as Great Britain, the commiifion of a crime and its
punifliment fhould both liappen in one place, on
one day, in the fhort fpace of five years, and in the
life of one man.

The extraordinary feverity exercifed upon the
army of the Galla, after the battle, was ftill as ap-
parent

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 3^|

parent as it had been in the flight. Woofheka, ef
whom we have had already occafion to fpeak, fell in
among the horfe of Powuffeh and Gufho, and being
known, his life was fpared. He w^s coufin-german
to LubOj-but a better man and foldier than his reia^
tion, and, in all the intrigues of the Galla at Gon-
dar, was confidered as an undefigning man, of harm-
lefs and inoffenfive mariners. He had been com-
panion of Guiho, and many of the principal com-
inanders in the army, ^nd, after the defeat at Ne^
fas Mufa^ had the gaard of Powuffen and the
eleven officers, whom he fuffered to efcape into
Michael's tent, as I have already faid, while Lubo
was murdering Mariam Barea. He had been, for a
time, well known and v/ell efteemed by Ras Michael,
nor was he ever fuppofed pprfonally to have offended
him, or given umbrage to any one. As he was a
man of fome fortune and fubftance, it was thought
the forfeiture of all that he had might more thati
atone for any fault that he had ever committed.

It was therefore agreed on the morning after
PowufTen's return from the purfuit, that Cufho and
he, when they furrendered this prifoner, fhould
afk his life and pardon from the Ras, and this they
did, proftrating themfelves in the humbled: manner
with their foreheads on the earth. Ras Michael,
at oftce forgetting his own interefl:^ and the quality
and confequence of the officers before him, fell into
a violent and outrageous pafTion- againft the fup>f
plicants, and, after a very Ihort reproof, ordered
each of them to their tents in a kind of difgrace.

He then flernly interrogated Woolheka, whether
he did not reinember that, at Tedda, he had or-

dere4

ri

%6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

dered him out of the country in ten days ? then,
in his own language of Tigre, he afked, if there
was any one among the foldiers that could make
a leather bottle ? and being anfwered in the affirma-
tive, he ordered one to be made of Woolheka's
fkin, but firfl to carry him to the king. The fol-
diers underftood the command, though the mife-
rable victim did not, and he was brought to the
king, who would not fuffer him to fpeak, but waved
with his hand to remove him ; and they accordingly
carried him to the river fide, where they flayed him
alive, and brought his (kin fluffed with ftraw to Ras
Michael.

It was not doubted that Ozoro Eflher, then in
the camp, had fealed the fate of this wretched vidim.
She appeared that night in the king's tent dreffed
irt the habit of a bride, which fhe had never before
done fmce the death of Mariam Barea. Two days
after, having obtained her, end, flie returned triumph-
ant to Gondar, where Providence vifited her with
diilrefs in her own family, for the hardnefs of her
heart to the fufferings of others.

During this time I was at Mafuah, where, by rea-
fon of the great diftance and interruption in the
roads^ thefe tranfadions were not yet known, Hatze
Hannes was flill fuppofed alive, and my errand
from Metical Aga that of being his Phyfician.
I fhall now begin an account of what paffed at
Mafuah, and thence continue my journey to Gondar
till my meeting with the king there.

BOOK

J*jjjj_gMg,n.., ,^^

^

m

».

-^

AJiay ^ the Jn^tired .

iUljIIi.

THE SOURCE OF THiE NJI.E. 33^

BOOK V,

Account of my journey from masuah to

gondar transactions thererr— manners

and customs of the abyssinians.

C H A P. I.

Tranfa^ions at Mafuah and Arkeeko*

iVl A S U A H, which means the port or harbour
of the Shepherds, is a fmall illand immediately on
the Abyflinian fhore, having an excellent harbour,
and water deep enough for (hips of any fize to the
very edge of the iiland : here they may ride in the
utmoft fecurity, from . whatever point, or with
whatever degree of flrength, the wind blows. As
It takes its modern, fo it received its ancient name
from its harbour. It was called by the Greeks
Sebajiicum Os, from the capacity of its port, which
is diflributed into three divifions. The ifland itfelf
is very fmall, fcarce three quarters of a mile in
length, and about half that in breadth, one-third
occupied by houfes, one by cifterns to receive the
rain-water, and the laft is referved for burying the

dead. •*'<*<

r Mafuahj

The Ifland

^ V

A Jlay oflheJiyured.

Enghih Miles.

4

THE SOURCE OF THE NII^E, 3^7

BOOK V,

Account o? my journey from masuah to

gondar transactions therer— manners

and customs of the abyssinian^.

C H A P. I.

TranfaStions at Mafuah and Arkeeko,

<*

iVl A S U A H, which means the port or harbouf
of the Shepherds, is a fmall ifland immediately on
the Abyffinian fhore, having an excellent harbour,
and water deep enough for fhips of any fize. to the
very edge of the ifland : here they may ride in the
utmofl fecurity, from . whatever point, or with
whatever degree of flrength, the wind blows. As
It takes its modern, fo it received its ancient name
frorji its harbour. It was called by the Greeks
Sebajiicum Osy from the capacity of its port, which
is diftributed into three divifions. The ifland itfelf
is very fmall, fcarce three quarters of a mile in
length, and about half that in breadth, one-third
occupied by houfes, one by cifterns to receive the
rain-water, and the laft is referved for burying the
dead. .^^

Mafuah,

3^8 TRAVEXS TO DISCOVER

Mafuah, as we have already obferved, was one
of thofe towns on the weft of the Red Sea that fol-
lowed the conqueft of Arabia Felix by Sinan Baflia,
under Selim emperor of Conftantinople. At that
time it was a place of great comnierce, poflfefling a
fhare of the Indian trade in common with the other
ports of the Red Sea near the mouth of the Indian
Ocean. It had a confiderable quantity of exports
brought to it from a great trad of mountainous
country behind it, in all ages very unhofpitable, and
almoft inaccefiible to ftrangers. Gold and ivoryj
elephants and buffaloes hides, and, above all, flaves,
of much greater value, as being more fought after
for their perfonal qualities than any other fort, who
bad the misfortune to be reduced to that condition,
made the principal articles of exportation from this
port. Pearls, confiderable for fize, water, or colour,
were found all along its coaft. The great conveni-
ence of commodious riding for veflels, joined to
thefe valuable articles of trade, had overcome the
inconvenience of want of water, the principal ne-
ceifary of life, to which it had been fubje(^ed from
its creation.

Mafuah continued a place of much refort as long
as commerce flourilhed, but it fell into obfcurity
very fuddenly under the oppreffion of the Turks,
\yho put the finifhing hand to the ruin of the India
trade in the Red Sea, begun fome years before by
the difcovery of the Cape of Good Hope, and the
fettlements made by the Portuguefe on the conti-
nent of India.

The firft government of Mafuah under the Tur]^^
was by a baflm fent from Coivftantinople, and from

; thence;

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 329

thenc-e, for a time, the conquefl: of Abyffinia was
attempted, always wirh great confidence, thougl^
never with any degree of fuccefs ; fo that, Jofing it§
value as a garrifon, and, at the fame time, as a pla^e
of trade, it was thought no longer worth while to
keep up fo expenfive an eftabliftiment as thjit of a
bafhalik.

The principal auxiliary, when the Turks con-
quered the place, was a tribe of Mahometans called
Belowee, fhepherds inhabiting the coaft of the Re4
Sea under the mountains of the Habab, about lat.
14°. In reward for this afliftance, the Turks gavQ
their chief the civil government of Mafuah and its
territory, under the title ofNaybe of Mafuah ; and,
upon, the bafha's being withdrawn, this officer re-
mained in faft fovereign of the place, though, to
faTe appearances, he held it of the grand fignior
for an annual tribute, upon receiving a firman from
the Ottoman Porte.

The body of Janizaries, once eflablilhed there*
in garrifon, were left in the iiland, and their pay
continued to them from Conftantinople. Thefe
marrying the women of the country, their children
fucceeded them in their place and pay as Janizaries j
but being now, by their intermarriages, Moors, and
natives of Mafuah, they became of courfe relations
to each other, and always fubjed to the influence
of the Navbe,

The Naybe finding the great diftance he was from
his protestors, the Turks in Arabia, on the other
fide of the Red Sea, whofe garrifons were every day
decaying in ftrength, and for the moft part reduced ;
fenfible, too, how much he was in the power of

33^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

the Abyflinians, his enemies and nearefl neighbours,
i)egan to think that it was better to fecure himfelf at
home, by making fome advances to thofe in whofe
Qpwer he was. Accordingly it was agreed between
•them, that one half of the cuftoms (hould be paid
by him to the king of Abyflinia, who was to fuffer
him to enjoy his government unmolefted ; for Ma-
fuah, as I have before faid, is abfolutely deftitute of
water; neither can it be fupplied with any fort
of provifions but from the mountainous country of
Abyflinia.

The fame may be faid of Arkeeko, a large town
on the bottom of the bay of Mafuah, which has
indeed water, but labours under the fame fcarcity
of provifions ; for the traft of flat land behind both,
called Samhar, is a perfect defert, and only inha-
bited from the month of November to April, by a
variety of wandering tribes called Tora, Hazorta,
Shiho, and Doba, and thefe carry all their cattle to
the Abyffinian fide of the mountains when the
rains fall there, which is the oppofite fix months.
When the feafon is thus reverfed, they and their
cattle are no longer in Samhar, or the dominion of
the Naybe, but in the hands of the AbyiTinians, ef-
pecially the governor of Tigre and Baharnagafh,
who thereby, without being at the expence and trou-
ble of marching againft Mafuah with an army, can
make a line round it, and ftarve ajl at Arkeeko and
Mafuah, by prohibiting any fort of provifions to
be carried thither from their fide. In the courfe of
liiis hiftory we have feen this pra^tifed with great
uiccefs more than once, efpecially againft the Naybe
Mufa in the reign of Yafous I.

The

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 33I

The friendflilp of Abyffinia once fecured, an4
the power of the Turks declining daily in Arabia,
the Naybe began by degrees to withdraw himfelf
from paying tribute at all to the bafhaof Jidda, ito
whofe government his had been annexed by the
porte. He therefore received the firman as a mere
form, and returned trifling prefents, but no tribute ;
and in troublefome times, or a weak government
happening in Tigre, he withdrew himfelf equally
from paying any confideration, either to the bafha
in name of tribute, or to the king of Abyffinia, as
fhare of the cuftoms. This was precifely his fitua-
tion when 1 arrived in Abyffinia. A great revolu-
tion, as we have already feen, had happened in that
kingdom, of which Michael had been the principal
author. When he was called to Gondar and made
minifter there^ Tigre remaine4 drained of troops,
and without a governor.

Nor was the new king, Hatze Hannes, whom
Michael had placed upon the throne after the mur-
der of Joas his predecefTor, a man likely to infufe
vigour into the new government. Hannes was pad
feventy at his acceffion, and Michael his minifter
lame, fo as fcarcely to be able to ftand, and within
a few years of eighty. The Naybe, a man of about
forty-eight, judged of the debility of the Abyffinian
government by thofe circumftances, but in this he
was miftaken.

Already Michael had intimated to him, that, the
next campaign, he would lay wafte Arkeeko and
Mafuah, till they fhould be as defert as the wilds of
Samhar ; and as he had been all his life very re-
inarkable for keeping his promifes of this kind, the

ftranger

33^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

ftranger merchants had many of them 6^d to Arabia,
and others to Dobarwa *, a large town in the ter-
ritories of ihe Baharnagaih. Notwithfbnding this,
tin Naybe hj^d not (hewn any public mark of fear,
nor fent one penny either to the king of Abyffinia
or the ba(ha of Jidda.

On the other hand, the baiha was not indifferent
to his own intereft ; and to bring about the pay-
ment, he had made an agreement with an officer of
great credit with the Sherriife of Mecca. This
man was originally an Abyffinian ilave, his name
Metical Ag^, who by his addrefs had raifed himfelf
to the pofl; of Seli£l:ar, or fword-bearer^ to the Sher-
riffe ; and,- in fad, he was abfolute in all his domi-
nions. He was, moreover, a great friend of Michael
• governor of Tigre, ^nd had fupplied him with large
flores of arms and ammunition for his lad campaign
agalnfl the king at Gondar.

The baflia had employed Metical Aga to inform
Michael of the treatment he had received from the
Naybe, defiring his afliftance to force him to pay
the tribute, and at the fame time intimated to the
Naybe, that he not only had done fo, but the very
next year would give orders throughout Arabia to
arreft the goods and perfons of fuch Mahometan
merchants as fliould come to Arabia, either from
motives of religion or trade. With this melTagehe
had fent the firman from Conftantinople, defiring
the return both of tribute and prefents.

^ Suppofed from its name to have been formerly the capital
♦r ihf. Dobae.

Mahomet

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 333

Mahomet Gibberti, Metical Aga's fervant, had
come in the boat with me ; but Abdelcader, who

carried the meflage und firman, and who was governon|
of the illand of Dahalac, had failed at fame time
with me, and had been fpeclator of the honour
which was paid my Ihip when fhe left the harbour
of Jidda.

Running ftraight over to Mafuah, Abdelcader
had proclaimed what he had feen with great exagge-
ration, according to the cuftom of his country ; and
reported that a prince was coming, a very near
relation to the king of England, who was no trader,
but came only to vifit countries and people.

It was many times, and oft agitated (as we knew
afterwards) between the Naybe and his counfellors,
what was to be done with this prince. Some were
for the moft expeditious, and what has long been the
Jnofl: cuftomary, method of treating flrangers in Ma-
fuah, to put them to death, and divide every thing
they had among the garrifon. Others infifted, that
they (hould flay and fee what letters I had from
Arabia to Abyffinia, left this might prove an addi-
tion to the ftorm juft ready to break upon them on
the part of Metical Aga and Michael Suhul.

But Achmet, the Naybe's nephew, faid, it was
folly to doubt but that a man, under the defcription
I was-, would have protections of every kind ; but
whether I had or not, that my very rank Ihould pro-
te6i: me in every place where there was any govern-
ment whatever ; it might do even among banditti
and thieves inhabiting woods and mountains ; that
a fufficient quantity of ft rangers blood had been al-
ready filed at Mafuah, for the purpofe of rapine,

and

534 TRAVELS to DISCOVER

and he believed a curfe and poverty had followed it ;
that it was impoffible for thofe who had heard the fir-
ing of thofe fhips to Gonjedure whether I had letters
to Abyflinia or not j that it would be better to con-
fider whether I was held in efteem by the captains
of thofe fhips, as half of the guns they fired in com-
pliment to me, was fufficient to dedroy them all,
and lay Arkeeko and Mafuah as defolate as Michael
Suhul had threatened to do ; nor could that venge-
ance coft any of the fhips, coming next year to Jidda,
a day*s failing out of their way ; and there being
plenty of water when they reached Arkeeko at the
fouth-weft of the bay, all this deftruction might be
effedled in one afternoon, and repeated once a year
■without difficulty, danger, or expence, while they
were watering.

Achmet, therefore, declared it was his refolution
that I fhould be received with marks of confideration,
till,upon infpeding my letters, andcon verfmg with
me, they might fee what fort of man I was, and
upon what errand I was come; but even if I was
a trader, and no priefl or Frank, fuch as came to
^diflurb the peace of the country, he would not then
confent to any perfonal injury being done me ; if I
was indeed a priefl, or one of thofe Franks, Gehennim,
they might fend me to hell if they chofe ; but he,
for his part, would not, even then have any thing
to do with it.

Before our vefTel appeared, they came to thefe
conclufions ; and though I have fuppofed that hoift-
ing the colours and faluting me with guns had
brought me into this danger, on the other hand it
may be faid, perhaps with greater reafon, they were

the

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 335

the means Providence kindly ufed to fave my life
in that flaughter-houfe of ftrangers.

Achmet's father had been Nay be before, and, of
courfe, the fovereignty, upon the prefent incum-
bent's death, was to devolve on him. And what
made this lefs invidious, the fons of the prefent
Naybe had all been fwept away by the fraall-pox ;
fo that Achmet was really, at any rate, to be con-
fidered as his fon and fucceifor. Add to this, the
Naybe had received a ftroke of the palfy, which de-
prived him of the ufeof one of his fides, and greatly
impeded his adivity, unlefs in his feh ernes of doing
ill ; but I could not perceive, when intending mif-
chief, that he laboured under any infirmity. All
this gave Achmet fovereign influence, and it was
therefore agreed the reft fhould be only fpectators,
and that my fate fhould be left tohim.

Achmet was about twenty-five years of age, or
perhaps younger ; his ftature near five feet four j
he was feebly made, a little bent forward or {loop-
ing, thin, long-faced, long-necked ; fmall, but tole-
rably well-limbed, agile and aQive enough in his
motions, though of a figure by no means athletic;
he had a broad forehead, thick black eye-brows,
black eyes, ao aquiline nofe, thin lips, and fine teeth ;
and, what is very rare in that country, and much de-
fired, a thick curled beard. This man was known
to be very brave in his perfon, but exceedingly
prone to anger. A near relation to the Baharna-
gafh having faid fomething impertinent to him while
he was altering the pin of his tent, which his fer-
vant had not placed to his mind, in a pafiion he
ft ruck the AbyfTmian with a wooden mallet, and
killed him on the fpot, and although this was in the

' Abylfinian

33^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Abyfliniaii territoryj by getting nimbly on horfe*
back, he arrived at Arkeeko without being in-
tercepted, though clofely purfued almoil to the
town.

It was the 19th of September, 1769, when we ar-
rived at Mafuah, very much tired of the fea, and
defirous to land. Butj as it was evening, I thought
it advifeable to fleep on board all night, that we might
have a whole day (as the fir il is always abufyone)
before us, and receive in the night any intelligence
from friends, who might not choofe to venture ta
come openly to fee iis in the day, at lead before
the determination of the Naybe had been heatd con-
cerning us.

Mahomet Gibberti, a man whom we had per-
fectly fecured, and who was fully inflrufted in our
fufpicions as to the Naybe, and the manner we had
refolved to behave to him, M'ent aftiore that evening j
and, being himfelf an Abyllinian, having connexions
in Mafuah, difpatched that fame night to Adowa,
capital of Tigre, thofe letters which i knew were
to be of the greateft importance ; giving our friend
Janni (a Greek, confidential fervant of Michael, go-
vernor of Tigre) advice that we were arrived, had
letters of Metical Aga to the Naybe and Ras Michael;
as alio Greek letters to him from the Greek patri-
arch of Cairo, a duplicate of which I fent by the
bearer. We wrote likewife to him in Greek, that
we were afraid of the Naybe, and begged him to
fend to us Inftantly fome man of confidence, who
might proteft us, or at leaft be a fpe6lator of what
• fhould befal us. "We, befides, inftruded him to
advife the court of Abyffinia, that we were friends

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 2>2)^ *

of Metical Ag?i^ had letters from him to the king
and the Ras, and diftrufted the Naybe of Mafuah.

Mahomet Gibberti executed this commiffion in the ,__
inftant, with all the punftuality of an honed man,
who was faithful to the inftruclions of his mafter,
and was independent of every perfon elfe. He ap-
plied to Mahomet Adulai, (a perfon kept by Ras
Michael as a fpy upon the Naybe, and in the fame
character by Metical Aga) ; and Adulai, that very
night, difpatched a trufty meflenger, with many of
whom he was conflantly provided* This runner,
charged with our difpatches, having a friend and
correfpondent of his own among the Shiho, palfed,
by ways befl; known to himfelf, and was fafely
efcorted by his own friends till the fifth day, when
he arrived at thecuftom-houfe of Adowa, and there
delivered oiir difpatches to our friend Janni.

At Cairo, ks I have already mentioned, I met with
my friend father Chriftopher, who introduced me to
the Greek patriarch, Mark. This patriarch had
told me, that there were of his communion, to the
number of about twenty then in AbylTmia : fome of
them were good men and becoming rich in the way
of trade ; fome of them had fled from the feverity of
the Turks, after having been detected by them in
intimacy with Mahometan women ; but all of them
were in a great degree of credit at the court of
AbyfTmia, and polTeirmg places under government
greatly beyond his expectation. To thefe he wrote
letters, in the manner of bulls from the pope, en-
joining them, with regard to me, to obey his orders
flridly, the particulars of which I fhall have occafion
to fpeak of afterwards.

Vol. III. Z Janni,

33^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Janni, then at Adowa in Tigre, was a, man of
the fird eharatler for good life and morals. He
had ferved two kings of Abyffmia with great repu-
tation, and Michael had appointed him to the
cultom-houfe at Adowa, to fu-perintend the affairs of
the revenue there, while he himfelf was occupied
at Gondar. To him the patriarch gave his firfl in-
jundions as to watching the motions of the Naybe,
and preventing any ill-ufage from him, before
the notice of my arrival at Mafuah lliould reach
AbyfTmia.

Mahomet Adulai difpatched his meflenger, and
Mahomet Gibberti repaired that fame night to the
Naybe at Arkeeko, with fuch diligence that lulled
him afleep as to any prior intelligence, which other-
wife he might have thought he was charged to con-
vey to Tigre ; and Mahomet Gibberti, in his con-
verfation that night with Achmet, adroitly confirmed
him in . all the ideas he himfelf had firft flarted irk
council with the Naybe. He told him the manner
1 had been received at Jidda, my protection at Con-
Itantinopie, and the firman which I brought from,
the grand fignior, the power of my countrymen in
the Red Sea and India, and my perfonal friendfliip
with Metical Aga. He moreover inhnuated, that
the Goails of the Red Sea would be in a dangerous
fituation if any thing happened to me, as both the
flierrilfe of Mecca and emperor of Condantinople
would jhcmfelves, perhaps, not interfere, but would
molt certainly confider the place, where fuch dif-
obedience fhould be fhewn to their commands, as
in a Hate of anarchy, and tlierelx)re to be aban-
doned

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 339

doned to the juft corrcflion of the Englifii, if in-
jured.

On the 20th, a perfon came from Mahomet Gib-
berti to conduct me on (hore. The Naybe himfelf
was ftill at Arkeeko, and Achmet therefore had come
down to receive the duties of the merchandife on
board the veffel which brought me. ^ There were
two elbow-chairs placed in the middle of the market-
place. Achmet fat on one of them, while the fe-
veral officers opened the bales and packages before
him'; the other chair on his left hand was empty.

He was drefled all in white, in a long Banian ha-
bit of muflin, and a clofe-bodied frock reaching to
his ancles, much like the white frock and petticoat
the young children wear in England. This fpecies
of drefs did not, in any way, fuit Achmet*s fliape or
fize ; but, it feems, he meint to be in gala. As
foon as I came in fight of him, I doubled my pace :
Mahomet Gibberti's fervant whifpered to me, not to
kifs his hand ; which indeed I intended to have done.
Achmet flood up, juft as I arrived within arm's
length of him ; when we touched each other's
hands, carried our fingers to our lips, then laid our
hands crofs our breafts : I pronounced the falutation
of the inhrioY Saknn AUcum ! Peace be between us ;
to which he anfwered immediatelv, AUcum Salani !
There is peace between us. He pointed to the
chair, which I declined j but he obliged me to fic
down.

In thefe countries, the greater honour that is
fhewn you at firft meeting, the more confiderable
prefent is expected. He made a fign to bring cof-
fee directly, as the immediate offtring of meat or

Z 2 drink

340 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER-

drink is an aflu ranee your life is not in danger.
He began with an air that feemed rather ferrous :
" We have expected you here fome time ago, but
thought you had changed your mind, and was gone
to India."- — " Since failing from Jidda, I have been
in Arabia Felix, theGulf of Mocha, and crofled laft
from Loheia." — " Are you not afraid,'* faid he, " fo
thinly attended, to venture upon thefe long and
dangerous vovages ?'* — " The countries where I
have been are either fubjeft to the emperor of Con-
flantinople, whofe firman I have now the honour to
prefent you, or to' the regency of Cairo, and port of
Janizaries — here are their letters ; and, befides thefe,
one from Metical Aga your friend, who, depending
on your charafter, aifured me this alone would be
fufficient to preferve me from ill-ufage fo long as I
did no wrong ; as for the dangers of the road from
banditti and iawlefs perfons, my fervants are indeed
few, but they are veteran foldiers, tried and exercifed
from their infancy in arms, and I value not the
fuperior number of cowardly and diforderly per-
fons."

He then returned me the letters, faying, " You
win give thefe to the Naybe to-morrow ; I will keep
Metlcal's letter, as it is to me, and will read it at
home." He put it accordingly in his bofom ; and
our coifee being done, I rofe to take my leave, and
was pi efently wet to the fl-;in by deluges of orange
flower-water fiiowered upon me from the right and
Iclt, by tv/o of his attendants, from filver bottles.

A very decent houfe had been provided ; and I
had no fooner entered, than a large dinner wasfent
us by Achmet,"withaprofufion of lemons, and good

frefh

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 34I

frefh water, now become one of the greatefl; deli-
■cacies in life; and, inftantly after our baggage was
all fent unopened ; with which I was very well-
pleafed, being afraid they might break fomething in
my clock, telefcopes, or quadrant, by thevioleiit
manner in which they fatisfy their curiofity.

Late at night I received a vilit from Achrafit ; he
was then in an undrefs, his body quite naked, a
barracan thrown loofely about him ; he had a pair
of callico drawers ; a white coul, or cotton cap,
upon his head, and had no fort of arms whatever.
I rofe up to meet him, and thank him for his civi-
lity in fending my baggage ; and when I obferved,
befides, that it was my duty to wait upon him, ra-
ther than fuffer him to give himfelf this trouble, he
took me by the hand, and we fat down on two
cufhions together.

o

" All that you mentioned,'* faid he, " is perfedly
good and well ; but there are queftions that I an*
going to afk you which are of confequence to your-
•felf. When you arrived at Jidda, we heard it was a
great man, a fon or brother of a king, going to
india. This was communicated to me, and to the
Nay be, by people that faw every day the refpecl
paid to you by the captains of the fliips at Jidda.
Metical Aga, in his private letter delivered to the
Naybe lad night by Mahomet Gibberti, among
many unufual expreifions, faid. The day that any
accident befals this perfon will be looked upon by
me always as the moft unfortunate of my life. Now,
you are a Chridian, and he is a Muflulman, and
thefe are expreffions of a particular regard not ufed
by the one when writing of the other. He fays,

moreover J

34^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

moreover, that, in your firman, the grand fignior
ftiles you Bey-Adze, or Moil Noble. Tell me, there-
fore, and tell me truly, Are you a prince, fon, bro-
ther, or nephew of a king ? Are you baniflied from
your own country ; and what is it that you feek in
our's, expofing yourfelf to fo many difficulties and
dangers ?'*

" 1 am neither fon, nor brother of a king. I am
a private Englidiman. If you, Sidi Achmet, faw
my prince, the eldeft, or any fon of the king of
England, you would be able to form a juftcr idea of
them, and that would for ever hinder you from
confounding them with common men like me. If
they were to choofe to appear in this part of the
world, this little fea would be too narrow for their
fhips : Your fun, now fo hot, would be darkened
by their fails ; and when they fired their terrible

'^ M'idc-mouthed cannon, not an Arab would think
himfelf faie on the diftant mountains, while the
houl'es on the ihore would totter and fall to the
ground as if (haken to pieces by an earthquake. I
am a lervant to that king, and an inferior one in
rank ; only worthy of his attention from my affec-
tion to him and hi^ family, in which I do not ac-

■ knowleJge any fuperior. Yet fo far your corref-
pondents fay well : My anceflors were the kings of
the country in which I was born, and to be ranked
among the greateft and moft glorious |hat ever bore
the crown and title of King. This is the truth, an4
nothing but the truth. I may now, I hope, with-
out offence, afk, To what does all this information
tend ?"

« To

cc

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 343

To your fafety," faid he, " and to your ho-
nour, as long as I command in Mafuah ; — to your
certain death and defl:ru£lion if you go among the
AbyfTmians ; a people without faith, covetous, bar-
barous, and in continual war, of which nobody yet
has been able to difcover the reafoa. 3utofthis
another time."

" Be it fo,^* faid I. " I would now fpeak one
word in fecret to you, (upon which every body was
.ordered out of the room) : All that you have told
me this evening I already know ; afk me not how :
but, to convince you that it is truth, I now thank
you for the humane part you took againfl thefe
bloody intentions others had of killing and plun-
dering me on my arrival, upon Abdelcader governor
of Dahalac's information that I was a prince, becaufc
of the honour that the Fngliih fliips paid me, and
that I was loaded with gold.'*

Uiiah Acbar ! (in great furprife) " Why, you
•was in the middle of the fea when that pafTed."

" Scarcely advanced fo far, 1 believe ; but your ad-
vice was wife, for a large Englilh fiiip will wait for me
all this winter in Jidda, till I know what reception I
meet here, or in Abyflinia. It i;s a 64 gun fliip ; its
name, the Lion ; its captain, Thomas Price. I men-
.tion thefe particulars, that you may inquire into the
truth. Upon the firft news of a difafler he would
.come here, and deilroy Arkeeko, and this ifland,
in a day. But this is not my bufmets with you at
prefent.

" It is a very proper cuflom, eftabliflied all over the
ead:, that Grangers (hould make an acknowledge-
ment for the protedion they receive, and trouble

thev

344 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

they are to occafion. I Iiave a prefcnt for the Naybe,
whofe temper and difpofitlon I know perfectly, — ■
(UllahAcbar! repeats Achmet). — I have llkewife
a prcfent for you, and for the Kaya of the Ja-
nizaries ; all thcfe I (Iiall deliver the firll day" I
fee the Naybe ; but I was taught, in a particular
manner, to rcpofe upon you as my fiiend, and a
fmall, but feparate acknowledgement, is due tq
you in that character. I was told, that your agent at
Jidda had been inquiring every where among
the India fnipp, and at the broker of that nation,
for a pair of Englifli piftols, for which he offered
,a very high price; though, in all probability, thcfe
you would get would have been but ordinary, and
much uftd J now I have brought you this feparate ^
prefent, a pair of excellent workmandiip ; here they
are : my doubt, which gave rife to this long private
converfation, was, whether you would take them
home yourfelf ; or, if you have a confidential fer-
vant tnat you can trufl, let him take them, fo that
it be not known ; for if the Naybe'"' —

" I underi'and every thing that you fay, and
everv thing that you would fay. Though I do not
know men's hearts that I never faw, as you do, I
know pretty well the hearts of thofe with whom I
live. Let the piftols remain with you, aTid fhew
them to nobody till I fend you a man to whom you
jriay fay any thing, and he fhall go between you and
me ; for there is in this place a number of devils,
not men ; but, Uliah Kerim, God is great. The
perfon that brings you dry dates in an Indian hand-
kerchief, and an earthen bottle to drink your water
put of, give him the piftols. You may fend by him

tq

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 345

to me any thing you choofe. In the mean time,
ileep found, and fear no evil ; but never be per-
fuaded to truft yourfelf to the Cafrs of Habefli at
Mafuah.'*

On the 20th of September, a female Have came
and brought with her the proper credentials, an
Indian handkerchief full of dry dates, and a pot or
t)ottle of unvarniflied potter's earth, which keeps
the water very cool. I had fome doubt upon this
change of fex ; but the flave, who was an-Abyffi-
nian girl, quickly undeceived me, delivered the
dates, and took away the piUols deftined for Ach-
net, who had himfelf gone to his uncle, the Naybe,
at Arkeeko.

On the 2]fl, in the morning, the Naybe came
from Arkeeko. The ufual way is by fea ; it is about
two leagues ftraight acrofs the bay, but fomewhat
more by land. The paflage from the main is on
the north fide of the ifland, which is not above a
quarter of a mile broad ; there is a large cillern
for rain-water on the land- fide, where you embark
acrofs. He was poorly attended by three or four
fervants, miferably mounted, and about forty naked
favages on foot, armed with fliort lances and crooked
knives.

The drum beat before him all the way from Ar-
keeko to Mafuah. Upon entering the boat, the
drum on the landfide ceafed, and thofe, in what
is called the Caftle of Mafuah, began. The caftle
is a fmall clay hut, -and in it one fwivel-gun, which
is not mounted, but lies upon the ground, and is
fired always with great trepidation and fome dan-
ger. The drums are earthen jars, fuch as they fend

butter

3-0 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

butter in to Arabia ; the mouths of which are co-
vered with a fkin, fo that a ft ranger, on feeing two
or three of thefe together, wonld run a great rifk
of btlieving them to be jars of butter, or pickles,
carefully covered with oiled parchment.

All the proceffion was in the fame ftlle. The
Naybe was drefled in an old fhabby' Turkifh habit,
.much too fiiort for him, and feemed to have been
made about the time of Sultan Selim. He wore
alfo upon his head a Turkifli cowke, or high-cap,
which fcarcely admitted any part of his head. In
this drefs, which on him had a truly ridiculous ap-
pearance, he received the caftan, or inveftiture, of
the illand of Mafuah ; and, being thereby repre-
fentative of the grand fignior, confented that day
to be called Omar Aga, in honour of the commif-
fion.

Two ftandards of white filk, ftriped with red,
were carried before him to the mofque, from whence
he went to his own houfe to receive the compli-
ments of his friends. In the afternoon of that day
I went to pay my refpecls to him, and found him
fitting on a large vvooden elbow-chair, at the head
of two files of naked favaqes, w^ho made an avenue
from his chair to the door. He had nothing upon
him bur a coarfe cotton (hirt, fo dirty that, it feemed,
all pains to clean it again would be thrown away,
and fo fhort that it fcarcely reached his knees. He
was very tall and lean, his colour black, had a,
large mouth and nofe ; in place of a beard, a very
fcanty tuft of grey hairs upon the point of his
chin; large, dull, and heavy eyes; a kind of mali-
cious, contemptuous, fmile on his countenance;

he

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 347

he was altogether of a mod ftupid and brutal ap-
pearance. His charader perfedly correfponded with
his figure, for he was a man of mean abilities,
cruel to excefs, avaricious, and a great drunkard.

I prefented my firman. — The greatefl: baflia in
the Turkifh empire would have rifen upon feeing
it, killed it, and carried it to his forehead ; and I
really expedled that Omar Aga, for the day he
bore that title, and received the caftan, would have
ihewn this piece of refped to his mafter. But
he did not even receive it into his hand, and puflied
it back to me again, faying, " Do you read it all
to me word for word." — " I told him it was Turk-
iih ; that I had never learned to read a word of
that language." — " Nor I either," fays he ; " and
I believe I never flialK" ,r then gave him Metical
Aga's letter, the SherrifFe's, Ali Bey's, and the
Janizaries letters. He took them all together in
both his hands, and laid them unapened befide him,
faying, " You fhould have brought a moullah along
with you. Do you think I fliall read all thefe letters ?
Why, it would take me a mouth." And he glared
upon me, with his nouth open, fo like an idiot,
that it was with the utmoft difficulty I kept my gra-
vity, only anfwering, " Jufl: as you pleafe; you
know beft."

He affefted at firft not to underftand Arabic ;
fpoke by an interpreter in the language of Mafuah,
which is a dialed: of Tigre ; but feeing I underdood
him in this, he fpoke Arabic, and fpoke it well.

A filence followed this fhort converfation, and I
took the opportunity to give him his prefent, with
which he did not feera difpleafed, but rather that it

was

54^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

was below him to tell me fo ; for, without faying a
word about it, he aftied me, where the Abuna of
Habefh was ; and why he tarried fo long ? I faid.
The wars in Upper Egypt had made the roads dan-
gerous ; and, it was eafy to fee, Omar longed much
to fettle accounts with him.

I took my leave of the Naybe, very little pleafed
with my reception, and the fmall account he feemed
to make of my letters, or of myfelf ; but heartily
fatisfied with having fent my difpatches to Janni,
now far out of his power.

The inhabitants of Mafuah were dying of the
fmall-pox, fo that there was fear the living would
not be fufficient to bury the dead. The whole
iiland was filled with flirieks and lamentations both
, ni^ht and day. They at laft began to throw the
bodies into the fea, which deprived us of our great
fiipport, fifb, of which we had ate fome kinds that
were excellent. -I had fuppreifed my charafter of
phyfician, fearing I fhould be detained by reafoii
of the multitude of fick.

On the 15th of October the Naybe came to Ma~
fuab, and difpatched the velfel that brought me
over ; and, as if he had only waited till this evidence
was out of the way, he, that very night, fent me
VN^ord that I was to prepare him a handfome prefent.
He gave in a long lift of particulars to a great
amount, which he defired might be divided into
three parcels, and prefented three feveral days. One
was to be given him as Naybe of Arkecko; one as
Omar Aga, rcprefeiitative of the grand fignior ; and
one for having pafl'ed our baggage ^r^r/j and iinvi-
fitedj efpecially the large quadrant. For tny part, "

1 heartily

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 349

I heartily wiflied he had feen the whole, as he would
not have fet great value on the brafs and iron.

As Achmct's afiiirance of prote(0:ion had given
me courage, I anfwered him. That, having a firman
of the grand fignior, and letters from Metical Aga,
it was mere generofity in me to give him any pre-
fent at all, either as Naybe or Omar Aga, and I was
not a merchant that bought and fold, nor had mer-
chandife on board, therefore had no cuftoms to pay.
Upon this he fent for me to his houfe, where I found
him in a violent fury, and many ufelefs words paffed
on both fides. At lad he peremptorily told me.
That unlefs I had 300 ounces of gold ready to pay
him on Monday, upon his landing from Arkeeko,
he would confine me in a dungeon, without lio-ht,
air, or meat, till the bones came through my Ikin
for want.

An uncl-e of his, thenprefent, greatly aggravated
this affair. He pretended that the Naybe might do
what he pleafed with his prefents ; but that he could
not in any fliape give away the prefent due to the
Janizaries, which was 40 ounces of gold, or 400
dollars ; and this was all they contented themfelves
to take, on account of the letter I brought from the
port of Janizaries at Cairo ; and in this they only
taxed me the fum paid by the Abuna for his pafTage
through Mafuah. I anfwered firmly, — " Since you
have broken your faith with the grand fignior, the
government of Cairo, the baflia at Jidda, and Metical
Aga, you will no doubt do as you pleafe with me •
but you may expeft to fee the Englifli man of war,
the Lion, before Arkeeko, fome morning by day-
break."—" I fliould be glad," faid the Naybe,

" to

3B^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

*' to fee that man at Arkeeko or Mafuah that
would carry as nmch writing from you to Jidda as
would lie upon my thumb nail : I would drip his
fliirt off firft, and then his ficin, and hang him be-
fore your door to teach you more wifdom." — " But
my v.ifdom has taught me to prevent all this. My
letter is already gone to Jidda ; and if, in twenty
days from this, another letter from me does not
follow it, you will fee what will arrive. In the
mean time, I here announce it to you, that I have
letters from Metical Aga and the Sherriffe of Mecca,
to Michael Suhul governor of Tigre, and the king
of Abyffinia. I, therefore, would wifh that you
would leave off thefe unmanly altercations, which
ferve no fort of purpofe, and let me continue my
journey.'* The Naybe faid in a low voice to himfelf,
" What, Michael too ! then go your journey, and
think of the ill that's before you.'*" I turned my
back without any anfwer or falutation, and was
fcarce arrived at home when a meffage came from
the Naybe, defiring I would fend him two bottles
of aquavitfe. I gave the fervant two bottles of cin-
namozi-water, which he refufed till I had firft: tailed
them ; but they were not agreeable to the Naybe,
fo they were returned.

All this time I very much wondered what was be-
come of Achmet,' who, with Mahomet Gibberti, re-
mained at Arkeeko : at laft I heard from the Naybe's
fervant that he. was in bed, ill of a fever. Mahomet
Gibbt-rti had kept his promife to me ; and, faying
nothing of my fidll in phyfic, or having medicines
with me, I fent, however, to the Naybe to deflre
»eave to go to Arkeeko. He anfwered me furiily, I

might

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 3^1

might go if I could find a boat ; and, indeed, he
had taken his meafures fo well that not a boat would
iiir for money or perfuafion.

On the 29th of 06:ober the Naybe came again
from Arkeeko to Mafuah, and, I was told, in very
ill-humour with me. I foon received a meflage to
attend him, and found him in a Jarge wafte room
like a barn, with about fixty people with him. This
was his divan, or grand council, with all his jani-
zaries and officers of ftate, all naked, aflembled in
parliament. There was a comet that had appeared
a few days after our arrival at Mafuah, which had
been many days vifible in Arabia Felix, being then
in its perihelion ; and, after paffing its conjundion
with the fun, it nov/ appeared at Mafuah early in
the evening, receding to its aphelion. I had been
obferved watching it with great attention ; and the
large tubes of the telefcopes had given offence to
ignorant people.

The firil queftion tlie Naybe afked me was, What
that comet meant, and why it appeared ? And be-
fore I could anfwer him, he again faid, " The firft
time it was vifible it brought the fmall-pox, which
has killed above 1000 people in Mafuah and Ar-
keeko. It is known you converfed with it every
night at Loheia ; it has now followed you afain
to fihifh the few that remain, and then you are to
carry it into Abyfiinia. What have you to do with
the comet ?'*

Without giving me leave to fpeak, his brother
Emir Achmet then faid. That , he was informed I
was an engineer going to Michael, governor of
Tigre', to teach the Abyffinians to make cannon

and i

35^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

and gunpowder ; that the frrfl attack was to hd
againlt Mafuah. Five or fix others fpoke much in
the fame llrain ; and the Naybe concluded by faying^
That he would fend me in chains to Conftantinople,
imlefs I went to Hamazen, with his brother Emir
Achmet, to the hot-wells there, and that this was
the refolution. of all the janizaries ; for I had con-
cealed ray being a phyfician.

I had not yet opened my mouth. I then afked.
If all thefe were janizaries ; and where was their
eommanding. ofGcer ? A well-looking, elderly man
anfwered, " I am Sardar of the janizaries." — " If
you are Sardar, then," faid I, " this firman
erders you to protect me. The Naybe is a man of
this country, no member of the Ottoman empire."
Upon my firfl producing my firman to him, he
threw it afide like wade-paper. — The greateffc
Vizir in the Turkifh dominions would have received
it Handing, bowed his head to the ground, then
kified it, and put it upon his forehead. A general
murmur of approbation followed, and I continued,
. — '• Now I muft tell you my refolution is, never to
go to Hamazen, or elfewhere, with Emir Achmet.
•Both he and the Naybe have fhewed themfelves my
enemies ; and, 1 believe, that to fend me to Hama-
zen^is to rob and murder me out of fight." — " Dog
of a.GhiiiUan !" fays Emir Achmet, putting his
hand to his knife, "• if she Naybe was to murder
you, could he not do it here now this minuter" —
'"^ No," fays the man, who had called himfelf Sar-
dar, " he could not; I would not fuffer any fuch
thing. Achmet is the Granger's friend, and recom-
mended

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. S^^

mended me to-day to fee no injury done him j he is
ill, or would have been here himfelf."

" Achmet,'* faid I, " is my friend, and fears
God J and were I not hindered by the Naybe from
feeing him, his ficknefs before this would have been
removed. I will go to Achmet at Arkeeko, but
not to Hamazen, nof ever again to the Naybe here
in Mafuah. Whatever happens to me muft befal
me in my own houfe. Confider what a figure a few
naked men will make the day that my countrymen
afk the reafon of this either here or in Arabia." I
then turned my back, and went out without cere-
mony. " A brave man !" I heard a voice fay be-
hind me, " Wallah Englefe! True Englifh, by
G — d!" I went away exceedingly difturbed, as
it was plain my affairs were coming to a crifis
for good or for evil. I obferved, or thought I
' obferved all the people fhun me. I was, indeed,
upon my guard, and did not wifh them to come
near me ; but, turning down into my own gateway,
a man pafied clofe by me, faying diftindlly in niy
ear, though in a low voice, firft in Tigre and then
in Arabic, " Fear nothings or, Be not afraid. '
This hint, (hort as it was, gave me no fmall courage.

1 had fcarcely dined, when a fervant came with
a letter from Achmet at Arkeeko, telling me how ill
he had been, and how forry he was that I refufed to
come to fee him, as Mahomet Gibberti had told hiiiji.
I could help him. He defired me alfo to keep the
bearer with me in my houfe, and give him charge
of the gate till he could come to Mafuah himfelf. .

I foon faw the treachery of the Navbe. He had
not, indeed, forbid me to go and fee his nephew.

Vol. IIL A a but

354 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

but he had forbid any boat to carry me j and thfs-
1 told the iervant, appealing to the Sardar for what
I faid in the divan of my willingnefs to go to Ar-
keeko to i\chmet, though I pofitively refufed to go
to Hamazen. I begged the fervant to flop for a
moment, and go to the Sardar who was in thecaftlcj
as I had been very efiendally obliged to him for
his interpofition at a very critical time, when there
was an intention to take away my life. I fent
him a fmall prefent by Achmet's fervant, who deli-
vered the mcflage faithfully, and had heard all that
had paffed in the divan. He brought me back a
pipe from the Sardar in return for my prefent,. with
this melTage, That he had heard of my countrymen,
though he had never feen them ; that he loved brave
men, and could not fee them injured; but Achmet
being my friend, I had no need of him. That night
he departed for Arkeeko, defiring us to fhut the door,
and leaving us another man, with orders to admit
nobody, and advifmg us to defend ourfelves if any one
olfered to force entrance, be they who they would,
for that nobody had bufmcfs abroad in the night.
I nov; began to relume my confidence, feeing
that Providence had flill kept us under his protec-
tion; and it was' not long v.'hen we had an oppor-
tunity to cxercife this confidence. About 1 2 o'clock
at night a man came to the door, and defired to
be admitted ; which requeft was refufed without
any ceremony. Then came tv/o or three more, in
the name of Achmet, who were told by the fervant
that they would not be admitted. 'I'hey then afKed
to foeak with me, and grew very tumultuous, pref-
0ng with their backs againif the door. When I

came

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. Sgg

came to them, a young man among them faid he
was fon to Emir Achmet, and that his father and
fome friends were coming to drink a glafs of aracky
(fo they call brandy) with me. I told him my re*
folution was not to admit eithei" Emir Achmet, or
any other perlbn at night, and that I neVer drank
aracky.

They attempted again to force open the door,
which was (trongly barricaded. But as there were
cracks in it, I put the point of a fvvord through one
of them, defiring them to he cautious of hurting
themfelves upon the iron fpikes. Still they attempt- .
ed to. force open the door, when the fervant tola*^V
them, that Achmet, when he left him the charge of
that door, had ordered us to fire upon them who
offered to force an entrance at night. A voice afked
him, Who the devil he v/as? The fervant anfwered,
in a very fpirited manner. That he had greater rea-
fon to afk who they were, as he took them fot
thieves, about whofe names he did not trouble himfelf.
" However," fays he, " mine is Abdelcader, (the fon
offomebodyelfe whom 1 do not remember). Now
you knov/ who I am, and that I do not fear you*j
and you, Yagoube, if you do not fire upon them/
your blood be upon your own head. The Sardar
from the caftle will foon be up with the reil." I
ordered then a torch to be brought, that they might
have a view of us through the cracks of the door ;
but Abdelcarfer^s threat being fully fufficient, they
retired, and we heard no more of them.

It was the 4th of November when the fe^'ant of
Achmet returned in a boat froni Arkeeko, and with
him four janizaries. He was not yet well, and was

A^ 2 . very

35^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

very defirous to fee me. He fufpeded either that he
vv^a^ poifoned or bewitched, and had tried many
..'chaniis without good effect. We arrived at Ar-
keeko about eleven, paffed the door of the Naybe
withouj: challenge, and found Achmet in his own
houfe, ill of an intermitting fever, under the very
worft of regimens.

Ke was much apprehenlive that he fliould die, or
lofe the ufe of his limbs, as £mjf Achmet had done j
the fame woman, a Shiho, and a witch, was, he
laid, the occafion of both. " If Achmet, your
•6ncle,,i|iad loft the.ufc of his tongue, faid I, it
•would have faved him a great deal of improper dif-
eourfe in the divan." His head ached violently, and
he could only fay, " Aye ! aye ! the old mifcreant
imew I was ill, or that would not have happened.""
I gave Achmet proper remedies to eafe his pains
and h-is (lomach, and the next morning began with
bark.

This medicine operates quickly here ; nay, even
the bark that remains, after the ilronger fpiritous
tincture is drawn from it, feems to anfwer the pur-
pofe very little worfe than did the firft. I Ilaid
here till the 6th, in the morning, at which time he
was free from the fever. I left him, however, fome
doles to prevent its return ; and he told me, on
t|ie 7th, he would come to Mafuah with boats and
men to bring us with our baggage to Arkeeko, and
free us from the bondage of Mafuah.

Upon the 6ih, in the morning, while at break-
fift, I was told that three fervants had arrived from
Tigrc; one from Janni, a young man and flave,
,who fpoke and wrote Greek perfedly j the other

two

THE SOURCE OF THE KILE. SSl

two fervants were Ras Michael's, or rather the king's,
both wearing the red fl;iort cloak lined and turned
up with mazarine-b!ue, which is the badge of the
king's fervant, and is C3.\\ed JJjj/aka. Ras Michael's
letters to the Naybe were very fliort. He faid the
king Hatze Hannes's health was bad, and . wonder-
ed at hearing that the phyfician, fent to him by Me-
deal Aga from Arabia, was not forwarded to hinj
inftantly at Gondar, as he had heard of his being
arrived at Mafuah fome time before. He ordered
the Naybe, moreover, to furnifh me with neceflaries^
and difpatch me without lofs of time ; although ali
the letters were the contiivarices of Janni, his par-
ticular letter to the Naybe was in a milder ftile. He
exprefled the great neceffity the king had for a phy-
fician, and how impatiently he had waited his arri-
val. He did not fay that he had heard any fuch
perfon was yet arrived at Mafuah, only wifhed he
might be forwarded without delay as foon as he
came.

To us Janni fent a mefTnge by a fervant, bidding
us a hearty welcome, acknowledging the receipt of
the patriarch's letter, and advifing us, by all means,
to come fpeedily to him, for the times were very
unfettled, and might grow worfe.

In the afternoon I embarked for Mafuah. At the
fliore I received a meffage from the Naybe to come
5ind fpeak to him ; but I returned for anfwer. It was
IrapofTible, as I was obliged to go to Mafuah to get
medicines for his nepbev/, Achmet.

CHAR.

35S TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

CHAP. II.

Di regions to Travellers for preferring Health — D//n
eafes of the Country — Mufic — Trade, Isfc. of Ma-
fuah — Conferences with the Naybe,

W E arrived in the ifland at eight o'clock, to the
great joy of our fervants, who were afraid of fom<s
itratagem of the Naybe. We got every thing in order,
without interruption, and completed our obfervations
upon this inhofpitable ifland, infamous for the quan-
tity of Chriilian blood fhed there upon treacherous
pretences.

Mafuah, by a great variety of obfervations of the
fun and flars, we found to be in lar. 15' 35' 5'''',
and, by an obfervation of the fecond fatellite of Ju-
piter, on the 22dof September, 1769, vrt found its
longitude to be 391 36' 30'''' eafl of the meridian
of Greenwich : the variation of the needle was ob-
ferved at mid- day, the 23d of September, to be
120 48'. W. From this it follows, that Loheia,
being nearly oppofite, (for it is in lat. 15'' 40' 52'''')
the breadth of the Red Sea between Mafuah and
I^oheia is 4" 10' 22''''. Suppofmg, then, a degreq
to. be equal to 66 ilatute miles, this, in round num-
bers, will bring the breadth to be 276 miles, equal
to 92 leagues, or thereabouts.

Again, as the generality of maps have placed
the coafl of Arabia where Loheia (lands, in the
44", and it is part of the peninfula that runs far-
theft

THE SOURCE <j^ THE NILE. 35'9-

liliefl: to the weflward, all the weft coaft of Arabia
Felix will fall to be brought farther eall: about

Before packing up our barometer at Loheia, I
filled a tube with clean mercury, perfedly purged
of outward air; and, on the 30th ol Auguft, upon
three feveral trials, the mean of the refults of each
trial was, at fix in the morning, 26'' 8' 8^''; two
o'clock in the afternoon, 26° 4' 1^''; and, halfpaft
fix in the evening, 26" 6' 2\ fair, clear weather,
with very little wind at weft.

At Mafuah, the 4th of October, I repeated the
fame experiment with the fame mercury and tube';
.the means were as follow : At fix in the mornint^
^5° 8' '2''''; two o'clock in the afternoon, 25" 3' 2''-^
and, at half paft fix ia the. evening, 25" 3' 'j^\
clear, with a moderate wind at weft, 10 that the
Urometer fell one inch and one line at Mafuah
lower than it was at Loheia, though it often rofe •
upon violen.t ftorms of wind and rain ; and, even
where th^re was no rain, \l again fell inftantJy
upon-th-e ftorm ceafing, and never arrived to. the
height it ftood laft at on the coaft of Arabia. The
greateft height I ever obferved Fahrenheit's thermo-
meter in the Ihade, at Mafuah, was on the 2 2d
of October, at two in the afternoon, 93% wind
N. E. and by N. cloudy ; the loweft was on the
23d, at four in the morning, 82% v/ind weft. It
was, to fenfe, much hotter than in any part of
AraWa Felix j but we found no fuch tickling or
irritation on our legs as we had done at Loheia,
probably becaufe the foil was here lefs impregnated
with fait.

We

^

360 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

We obferved here, for the firit time, three re^
markable circumilances fhewing the increafe of heat,
I carried with me feveral fteel plates for making
fcrews of different fizes. The heat had fo fvvelled
the pin, or male fcrew, that it was cut nearly one-
third through by the edge of the female. Tlie feal-
ing-wax, of which we had procured a frefh parcel
from the India fliips, was fully more fluid, while ly-
•inginour boxes, than tar. The third was the co-
lour of the fpirit in the thermometer, which was
.quite difcharged, and (licking in' maffes at unequal
heig'hts, while the liquor was clear like fpring-
water.

Mafuah is very unwholefome, as, indeed, is the
whole coafl of the Red Sea from Suez to Babel-
mandel, but more efpecially between the tropics.
"Violent fevers, called there nedadyn\2ikt the principal
figure in this fatal lift, and generally terminate the
third day in death. If the patient furvives till the
fifth day, he very often recovers by drinking water
only, and throwing a quantity of cold water upon
him, even in his bed, where he is permitted to lie
withoit attempting to make him dry, or change his
bed, till another deluge ad(|s to the firft.

There is no remedy fo fovereign here as the bark \
but it mud be given in very different times and
manners from thofe purfued in Europe. Vv^ere a
ph'yfician to take time to prepare his patient for the
bark, by f?r(l giving him purgatives, he would be
dead of the fever before his preparation wa^^toiji-
pleted. Imm.t ''iately when a naufea oraverfionto
eat, frequent fits of yawning, ftraitnefs about the
eyes, and "an unufual, but not painful fenfation along

the

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 36I

the fpine, comes on, no time is then to be loft ;
fmall dofes of the bark mud be frequently repeated,
and perfeft abftinence obferved, unlefs from copious
draughts of cold water.

I never dared to venture, or feldom, upon the de-
luge of water, but am convinced it is frequiently of
great ufe. The fecond or third dofe of the bark, if
any quantity is fwailowed, never fails to purge ; and
if this evacuation is copious, the patient rarely dies,
but, on the contrary, his recovery is generally rapid.
Moderate purging, 'then, is for the raoft part to. be
adopted ; and rice is ;;i much better food than fruit.

I know that all this is heterodox in Europe, and
contrary to the pradice, becaufe it is contrary to
fyftem. For my own part, I am content to write
faithfully what I carefully obferved, leaving every
body afterwards to follow their own way at their
peril.

Bark, I have lieen told by Spaniards who have
been in South America, purges always when taken
in their fevers. A" different climate, different regi-
men and different habit of body or exercife, may
furely fo far alter the operation of a drug as to make
it have a different effecl in Africa from what it has
in Europe. Be that as it may, flill I fay bark is
a purgative when it is fuccefsful in this fever ; but
bleeding, at no ftage of this diftemper, is of any
fervice ; and, indeed, if attempted the fecond day,
the lancet is feldom followed by blood. Ipecacu-
anha b^'th fatigues the patient and heightens the
fever, and fo conduds the patient more fpeedily to
his end. Black fpots are "frequently fou'nd^on the
breafl; and belly of the dead perfon. The belly

fwells.

%6Z TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

fwells, and tbe flench becomes i.nfufFerable in three
hours after death, if xht perfon dies in the day, or
if tbc; weather is warm.

Tlie next common difeafe in the low country
of Arabia, the intermediate ifland of Mafuah, and
all Abydinia, (for the difeafesare exaftly fimilar in
all this trad) is the Tertian fever, which is in no-
thing different from our Tertian, and is fuccefs-
fully treated here in the fame manner as in Europe.
As no fpecies of this difeafe (at lead that I have
feen) menaces the patient wi4:h death, efpecially in
the beginning of the diforder, fome time may be
allowed for preparation to thofe who doubt the
effeft of the bark in the qountry. But flill I appre-
hend the fafeft way is to give fmall dofes from the
beginning, on the firft intermillion, or even remif-
fion, though this fiiould be fomewhat obfcure and
uncertain. To fpeak plainly ; when the ftomach
naufeates, the head akes, yawning becomes frequent,
and not an exceffive pain in the nape of the neck,
when a fhivering which goes quickly off, a cold-
nefs dov/n thefpine, a more than ordinary covi'ardli^
nefs and inafdvity prevails, (the heat of the climate
gives one always enough of thefe lafl: fenfations) ;
I fay, when any number of ]thefe fymptoms unite,
have recourfe to the powder of bark infufed in water;
fhut your mouth againit every fort of food ; and,
at the crifis, your difeafe will immediately decide
its name among the clafs of fevers.

All fevers end in intermittents ; and if thefe inter-
mittents continue long, and the firff evacuations by
the bark have not been copious and conftant, thefe
fevers generaily end In dyfenteries, which are always

tedious

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 363

tedious, and very frequently prove mortal. Bark in
iinall quantities, ipecacuanha, too, in very fmall
quantities fo as not to vomit, water, and fruit not
pver ripe, have been found the moft fuccefsful rcr
niedies.

As for the other fpecies of dyfentery, which be-
gins with a conltant diarrhoea, when the guts at lafl;
are excoriated, and the mucus voided by the ftools,
this difeafe is rarely cured if it "begins with the
rainy feafon. But if, on the contrary, it happen
either in the funny fix months, or the end of the
rainy ones immediately next to them, fmall dofes
of ipecacuanha either carry it off, or it changes
into an intermitting fever, which yields afterwards
to the bark. And it always has feemed to me that
there is a great affinity between the fevers and dy-
fenteries in thefe countries, the one ending in the
other almoft perpetually.

The next difeafe, which we may fay is endemial
in the countries before-mentioned, is called hanzeer^
the hogs, or th^fwine, and is a fwelling of the glands
of the throat, and under the arms. This the igno-
rant inhabitants endeavour to bring to a fuppuration,
but in vain ; they then open them in feveraL places ;
a fore and running follows, and a difeafe very
much refembling what is called in Europe the
Evil.

The next (though not a dangerous complaint)
has a very terrible appearance. Small tubercules or
fwellings appear all over the body, but thickeft in
the thighs, arms, and legs. Thefe fwellings go and
come for weeks together without pain ; though the
legs often fwell to a monftrous fize as in the dropfy.

Sometimes

364 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Sometimes the patients have ulcers in their nofes
and mouths, not unlike thofe which are one of the
malignant confequences of the venereal difeafe.
The fmall fwellings or eruptions, when fqueezed,
very often yield blood j in other refpecls the patient
is generally in good health, faving the pain the
ulcers give him, and the flill greater uneafmefs of
mind which he fuffers from the fpoiling of the
fmoothnefs of his fkin : for all the nations in Africa
within the tropics are wonderfully affeded at the
fmallell eruption or roughnefs of the fkin. A black
of Sennaar will hide himfelf in the houfe where
dark, and is not to be feen by his friends, if he
fliould have two or three pimples on any part of his
body. Nor is there any remedy, however violent,
that they will not fly to for immediate relief. Scars
and w^ounds are no blemifhes ; and I have feen them,
for three or four pimples on their bracelet arm,
fuifer the application of a red-hot iron with grea^
refolution and conftancy.

Thefe two laft difeafes yielded, the firft flowly,
and fometimes imperfeclly,^ to mercurials ; and fub-
limate has by no means in thefe climates the quick
and decifive effefts it has in Europe. The fecond
h completely and fpeedily cured by antimonials.

The next complaint I fiiall mention, as common
in thefe countries, is called Farenteit, a corruption
of an Arabic w^ord, which fignifies the worm of
Pharaoh ; all bad things being by the Arabs attri-
buted to thefe poor kings, who feem to be looked
upon by pofterity as the evil genii of the country
which they once governed.

Thia

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 36^

This extraordinary animal only affli6ls thofe who
are in conftant habit of drinking ftagnant water,
whether that water is drawn out from wells, as in
the kingdom of Sennaar, or found by digging in
the fand where it is, making its way to its proper
level the fea, after falling down the fide of the
mountains after the tropical rains. This plague ap-
pears indifcriminately in every part of the body,
but ofteneft in the legs and arms. I never faw it in
the face or head ; but, far from affedting the flefhy
parts of the body, it generally comes out where the
bone has leafl: fiefh upon it.

Upon looking at this worm, on its firfl appear-
ance, a fmall black head is extremely vifible, with a
hooked beak of a whitifii colour. Its body is feem-
ingly of a white filky texture, very like a fmall tendon
bared and perfectly cleaned. After its appearance the
natives of thefe countries, who are ufed to it, feizeit
gently by the head, and wrap it round a thin piece
of filk or fmall bird's feather. Every day, or feveral
times a day, they try to wind it up upon the quill
as far as it comes readily j and, upon the fmalleft
refiftance, they give over for fear of breaking it.
I have feen five feet, or fomething more of this ex-
traordinary animal, winded out with invincible pa-
tience in the courfe ' of three weeks. No inflam-
mation then remained, and fcarcely any rednefs
round the edges of the aperture, only a fmall quan-
tity of lymph appeared in the hole or pundure,
which fcarcely ilTued out upon preffing. In riiree
days it was commonly well, and left no fear or dim-
ple implying lofs of fubRance.

> I myfelf

355 TRAVELS TO 0130017 ER

I myfelf experienced this complaint. I was read-^
ing upon a fofa at Cairo, a few days after my reJ
turn from Upper Egypt, when I felt in the forepart
of my leg, upon the boncj ^boiit feven inches be-
low the center of my knee-pan, an itching refembling
what follous the bite of a mufcheto. Upon fcratch-
ing, a fmall tumour appeared very like a mufcheto
bite. The itching returned in about an hour after-
wards; and, being more intent upon my read-
ing than my leg, I fcfatched it till the blood came^
1 foon after obferved fomething like a black fpot,
which had already rifen confiderably above the fur-
face of the fein. All medicine proved ufelefs ; and
the difeafe not being known at Cairo, there was no-*
thing for it but to have recourfe to tlie only received
manner of treating it in this country. About three
inches of the worm was winded out upon a piece of
raw filk in the ITrft week, without pain or fever :
but it was broken afterwards through careleffnefs
and rafhnefs of the furgeon when changing a pouU
tice on board the (hip in which I returned to France:
a violent inflammation followed ; the leg fwelled fo
as to fcarce leave appearance of knee or ancle;
the fKin, red and dillended, feemed glazed like a
mirror. The wound was now healed, and dif-
charged nothing ; and there .was every appearance of
mortification coming on. The great care and atten-
tion procured me in the lazaretto at Marfeilles, by a
nation always foremofl in the ads of humanity to
itrangers', and the attention and Ikill of the furgeon,
recovered me from this troublefome complaint.

Fifty-two days had elapfed fince it fird begun;
thirty-nve of which were fpeut in the grcateft agony.

It

' THE SOURCE OF THE NitE. 367

It fuppurated at lad ; and, by enlarging the orifice,
a good quantity of matter was difcharged. I had
made conflant ufe of bark, both in fomentations and
inwardly ; but I did not recover the flrengih of
my leg entirety till near a year after, by ufmg the
baths of Poretta, the property of my friend Count
Ranuzzi, in the mountains above Bologna, which I
recommend, for their efficacy, to all thofe who have
wounds, as I do to, him to have better accommo-
dation, greater abundance of, and lefs impofition in,
the neceffaries of life than when I was there. It is
but a few hours journey over the the mountains to
Pifloia.

The lafl: I Ihall mention of thefe endemial difeafes,
and the mofl: terrible of all others that can fall to the
lot of man, is the Elephantiafis, which fome have
chofen to call the Leprofy, or Lepra Arabum j though
in its appearance, and in all its cifcumftances and
flages, it no more refembles the leprofy of Paleillne,
(which is, I apprehend, the only leprofy that we
know) than it does the gout or the dropfy. I ne-
ver faw the beginning of this difeafe. During the
courfe of it, the face is often healthy to appearance ;
the eyes vivid and fparkling : thofc affecTred have
fometimes a kind of drynefs upon the fldn of their
backs, which, upon fcratching, I have feen leave a
niealinefs, or whitenefs ; the only circumftance, to
the bell of my recolledion, in which it reiembled
the leprofy, but it has no fcalinefs. The hair, too,
is of its natural colour ; not white, yellowifh, or
thin, as in the leprofy, but fo far from it that, though
the Abyfiinians have very rarely hair upon their
chin, I have feen people, apparently in the iait flasre

of

368 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

of the elephantiafis, with a very good beard of it^
natural colour.

The appetite is generally good during this difeafe*
nor does any change of regimen affedt the complaint*
The pulfe is only fubjed to the fame variations as in
thofe who have no declared nor predominant illnefs;
they have a conltant thirlt as the lymph, which con-
tinually oozes from their wounds, probably demands
to be replaced. It is averred by the Abyffinians
that it is not infedious. 1 have feen the wives of
thofe who were in a very inveterate ftage of this
illnefs, who had borne them feveral children, who
were yet perfedly free and found from any conta-
gion. Nay, t do not remember to have feen chil-
dren vifibly infedled with this difeafe at all ; though,
I muft own, none of them had the appearance of
heakh. It is faid this difeafe, though furely born
with the infant, does not become vifible till the
approach to manhood, and fometimes it is faid to
pafs by a whole generation.

The chief feat of this difeafe is from the bend-
ing of the knee downwards to the ancle ; the leg is
fwelled to a great degree, becoming one fize from
bottom to top, and gathering into circular wrinkles,
like fmall hoops or plaits ; between every one of
which there is an opening that feparates it all
round from the one above, and which is all raw
fiefh, or perfeftly excoriated. From between thefe
circular divifions a great quantity of lymph con-
ilantly oozes. The fwelling of the leg reaches over
the foot, ^0 as to leave about an inch or little more
of it feen. it fliould feem that the black colour
of the fldn, the thicknefs of the leg, and its Oiape^

lef*

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 367

lefs form, and the rough tubercules^, or excrefcences,
very like thofefeen upon the elephant, give the name
to this difeafe, and form a flriking refemblance be-
tween, the diftempered legs of this unfortunate in-
dividual of the human fpecies, and thofe of the noble
quadruped the elephant, when in full vigour.

An infirmity, to which the Abyflinians are fubject,
of much more confequence to the community than
the elephantiafis, I mean lying, makes it impoffible
to form, from their relations, any accurate account:
of fymptoms that might lead the learned to difco-
ver the caufe of this extraordinary diftemper, and
thence fugged lome rational method to cure or di-
minifh it.

It was not from the ignorance of language, nor
from want of opportunity, and lefs from want of
pains, that I am not able to give a more diflinft ac-
count of this dreadful diforder. I kept one of thofe'
infefted in a houfe adjoining to mine, in my way lo
the palace, for near two years ; and, during that
time, I tried every fort of regimen that I could de-
vife. My friend. Dr. Ruflfel, phyfician at Aleppo,
(now in the Eaft Indies), to whofe care and fkill I
■was indebted for my life in a dangerous fever which
I had in Syria, and whofe friendfnip I muft always
confider as one of the greateft ' acquifitions I ever
made in travelling, defired me, among other medical
inquiries, to try the efFc£l of the cicuta upon
this difeafe ; and a confiderable quantity, made ac-
cording to the direction of Dr. Storke, phyfician in
Vienna, was fent me from Paris, with inftrudions
how to ufe it.".

Vol. III. Bb Havic^

5^8 tRAVEtS TO DISCOVEIt '

Having firfl: explained the whole matter, both to
the king, Ras Michael, and Azage Tecla Haima-
nout, chief juflice of the king's bench in Abyflinia,
and tc'Id them of the confequences of giving ^oo
great a dofe, I obtained their joint permiflions to go
on without fear, and do what I thought requifite.

It is my opinion, fays the Azage, that no harm
that may accidentally befal one miferable individual,
Jiow already cut off from fociety, fliould hinder
the trial 'the only one we ever fhall ha;ve an op-
portunity of making) of a medicine which may fave
multitudes hereafter from a difeafe fo much worfe
than death.

It was foon feen, by the conflant adminidration
of many ordinary dofes, that nothing was to be ex-
pe6:ed from- vio-lent or dangerous ones ; as not the
fmalleH: degree of amendment ever appeared, either
outwardly or inwardly, to the fenfation of the pa-
tient. Mercury had no better effect. Tar-water
alio \v2iS tried ; and if there was any thing, that
produced any feeming advantage, it was whey made
of cow's milk, of vphich he v/as excellively fond-,
and which the king ordered him to be furnilhed
with at my defire, in any quantity he pleafed, dur-
ing the experiment.

The troubles of the times prevented further atten-
tion. Dr. Storke's cicuta, in feveral inftances,
made a perfect cure of the han.-seers improperly
'opened, though, in feveral other cafes, without any
apparent caufe, it totally mifcarried. I fcarce ever
obferved mercury fucceed in any complaint.

It is not for me to attempt to explain what are
the caafes of thefe diftempers. Thofe whofe ftu-

dies

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 369

dies lead them to fuch inveftigatio'ns will do well to
attach themfelves, for firfl: principles, to the diffe-
rence of climate, and the abufes that obtain under
them ; after this, to particular circumftances in the
neceffaries of life, to which nature has fubjefted the
people of thefe countfies. Under the firfl, we may
rank a feafon of fix months rains, fucceeded, with-
out interval, by a cloudlefs fky and vertical fun ;
and cold nights which as immediately follow thefe
fcorching days. The earth, notwithftanding the
heat of thefe days, is yet perpetually cold, fo as to
feel difagreeably to the foles of the feet ; partly ow-
ing to the fix months rains, when no fun appears,
and partly to the perpetual equality of nights and
days; the thinnefs of the cloathing in the, better
fort, ("a niuflin fhirt) while the others are naked, and
lleep in this manner expofed, without covering in
the cold nights, after the violent perfpiration during
the fultty day. Thefe may be reckoned impru-
dences, while the conitant ufe of ftagnant putrid
water for four months of the year, and the quantity
of fait with which the foil of thofe countries is im-
pregnated, may be circumftances lefs conducive to
health ; to which, however, they have been for ever
fubjeft by nature.

It will be very reafonably expeded, that, after
this unfavourable account of the climate, and the
uncertainty of remedies for thefe frequent and ter-
rible difeafes, I fhould fay fomething of the regimen
proper to be obferved there, in order to prevent
what it feems fo doubtful whether we can ever
cure.

'Bb'2 My

370 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

My firfl: general advice to a traveller is this, to re-
member well what was the ftate of his conftitution
before he vifited thefe countries, and what his com-
plaints were, if he had any ; for fear very frequently
feizes «fs upon the firil fight of the many and fuddeu
deaths we fee upon our firfl arrival, and our fpirits
are fo lowered by perpetual perfpiration, and our
nerves fo relaxed, that we are apt to miftake the
ordinary fymptoms of a difeafe, familiar to us in our
own country, for the approach of one of thefe ter-
rible diftempers that are to hurry us in a few hours
into eternity. This has a bad-efFe£t in the very
flightefl diforder ; fo that it halh become proverbial
— If you think you fhall die, you fhall die.

If a traveller finds, that he is as well after having
been fonie time in this country as he was before en-
tering it, his belt way is to make no innovation in
his regimen, further than in abating fomething in the
quantity. But if he is of a tender conflitution, he
cannot acl more wifely than to follow implicitly the
regimen of fobef, healthy people of the country,
without arguing upon European notions, or fubfti-
tuting what we corifider as fuccedaneums to what
we fee ufed on the fpot. All fpirits are^to be avoid-
ed ; even bark is better in water than in wine.
The ftomach, being relaxed by profufe perfpiration,
needs fomething to ftrengthen, but not inflame, and
enable it to perform digeftion. For this reafon
(inftin6: we fhould call it, if fpcaking of beads) the
natives of all eaftern countries feafcn every fpecies
of food, even the fimplen:, and mildefl:, rice, fo
much with fpices, efpecialiy pepper, as abfolutely to
bliftcr a European palate.

. Thefe

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 37 X

Thefe powerful antifeptics Providence has planted
in thefe countries for this ufe ; and the natives have,
from the earlieft times, had recourfe to them in pro-
portion to the quantity that they can procure. -And
hence, in thefe dangerous climates, the natives are
as healthy as we are in our northern ones. Tra-
vellers in Arabia are difgufted at this feemingly in-
flammatory food ; and nothing is more common
than to hear them fay 4:hat they are afraid thefe quan^
titles of fpices will give thbm a fever. But did
they ever feel themfelves heated by ever fo great a
quantity of black pepper? Spirits they thinS:, fub-
ftituted to this, anfwer the fame purpofe. But does-
not the heat of your fkin, the violent pain in your
head, while the fpirits are filtering through the vef-
fels of your brains, (hew the difference ? and when
did any ever feel a like fenfation from black pepper,
or any pepper ate to excefs in every meal ?

I lay down, then, as a pofitive rule of health, that
the warmed difiies the natives delight jn, are the
moil wholefome ftrangers can ufe in the putrid cli^
mates of the Lower Arabia, AbyfTmia, Sennaar,
and Egyptitfelf J and that fpirits, and all fermented
liquors, fhould be regarded as poifons, and, for f6ar
of temptation, not fo much as be carried along"
with you, unlefs as a menftruu'm for outward appli-
cations.

Spring, or running water^if you can find it, is to
be your only drink. You cannot be too nice in
procuring this article. But as, on both coafts of the
Red Sea you fcarccly find any but ftagnant water,
the way I pratlifed was always this, when I was at
any place that allowed me time and opportunity — -

I took

37^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

I took a quantity of fine fand, walhed it from the
fait quality with which it was impregnated, and fpread
it upon a fheet to dry ; I then filled an oil-jar with
water, and poured into it as much from a boiling
kettle as would ferve to kill all the animalcula and
eggs that were in it. I then lifted my dried fand,
as flowly as poffible, upon the furface of the water
in the jar, till the fand flood half a foot in the bot-
tom of it ; after letting it fettle a night, we drew it
ofFby a hole in the jar with a fpigot in it, about an
inch above the fand ; then threw the remaining
fand out upon the cloth, and dried and wafhed i^
again.

This procefs is fooner performed than defcribed.
The water is as limpid as the pureft fpring, and little
inferior to the fined Spa. Drink largely of this
without fear, according as your appetite requires.
By violent perfpiration the aqueous part of your
blood is thrown off; and it is not fpirituous liquor
can reflore this, whatever momentary ftrength it
may give you from another caufe. When hot, and
almod fainting with weaknefs from continual per-
fpiration, I have gone into a warm bath, and been
immediately reftored to ftrength, as upon firft rifmg
in the morning. Some perhaps will object, that this
heat fhould have weakened and overpowered you ;
but the faft is otherwife ; and the reafon is, the
quantity of water, tal^en up by your abforbing veffels,
reftored to your blood that finer fluid which was
thrown off, and then the uneafmefs occafioned by
that want ceafed, for it was the want of that we
called uneafmefs.

In

THE SOUUCE OF THE NILE. 2)^^

In Nubia npver fcruple to throw yourfelf into the
col deft river orfpring you can find, in whatever de-
gree of heat you are. The reafon of the difference in
Europe is, that v/hen by violence you have raifed your-
felf to an extraordinary degree of heat, the cold water
in which you pluno-e yourfelf checks your perfpi-
ration, and lliuts your pores fuddenly. The .medium
is itfelf too cold, and you do not ufe force fufficient
to bring hack the perfpiration, which nought but
a6lion occafioned ; whereas, in thefe warm countries,
your perfpiration is natural andconftant, though no
aO:ion be ufed, only from the temperature of the
medium ; therefore, though your pores are fhut,
the moment you plunge yourfelf in the cold water,
the fmiple condition of the outward air again covers
you with pearls of fweat the moment you emerge j
and you begin the expence of the aqueous part of
your blood afrefh from the new ftock that you have
laid in by your immerfion.

For this reafon, if you are well, deluge yourfelf
from head to foot, even in the houfe, where water
is plenty, by direding a fervant to throw buckets
upon you at leaft once a-day when you are hotteft ;
not from any imagination that the water braces you,
as it is called, for your bracing will laft you only a
very few minutes ; but thefe copious inundations
will carry watery particles into your blood, though
not equal to bathing in running ftreams, where the
total immerfion, the motion of the water, and the
aftion of the limbs, all confpire to the benefit you
are in queft of. As to cold water bracino- in thefe
climates, I am perfuaded it is an idea not founded
in truth. By obfervation it has appeared often to

me.

374 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

me, that, when heated by, violent exercife, I have
been much more relieved, and my ftrength more
completely reftored by the ufe of a tepid bath, than
by an equal time pafled in a cold one.

Do not fatigue yourfelf if poffible. Exercife is
not either fo neceflary or falutary here as in Eu-
rope. Ufe fruits fparingly, efpecially if too ripe.
The mufa, or banana, in Arabia Felix, are always
TOtten-ripe when they are brought to you. Avoid
all fort of fruit expofed for fale in the markets, as
it has probably been gathered in the fun, and car-
ried miles in it, and all its juices are in a ftate of
fermentation. Lay it fir ft upon a table covered
with a coarfe cloth, and throw frequently a quan-
tity of water upon it ; and, if you have an oppor-
tunity, gather it in the dew of the morning before
dawn of day, for that is far better.

Rice and pillaw are thebeft food ; fowls are very
bad, eggs are^;' worfe ; greens are not wholefome.
In Arabia the mutton is good, and, when roafted,
may be eaten warm with fafety ; perhaps better if
cold. All foups or broths are to be avoided ; all
game is bad. :

. I have knov/n many very fcrupulous about eating
fuppers, but, I am perfuaded, without reafon. The
great perfpifation which relaxes the ftomach fo much
through the day has now ceafed, and the breathing
of cooler air has given to its 'operations a much
flronger tone. I always made it my moft liberal
meal, if I ate meat at all. While, at Jidda, my
(upper was a piece of cold, roafted mutton, and a

large

4

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 375

large giafs of water, with. my good friend Captain
Thornhill, during the dog-days.

After this, the exceflive heat of the day being
paft, covering our heads from the night air, always
blowing at that time from [the eaft and charged with
watery particles from the Indian Ocean, we had a
luxurious walk of two or three hours, as free front
the heat as from the noife and impertinence of the
day, upon a terrafled roof, under a cloudlefs fky,
where the fmalleft, ftar is vifible. Thefe evening
walks have been looked upon as one of the principal
pleafures of the eaft, even though not accompanied
with the luxuries of aftronomy and meditation.
They have been adhered to from early times to the
' prefentj and we may therefore be aiTured they were
. always wholefome ; they have often been mifap-
plied and mifpent in love.

It is a cuftom that, from the firft: ages, has pre-
vailed in the eaft, to fhriek and lament upon the
cjeath of a friend or relation, and cut their faces
lipon the temple with their nails, about the breadth
of a fixpsnce, one of which is left long for that pur-
pofe. It was always pra6lifed by the Je.ws, and
thence adopted by the Abyffinians, though exprefsly
forbidden both by the law and by the prophets *.
At Mafuah, it feems to be particular to dance upon
that occafion. The women, friends, and vifitors
pl^ce themfelvcsin a ring; then dance ilowly, figur-
ing in and out as in a country-dance. This dance
is all to the voice, no inftrument being ufed upon the
occafion ; only the drum (the butter-jar beforemen-

evit. chap. lilx. ver. 28. Jerem chap. xvl. ver. 6.

tioned^

37^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

tionedj is beat adroitly enough, and feems at once
necelfary to keep the dance and fong in order. In
AbyiTmia, too, this is purfued in a manner more ridi-
culous. Upon the death of an ozoro, or any noble-
man, the twelve judges, (who are generally between
60 and 70 years of age) fing the fong, and dance the
figure-dance, in a manner fo truly ridiculous, that
grief muft have taken faft hold of every fpeftator
who does not laugh upon the occafion. There needs
no other proof the deceafed was a friend.

Mahomet Gibberti married at Arkeeko. For
fifteen days afterward, the hufband there is invifible
to every body but the female friends of his wife, who
in that fultry country do everything they can, by
hot and fpiced. drinks, to throw the rnan, Hewed
in a clofe room, into a fever. " It puts me much in.
mind of fome of our countrymen fwea^ting them-
felves for a horferace with a < load of flannel on.
I conceive that Mahomet Gibberti, had it not been
for the fpice, would have made a bad figure in the
match he was engaged in. One of thefe nights of
his being fequeftered, when, had I not providentially
engaged Achmet, his uncle the Naybe would have
cut our throats. I heard two girls, profeflbrs hired
for fuchoccafions, fing alternately verfe for verfe in
reply to each other, in the mofl agreeable and me-
lodious manner lever heard in my life. This gave
me great hopes that, in Abyffinia, I fhould find
mufic in a ftate of perfedion little expeded in Eu-
rope. Upon inquiry into particulars I v/as miferably
difappointed, by being told thefe muficians were all
ftrangers from Azab, the myrrh country, where all
the people were natural muficians, and fung in a

' better

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 3^7

hotter flile than that I had heard ; but that nothing
of this kind was known in AbylFinia, a mountain-
ous, barbarous country, without inflrument, and
without fong ; and that it was the fame here in At-
bara; a miferable truth, which I afterwards com-
pletely verified. Thefe finger? were CufiiiteSj not
Shepherds.

. I, however, made myfelf mafter of two or three
of thefe alternate fongs upon the guitar, the wretched
inftrument of that country ; and was furprifed to
find the words in a language' equally ftrange to
Mafuah and Abyffinia. I had frequent interviews
with thefe muficians in the evening; they were
perfectly black and woolly-headed. Being {laves,
they fpoke both Arabic and Tigre, but could fing
in neither ; and, from every poffible inquiry 1 found
every thing, allied to counterpoint, was unknown
among them. I have fometimes endeavoured to re-
cover fragments of thefe fongs, which I once per-
fei^ly knew from memory only, but unfortunatelv I
committed none of them to vi'riting. Sorrow and
various misfortunes, that every day marked my
flay in the barbarous country to which I was then
going, and the neceliary part I, much againfl my
will, was for felf-prefervation, forced to take in the
ruder occupations of thofe times, have, to my very
great regret, obliterated long ago the whole from my
memory.

It is a general cuftom in Mafuah for people to

burn myrrh and incenfe in their houfes before ihey

' Qpen the doors in the morning; and when they

go Gilt at niglit, or early in the day, they have always

a fraall

37.8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

a fmall piece of rag highly fumigated with thefe
two perfumes, which they fluff into each noftril to
keep from the unwholefome air.

The houfes in Mafuah are, in general, built of
poles and bent grafs, as in the towns of Arabia ;
but, befides thefe, there are about twenty of ftone,
fix or eight of which are two ftoreys each j though
the fecond "feldom confifts of more than one room,
and that one generally not a large one. The ftones
are drawn out of the fea as at Dahalac ; and in
thefe we fee the beds of that curious muffel, or

«

fhell-fifh, found to be contained in the folid rock
at Mahon, called Dattoii da mare, or fea-dates, the
fifh of which I never faw in the Red Sea ; though
there is no doubt but they are to be found in the
rocky iflands about Mafuah, if they break the rock^
for them.

Although Mafuah is fituated in the very entrance
of Abyffinia, a very plentiful country, yet all the
neceflaries of life are fcarce and dear. Their qua-
lity, too, is very indifferent. This is owing to the
difficulty, expence, and danger of carrying the fe-
veral articles through the defert flat country, called
Samhar, which lies betv,^een Arkeeko and the moun-
tains of' Abyffmia ; as well as to the extortions ex-
ercifed by the Naybe, who takes, under the name
of cuftoms, whatever part he pleafes of the goods
and provifions brought to that ifland; by which
means the profit of the feller is fo fmall, as not to be
worth the pains and rifli of bringing it : 20 rotol of
butter cod a pataki and a half, 32 harf; or, in
one term, 45^ harf. A goat is half of a pataka;

^ a fheep.

THE SOURCjfi OF THE NILE. 2>l9

a fheep, two-thirds of a pataka ; the ardep of wheat,
4 patakas ; Dora, from Arabia, 2 patakas.

■Venit, vili/Jima reruni^

Hie aqua, Horat. lib. i. Sat. 6. v. 8&. '

Water is fold for three diwanls, or paras, the 7
gallons. The fame fort of money is in ufe at Ma-
fuah, and the oppofite coaft of Arabia ; and it is
indeed owing to the commercial intercourfe with
that coaft that any. coin is current in this or the
weftern fide. It is all valued by the Venetian fequin.
But glafs beads, called- Contaria, of all kinds and
colours, perfe6t and broken, pafs for fmall money,
and are called, in their language, Borjooke.

Table of the relative Value of Money. •

Venetian Sequin, - 2! Pataka.'
Pataka or Imperial Dollar, 28 Harf.
I Harf, — — 3 Diwani.

10 Kibeer, — — 1 Diwani.
I Kibeer, — — 3 Borjooke, or Grains,

The Harf is likewife called Dahab, a word very
equivocal, as it 'means in Arabic, gold, ana fre-
quently a fequin. The Harf is 120 grains of beads.

The zermabub, or fequin of Conflantinople, is
not current here. Thofe that have them, can only
difpofe of them to the women, who hang them about
their temples, to their necklaces, and round tha
necks of their children. The fraction of the pa-
taka is the half and quarter, which pafs here like-
wife.

There

^SO TRAVELS TO DISCdVEll

I'here is a confiderablj deal of trade carried oil
at Mafuah, notwithftanding thefe intonveniencie?,
narrow and confined as the ifland is, and violent
and unjufi: as is the government. But it is all done
in a Hovehlv manner, and for articles where a fmall
capital is invefted. Property here is too precarious
to rilk a venture in valuable commodities, where
the hand of power enters into every tranfadion.

The goods imported from the Arabian fide are
blue cotton, Surat cloths, and cochineal ditto, called
Kermis, fine cloth from difrerent markets in India ;
eoarfe white cotton cloths from Yemen ; cotton
unfpun from ditto in bales ; Venetian beads, cryflal,
dfinking, and looking-glafies ; and cohol, or crade
antimony. Thefe three lall articles come in great
quantities from Cairo, firft in the eoifee fhips to
Jidda, and then in fmall barks over to this port.
Old copper too is an article on which much is
gained, and great quantity is imported.

The Galla, and all the vai'ious tribes to the weft-
ward of Gondar, wear bracelets of this copper ;
and they fay at times, that, near the country of
Gongas and Guba, it has been fold, weight for
weight, with gold. There is a fhell likewife here,
a univalve of the fpecies of volutes, which fells at
a cuba for lo paras. It is brought from near Ho-
deida, though if is fometimes found atKonfodah and
Loheia. There are a few alfo at Dahalac, but not
efteemed: thefe piifs for money among the Fjawi
and other weltein.CaDa.

The cuba i-s a wooden meafure, containing,
very exactly, 62 cubic inches of rain water. The

drachm

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. S^^

drachm is called Cafla ; there is lo drachms in their
wakea. '

Gold, 1 6 patakas per wafcea.

Civet, 1 1 pataka the wakea.

Elephants teeth, i8 patakas for 35 rotol.

Wax:, 4 patakas the faranzala.

Myrrh, 3 patakas /^r ditto.

Coffee, I pataka the 6 rotol.

Honey, ^ of a pataka the cuba.

The Banians were once the principal merchants
of Mafuah ; but the number is now reduced to fix.-
They are filver-fmiths, that make ear-rings and other
ornaments for the women in the continent, and are
affayers of gold 5 they make, hawever, but a poor
livelihood.

As there is no water in Mafuah, the number of
animals belonging to it can be but fmall. The fea-
fowl have nothing fmgular in them, and are the
grey and the white gull, and the fmall bird, called
the fea-lark, or pickerel. The fky-lark is here, but
is mute the whole year, till the firft rains fall in No-
vember ; he then mounts very high, and fmgs in the
very heat of the day. I faw him in the Tehama,
but he did not fmg there ; probably for the reafon;
given above, as there was no rain.

There are no fparrows to be feen here, or on the
oppofite {hore, nor in the iflands. Ahhough there
were fcorpions in abundance at Loheia, we found
none of them at Mafuah. Water and greens, efpe-
cially of the melon and cucumber kind, feem to be
necelfary to this poifonous infeft. Indeed it was
only after rains we faw them in Loheia, and then

the

I

o8^' TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

the young ones appeared in fwarms ; this was in the
end of Auguft. They are of a dull green colour,
bordering upon yellow. As far as I could obferve,
no perfon apprehended any thing from their fling
beyond a few minutes pain.

We left Mafuah the loth of November, with the
foldiers and boats belonging to Achmet. We had
likewlle three fervants from Abyflinia, and no longer
apprehended the Naybe^ who feemed, on his part,
to think no more of us.

In the bay between Mafuah and Arkeeko are two
iflands, Toulahout and Shekh Seide ; the firft on the
weft, the other on the fouth. They are both unin-
habited, and without water. Shekh Seide has a
marabout, or faint's tomb, on the wefl; end. It is
not half a mile in length, when not overflowed, but
has two large points of fand which run far out
to the eaft and to the weft. Its weft point runs fo
near to Toulahout, as, at low water, fcarce to leave
a channel for the breadth of a boat to pafs be-
tween. , '

There is a chart, or map of the ifiand of Mafuah,
handed about with other bad maps and charts of
the Red Sea, (cf which I have already fpoken)
among our Englifn captains from India. It feems
to be of as old date as the firft landing of the ,
Portuguefe under Don Roderigo de Lima, in the
time of David III. but it is very inaccurate, or rather .
erroneous, throughout. The map of the ifiand,
harbour, and bay, wiih the foundings, which I here
have given, may be depended upon, as being done
on the fpot with the greateft attention.

Achmet,

THE. SOURCE OF THE NILE. 383

Achmet, though much better, was, however, not
w'ell. His fever had left him, but he had fome fymp-
toms of its being followed by a dyfentery. In the
two days I refted at his houfe, I had endeavoured to
remove thefe complaints, and had fucceeded in part j
for which he teftified the utmoft gratitude, as he was
wonderfully afraid to die.

The Naybe had vifited him feveral times every
day ; but as I was defirous ro fee Achmet well be-
fore rieft Arkeeko, I kept out of the way on thefe
ocCafions, being refolved, the firft interview, to
prefs for an immediate departure.

On the 13 th, at four o'clock in the afternoon, I
waited upon the Naybe at his own houfe. He re-
ceived me with more civility than ufual, or rather,
I fhould have faid, with lefs brutality ; for a grain
of any thing like civility had never yet appeared in
his behaviour. He had jufl received news, that a
fervant of his, fent to colled money at Hamazen,
had run off with it. As I faw he was bufy, I took
my leave of him, only aflcing his commands for
Habelli j to which he anfwered, " We have time
enough to think of that, do you come here to-mor-

row.'*

On the 14th, iri the morning, I waited up-
on him according to appointment, having firft
ftruck my tent and got all my baggage in readi-
nefs. He received me as before, then told me
with a grave air, " that he was willing to fur-
ther my journey into Habefli to* the utmoft of
his power, provided I (hewed him that confideration
which was due to him from all paffengers j that as,

Vol. III. C c by

3S4 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

by my tent, baggage, and arms, he faw I was a man
above the common fort, w! ich the grand fignior's
firman, and all my letters teftified, lefs than 1000
patakas offered by me would be putting a great affront
upon him ; however, in confideration of the gover-
nor of Tigre, to whom I was going, he would con-
fent to receive 300, upon my fwearing not to divulge
this, for fear of the fhame that would fall upon him
abroad. \

To this ! anfwered in the fame grave tone, " That
I thought him very wrong to take 300 patakas
v/lth fhame, when receiving 1000 would be more
honourable as well as more profitable ; therefore he
had nothing to do but put that into his account-
book with the governor of Tigre, and fettle his
honour and lis intereft together. As for myfelf,
I was fent for by Metical Aga, on account of the
king, and was proceeding accordingly, and if

\ he oppofed my going forward to Metical Aga,
\ {liould return ; but then again I fhould expeft
ten thoufand patakas from Metical Aga, for the
trouble and lofs of time I had been at, which

■ he and the Ras would no doubt fettle with him."
The Naybe faid nothing in reply, but only mutter-
fed, doling his teeth, Jhcitan afrit, that^ devil or
tormenting fpirit.

•*^ Look you, (fays one of the king*s fervants,
whom I hiid not heard fpeak before) I was ordered
to bring this man to my mafler j I heard no talk
of patakas ; the army is ready to march againll
Waragna Fafil, I mud not lofe my time here."
Then taking his fhort red cfoak under his arm,

and

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 385

and giving it a (hake to make the dud fly from it,
he put it upon his fhoulders, and, ftretching out
his hand very familiarly, iaid, " Naybe, within
this hour t am for Habefh, my companion will
ftay here with the man ; give me my dues for
coming here, and I fhall carry any anfwer either
of you has to fend." The Naybe looked much
difconcerted. " Befides, faid I, you owe me 300
patakas for faving the life of your nephew Achmet.'*
-r-*' Is not his life worth 300 patakas ?" He looked
Very filly, and faid, " Achmet*s life is worth all
Mafuah." There was no more talk of patakas
after this. He ordered the king's fervant not to
go that day, but come to him to-morrow to receive
his letters, and he would expedite us for Habefh.

Thofe friends that I had made at Arkeeko and
Mafuah, feeing the Naybe*s obflinacy againfl our
departure, and, knowing the cruelty of his nature,
advifed me to abandon all thoughts of Abyffmia ;
for that, in paffing thi'ough Samhar, among the
many barbarous people whom he commanded, diffi-
culties would multiply upon us daily, and, either
by accident, or order of the Naybe, we fhould furely
be cut off.

I was too well convinced of the embarraffment
that lay behind me if left alone with the Naybe, and
too determined upon my journey to hefitate upon
going forward. I even flattered myfelf, that his
ftock of fl:ratagems to prevent our goin;;, was by
this time exhaufted, and that the morrow would
fee us in the open fields, free from further tyranny
and controul. In this conjecture I was warranted

Cc 2 by

3^6 TRAVELS TO biSCOVER

by the vifible impreffion the declaration of thef
king's fervant had made upon him.

On the 15th, early in the morning, I ft ruck my
tent again, and had my baggage prepared, to (hew
we were determined to ftay no longer. At eight
o'clock, I went to the Naybe, and found him almoft
alone, when he received me in a manner that, for
him, might have paffed for civrl. He began with a
confiderable degree of eloquence, or fluency of
fpeech, a long enumeration of the difficulties of our
journey, the rivers, precipices, mountains, and woods
we were to pafs ; the number of wild beafts^ every
where to be found ; as alfo the wild favage people
that inhabited thofe places ; the moft of which, he
faid, were luckily under his command, and he would
recommend to them to do us all manner of*good
offices. He commanded two of bis fecretaries
to write the proper letters, and, in the mean time,
ordered us coffee; converfing naturally enough
about the king and Ras Michael, their campaign
againft Fafil, and the great improbability there was,,
ihey fliould be fuccefsful.

At this time came in a fervant covered with duft
and feemingly fatigued, as having arrived in " hafte
from afar. TKe Naybe, with a confiderable deal of
uneafmefs and confufion, opened the letters, which
were faid to bring intelligence, that the Hazorta,
Shiho, and Tora, the three nations who pofleffed
that of Samhar through which our road led to Do-
barwa, the common paflTage from Mafuah to Tigre,
had revolted, driven away his fervants, and declared
themfelves independent. He then, (aS if all was
over) ordered his fecretaries to ftop writing; and,

lifting

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 3S7

lifting up his eyes, began, with great feerning de-
votion, to thank God we were not already on our
journey; for, innocent as he was, when we fliould
hskVG been cut off, the fault would have been imput-
"Cd to him.

Angry as I was at fo barefaced a farce, I could
not help burfting out into a violent fit of Joud
laughter, when he put on the fevered countenance,
and defired to know the reafon of my laughing at
fuch a time. It is now two months, anfwered I,
lince you have been throwing various objedlions in
my way ; can you wonder that I do not give into fo
grofs an impofition ? This fame morning, before I
flruck my tent, in prefence of your nephew Achmet,
I fpoke with two Shiho juft arrived from Samhar,
who brought letters to Achmet, which faid all was
in peace. Have you earlier intelligence than that
of this morning ?

He was for fonie time without fpeaking; then
faid, " If you are weary of living, you are welcome
to go ; but I will do my duty in warning thofe
that are along with you of their and your danger,
that, when the mifchief happens, it may not be im-
puted to me." " No number of naked Shiho,"
faid I, " unlefs inftrucled by you, can ever be found
on our road, that will venture to attack us. The
Shiho have no fire-arms ; but if you have fent on
purpofe fome of .your foldiers tliat have fire-arms,
thefe will difcover by what authority they come. For
our part, we cannot fly ; we neither know the coun-
try, the language, nor the watering-places, and we
(hall not attempt it. We have plenty of different
forts of fire-arms, and your fervants have often feen

a?

388 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

at Mafuah we are not ignorant in the ufe of them.
We, it is true, may lofe our lives, that is in the
hand of the Almighty ; but we fhall not fail to leave
enough on the fpot, to give fufficient indication to
the king and Ras Michael, who it was that were
our aflfaflins, Janni of Adowa will explain the reft."

I then rofe very abruptly to go away. It is im-
poffible to give one, not converfant with thefe peo-
ple, any conception what perfed mafters the mod
clownifh and beaftly among them are of diflimula-
tion. The countenance of the Naybe now changed
in a moment. In his turn he burfl out into a loud
fit of laughter, which furprifed me full as much as
mine, fome time before, had done him. Every
feature of his treacherous countenance was altered
and foftened into complacency ; and he, for the
firft time, bore the appearance of a man.

" What I mentioned about the Shiho, he then
faid, was but to try you ; all is peace. I only want-
ed to keep you here, if poffible, to cure my nephew
Achmet, and his uncle Emir Mahomet ; but fmce
you are refolyed to go, be not afraid ; the roads ar^
fafe enough. I will give you a perfon to conduft
you, that will caryy you in fafety, even if there
was danger ; only go and prepare fuch remedies as
may be proper for the Emir, and leave them with
my nephew Achmet, while I finifti my letters."
This I willingly confented to do, and at ray return
I found every thing ready.

Our guide was a handfome young man, to whom,
though a Chriftian, the Naybe had married his
filler ; his name was Saloome. The common price
paid for fuch a condudor is thtee pieces if blue
' Surat

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE, 389

Surat cotton cloth. TheNaybe, however, obliged
us ~to promife thirteen to his brother-in-law, with
which, to get rid of him with fome degree of
good grace, we willingly complied.

Before our fetting out I told this to Achmet, who
faid, that the man was not a bad one naturally, but
that his uncle the Naybe made all men as wicked
as himfelf. He furnifhed me with a man to fliew
me where I Ihould pitch my tent ; and told me he
(hould now take my final deliverance upon himfelf,
for we were yet far, according to the Naybe's in»
tentions, from beginning our journey to Gondar.

Arkeeko confifts of about 400 houfes, a few of
which are built of clay, the reft of coarfe grafs
like reeds. The Naybe's houfe is of thefe laft-named
materials, and not diftinguilhed from any others in
the town; it ftands upon the S. W. fide of a large
bay. There is water enough for large fhips clofe
to Arkeeko, but the bay being open to the N. E.
makes it uneafy riding in blowing weather. Befides,
you are upon a lee-lliore ; the bottom is compofed
of foft fand. In ftanding in upon Arkeeko from
the fea through the canal between Shekh Seide and
the main land, it is neceflary to range the coall
about a third nearer the main than the ifland. The
point, or Shekh Seide, ftretches far out, and has
Ihallow water upon it.

The Cape that forms the fouth-weft fide of the large
bay is called Ras Gedem, being the rocky bafe of at
high mountain of that name, feen a confiderable
diftance from fea, anti dillinguifhed by its form,
^hich is that of a hog's back.

CHAP,

Sgo TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

CHAP. III.

journey from Arkeeko, over the mountain Taraiita^

to Dixan.

According to Achmet's defire, we left Ar-
keeko the 1 5th, taking our road fouthward, along
the plain, which is not here above a mile broa4,
and covered with ihort grafs nothing different from
ours, only that the blad^ i^ broader. Aftey ap
hour's journey I pitched my tent at Laberhey, near
a pit of rain-water. The mquntains of Abyflinia
have a fmgular afpecl from this, as they appear in
three ridges. The firft is of no confiderable height,
but full of gullies and broken ground, thinly cover-
ed with (hrubs ; the fecond, higher and deeper, flill
more rugged and bare ; the third is a row of (harp,
uneven-edged mountains, which would be counted
high in any country in Europe. Far above the top
of all, towers thz^t ftupendous mafs, the mountain
of Taranta, I fuppofe one of the highefl in the
world, the point of which is buried in the clouds,
and very rarely feen but in the cleared weather ;
at other times abandoned to perpetual mid and
darknefs, the feat of lightning, thunder, and of

ftorm.

Taranta is the higheft of a long, deep ridge of
mountains, the boundary between ibe cppofite feafons.
On its ead fide, or towards the Red Sea, the rainy
feafon is from Odober to April; and, on the

wedern.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 39I

weftern, or Abyflinian fide, cloudy, rainy, and cold
weather prevails from May to Odober.

In the evening, a meflenger from the Naybe

found us at our tent at Laberhey, and carried

away our guide Saloome. It was not till the next

day that he appeared again, and with him Achmet,

the Naybe's nephew. Achmet made us deliver to

him the thirteen pieces of Surat cloth, which was

proniifed Saloome for his hire, and this, apparently,

with that perfon's good-will. He then changed

four of the men whom the Naybe had furnifhed us

for hire to carry our baggage, and put four others

in their place ; this, not without fome murmuring

on their part ; but he peremptorily, and in feeming

anger, difpatched them back to Arkeeko.

Achmet now came into the tent, called for coffee,
and, while drinking it, faid, " You are fufficiently
perfuaded that I am your friend ; if you are not, it
is too late now to convince you. It is neceffary,
however, to explain the reafons of what you fee.
You are not to go to Dobarwa, though it is the beft
road, the fafefl being preferable to the eafiefl:. Sa-
loome knows the road by Dixan as well as the other.
You will be apt to curfe me when you are toiling and
fweating afcending Taranta, the higheft mountain
in Abyffinia, and on this account worthy your no-
tice. You are then to confider if .the fatigue of
body you then fuffer in that paflage is not over-
paid by the abfolute fafety you will find yourfelves
in. Dobarwa belongs to the Naybe, and I cannot
anfwer for the orders he may have given to his own
fervants ; but Dixan is mine, although the people
are much worfe than thofe of Dobarwa. I have

written

39^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

written to my officers there ; they will behave the
better to you for this ; and, as you are ftrong and
robuft, the befl: I can do for you is to fend you by a
rugged road, and a fafe one.

Achmet again gave his orders to Saloome, and
we, all rifiri^, faid the fedtah, or prayer of peace ;
which being over, his fervant gave him a narrow
web of muflin, which, with his own hands, he
wrapped round my head in the manner the better
fort of Mahometans wear it at Dixan. He then
parted, faying, " He that is your enemy is mine
alfo ; you fhall hear of me by Mahomet Gibberti."

This finifhed a feries of trouble and vexation, not
to fay danger, fuperior to any thing I ever before
had experienced, and of which the bare recital
(though perhaps too minute a one) \yill give but an
imperfect idea. Thefe wretches poffefs talents for
tormenting and alarming, far beyond the power of
belief; and, by laying a true (ketch of them before
a traveller, an author does him the moft real fervice.
In this country the more truly we draw the portrait
of man, the more we feem to fall into caricatura.

On the 1 6th, in the evening, we left Laberhey;
and, after continuing about an hour along the plain,
our grafs ended, the ground becoming dry, firm,
and gravelly, and we then entered into a wood of
acacia trees of confiderable fize. V^e now begaU
to afcend gradually, having Gedem, the high moun-
tain which forms the bay of Arkeeko, on our left,
and thefe fame mountains which bound the plain
of Arkeeko to the weft, on our right. We en-
camped this night on a rifmg-ground called Shillo-
keeb, where there is no water, though the moun-
tains

TH£ SOURCE OF THE NILE. 393

tains were every where cut through with gullies
3nd water courfes, made by the violent rains that
fall here in winter.

The 17th, we continued along the fame plain,
ftill covered thick - with acacia-trees. They were
then in bloflbm, had a round yellow flower, but
we faw no gum upon the trees. Our direQion had
hitherto been fouth. We turned wefterly through
an opening in the mountains, which here Hand fo
clofe together as to leave no valley or plain fpace'
between them but what is made by the torrents, in
the rainy feafon, forcing their way with great vio-
lence to the fea.

The bed of the torrent was our only road ; and,
3S it was all fand, we could not wifh for a better.
The moifture it had ftrongly imbibed protected it
from the fudden effects of the fun, and produced,
all alongfl: its courfe, a great degree of \egetation
^nd verdure. Its banks were full of rack-trees,
capers, and tamarinds ; the two laft bearing larger
fruit than I had ever before feen, though not arrived
to their greateft fize or maturity.

We continued this winding, according to the
courfe of the river, among mountains of no great
height, but bare, ftony, and full of terrible pre-
cipices. At half pafl; eight o'clock we halted, to
ax'oid the heat of the fun, under (hade of the trees
before mentioned, for it was then exceffively hot,
though in the month of November, from ten in the
morning till two in the afternoon. We met this
^ay with large numbers of Shiho, havi-ng their
wives and families along with them, defcending
from the tops of the high mountains of Habelh, with

their

394 t:^avex.s to discover

their flocks to paflure, on the plains below near the
fea, upon grafs that grows up in the i.ionths of
Oftober and November, when they have already
confumed what grew in the oppofite fe^fon on the
other fide of the mountains.

This change of domicil gives them a propenfity
to thieving and violence, though orherwife a coward-
ly tribe. It is a proverb in Abyflinia, " Beware of
" men that drink two waters,'* meaning thefej, and
all the tribes of Shepherds, who were in fearch of
paflure, and who have lain under the fame imputa-
tion from the remoteft antiquity.

The Shiho were once very numerous ; but, like all
thefe nations having communication with Mafuah,
have fuffered much by the ravages of the fmall-pox.
The Shiho are the blackeft of the tribes bordering
upon the Red Sea. They were all clothed ; their
women in coarfe cotton fliifts reaching down to their
ancles, girt about the middle with a leather belt,
and having very large fleeves ; the men in fhort cot-
ton breeches reaching to the middle of their thighs,
and a goat's Ikin crofs their Ihoulders. They have
neither tents nor cottages, but either live in caves
in the mountains under trees, or in fmall conical
huts built with a thick grafs like reeds.

This party confifted of about fifty men, and, I
fuppofe, not more than thirty women ; from which
it feemed probable the Shiho are Monogam, as after-
wards, indeed, I knew them to be. Each of them had
a lance in his hand, and a i-.nife at the girdle which
kept up the breeches. They had the fuperiority of
the ground, as coming down the mountain which
we were afcending j yet .1 obferved them to feem

rathe?

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 395

rather uneafy at meeting us ; and fo far from any
appearance of hoftility, that, I believe, had we at-
tacked brifkly, they would have fled without much
refiftance. They were, indeed, incumbered with
a prodigious quantity of goats and other cattle, fo
were not in a fighting trim. I faluted the man that
feemed to be their chief, and afked him if he would
fell us a goat. He returned my falute ; but either
could not fpeak Arabic, or declined further conver-
fation. However, thofe of our people behind, that
were of a colour nearer to themfelves, bought us a
goat that was lame, (dearly they faid) for fome anti-
mony, four large needles, and fome beads. Many
of them a{ked us for kijferah, or bread. This being
an Arabic word, and their having no other word in
their language fignifying bread, convinces me they
were Icthyophagi ; as, indeed, hiftory fays all thofe
Troglodyte nations were who lived upon the Red
Sea. It could not indeed be otherwife : the rich,
when trade flourifhed in thefe parts, would probably
get corn from Arabia or Abyffinia; but, v in their
own country, no corn would grow.
. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon we refumed our
journey through a very ftony, uneven road, till
5 o'clock, when we pitched our tent at a place call-
ed Hamhammou, on the fide of ?. fmall green hill
fome hundred yards from the bed of the torrent.
The weather had been perfeclly good fmce we left
Mafuah : this afternoon, however, it feemed to
threaten rain j the high mountains were quite hid,
and great part of the lower ones covered with thick
clouds ; the lightning was very frequent, broad, and
deep-tinged with blue j and long peals of thunder

were

f>

g6 TRAVELS to DISCOVEli

were heard, but at a diftance. This was the fiffl
fample we had of Abyffinian bad weather.

The river fcarcely ran at our pafling it ; when,
^11 on a fudden, we heard a noife on the mountains
above, louder than the loudeft thunder. Our
guides, upon this, flew to the baggage, and remov-
ed it to the top of the green hill ; which was no
fooner done, than we faw the river coming down
in a flream about the height of a man, and breadth
of the whole bed it ufed to occupy. The water
was thick, tinged with red earth, and ran in the
form of a deep river, and fwelled a little above its
banks, but did not reach our ftation on the hill.

An antelope, furprifed by the torrent, and I be-
lieve hurt by it, was forced over into the peninfula
where we were, feemingly in great diftrefs. As
foon as my companions faw there was no further
danger from the liver, they furrounded this inno-
cent comrade in misfortune, and put him to death
with very little trouble to themfelves. The acquifi-
tion was not great ; it was lean, had a mu(ky tafte,
and was worfe meat than the goat we had bought
from the Shiho. The torrent, though now very
fenfibly diminiflied, ftill preferved a current till
next morning.

Between Hamhammou and Shillokeeb we firfl
faw the dung of elephants, full of pretty thick
pieces of indigefted branches. We likewife, in many
places, faw the tracks through which they paiTed ;
fome trees were thrown down from the roots, fome
broken in the middle, and branches half-eaten
ftrewed on the ground.

Hamhammou

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 397

Hamhammou is a mountain of black flones, al-
moft calcined by the violent heat of the fun. This
is the boundary of the diftiift ; Samhar, inhabited "
by the Shiho from Hamhammou to Taranta, is called
Hadaflfa ; it belongs to the Hazorta.

This nation, though not fo numerous as the Shiho,
are yet their neighbours, live in conftant defiance of
the Naybe, and are of a colour much refembiing
new copper ; but are inferior to the Shiho in lize,
though very agile. All their fubftance is in cattle ;
yet they kill none of them, but live entirely upon
milk. They, too, want alfo an original word for
bread in their language, for the fame reafon, I fup-
pofe, as the Shiho. They have been generally fuc-
cefsful againfl the Naybe, and live either in caves,
OT in cabannes, like cages, jufl large enough to
hold two perfons, and covered with an ox*s hide.
Some of the better fort of women have copper
bracelets upon their arms, beads in their hair, and
<i tanned hide wrapt about their fhoulders.

The nights are cold here even in fummer, and
do not allow the inhabitants to go naked as upon
the reft of the coafl ; however, the children of the
Shiho, whom we met firft, were all naked.

The 1 8th, at half pad five in the morning, we
left our ftation on the fide of the green hill at Ham-
hammou ; for fome time our road lay through a
plain fo thick fet with acacia-trees that our hands
and faces were all torn and bloody with the ftrokes
of their thorny branches. We then refumed our
ancient road in the bed of the torrent, now nearly
dry," over ftones which the rain of the preceding
night had made very flippery.

At

39^ TRAVELS OT DiSCOtEK-

At half pad feven we came to the mouth of 3
narrow valley^ through which a flream of water
ran very fwiftly over a bed of pebbles. It was the
fiffl; clear water we had feen fmce we left Syria, and
gave us then unfpeakable pleafure. It was in tafte
excellent. The Ihade of the tamarind-tree, and
the coolnefs of the air, invited us to reft on this de-
lightful fpot, though otherwife, perhaps, it was not
exactly conformable to the rules of prudence, as
we faw feveral huts and families of the Hazorta
along the fide of the flream, with their flocks feed-
ing on the branches of trees and buflies, entirely
negledful of the grafs they were treading under
foot.

The caper-tree here grows as high as the' talleit
Englifli elm ; its flower is white, and its fruit, the*
not ripe, was fully as large as an apricot.

I went fonie diftance to a fmall pool of water in
order to bathe, and took my firelock with me ; but
none of the favages flirred from their huts, nor
feemed to regard me more than if I had lived
among them all their lives, though furely I was the
moft extraordinary fight they had ever ken ; whence
I concluded that they are a people of fmall talents
or genius, having no curiofity.

At two o'clock we continued our journey, among
large timber trees, till half paft three, along the
fide of the rivulet, when we loft it. At half paft
four we pitched our tent at Sadoon, by the fide of
another ftream, as clear, as fhallow, and as beauti-
ful as the firft ; but the night here was exceedingly
cold, though the fun had been hot in the day-time.
Our defire for water was, by this time, confiderably

abated.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE, 40I

abated. We were every where furrounded by
mountains, bleak, bare, black, and covered with
loofe ftones, entirely deftitute of foil; and, befides
this gloomy profpe6l, we faw nothing but the heavens.

On the 19th, at half pad fix in the morning,
tve left Sadoon, our road flill winding between
mountains in the bed, ot torrent of a river, bor-
dered on each fide with rack and fycamore trees of
a good fize. I thought them equal to the largeft
trees I had ever feen ; but upon confidering, and
roughly meafuring fome of them, I did not find
one 72 feet diameter; a fmall tree in comparifori
of thofe that fome travellers have obferved, and
much fmaller than I expeded ; for here every caufe
concurred that fhould make the growth of thefe
large bodies exceffive.

At half paft eight o'clock, we encamped at a
place called Tubbo, where the mountains are very
fteep, and broken, very abruptly, into cliffs and
precipices. Tubbo was by. much the mod agree-
able ftation we had feen; the trees were thick,
full of leaves, and gave us abundance of very dark
Ihade. Thete was a number of many different kinds
fo clofely planted that they feemed to be intended for
natural arbours. Every tree was full of birds,
variegated with an infinity of colours, but deftitute
of fong ; others, of a more homely and more Euro-
pean appearance, diverted us with a variety of wild
notes, in a ftile of mufic ftill diftindt and peculiar
to Africa ; as different in the compofition from our
linngt and goldfinch, as our Englilh language is to
that of Abyfljnia: Yet, from very attentive and
frequent obfervation, I found that the fliy-lark at

VoL.JII. Dd Mafuah

4055 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Maluah ang the fame notes as in England. It waS
obfervable, that the greatefl: part of the beautiful
painted birds were of the jay, or magpie kind:
nature feemed, by the finenefs of their drefs, to
have marked them for children- of noife and im-
pertinence, but never to have intended them for
pieafure or meditation.

The reafon of the Hazorta making, as it Mrere,
a fixed ftation here at Tubbo, feems to be the
great exuberancy of the foliage of thefe large trees.
Their principal occupation feemed to be cut down to
the branches moft within their reach ; and this^
in a- dry feafon, nearly ftripped every free ; and^
upon failure of thefe, they remove their flocks,
whatever quantity of grafs remained.

The fycamores conflitute a large proportion of
thefe trees, and they are every where loaded with
figs ; but the procefs of caprification being unknown
to thefe favages, thefe figs come to nothing, which
elfe might be a great refou^ce for food at times,
in a country v/hich feems almoft: deflitute of the
neceifaries of Hfe.

We left Tubbo at three o'clock in the afternoon,
and we wifhed to leave the neighbourhood of the
Hazorta. At four, we encamped at Lila, where
we pafled the night in a narrow valley, full of tree^
and brufhwood, by the fide of a rivulet. Thefe
fmall, but delightful flreams, which appear on the
plain between Taranta and the fca, run only after
Oftober. When the fummer rains in Abyflinia are
ceafmg, they begin again on the eafl fide of the
mountains ; at other times, no running water is to
be faund here, but it remains ftagnant in large

pools.

THE SOURCE OF THE NttE. 403

pools, whilft its own depth, or the fhade of the
mountains and trees, prevent it from being exhaled
by the heat of the fun till they are again replenifhed
with frefh fupplies, which are poured into them
upon return of the rainy feafon. Hitherto we had
conftantly afcended from our leaving Arkeeko, but
it was very gradually, indeed almoft imperceptibly^

On the 20th, at fix o'clock in the morning, we
left our Ration at Lila, and about feven we beean
to afcend the hills, or eminences, which ferve as the
roots or (kirts of the gteat mountain Taranta. The
road was on each fide bordered with nabca, or
jujeb trees of great beauty, and fycamores perfedlly
• deprived of their verdure and branches. •

We faw to-day plenty of game. Th^ country
here is every where deprived of the fhade it would
enjoy from thefe fine trees, by the barbarous axes
of the Hazorta. We found every tvhere immenfe
flocks of antelopes ; as alfo partridges of a fmall
kind that willingly took refuge upon trees ; neither
of thefe feemed to confider us as enemies. The
antelopes let us pafs through their flocks, onlv re-
moving to the right or to the left, or Handing flili
and gazing upon us till we paifed. But, as we
were then on the confines of Tigre, or rather on
the territory of the Baharnagafli, and as the Hazorl;2'
were in motion every where removing towards the
coaft, far from the dominions of the Abyflinjans to
which we were going, a friend of their own tribe,
who had joined us for fafety, knowing how little
truft was to be put in his countrymen when moving
in this contrary direction, advifed us by no means to
fire, or give any unneceflary indication of the fpot

Dd 2 where

4C34 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

where we were^ fill we gained the mountam of
Taranta, at the foot of which we halted at nine
in the morning.

At half pafl> twa o'clock in the afternoon we be-
gan to afcend the mountain, through a moft rocky,
uneven road, if it can deferve the name, not only
from its. incredible fteepnefs, but from the large
holes and gullies made by the torrents, and the huge
monftrous fragments of rocks which, loofened by
the water, had been tumbled down into our way.
It was with great difficulty we could creep up, each
man carrying his knapfack and arms ; but it feemed
beyond the poffibility of human flrength to carry
our baggage and inilruments. Our tent, indeed,
faffered nothing by its falls ; but our telefcopeSj*
time-keeper, and quadrant, were to be treated in a
more deliberate and tender manner.

Our quadrant had hitherto been carried by eight
men, four to relieve each other ; but thefe were
ready to give up the undertaking upon trial of the
firft few hundred yards. A number of expedients;,
fuch as trailing it on the ground, (all equally fatal
to the irtltrument) were propofed. At lall, as I was
incomparably the ftrongefl: of the company, as well
as the mod interefted, I, and a ftranger Moor who
had followed us, carried the head of it for about
400 yards over the moft difficult and fteepeft part
of th^mountain, which before had been Gonfidered
as impradicable by all.

Yafine was the name of that Moor, recommend-
ed to me by Metical Aga, of whom I have already
fpoken a little, and (hall be obliged to fay much
more ^ a perfon whom I had difcovered to be a man

of

t

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 405

of a mod fagacious turn of mind, firm heart, and
ftrenuous nerves ; never more diftinguiflied for all
thefe qualities than in the hour of imminent dan-
ger^ at other times remarkable for quietnefs and
filence, and a conftant fludy of his Koran.

We carried it fteadily up the fteep, eafed the cafe
gently over the big flones on which, from time to
time, we refled it ; and, to the wonder of them all,
placed the head of the three-foot quadrant, with its
double cafe, in fafety far above the ftony parts of
the mountain. At Yafme's requefl we again un-
dertook the next moft difficult taik, which w^s to
carry the iron foot of the quadrant in a fingle deal-
cafe, not fo heavy, indeed, nor fo liable to injury,
but ftill what had been pronounced impoffible tq
carry up fo deep and rugged a mountain ; and re-^
fufmg then the faint offers of thofe that flood gaz-;
ing below, excufmg themfelves by foretelling an
immediate and certain mifcarriage, we placed the
fecond cafe about ten yards above the firft in per-
feft good condition.

Declaring ourfelves now without fear of contrar
diftion, and, by the acknowledgment of all, upon
fair proof, the two bed men in the company, wis
returned, bearing very vifibly the characters of fiucb
an exertion ; our hands and knees were all cut, man-
gled, and bleeding, with fliding down and clamber-
ing over the (harp points of the rocks ; our clothes
torn to pieces ; yet weprofeffed our ability, jwthout
any reproaches on our comrades, to carry the two
telefcopes and time-keeper alfo. Shame, and the proof
fif fuperior conftancy, fo much humbled the reil of
our (n3mpanions, that one and all put their hands

406 TRAVELS TO, DISCOVER

fo brifkly to work, that, with infinite toil, and as
much pleafure, we advanced fo far as to place all
our inftruments and baggage, about two o'clock
in the afternoon, near half way up this terrible
mountain of Taranta.

There were five affes, two of which belonged to
Yafine, and thefe were fully as difficult to bring up
the mountain as any of our burdens. Moil of
their loading, the property of Yafine, we carried
up the length of my inftruments ; and it was pro-
pofed, as a thing that one man could do, to make
the unladen light afles follow, as they had been
well taken care of, were vigorous and young, and
had not fufFered by the (horc journies we had made
on plain ground. They no fooner, however, found
themfelves at liberty, and that a man was compel-
ling them with a ftick to afcend the mountain, than
they began to bray, to kick, and to bite "each other 5
and, as it were with one confent, not only ran
down the part of the hill we had afcended, but,
with the fame jovial cries as before, (fmelling, I
fuppofe, fome of their companions) they continued
on at a brifk trot; and, as we fuppofed, would
never (top till they came to Tubbo, and the huts
of the Hazorta.

All our little caravan, and efpecially the mafters
of thefe animals, faw from above, in defpair, all
our eagernefs to pafs Taranta defeated by the fe-
ceflioa^of the moft obftinate of the brute creation.
But there was no mending this by refledion ; at the
fame time, we were fo tired as to make it impoffi-
ble for the principals to give any affiftance. Bread

was

#

THE SOlIkCE OF THE NILE. 40^

was to be baked, and fupper to be made ready,
after this fatiguing journey..
' At length four Moors, one of them a fervant of
Yafme, with ane firelock, were fent down after the
afles ; and the men were ord€red to fire at a diftance,
fb as to be heard in cafe any thing diftioneft was
offered on the part of the Hazorta. But luckily
tile appetite of the aiTes returning, they Jiad fallen
to eat the bufhes, about half way to Lila^ whe2;e
tiiey were found a little before fun-fet.

The number of hyaenas that are everywhere among
the bufhes, had, as we fuppofed, been fe^n by thefe
animals, and had driven them all into a body. It
was probable that this too, made them more docile,
fo that they fuffered themfelves to be driven on be-
fore their mafters. The hyaenas, however, followed
them ftep by ftep, always increafing in number;
a=nd, the men, armed only with lances, began to be
fully as much afraid for themfelves as for the afles.
At laft the hyaenas became fo bold, that one of them
feized the afs belonging to the poor Moor, whofe
cargo was yet lying at the foot of Taranta, and
pulled him down though the man ran to him
and relieved him with lances. This would have
begun a general engagement with the hyaenas,
had not Yafine's man that carried the firelock dif-
charged it amongll them, but miffed them all. How-
ever, it anfwered the purpofe; they difappeared,
and left the affes and afs-drivers to purfue their
way.

The /hot, for a moment, alarmed us all upon the
•<||mountain. Every man ran to his arms to prepare
.for the comingof the Hazorta J but a moment's re-
flection

408 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

fledion upon the fliort time the men had been away,
the diftance between us and I'ubbo, and the fmall
fpace that it feemed to be from where the gun was
iired, made us all conclude the man had only in-
tended by the fhot to let us know they were at hand,
though it was not till near midnight before our long-
eared companions joined their mafters.

We found it impoffible to pitch our tents, from
the extreme wearinefs in which our laft night*s ex-
ertion had left us : But there was another reafon
alfo ; for there was not earth enough covering the
bare fides of Taranta to hold fa(t a tent-pin ; but
there were variety of caves near us, and throughout
the mountain, which had ferved for houfes to the
old inhabitants ; and in thefe found a quiet and not
inconvenient place of repofe, the night of the 20th
of November.

All this fide of the mountain of Taranta, which
we had paiTed, was thick-fet with a fpecies of tree
which we had never before feen, but which was of
uncommon beauty and curious compofition of parts ;
its n2imQ is koi <}uaUf, Though we afterwards met
it in feveral places of Abyflinia, it never was in the
perfe£tion we now faw it in Taranta.

On the 21ft, at half pad fix in the morning, hav-
ing encouraged my company with good words, m-
creafe of wages, and hopes of reward, we began to
encounter the other half of the mountain, but, be-
fore we fet out, feeing that the afs of the firanger
Moor, which was bit by the hyaena, was incapable
of carrying his loading further, I defired the reft

* See the article kol-quall In the Appendix.

every

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 409

every one to bear a proportion of the loading till
we fliould arrive at Dixan, where I promifed to pro-
cure him another which might enable him to con^
tinue his journey.

This propofal gave nniverfal fatisfaftion to our
Mahometan attendants. Yafme fwore that my con-
dud was a reproach to them all, for that though a
Chriftian, I had fet them an example of charity to
their poor brother highly neceflary to procure
God's bleffing upon their journey, but which (hould
properly have come firft from themfelves. After a
great deal of ftrife of kindnefs, it was agreed that I
fhould pay one-third, that the lame afs fhould go
for what it was worth, and the Moors of the ca-
ravan make up the difference.

This being ended, I foon perceived the good
effe£t. My baggage moved much more briikly than
the preceding day. The upper part of the moun-
tain was, indeed, fleeper, more craggy, rugged, and
ilippery than the lower, and impeded more with
trees, but not embarralfed fo much with large ftones
and holes. Our knees and hands, however, were
cut to pieces by frequent falls, and our faces torn
by the multitude of thorny bufhes. I twenty times
now thought of what Achmet had told me at parting,
that I fliould curfe him for the bad road (hewn to
me over Taranta ; but blefs him for the quiet and
fafety attending me in that paiTage.

The middle of the mountain was thinner of trees
than the two extremes ; they were chiefly wild
olives which bear no fruit. The upper part was
clofe covered with groves of the oxy cedrus, the
Virginia^ or berry-beating cedar, in the language of

the,

41© TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

the country called Arze. At laft we gained the
top of the mountain, upon which is fituated a fmall
village called Halai, the firll we had feen fince our
leaving Mafuah. It is chiefly inhabited by poor fer-
vants and fhepherds keeping the flocks of men of
fubftance living in the town of Dixan.

The people here are not black, but of a dark
complexion, bordering very much upon yellow.
They have their head bare ; their feet covered with
fandals ;.a goat*s {kin upon their flioulders ; a cotton
cloth about their middle; their hair fhortand curled
like that of a negroe's in the weft part of Africa ;
but this is done by art, ,not by nature, each man
having a wooden ftick with which he lays hold of
the lock and twifts it round a fcrew, till it curls in
the form he defires *. The men carry in their hands
two lances and a large fliield of bull's hide. A
crooked knife, the blade in the lower part about
three inches broad, but diminifhing to a point about
fixteen inches long, i^ ftuck at their right fide in a
girdle of coarfe cxjtton cloth, with which their mid-
die is fwathed, going round them fix times.

All forts of cattle are here in great plenty ; cows
and bulls of exquifite beauty, efpecially the former ;
they are, for the moft part, completely white, with
large dewlaps hanging down to their knees ; their
heads, horns, and hoofs perfedly well-turned ; the
horns wide like our Lincolfifliire kine ; and their
hair like filk. Their fheep are large, and all black,

* I apprehend this is the fame itiflrument ufed by the ancients,
and cenfured by the prophets, which, in our tranflation, is ren-
dered crifping-pins. Ifa. chap. iii. ver. 22.

, I never .

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 4x1

I never faw one of any other colour in the province
of Tigre. Their heads are large ; their ears re-
markably (hort and fmall j inftead of the wool they
have hair, as all the fheep Avithin th? tropics have,
but this is remarkable for its luftre and foftnefs,
without any briftly quality, fuch as thofe in Beja,
o^- the country of Sennaar ; but they are neither fo
fat, nor is their flefli fo good, as that of the fheep in
the warmer country. The goats here, too, are of
the largeft fize ; but they are not ve«:y rough, nor is
their hair long.

The plain on the top of the mountain Taranta
was, in many places, fown with whe^t, which w^s
then ready to be cut down, though the harveft was
not yet begun. The grain y/as clean, and of good
colour, but inferior in fize to that of Egypt. It did
not, however, grow thick, nor was the (talk above
fourteen inches high. The water is very bad on the
top of Taranta, being only what remains of the
rain in the hollqws of the rocks^ and in pits prepared
for it.

Being very tired, we pitched our tent on the top
of the mountain. The night was remarkably cold,
at lead appeared fo to us, whofe pores were opened
by the exceffive heat of Mafuah, for at mid-d^f the
thermometer flood 61% and at fix in the evening
59°; the barometer, at the fame time, i8| inches
French. The dew began to fall flrongly, and fo
continued till an hour after fun-fet, though the (ky
v/as perfe6lly clear, and the fmalleft ftars difcernible.

I killed a large eagle here this evening, about
f|x feet ten inches from wing to wing. It feemed
very tame till Ihot. The ball having wounded it

but

4-lS TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

but flightly, when on the ground it could not be
prevented from attacking the men or beads near it
with great force and fiercenefs, fo that I was obliged
to flab it with a bayonet. It was of a dirty white ;
only the head and upper part of its wings were of
a light brown.

On the 2 2d, at eight in the morning, we left our
flation on the top of Taranta, and foon after began
to defcend on the fide of Tigre through a road the
moil broken and uneven that ever I had feen, al-
ways excepting the afcent of Taranta. After this
we began to mount a fmall hill, from which we had
a diftin6l view of Dixan.

The cedar-trees, fo tall and beautiful on the top
of Taranta, and alfo on the eaft fide, were greatly
degenerated when we came to the weft, and moftly
turned into fmall ftirubs and fcraggy buflies. We
pitched our tent near fome marlhy ground for the
fake of water, at three quarters paft ten, but it was
very bad, having been, for feveral weeks, ftagnant.
We faw here the people bufy at their wheat har-
veft : others, who had finifhed theirs, were treading
it out with cows and bullocks. They make no ufe
of their ftravv ; fometimes they burn it, and fome-
tlmes leave it on thefpot to rot.

We fet out from this about ten minutes after
three, defcending gently through a better road than
we had hitherto feen. At half paft four in the even-
ing, on the 2 2d of Novemb€V, we came to Dixan.
Halai was the firft village, fo is this the firft town
in Abyffmia, on the fide of Taranta. Dixan is built
on the top of a hill, perfeftly in form of a . fugar
loaf; a deep valley furrounds it every where like a

trenchj^

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 413

trench, and the road winds fplrally up the hill till it
ends among the houfes.

This town, with a large diftrid, and a .confidera-
ble number of villages, belonged formerly to the
Baharnagafli, and was one of the ftrong places
under his command. Afterwards, when his power
came to be weakened, and his office in difrepute by
his treafonable behaviour in the war of the Turks,
and civil war that followed it, during the Portuguefe
fettlement in the reign of Socinios, the Turks pof-
feffing the fea-ports, and being often in intelligence
with him, it was thought proper to wink at the
ufurpations of the governors of Tigre, who, little
by little, reduced this office to be dependent on
their power.

Dixan, prefuming upon its flrength, declared for
independence in the time the two parties were con-
tending ; and, as it was inhabited moftly by Ma-
hometans, it was fecretly fupported by the Naybe.
Michael Suhul, however, inverted it with a large
army of horfe and foot ; and, as it had no water
but what was in the valley below, the general de-
feat of thefe lofty fituations, he furrounded the town,*
encamping upon the edge of the valley, and inclofed
all the water within his line of circumvallation,
making ftrong pofts at every watering-place, de-
fended by fire-arms.

He then fent to them a buffoon, or dwarf, de-
firing them to furrender within two hours, ihe
paffions of the inhabitants were, however, raifed by
cxpeftations of fuccour from the Naybe j and they
detefted Michael above every thing that could be ima-
gined. They, therefore, whipt the dwarf, andin-

- ^ flided

414 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Aided other marks of contumely upon him. Michael
bore this with feeming indifference. He fent no
more fummonfes, but ftrengthened his ports, and
ordered them to be continually vifited. Several at*
tacks of no confequence were made by the be*
fieged following large , ftones which were rolled down
into the trench, but all to no pufpofe. A general
attack, however, from the town, was tried the third
day, by which one well was carried, and many re-
lieved their thirfl: ; many died there, and the reft
were forced back into the town. A capitulation
was now offered ; but Michael anfwered, he waited
for the coming of the Nay be. About 700 people
are faid to have died, during the fiege, with thirft ;
and at laft there being no profpeft of relief, twelve
of the leaders were delivered and hanged up at the
wells. The town furrendered at difcretion, and
the foldieis finifhed thofe whom thirfl had fpared.
Michael then farmed Dixan to the Naybe, who
repeopled it. There was a high and low town,
divided from each other by a confiderable fpace.
In the lower abode Chriflians, at leafl fo calling
themfelves ; on the top of the hill were the Naybe's
party, who had dug for themfelves a fcanty well.
Saloome, our guide, was fon of the governor for
the Naybe. Achmet was the perfon the Moors in
the low town had confided in ; and the Chriflian
chief was a dependent upon Janni, our Grfeek friend
at Adowa, who had diredion of all the cuftom-houfes
in Tigre, and of that at Dixan among the reft.

Our baggage had pafTed the trench, and had
reached the low towns through which Saloome had
conduced me, under pretence of getting a fpeedy

fhelter

THE SOURCE OF THE NILK. 415

Ihelter from the heat : but he overacted his part ; and
Janni, his fervant, who fpoke Greek, giving me
a hint to go no further, I turned fhort towards the
houfe, and fat down with my firelock upon a (tone
at the door. Our baggage quickly followed, and
all was put fafe in a kind of a court inclofed with a
fufficient ftone-wall.

It was not long till Hagi Abdelcader, Achmet's
friend, came to us, inviting me civilly to his houfe,
and declaring to me the friendly orders he had re-
ceived from Achmet concerning me ; bringing along
with him alfo a goat, fome butter and honey. I ex-
cufed myfelf from leaving Janni's friend, theChrif-
tian, where I had firft alighted ; but I recommended
Yafine to him, for he had begun to (hew great at-
tachment to me. In about a quarter of an hour
came Saloome, with about twenty men, and de-
manded us, in the name of the Naybe, as his ftran-
gers : he faid we owed him money for conducting
us, and likewife for the cuftom -houfe dues. In a mo-
ment near a hundred men were affembled round
Hagi Abdelcader, all with fhields and lances, and
we expelled to fee a fray of the mofl: ferious kind.
' But Abdelcader, with a fwitch in his hand, went
gravely up to Saloome, and, after chiding his party
with great authority, held up his flick twice over Sa-
loome's head, as if to ftrike him ; then ordered him,
if he had any demands, to come to him in the
evening ; upon which both parties difperfed, and
left us in peace.

The matter was fettled in the evening with Sa-
loome in an amicable manner. It was proved that
thirteen pieces of blue cloth were the hire agreed on,

and

4-^6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

aiid that it had been paid by his order to Achmet j
andj, though he deferved nothing for his treacherous
inclinations towards us, yet, for Achmet*s fake, and
our friend Hagi Abdelcader's, we made him a pre-*
fent of three pieces more.

It is true of Dixan as, I believe, of moll frontier
towns, that the bad people of both contiguous coun-
tries refort thichcr. The town, as I before have
faid, confifts of Moors and Chriftians, -and is very
well peopled ; yet the only trade of either of thefe
fedls is a very extraordinary one, that of felling of
children. The Chriftians bring fuch as they have
ftolen in Abyffinia to Dixan as to a fure depofit ;.
and the Moors receive them there, and carry them to
a certain market at Mafuah, whence they aie fent
over to Arabia or India. The priefts of the pro-
vince of Tigre, efpecially thofe near the rock
Damo, are openly concerned in this infamous
pradtice ; and fome of thefe have been licenfed by
Michael to carry it on as a fair trade, upon pay-
ing fo many firelocks for each dozen or fcore of
ilaves.

Nothing can elucidate the footing upon which
this trade .(lands better than a tfanfa6:i6n which
happened while I was in Ethiopia, and which reached
Gondar by way of complaint from Mafuah, and was
told me by Michael himfelf.

Two priefts of Tigre, whofe names I have forgot,
had been long intimate friends. They dwelt near
the rock Damo. The youngeft; was married, and had
two children, both fons ; the other was old, and
had none.- The old one reproved his friend one
day for keeping his children at heme idle, and not

putting

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 417

putting them to fome profeffion by which they
might gain their bread. The married priefl pleaded
his poverty and his want of relations that could af-
fift him ; on which, the old priefl offered to place his
eldefl fon with a rich friend of his own, who had no
children, and where he fhould want for nothing.
The propofal was accepted, and the young lad,
about ten years of age, was delivered by his father
to the old priefl, to carry him to this friend, who
fent the boy to Dixan and fold him there. Upon
the old priefl's return, after giving the father a
fplendid account of his fon's reception, treatment, and
profpefts, he gave him a piece of cotton cloth, as a
prefent from his fon's patron.

The younger child, about eight years old, hear-
ing the good fortune of his elder brother, became
fo importunate to be allowed to go and vifit him,
that the parents were obliged to humour him, and
confent. But the old priefl had a fcruple, faying he
would not take the charge of fo young a boy, unlefs
his mother went with him. This being fettled,
the old priefl conveyed them to the market at Dixan,
where he fold both the mother and the remaining
child.

Returning to the father, the old priefl: told him,
that his wife would flay only fo long, and expe6led
he would then fetch her upon a certain day, which
was named. The day being come, the two priefls
went together to fee this happy family ; and, upon
their entering Dixan, it was found that the old priefl
had fold the young one, but not to the fame Moor
to whom he had fold his family. Soon after,
thefe two Moors, who had bought the Chrifaans,
Vol. IIL E e becoming

.418 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

becoming partners in the venture, the old priefl
was to receive forty cotton-cloths, that is, 10/.
Sterling, for the hufband, wife, and children.

The payment of the money, perhaps the refent-
ment of the family trepanned, and the appearance
of equity which the thing itfelf bore, fuggefled to the
Moorifli merchants that there was fome more profit,
and not more rifl-:, if they carried off the old pried
likewife. But as he had come to Dixan, as it were
under public faith, in a trade that greatly interefted
the town, they were afraid to attempt any thing
againfl him whilft there. They began then as it
were to repent of their bargain, from a pretended
apprehenfion that they might be flopped and quef-
tioned at going out of town, unlefs he would accom-
pany them to fome fmall diftance ; in confideration
of which, they would give him, at parting, two pieces
of cloth to be added to the other forty, which he
was to take back to Tigre with him upon his re-
turn.

The beginning of fuch expeditions is in the night.
When all were aileep, they fet out from Dixan ;
the buyers, the feller, and the family fold; and, being
arrived near the mountain where the way turns oif
to the defert, the whole party fell upon the old prieft,
threw him down, and bound him. The woman in-
fifted. that flic might be allowed to cut or tear off
the little beard he had, in order, as fhe faid, to
make him look younger ; and this demand was
reckoned too juftto be denied her. The whole five
were then carried to Mafuah ; the woman and her
two children were fold to Arabia ; the two priefts
had not fo ready a market, and they were both in

the

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 419

the Naybe*s houfe when I was at Mafuah, though
I did not then know it.

The Naybe, willing to ingratiate himfelf with Ras
Michael at a fmall expence, wrote to him an account
of the tranfadion, and offered, as they were priefts,
to-reftore them to him. But the Ras returned for
anfwer, that the Naybe fliould keep them to be his
chaplains ; as he hoped, fome day, he would be
converted to the Chriftian faith himfelf; if not, he
might fend them to Arabia with the reft ; they would
ferve to be carriers of wood and drawers of water;
and that there ftill remained at Damo enough of
their kind to carry on the trade with Dixan and
Mafuah.

This ftory I heard from Ras Michael himfelf, at
his grand-daughter's marriage, when he was feafting,
and in great fpirits. He, and all the company,
laughed heartily j and although there were in the
room at leaft two dozen of priefts, none of them
feemed to take this incident more ferioully than the
refli of the company. From this we may guefs at
the truth of what the Catholic writers advance, with
regard to the refpe^t and reverence ihewn to the
prfefthood by the government and great men in
Abyffmia.

The prieft of Axum, and thofe of the monaftery
of Abba Garima, are equally infamous with thofe
of Damo for this pradice, which is winked at by
Ras Michael, as contributing to his greatnefs, by
furnifhing fire-arms to his province of Tigrc, which
gives him a fuperiority over all Abyffinia. As a re-
turn for this article, about five hundred of thefe un-
fortunate people are exported annually from Ma-

E e a fuah

4C,0 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

fuah to Arabia ; of which three hundred are Pagans,
and come from the market at Gondar ; the other
two hundred are Chriftian children, kidnapped by
fome fuch manner as this we have fpoken of, and
in times of fcarcity four times that number. The
Naybe receives fix patakas of duty for each one ex-
ported.' Dixan is in lat. 14° 57' 55^'' north, and
long. 40"* 7' 3o''''eafl: of the meridian of Greenwich.
From Dixan we difcovered great part of the pro-
vince of Tigre full of high dreadful mountains.
We, as yet, had feen very little grain, unlefs by the
way-fide from Taranta, and a fmall flat called Zarai,
about four miles S. S. W. of the town.

C H A P. IV. *

yourney from Dixan to Adowa, Capital ofTigrh

IT was on Nov. 25th, at ten in th.ip morning, we
left Dixan, defcending the very deep hill on which
the town is fifiiated. It produces nothing but the
Kol-quall tree all around it. We paflTed a mifera-
ble village called Hadhadid, and, at eleven o'clock,
encamped under a daroo tree, one of the fined I
have feen in Abyffinia, being 71 feet diameter with
a head fpreading in proportion, {landing alone by
the fide of a river which now ran no more, though

there

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 4^1

there is plenty o£ fine water ftill ftagnant in its bed.
This tree and river is the boundary of the territory,
which the Naybe farms* from Tigre, and ftands
within the province of Baharnagafli, called Midre
Bahar.

Hagi Abdelcader had attended us thus far before
he left us ; and the noted Saloom^ came likewife,
to fee if fome occafion would offer of doing us fur-
ther mifchief; but the king's fervants, now upon
their own ground, began to take upon them a proper
confequence. One of them went to meet Saloome
at the bank of the river, and making a mark on the
ground with his knife, declared that his patience
was quite exhaulledby what he had been witnefs to
at Mafuah and Dixanj and if now Saloome, or
any other man belonging to the Naybe, offered to
pafs that mark, he would bind him hand and foot,
and carry him to a place where he fhould be left
jtied to a tree, a prey to the lion and hy^na. They
all returned, and there our perfecution from the
Naybe ended. But it was very evident, from
Achmet's behaviour and difcourfe, had we gone
by Dobarwa, y/hjch was the road propofed by the
Naybe, our fufFerings would not have been as yet
half finifhed, unlefs they had ended with our lives.

We remained under this tree the night of the
25th ; it will be to me a flation ever memorable, as
the iirft where I recovered a portion of that tran-
quillity of mind to which I had been a ftrangerever
-fmce my arrival at Mafuah. We had been joined
by about twenty loaded aflfes driven by the Moors,
;and two loaded bulls ; for there is a fmall fort of
this kind called Ber, which they make ufe of as

beafts

4^5 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

beads of burden. I called all th.^e together to re-
commend good order to them, defiring every one
to leave me that was not refolved to obey implicitly
the orders I lliould give them, as to the hours and
places of encamping, keeping watch at night, and
fetting out in the morning. I appointed Yafme
the judge of all difputes between them ; and, if the
difference (hould be between Yafme and any one of
them, or, if they fhould not be content with hisde-
cifion, then my determination was to be final.
They all confented with great marks of approbation.
We then repeated the fedtah, and fwore to Hand by
each other till the iaft, without confidering who the
enemy might be, or what his religion was, if he at-
tacked us.

The 26th, at feven in the morning, we left our
moft pleafant quarters under the daroo-tree, and fet
forward with great alacrity. About a quarter of a
mile from the river we croffed the end of the plain
Zarai, already mentioned. Though this is but three
miles long, and one where broadeft, it was the largefl
-plain we had feen fince our paffing Taranta, whofe
top was now covered wholly with large, black, and
"very heavy clouds, from which we heard and faw fre-
quent peals of thunder, and violent ftreams of light-
'ning. This plain was fown partly with wheat, partly
-with Indian corn ; the firft was cut down, the other
not yet ripe. Two miles farther we paifed Addi-
cdta, a village planted upon a high rock ; the fides
towards us were as if cut perpendicular like a wall.
Here was one refuge of the Jefuifs when banifhed
Tigre by Faciiidas, when they fled to the rebel John
Akay. We after this paifed a variety of fmall vil-
lages

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 423

lages on each fide of us, all on the top of hills ;
Darcotta and Embabuwhat on the right, Azaria on
the left.

At half an hour paft eleven we encamped under a
mountain, on the top of which is a village called
Hadawi, confiding of no more than eighty houfcs,
though, for the prefent, it is the feat of the Bahar-
nagafh. The prefent Baharnagafli had bought the
little diftrid that he commanded, after the prefent
governor of Tigre, Michael Suhul, had annexed to
his own province what he pleafed of the old domains,
and farmed the other part to the Naybe for a larger
revenue than he ever could get from any other te-
nant. The Naybe had now no longer a naval force
to fupport him, and the fear of Turkifh conqueft
had ceafed in Tigre. The Naybe could be reduced
within any bounds that the governor of Tigre might
pleafe to prefcribe him ; and the Baharnagafh was a
fervant maintained to watch over him, and flarve
him into obedience, by intercepting his provifions
whenever the governor of Tigre commanded him.

This nobleman paid me a vifit in my tent, and was
the firfl: Abyflinian I had feen on horfeback ; he had
feven attendant horfemen with him, and about a do-
2:en of others on foot, all of a beggarly appearance,
and very ill-armed and equipped. He was a little
man, of an olive complexion, or rather darker ;
his head was fhaved clofe, with a cowl, or cover-
ing, upon it ; he had a pair of fhort troufers ; his
feet and legs were bare ; the ufual coarfe girdle was
wrapt fcveral times about him, in v^^hich he ftuck his
knife ; and the ordinary web of cotton cloth, neither
new nor clean^ was thrown about him. His parts'

*

feemed

4^4 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

feemed to be much upon the level with his appear-
ance. He ailved me, if I had ever feen horfes be-
fore ? I faid, Very feldom. He then defci ibed their
qualities in fuch a manner as would never have given
me any idea of the animal if I had feen it feldom.
He excufed himfelf for not having fent us provifions,
becaufe he had been upon an expedition againfl: fome
rebellious villages, and was then only juft returned.

To judge by his pr«fent appearance, he was no
very refpeftable perfonage ; but in this I was mif-
taken, as' I afterwards found. I gave him a prefent
in proportion to the firft idea, with which he feemed
very well content, till he obferved a number of
fire-arms tied up to the pillar in the middle of the
tent, among which were two large fhip-blunderbufies.
He alked me if there was no danger of their going
off? I faid, that it happened every now and then,
when their time was come. A very little after this,
he took the cufliion upon which he fat, went out,
and placed himfelf at the door of the tent. There
the king's fervant got hold of him, and told him
roundly, he muft furnifh us with a goat, a kid, and
forty loaves, and that immediately, and write it off
in his deftar, or account-book, if he pleafed. He
then went away and fent us a goat and fifty cakes
of teff bread.

But my views upon him did not end here. His
feven horfes were all in very bad order, though
there was a black one among them that had parti,
cularly ftruck my fancy. In the evening I fent the
king's fervants, and Janni's, for a check, to try if he
would fell that black horfe. The bargain was im-
mediately made for various pieces of goods, part

of

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 435

of which I had with me, and part I procured from
my -companions in the caravan. Every thing was
fafliionable and new from Arabia. The value was
about 12/. Sterling, forty (hillings more than our
friend at Dixan had paid for a whole family of four
perfons. The goods were delivered, and the horfe
was to be fent in the evening, when he proved a
brown one, old, and wanting an eye. I immediately
returned the horfe, infilling on the black one ; but
he protefted the black horfe was not his own ; that
he had returned it to its mafter ; and, upon a little
further difcourfe, faid, that it was a horfe he in-
tended as a prefent for the king.

My friends treated this with great indifference,
and defired their goods back again, which were ac-
cordingly delivered. But they were no fooner in.
the tent, when the black horfe was fent, and refufed.
The whole, however, was made up, by fending us
another goat, which I gave to Yafme, and two jars
of bouza, which wc drank among us, promifmg,
according to the Baharnagalh's requeft, we would re-
. prefent him well at court. We found, from his
fervants, that he had been upon no expedition, nor
one ftep from home for three months part.

I was exceedingly pleafed with this firfl acquifition.
The horfe was then lean, as he flood about fixteen
and. a half hands high, of the breed of Dongola.
Yafme, a good horfeman, recommended to me one
of his fervants, or companions, to take care of him.
He was an Arab, from the neighbourhood of Me-
dina, a fuperior horfeman himfelf, and well-verfed
in every thing that concerned the animal. I took
him immediately into my fervice. We called the

horfe

425 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

horfe Mirza, a name of good fortune. Indeed, I
might fay, I acquired that day a companion that con-
tributed always to my pleafure, and more than once
tomyfafety; and was no {lender means of acquir-
ing me the firfl attention of the king. I had brought
my Arab flirrups, faddle, and bridle with me, fo
that I was now as well equipped as a horfeman
could be.

On the 27th we left Hadawi, continuing our
journey down a very fteep and narrow path between
two ftony hills ; then afcended one ftill higher,
upon the top of which ftands the large village of
Goumbubba, whence we have a profped over a
confiderable plain all fown with the dijEFerent grain
this country produces, wheat, barley, teff, and to-
cuffo ; fimfim, (or fefame) and nook 5 the laft is
ufed for oil.

We paffed the village of Dergate, then that of
Regticat, on the top of a very high hill on the left,
as the other was on our right. We pitched our tent
about half a mile off the village called Barranda,
.where we were overtaken by our friend the Bahar-
nagafh, who was fo well pleafed with our lafl: inter-
view, efpecially the bargain of the horfe, that he
•fent us three goats, two jars of honey-wine, and
fome wheat-flour. I invited him to my tent, which
he immediately accepted. He was attended by two
fervants on foot, with lances and fhields ; he had
no arms himfelf, but, by way of amends, had two
drums beating, and two trumpets blowing before
him, founding a charge.

He feemedtobea very fimple, good-natured man,
indeed, remarkably fo 5 a character rarely found

in

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 4^7

in any degree of men in this country. He afl^ed
me how I liked my horfe? faid, he hoped I did not
intend to mount it myfelf ? I anfwcred, God forbid ;
I kept him as a curiofity. He commended my
prudence very much, and gave me a long detail
about what horfes had done, and would do, on oc-
cafions. Some of the people without, however,
{hewed his fervants my faddle, bridle, and flirrups,
which they well knew, from being neighbours to
the Arabs of Sennaar, and praifed me as a better
horfeman by far than any one in that country ; this
they told to the Baharnagaih, who, nothing oifended,
laughed heartily at tbe pretended ignorance I had
Ihewn him, and fiiook me very kindly by the hand,
and told me he was really poor, or he would have
taken no money from me for the horfe. He fhewed
fo much good nature, and open honeft behaviour,
that I gave him a prefent better than the firft, and
which was more agreeable, as lefs expe6led. Razors,
knives, fteels for ftriking fire, are the mod valuable
prefents in this country, of the hardware kind.

The Baharnagafh now was in fuch violent good
fpirits, that he would not go home till he had feen
a good part of his jar of hydromel finiflied ; and he
little knew, at that time, he was in the tent with a
man who was to be his chief cuftomer for horfes
hereafter. I faw him feveral times after at court,
and did him fome fervices, both with the king and
Ras Michael. He had a quality which I then did
not know : with all his fimplicity and buffoonery,
no one was braver in his own perfon than he ; and,
together with his youngefl fon, he died afterwards

in

4^8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

in the king's defence, fighting bravely at the battle
of Serbraxos.

At five o'clock this afternoon we had a violent
ihower of hailflones. Nothing is more common
than aggravation about the fize of hail ; but, {loop-
ing to take up one I thought as large as a nutmeg,
I received a blow from another juft under my eye,
which I imagined had blinded me, and which occa-
lioned a fwelling all the next day.

I had gained the Baharnagafli's heart fo entirely
that it was not pofTible to get away the next day.
We were upon the very verge of his fmall dominions,
and he had ordered a quantity of wheat-flour to be
made for us, which he fent in the evening, with a
kid. I'or my part, the fliare I had taken yefterday
of his hydromel had given me fuch a pain in my
head that I fcarce could raife it the whole day.

It was the 29th we left our ftation at Barranda,
and had fcarcely advanced a mile when we were
overtaken by a party of about twenty armed men
on borfeback. The Shangalla, the ancient Cufliites^
are all the way on our right hand, and frequently
venture incurfions into the flat country that was be-
fore us. This was the lafl piece of attention of the
Baharnagafli, who fent his party to guard us from
danger in the plain. It awakened us from our fe-
curjty ; we examined carefully the ftate of our fire-
arms; cleaned and charged them anew, which we
had not done fince the day we left Dixan.

The firfl part of our journey to-day was in a

deep gully; and, in half an hour, we entered into

a very pleafant vvood of acacia-trees, then in flower.

^ JLg^Jt likewile was a tree, in fmell like a honey iuckle,

: w'hpfs

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 42^9

whofe large white flower nearly refembles that of
a caper. We came out of this wood into the plain,
and afcended two eafy hills ; upon the top of thefe
were two huge rocks, in the holes of which, and
within a large cave, a number of the blue fork-tailed
fwallows had begun their nefts. Thefe, and pro-
bably many, if not all the birds of paifage, breed
twice in the year, which feems a provifion againft
the lofles made by emigration perfectly confonant to
divine wifdom. Thefe rocks are, by fome, faid to
■ be the boundaries of the command of the Bahar-
nagafli on this fide ; though others extend them to
the Balezat.

We entered again a flraggling wood, fo over-
grown with wild oats that it covered the men and
their horfes. The plain here is very wide. It
reaches doM'n on the weft to Serawe, then diftant
about twelve miles. It extends from Goumbubba
as far fouth as Balezat. The foil is excellent ; but
luch flat countries are very rare in Abyffinia. This,
which is one of the fineft and wideft, is abandoned
without culture, and is in a'wafte. The reafon of
this is, an inveterate feud between the villages here
' and thofe of Serawe, fo that the whole inhabitants
on each fide go armed to plow and to fow in one
day ; and it is very feldom either of them complete
their harveft without having a battle with their ene-
mies and neighbours.

Before we entered this wood, and, indeed, on
the preceding day, from the time we left Hadawi,
we had feen a very extraordinary bird at a diftance,
refembling a wild turkey, which ran exceedingly
fail, and appeared in great flocks. It is called Er-

koom.

430 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

koom *, in Amhara ; Abba Gumba, in Tigre ; and,
towards the frontiers of Sennaar, Tier el Naciba,
or, the Bird of Deftiny.

Our guides aflenibled us all in a body, and
warned us that the river before us was the place of
the rendezvous of the Serawe horfe, where many
caravans had been entirely cut oif. The cavalry is
the bed on this fide of Abyffinia. They keep up
the breed of their horfes by their vicinity to Sennaar
whence they get fupply. Neverthelefs, they behaved
very ill at the battle of Limjour ; and I cannot fay
i remember them to have diftinguiftied themfelves
any where elfe. They were on our right at the
battle of Serbraxos, and were beat by the horfe of
Foggora and the Galla.

After paiTmg the wood, we came to the river,
which was then (landing in pools. I here, for the
firil time, mounted on horfeback, to the great de-
light of my companions from Barranda, and alfo
of our own, none of whom had ever before feen
a gun fired from a horfe galloping, excepting Ya-
fine and his fervant, now my groom, but neither
of thefe had ever feen a double-barrelled gun. We
paifed the plain with all the diligence confident with
the fpeed and capacity of our long-eared convoy ;
and, having now gained the hills, we bade defiance
to the Serawe horfe, and fent our guard back per-
fectly content, and full of wonder at our fire arms,
declaring that their mafter the Baharnagafh, had he
feen the black horfe behave that day, would have
given me another much better.

* See the article Erkoom in the Appendix.

We

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 431

We entered now into a clofe country covered
with brufhwood, wild oats, and high bent-grafs ; in
many places rocky and uneven, fo as fcarce to leave
a narrow part to pafs. Jufl in the very entrance a
lion had killed a very fine animal called Agazan. It
is of the goat kind ; and, excepting a fmall variety
in colour, is precifely the fame animal I had feen
in Barbary near Capfa. It might be about twelve
ftone weight, and of the fize of a large afs. (When-
ever I mention a ftone weight, I would wilh to be
underflood horfeman's weight, fourteen pound to
the ftone, as moft familiar to the generality of thofe
who read thefe Travels.) The animal was fcarcely
dead ; the blood was running ; and the noife of my
gun had probably frightened its conqueror away :
every one with their knives cut off a large portion
of flefh ; Moors and Chriftians did the fame ; yet
the Abyflinians averfion to any thing that is dead is
fuch, unlefs killed regularly by the knife, that none
of them would lift any bird that was fhot, unlefs by
the point or extreme feather of its wing. Hunger
was not the excufe, for they had been plentifully
fed all this journey ; fo that the diftindion, in this
particular cafe, is to be found in the manners of
the country. They fay they may lawfully eat what
is killed by the lion, but not by the tiger, hyaena,
or any other beaft. Where they learned this doc-
trine, I believe, would not be eafy to anfwer ; but
it is remarkable, even the Falaflia themfelves admit
this diftindion in favour of the lions.

At noon we crolTed the river Balezat, which
rifes at Ade Shiho, a place on the S. W. of the
province of Tigre j and, after no very long courfe,

having

, 43^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

having been once the boundary between Tigre and
Midre Bahar, (for fo the country of the Baharna-
gafh was called) it falls into the Mareb, or ancient
Aftufafpes. It was the firft river, then aduaily
running, that we had feen fince we paflfed Taranta ;
indeed, all the fpace is but very indifferently water-
ed. This ftreani is both clear and rapid, and feems
to be full of hill. We continued for fome time
along its banks, the river on our left, and the
mountains on our right, through a narrow plain,
till we came to Tomumbuffo, a high pyramidal
mountain, on the top of which is a convent of monks,
who do not, however, refide there, but only come
hither upon certain feafts, when they keep open
houfe and entertain all that vifit them. The moun-
tain itfelf is of porphyry.

There we encamped by the river's fide, and
were obliged to ftay this and the following day,
for a duty, or cuflom, to be paid by all paffengers.
Thefe duties are called Awides, which fignifies
gifts; though they are levied, for the moil part, in
a very rigorous and rude manner; but they are
eftabliilied by ufage in particular fpots ; and are, in
-fad, a regality annexed to the eftate. Such places
are called Ber, paffh; which are often met with in
the names of places throughout Abyflinia, as Din-
gleber, Sankraber, and fo forth*

There are five of thcfe Awides which, like turn-
pikes, are to be paid at paffing between Mafuah
and Adowa ; one at Samhar, the fecond at Dixan,
the third at Darghat, the fourth here at Balezat,
and the fifth at Kella. The fmall village of Sebow .
was dillant from us two miles to the eaft j Zarow

the

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 433

the fame diflance to the S. S. E. and Noguet, a vil-
lage before us, were the places of abode of thefe tax-
gatherers, who farm it for a fum from their fupeiior,
and divide the profit pro rata of the fums each has
advanced. It is much of the fame nature as the
caphar in the Levant, but levied in a much more
indifcreet, arbitrary manner. The farmer of this
duty values as he thinks proper what each caravan
is to pay ; there is no tariff, or reflraint, upon him.
Some have on this account been detained months ;
and others, in time of trouble or bad news, have
been robbed of every thing : this is always the cafe
upon the leafl refiflancej for then the villages
around you rife in arms ; you are not only ftript of
your property, but fure to be ill-treated in your
perfon.

As I was fent for by the king, and going to Ras
Michael, in whofe province they were, I affefted
to laugh when they talked of detaining me ; and
declared peremptorily to them, that I would leave
all my baggage to them with great pleafure, rather
than that the king's life fhould be in danger by my
flay. They were now daggered, and fee me d not
prepared for an incident of this kind. As I kept
up a high tone, we were quit with being detained
a day, by paying five pieces of blue Surat cotton
cloth, value i of a pataka each, and one piece of
white, value one pataka. Our companions, rather
than flay behind, made the befl bargain they could ;
and we all decamped, and fet forward together, ,1
was furprifed to fee, at the fmall village Zarow, fe-
veral families as black as perfeft negroes, only they
were not woolly-headed, and had prominent features.

Vol. III. F f I afked

434 Travels to discover

I afked if they defcended from flaves, or fons of
flaves ? They faid. No ; their particular families of
that and the neighbouring village Sebow, were of
that colour from time immemorial ; and that this did
not change, though either the father or mother
were of another colour.

On the I ft of December we departed from Bale-
zat, and afcended a fteep mountain upon which
ftands the village Noguet, which we pafled about
half an hour after. On the top of the hill were a
few fields of tefF. Harvefl: was then ended, and
they were treading out the tefF with oxen. Having
pafTed another very rugged mountain, we defcended
and encamped by the fide of a fmall river, called
Mai Kol-quall, from a number of thefe trees grow-
ing about it. This place is named the Kella, or
Caflle, becaufe, nearly at equal diftances, the moun-
tains on each fide run, for a confiderable extent,
^raight and even, in fhape like a wall, with gaps
at certain diftances, refembling embrafures and baf-
tions. This rock is otherwife called Damo, anci-
ently the prifon of the collateral heirs-male of the
royal family.

The river Kol-quall rifes in the mountains of
Tigre, and, after a courfe nearly N. W. falls into
the Mareb. It was at Kella we faw, for the firft
time, the roofs of the houfes made in form of cones ;
a fare proof that the tropical rains grow more vio-
lent as they proceed weftvvard.

About half a mile on the hill above is the village
Kaibara, wholly inhabited by Mahometan Gibbertis ;
that is, native Abyftmians of that religion. Kella
being one of thefe bers, or paflages, we were de-
tained

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ' 43S

tained there three whole days, by the extravagant
demands of thefe farmers of the Awide, who laughed
at all the importance we gave ourfelves. They had
reafons for our reafons, menaces for our menaces,
but no civilities to anfwer ours. "What increafed
the awkwardnefs of our fituation was, they would
take no money for provifions, but only merchandife
by way of barter. We were, indeed, prepared for
this by information ; fo we began to open fhop by
fpreading a cloth upon the ground, at the fight of
which, hundreds of young women poured down
upon us on every fide from villages behind the
mountains which we could not fee. The country
is furprifmgly populous, notwithflanding the great
emigration lately made with Michael. Beads and
antimony are the ftandard in this way-faring com-
merce ; but beads are a dangerous fpeculation. You
lofe fometimes every thing, or gain more than ho-
neftly you fhould do ; for all depends upon fafliion ;
and the fancies of a brown, or black beauty, there,
give the ion as decifively as does the example of the
faired in England.
■'V To cur great difappointment, the perfon employed
to buy our beads at Jidda had not received the laft
lift of fafhions from this country ; fo he had bought
us a quantity beautifully flowered with red and
green, and as big as a large pea ; alfo fome large
oval, green, and yellow ones j whereas the ton now
among the beauties of Tigre were fmall fky-coloured
blue beads, about the fize of fmall lead (hot, or feed
pearls ; blue bugles, and common white bugles, were
then in demand, and large yellow glafs flat in the
fides like the amber-beads formerly ufed by the

Ff 2 better

43^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

better fort of the old women-peafants in England,
All our beads were then rejefted, by fix or feven
dozen of the (hrillefl; tongues I ever heard. They
decried our merchandize in fueh a manner, that I
thought they meant to condemn them as unfaleable,
to be confifcated or deftroyed.

Let every man, travelling in fuch countries as thefe,
remember, that there is no perfon, however mean,
who is in his company, that does not merit atten-
tion, kindnefs, and complacency. Let no man in
travelling exalt himfelf above the lowed, in a greater
degree than he is able to do fuperior fervice ; for
many that have thought themfelves fafe, and been
inattentive to this, have perifhed by the unfufpefted
machinations of the lowed and meanefl: wretch
among them. Few have either made fuch long or
fuch frequent jourrlies of this kind as I, and I fcarce-
ly recoiled any perfon fo infignificant that before
the end of a moderate journey, had not it in his
power to return you like for like for your charity
or unkindnefs, be the difference of your quality
and condition what it would.

Of all the men in our company, none had any
ftock of the true fmall fky-blue beads, and no one
had one grain of the large yellow-glafs ones, but the
poor Moor, whofe afs was bit by the hyasna near
Llla, and whofe cargo, likely to be left behind at
the foot of Taranta, I had diftributed among the
reft of the afles of the caravan ; and, leaving the
wounded one for the price he would fetch, had next
day bought him another at Halai, with which, fince
that time, he continued his journey. That fellow
had felt the obligation in filence j and not one

word.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 437

word, but Good-day, and Good-e'en, had pafled
between us fince conferring the favour. Under-
ftanding now what was the matter, he called Yafine,
and gave him a large package, which he impru-
dently opened, in which was a treafure of all the
beads in fafhion, all but the white and blue bugles,
and thefe Yafine himfelf furnifhed us with after,
wards.

A great (hout was fet up by the women-purchafers,
and a violent fcramble followed. Twenty or thirty
threw themfelves upon the parcel, tearing and
breaking all the firings as if they intended to plun-
der us. This joke did not feem to be relifhed by
the fervants. Their hard^heartednefs before, in
profefTmg they w^ould let us ftarve rather than
give us a handful of flour for all our unfafhionable
• beads, had quite extinguifhed the regard we elfe
would have unavoidably (hewn to the fair fex. A
dozen of whips and flicks were laid unmercifully
upon their hands and arms, till each dropped h«r
booty. The AbyfTmian men that came with them
feemed to be perfectly unconcerned at the fray, and
flood laughing without the lead fign of wifhing to
interfere in favour of either fide. I believe the
reftitution would not have been complete, had not
Yafine, who knew the country well, fired one of
the fhip-blunderbulTes into the air behind their
backs. At hearing fo unexpectedly this dreadful
noife, both men and women fell flat on their faces ;
the women were immediately dragged off the cloth,
and 1 do not believe there was flrength left in any
hand to grafp or carry away a fingle bead. My

men

438 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

men immediately wrapped the whole in the cloth,
fa for a time our market ended.

For my part, at the firfl appearance of the com-
bat I had withdrawn myfelf, and fat a quiet fpeftator
under a tree. Some of the women were really fo
difordered with the fright, that they made but very
feeble efforts in the market afterwards. The reft
befeeched me to transfer the market to the carpet I '
fat on under the tree. This I confented to ; but,
growing wife by misfprtune, my fervants now pro-
duced fmall quantities of every thing, and not
without a very fliarp conteft and difpute, fomewhat
fuperior in noife to that of our fifh- women. We
were, however, plentifully fupplied with honey,
butter, flour, and pumpkins of an exceeding good
tafte, fcarcely inferior to melons.

Our caravan being fully vidualled the firfl and
fecond day, our market was not opened biit by
private adventurers, and feemingly favoured more
of gallantry than gain. There were three of them
the mod diltinguifhed for beauty and for tongue,
who, by their difcourfe, had entertained me greatly.
1 made each of them a prefent of a few beads, and
afked them how many kiffes they would give for
each ? They anfwered very readily, with one accord,
*' Poh ! we don't fell kiffes in this country : Who
would buy them ? We will give you as many as you
wifh for nothing.** And there was no appearance
but, in that bargain, they meant to be very fair
and liberal dealers.

The men feemed to have no talent for market-
ing ; nor do they in this country either buy or fell.
But we were furprifed to fee the beaux among them

come

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 439

come down to the tent, the fecond day after our
arrival, with each of them a fmgle firing of thin,
white bugles tied about their dirty, black legs, a
little above their ancle ; and of this they feemed as
proud as if the ornament had been gold or jewels.

I eafily faw that fo much poverty, joined to fo
much avarice and pride, made the poffeflbr a pro-
per fubjed to be employed. My young favourite,
who had made fo frank an offer of her kindnefs,
had brought me her brother, begging that I would
take him with me to Gondar to Ras Michael, and
allow him to carry one of my guns, no doubt with
an intention to run off with it by the way. I told
her that was a thing eafily done ; but I mufl firfl
have a trial of his fidelity, which was this. That he
would, without fpeaking to any body but me and
her, go ftraight to Janni at Adowa, and carry the
letter I fhould give him, and deliver it into his own
hand, in which cafe I would give him a large parcel
of each of thefe beads, more than ever fhe thought
to pofTefs in her lifetime. She frankly agreed, that
my word was more to be relied upon than either
her own or her brother's ; and, therefore, that the
beads, once fhewn to them both, were to remain a
depofit in my hand. However, not to fend him
away wholly deftitute of the power of charming, I
prefented him the fmgle firing of white bugles for
his uncle. Janni's Greek fervant gave him a letter,
and he made fuch diligence that, on the fourth day,
by eight o'clock in the morning, he came to my
tent without ever having been miffed at home.

At the fame time came an officer from Janni, with a
violent mandate, in the name of Ras Michael, de-
claring

44<=> TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

daring to the perfon that was the caufe of our de-
tention. That, was it not for ancient friendfhip, the
prefent meflenger fhould have carried him to Ras
Michael in irons ; difcharging me from all awides ;
ordering him, as Shum of the place, to furnifli me
with provifions ; and, in regard to the time he had
caufed us to lofe, fixing the awides of the whole
caravan at eight piafters, not the twentieth part of
what he would have exaded. One reafon of this
feverity was, that, while I was in Mafuah, Janni
had entertained this man at his own houfe; and,
knowing the ufual vexations the caravans met with
at Kella, and the long time they were detained there
at confiderable expence, had obtained a promife
from the Shum, in confideration of favours done
him, that he fhould let us pafs freely, and, not
only fo, but fhould fhew us fome little civility.
This promife, now broken, was one of the articles
of delinquency for which he was punifhed.

Cohol, large needles, goats fkins, coarfe fciffars,
razors, and fleels for flriking fire, are the articles
of barter at Kella. An ordinary goat's fkin is
worth a quart of wheat-flour. As we expe6:ed an
order of deliverance, all was re^dy upon its arri-
val. The Moors with their alTes, grateful for the
benefit received, began to blefs the moment they
joined us ; hoping, in my confideration, upon our
arrival at the cuftom-houfe of Adowa, they might
meet with further favour.

Yafine, in the four days we had flaid at Kella,
had told me his whole hiftory. It feems he had
been fettled in a province of Abyflinia, near to Sen-
naar, called Ras el Feel ; had married Abd el Jilleel,
the Shekh's daughter j but, growing more popular

than

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 44I

than his father-in-law, he had been perfecuted by
him, and obliged to leave the country. He began
now to form hopes, that, if I was well received, as
he faw, in all appearance, I was to be, he might, by
my intereft, be appointed to his father-in-law's
place ; efpecially if there was war, as every thing
feemed to indicate. Abd el Jilleel was a coward,
and incapable of making himfelf of perfonal value
to any party. On the contrary, Yafme was a tried
man, an excellent horfeman, ftrong, adlive, and of
known courage, having been twice with the late
king Yafous in his invafions of Sennaar, and both
times much wounded there. It was impoffible to
difpute his title to preferment ; but I had not form-
ed that idea of my own fuccefs that I fhould be able
to be of any ufe or afliftance to him ip. it. Kella
is in lat. 14° 24' 34'''' North.

It was in the afternoon of the 4th that we fet
out from Kella j our road was between two hills
covered with thick wood. On our right was a
cliff, or high rock of granite, on the top of which
were a few houfes that feemed to hang over the
cliff, rather than (land upon it. A few minutes
after three o'clock we paffed a rivulet, and a quar-
ter of an hour afterwards another, both which run
into the Mareb. We ftill continued to defcend,
furrounded on all fides with mountains covered with
high grafs and brufhwood, and abounding with
lions. At four, we arrived at the foot of the
mountain, and paffed a fmall ftream which runs
there.

We had feen no villages after leaving Kella. At
half pad four o'clock we came to a confiderablc

river

44^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

liver called Angueah, which we crofTed, and pitch-
ed our tent on the farther fide of it. It was about
fifty feet broad and three in depth. It was perfed-
ly clear, and ran rapidly over a bed of white peb-
bles, and was the largefl: river we had yet feen in
Habeih. In fummer there is very little plain ground
near it but what is occupied by the ftream ; it is full
of fmall fifli, in great repute for their goodnefs.

This river has its name from a beautiful tree,
which covers both its banks. This tree, by the
colour of its bark and richnefs of its flower, is a
great ornament to the banks of the river. A vari-
ety of other flowers fill the whole level plain be-
tween the mountain and the river, and even fome
way up the mountains. In particular, great variety
of jeflamin, white, yellow, and party-coloured. The
country feemed now to put on a more favourable
afpect ; the air was much frefher, and more pleafant,
every fl:ep we advanced after leaving Dixan ; and
one caufe was very evident ; the country where we
now palTed was well-watered with clear running
ftreams; whereas, nearer Dixan, there were few,
and all fl;agnant.

The 5th, we defcended a fmall mountain for about
twenty minutes, and pafled the following villages,
Zabangella, about a mile N. W. ; at a quarter of
an hour after, Moloxito, half a mile further S. E. ;
and Manfuetemen, three quarters of a mile ; E. S. E.
Thefe villages are all the property of the i^buna ;
who has alfo a duty upon all merchandife pafling
there ; but Ras Michael had confifcated thefe lalt
villages on account of a quarrel he had with the
laft Abuna, Jf-Tagoube,

We

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 443

We now began firft to fee the high mountains of
Adowa, nothing refembling in fhape to thofe of
Europe, nor, indeetl, any other country. Their
fides were all perpendicular rocks, high like fleeples,
or obelifks, and broken into a thoufand different
forms.

At half paft eight o'clock we left the deep vaU^ y,
wherein runs the Mareb W»N. W. ; at the diftance
of about nine miles above it is the mountain, or
high hill, on which ftands Zarai, now a colledion.
of villages, formerly two convents built by Lalibala ;
though the monks tell you a flory of the queen of
Saba refiding there, which the reader may be per-
fedly fatisfied fhe never did in her life.

The Mareb is the boundary between Tigre and
the Baharnagafti, on this fide. It runs over a bed
of foil ; is large, deep, and fmooth ; but, upon
rain falling, it is more dangerous to pafs than any-
river in Abyffinia, on account of the frequent holes
in its bottom. We then entered the narrow plain
of Yeeha, wherein runs the fmall river, which
either gives its name to, or takes it from it. The
Yeeha rifes from many fources in the mountains to
the weft ; it is neither confiderable for fize nor its
courfe, and is fwallowed up in the Mareb.

The harveft was in great forwardnefs in this place.
The wheat was cut, and a confiderable fharc' of the
teff in another part; they were treading out this
laft-mentioned grain with oxen. The Dora, and a
fmall grain called telba, (of which they make oil)
was not ripe.

At eleven o'clock we refted by the fide of the
mountain whence the river falls. All the villages

that

444 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

that had been buiit here bore the marks of the
juftice of the governor of Tigre. They had been
long the moft' incorrigible banditti in the province.
Hefurrounded them in one night, burnt their houfes,
and extirpated the inhabitants j and would never
fuffer any one fmce to fettle there. At three o'clock
in the afternoon we afcended what remained of the
mountain of Yeeha ; came to the plain upon its top ;
^ and, at a quarter before four, paffed the village of
that name, leaving it to the S. E. and began the
moft rugged and dangerous defcent we had met
with fmce Taranta.

At half paft five in the evening v/e pitched our
tent at the foot of the hill, clofe by a fmall, but
rapid and clear ftream, which is called Ribier-
aini. This name was given it by the banditti
of the villages before mentioned, becaufe from
this you fee two roads ; one leading from Gon-
dar, that is, from the weftward ; the other from the
Red Sea to the eaftward. One of the gang that ufed
to be upon the outlook from this flation, as foon as
any caravan came in fight, cried out, Ribieraini,
which in Tigre fignifies they are coming this way ;
upon which notice every one took his lance and
fhield, and ftationed himfelf properly to fall with
advantage upon the unwary merchant ; and it was
a current report, which his prefent greatnefs could
not flifle, that, in his younger days, Ras Michael
himfelf frequently was on thefe expeditions at this
place. On our right was the high, fleep, and rug-
ged mountain of Samayat, which the fame Michael,
being in rebellion, chofe for his place of flrength,

and

THE SOURCE OF THE^ILE. 44^

and was there befieged and taken prifoner by the
late king Yafous.

The rivulet of Ribieraini is the fource of the
fertility of the country adjoining, as it is made to
overflow every part of this plain, and furnifiies a
perpetual ftore of grafs, which is the reafon of the
caravans chufing to flop here. Two or three har-
vefts are alfo obtained by means of this river ; for,
provided there is water, they fow in Abyflinia in
all feafons. We perceived that we were now ap-
proaching fome confiderable town, by the great
care with which every piece of fmall ground, and
even the fteep fides of the mountains, were culti-
vated, though they had ever fo little foil.

On Wednefday the 6th of December, at eight
o'clock in the morning, we fet out from Ribieraini ;
and in about three hours travelling on a very plea*
fant road, over eafy hills and through hedge-rows
of jeflamin, honey-fuckle, and many kinds of flower-
ing (hrubs we arrived at Adowa, where once refid-
ed Michael Suhul, governor of Tigre. It was this
day we faw, for the firft time, the fmall, long-tailed
green paroquet, from the hill of Shillodee, where,
as I have already nientioned, we firfl came in fight
of the mountains of Adowa.

CHAP.

44^ trUtels to discover

CHAP. V.

Arrive at Adowa — Reception there — Vifit Fremona and
Ruins of Axum — Arrive at Sire.

Adowa h fituated on the declivity of a hill,
on the weft fide of a fmall plain furrounded every-
where by mountains. Its fituation accounts for its
name, which fignifies pa/s, or paffage, being placed
on the flat ground immediately below Ribieraini ;
the pafs through which every body muft go in their
way from Gondar to the Red Sea.

This plain is watered by three rivulets which are
never dry in the midfl: of fummer; the AfTa,
which we crofs jufl below the town when coming
from the eaftvvard; the Mai Gogua, which runs
below the hill whereon ftands the village of the
fame name formerly, though now it is called Fre-
mona, from the monaftery of the Jefuits built
there ^ and the Ribieraini, which, joining with the
other two, falls into the river Mareb, about 22 miles
below Adowa. There are fifli in thefe three ftreams,
but none of them remarkable for their fize, quantity,
or goodnefs. The bell are thofe of Mai Gogua, a
clear and pleafant rivulet, running very violently
and with great noife. This circumftance, and ig-
norance of the language, has milled the reverend
father Jerome, who fays, that the water of Mai
Gogua is called fo from the noife that it makes,
which, in common language, is Cd\\ti\ guggling. This

is

THE SOURCE OF THE^^LE. 447

is a miftake, for Mai Gogua fignlfies the river of
owls.

There are many agreeable fpots to the fouth-ean:
of the convent, on the banks of this river, which
are thick-fhaded with wood and bufhes. Adowa
confifts of about 30® houfes, and occupies a much
larger fpace than would be thought neceflary for
thefe to (land on, by reafon that each houfe has an
inclofure round it of hedges and trees ; the laft chiefly
the wanzey. The number of thefe trees fo planted
in all the towns, fcreen them fo, that, at a diftance,
they appear fo many woods. Adowa was not for-
merly the capital of Tigre, but has accidentally
become fo upon the acceffion of this governor,
whofe property, or paternal eftate, lay in and about
it. His manfion-houfe is not diflinguifheJ from ,
any of the others in the town unlefs by its fize ; it is
fituated upon the top of the hill. The perfon who
is Michael's deputy, in his abfence, lives in it. It
refembles a prifon rather than a palace; for thers
are in and about it above three hundred penons in
irons, fome of whom have been there for twenty
years, moftly with a view to extort money from
them ; and what is the mod unhappy, even when
they have paid the fum of money which he afks, do
not get their deliverance from his mercilefs hands;
moft of them are kept in cages like wild beafls,
and treated every way in the fame manner.

But what defervedly interefted us mofl was, the
appearance of our kind and hofpitable landlord,
Janni. He had fent fervants to condu£l u's from the
paflage of the river, and met us himfelf at the outer-
door of his houfe. I do not remember to have

feen

44^ THJ^I^ELS TO DISCOVER

feen a more refpeftable figure. He had his own
fhort white hair, covered with a thin muflin turban,
a thick well-fhaped beard, as white as fnow, down
to his waift. He was clothed in the Abyflinian
drefs, all of white cotton, only he had' a red filk
fafh, embroidered with gold, about his waift, and
fandals on his feet ; his upper garment reached down
to his ancles. He had a number of fervants and
flaves about him of both fexes ; and, when I ap-
proached him, feemed difpofed to receive me with
marks of humility and inferiority, which mortified
me much, confidering the obligations I was under
to him, the trouble I had given, and was unavoidably
ftili to give him. I embraced him with great ac-
knowledgments of kindnefs and gratitude, calling
him father; a title I always ufed in fpeaking either
to him or of him afterwards, when I was in higher
fortune, which he conftantly remembered with great
pie a fu re.

He conduced us through a court yard planted
with jefTamin, to a very neat, and, at the fame time^
large room, furniftied with a filk fofa ; the floor
was covered with Perfian carpets and cufhions.
All round, fiowers and green leaves were flrewed
upon the outer yard ; and the windows and fides of
the room fluck full of evergreens, in commemoration
of the Chriftmas feftival that was at hand. I flopt
at the entrance of this room ; my feet were both
dirty and bloody ; and it is not good-breeding
to Ciow or fpcak of your feet in Abyffinia, efpe-
cially if any thing ails them, and at all times they
are covered. He immediately perceived the wounds
that were upon mine. Both our cloaths and flefh

were

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 449

' J"'
were torn to pieces at Taranta, and feveral other

places ; but he thought we had come on mules

furniflied us by the Naybe. For the young man I

had fent to him from Kella, followed the genius

of his countrymen, though telling truth was juft

as profitable to him as lying, had chofen the

latter, and feeing the horfe I had got from the Ba-

harnagafli, had figured in his own imagination^ a

multitude of others, and told Janni that there were

v/ith me horfes, affes, and mules in great plenty, fo

that when Janni faw us pailing the water, he took

me f(3r a fervant, and expe6ted, for feveral minutes,

to fee the fplendid company arrive, well mounted

upon hories and mules caparifoned.

He was fo (hocked at my faying that I performed
this terrible journey on foot, that he buril into
tears, uttering a thoufand reproaches againft the
Naybe for his hard heartednefs and ingratitude, as
he had twice, as he faid, hindered Michael from go-
ing in perfon and fweeping the Naybe from the
face of the earth. Water was immediately procured
to wafli our feet. And here began another conten-
tion, Janni infifted upon doing this himfelf ; which
made me run out into the yard, and declare I would
not fuffer it. After this, the like difpute took place
among the fervants. It was always a ceremony in
Abyfiinia, to wafh the feet of thofe that come from
Cairo, and who are underftood to have been pilgrims
at Jerufalem.

This was no fooner finished, than a great dinner
was brought', exceedingly well drefled. But no
confideration or intreaty could prevail upon my
kind landlord to fit down and partake with me.

Vol. III. G g He

450 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

He would ftand, all the time, with a clean towel in
his hand, though he had plenty of fervants j and
afterwards dined with fome vifitors, who had come
out of curiofity, to fee a man arrived fromfo far.
Among thefe was a number of priefts j a part of
the company which I liked leaft, but who did not
Ihew any hoilile appearance. It was long before I
cured my kind landlord of thefe refpedlful obfer-
vances, which troubled me very much : nor could
he wholly ever get rid of them, his own kindnefs
and good heart, as well as the pointed and particular
orders of the Greek patriarch, Mark, conftantly
fuggefting the fame attention.

In the afternoon, I had a vifit from the governor,
a very graceful man, of about fixty years of age,
tall and well favoured. He had jufl: then returned
from an expedition to the Tacazze', againfl fome
villages of Ayto Tesfos *, which he had deflroyed,
flain 1 20 men, and driven off a number of cattle.
He had with him about fixty mufquets, to which,
I underiiood, he had owed his advantage. Thefe
villages were about Tubalaque, juft as you afcend
the farther bank of the Tacazze. He faid he
doubted much if we fhould be allowed to pafs
through Woggora, unlefs fome favourable news
came from Michael ; for Tesfos of Samen, who
kept his government after Joas's death, and refufed
to acknowledge Michael, or to fubmit to the king,
in coniundion with the people of Woggora, a6ted
now the part of robbers, plundering all forts of

* A rebel governor of Samen, of which I fliall after have occa*
fion to fpeak.

people,

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 45Z

Ipeople, that carried either provlfions, or any thing
elfe, to Gondar, in order to diftrefs the king and
MichaePs Tigre foldiers, who were then there.

The church of Mariani is on the hill S. S. W.
of the town, and eaft of Adowa ; on the other fide
of the river, is the other church, called Kedus
Michael. About nine miles north, a little inclined
to the eaft, is Bet Abba Garima, one of the moffc
celebrated monafteries in Abyflinia. It was once a
refidence of one of their kings ; and it is fuppofed
that, from this circumflance ill underllood, former
travellers *, have faid the metropolis of Abyflinia
was called Germe,

Adowa is the feat of a very valuable manufadlure
of coarfe cotton cloth, which circulates all over
Abyffmia inftead of filver money ; each web is fix-
teen peek long of if width, their value a pataka ;
that is, ten for the ounce of gold. The houfes of
Adowa are all of rough ftone, cemented with mud
inftead of mortar. That of lime is not ufed but at
Gondar, where it is very bad. The roofs are in the
form of cones, and thatched with a reedy fort of
grafs, fomething thicker than wheat ftraw. The
Falafha, or Jews, enjoy this profeflion of thatching
€xclufively ; they begin at the bottom, and finifti
at the top.

■ Excepting a few fpots taken notice of as we came
along from Ribieraini to Adowa, this was the only
part of Tigre where there was foil fufficient to yield
corn; the whole of the province befides is one
entire rock. There are no timber trees in this part

* Gol. p. 22. proem.

G g 2 (Of

453 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

of Tigre unlefs a daroo or two in the valleys, and
wanzeys in towns about the houfes.

At Adowa, and all the neighbourhood, they have
three harvells annually. Their firft feed time is in
July and Auguft ; it is the principal one for wheat,
which they then fow in the middle of the rains. In
the fame feafon they fow tocuffo, tefF, and barley.
From the 20th of November they reap firft their
barley, then their wheat, and lall of all their tefF.
In room of thefe they fow immediately upon the
fame ground, without any manure, barley, which
they reap in February ; and then often fow teff, but
more frequently a kind of veitch, or pea, called
Shimbra ; thefe are cut down before the firfl rains,
which are in April. With all thefe advantages of
triple harvefis, which coft no fallowmg, weeding,
manure, or other expenfive proceffes, the farmer in
AbylTmia is always poor and miferable.

Tn Tigre it is a good harvefc that produces nine
after one, it fcarcely ever is known to produce ten j
or more than three after one, for peas. The land,
as in Egypt, is fet to the higheft bidder yearly j
and like Egypt it receives an additional value, de-
pending on the quantity of rain that falls and its
fituation more or lefs favourable for leading water
to it. The landlord furniflies the feed under con-
dition to receive half the produce ; but I am told
he is a very indulgent mafler that does not take
another quarter for the rlflv he has run ; fo that the
quantity that comes to the (hare of the hufbandman
is not more than fufhcient to afford fuflenance for
his wretched family.

The

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 453

The foil is white clay, mixed with fand, and has
as good appearance as any I have feen. I appre-
hend a deficiency of the crop is not froni the bar-
rennefs of the foil, but from the immenfe quantity
of field-rats and mice that over-run the whole coun-
try, and live in the filTures of the earth. To kill
thefe, they fet fire to their draw, the only ufe they
make of it.

The cattle roam at difcretion through the moun-
tains. The herdfmen fet fire to the grafs, bent, and
brufliwood, before the rains, and an amazing ver-
dure immediately follows. As the mountains, are
fteep and broken, goats are chiefly the flocks that
graze upon them.

The province of Tigre is all mountainous ; and

it has been faid, without any foundation in truth,

that the Pyrenees, Alps, and Apennines, are but

mole-hills compared to them. I believe, however,

that one of the Pyrenees above St. John Pied de

Port, is much higher than Lamalmon ; and that

the mountain of St. Bernard, one of the Alps, is

full as high as Taranta, or rather higher. It is not

the extreme height of the mountains in Abyffinia

that occafions furprife, but the number of them,

and the extraordinary forms they prefent to the

eye. Some of them are flat, thin, and fquare, in

fhape of a hearth- ftone, or flab, that fcarce would

feem to have bafe fuflicient to refill the adion of

the winds. Some are like pyramids, others like

obelilks or prifms, and fome, the mofl: extraordinary

of all the reft, pyramids pitched upon their points,

with their bafe uppermoft, which, if it was poSible,

as it is not, they could have been fo formed in the

begiiining.

4^4 TRAVELS to DISCOVER

beginning, would be flrong objections to our re-
ceived ideas of gravity.

They tan hides to great perfedlion in Tigre, but
for one purpofe only. They take off the hair with
the juice of two plants, a fpecies of folanum, and
the juice of the kol -quail ; both thefe are produced
in abundance in the province. They are great no-
vices, however, in dyeing; the plant called Suf
produces the only colour they have, which is yellow.
In order to obtain a blue, to weave as a border to
their cotton clothes, they unravel the blue threads of
the Marowt, or blue cloth of Surat, and then weave
them again with the thread which they have dyed
■with the fuf.

It was on the loth of January, 1770, I vifited the
remains of the Jefuits convent of Fremona. It is
built upon the even ridge of a very high hill, in
the middle of a large plain, on the oppofite fide of
whidi ftands Adowa. It rifes from the eaft: to the
weft, and ends in a precipice on the eaft ; it is alfo
very fteep to the north, and flopes gently down to
the plain on the fouth. The convent is about
a mile in circumference, built fubftantially with
ftones, which are cemented with lime-mortar. It
has towers in the flanks and angles -; and, notwith-
flanding the ill-ufage it has fuffered, the walls re-
iaiain ftill entire to the height of twenty-five feet.
It is divided into three, by crofs walls of equal
height. The firft divifion feems to have been def-
tined for the convent, the middle for the church,
^nd the third divifion is feparated from this by a
wall, and ftands upon a precipice. It feems to me as
if it was defigned for a place of arms. All the walls

have

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 4S5

have holes for mulkets, and even now, it is by far
the mod defenfible place in Abyflinia. It refembles
an ancient caftie much more than a convent.

I can fcarce conceive the reafon why thefe reve-
rend fathers miireprefent and mifplace this intended
capital of Catholic Abyflinia. Jerome Lobo calls
this convent a colledion of miferable villages.
Others place it fifty miles, when it is but two, from
Adowa to the north-eaft. Others fay it is only five
miles from the Red Sea, while it is an hundred.
It is very extraordinary, that thefe errors fhould
occur in the fituation of a place built by their own
hands, and where their body long had its refidence j
and, what makes it more extraordinary (till, it was
the domicil which they firll occupied, and quitted laft.

The kindnefs, hofpitality, and fatherly care of
Janni never ceafed a moment. He had already re-
prefented me in the mofl favourable light to the
Iteghe, or queen-mother, (whofe fervant he had
long been) to her daughter Ozoro Either, and
Ozoro Altafh; and, above all, to Michael, with
whom his influence was very great; and, indeed,
to every body he had any weight with ; his own
countrymen, Greeks, Abyflinians, and Mahometans;
and, as we found afterwards, he had raifed their
curiofity to a great pitch.

A kind of calm had fpread itfelf univerfally over
the country, without apparent reafon, as it has been
in general obferved to do immediately before a
ftorm. The minds of men had been wearied rather
than amufed, by a confl:ant feries of new things,
none of which had been forefeen, and which gene-
rally ended in a manner Ijttle expe(3:ed. Tired of

guefling.

4-^6. TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

gueffing, all parties feemed to agree to give it over,
till the fuccefs of the campaign fhould afford them
furer grounds to go upon. Nobody loved Michael,
but nobody neglefted their own fafety fo much as
to do or fay any thing againft him, till he either
fhould lofe or eflablKh his good fortune, by the gain
or lofs of a battle with Fafil.

This calm I refolved to take advantage of, and to
fet out immediately for Gondar. But the 17th of
January was now at hand, on which the AbyfTmians
celebrate the feafl of the Epiphany with extraordi-
nary rejoicings, and as extraordinary ceremonies, if
we believe what their enemies have faid about their
yearly repetition of baptifm. This I was refolved to
verify with my own eyes ; and as Alvarez, chaplain
to the em.balfy from Don Emanuel, king of Portu-
gal, to king David III. fays he was likewife prefent
at it, the public will judge between two eye-wit-
neiTes which is likeliefi: to be true, when I come to
give an account of the religious rites of this people.
Adowa is in iat. 14" 7' ^y'^ north.

On the 17th, we fet out from Adowa, refuming
our journey to Gondar; and, after pafling two
fmall villages Adega Net, and Adega Daid, the firrt:
about half a mile on our left, the fecond about three
miles diftant on our right, we decamped at fun-fet
near a place called Bet Hannes, in a narrow valley,
at the foot of two hills, by the fide of a fmall
ftream.

On the 1 8th, in the morning, we afcended one
of thefe hills, through a very rough ftony road,
and again came into the plain, wherein ftood Axum,
once the capital of Abyflinia, at leaft as it is fuppofed.

For

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 457

For my part, I believe it to have been the magni-
iicent metropolis of the trading people, or Troglo-
dyte Ethiopians called properly Cufhites, for the
reafon I have already given, as the Abyffinians never
built any city, nor do the ruins of any exift at this
day in the whole country. But the black, or Tro-
glodyte part of it, called in the language of fcripture,
Cuih, in many places have buildings of great flrength
magnitude, ' and expence, efpecially at Azab, worthy
the magnificence and riches of a flate, which was
from the firft ages the emporium of the Indian and
African trade, whofe fovereign, though a Pagan,
was thought an example of reproof to the nations,
and chofen as an inftrument to contribute materi-
ally to the building of the firft: temple which man
erected to the true God.

The ruins of ifVxum are very extenfive ; but, like
the cities of ancient times, coniift altogether of
public buildings. In one fquare, which I appre-
hend to have been the center of the town, there are
forty obelillvs, none of which have any hieroglyphics
upon them*. There is one larger than the refl:
ftill Handing, but there are two ftill larger than this
fallen. They are all of one piece of granite ; and
on the top of that which is (landing there is a pa-
tera exceedingly well carved in the Greek tafte.
Below, there is the door-bolt and lock, which
Poncet fpeaks of, carved on the obelilk, as if to
reprefent an entrance through it to fome building

* Poncet fays that thefe obeliflcs are covered with hlgroglyphlcs;
but in this he is wrong ; he has miftaken the carvipjg, I fliall di-
reftly mention, for hieroglyphics. London edit.'if*2mo, 1 709,
p. 106.

behind.

X

45^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

behind. The lock and bolt are precifely the fame
as thofe ufed at this day in Egypt and Paleftine,
but were never feen, as far as 1 know, in Ethiopia,
or at any time in ufe there.

I apprehend this obelilk, and the two larger that
are fallen, to be the works of Ptolemy Evergetes.
There is a great deal of carving upon the face of
the obelilk in a Gothic tafte, fomething like metopes,
triglyphs, and guttse, difpofed rudel)^, and without
order, but there are no characters or figures. The
face of this pyramid looks due fouth ; has been
placed with great exaflnefs, and preferves its per-
pendicular pofition till this day. As this obelilk has
'httVL othervvife defcribed as to its ornaments, I have
given a geometrical elevation of it fervilely copied,
without fhading or perfpedive, that all kind of
readers may underltand it.

After pafTmg the convent of Abba Pantaleon,
called in Abyffinia, Mantilles, and the fmall obelifk
fituated on a rock above, we proceed fouth by a
road cut in a mountain of red marble, having on
the left a parapet-wall about five feet high, folid,
and of the fame materials. At equal diftances there
ardhewi^-iii this wall folid pedeftals, upon the tops
of which we fee the marks where flood the Coloflal
{fiitues of Syrius the Latrator Anubis, or Dog
Star. One hundred and thirty-three of thefe pe-
deflals, with the marks of the ftatues I juft men-
tioned are ftill in their places ; but only two figures
of the dog remained when I was there, much muti-
lated, but of a tafleeafily diftinguifhed to be Egyp-
tian. Thefe are compofed of granite, but fome of
them appear to have been of metal* Axum, being

the

♦«

L J I I I bn

\h>-o-o—o-o-^

onnn

30

^j/oyeet

( /^//^>/iy a/ ' ^¥.r/^?n.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 459

the capital of Siris, or Sire, from this we eafily fee
what connexion this capital of the province had
with the dog-ftar, and confequently the abfurdity of
fuppofing that the river derived its name from a
Hebrew word *, fignifying black.

There are likewife pedeftals, whereon the figures
of the Sphinx have been placed. Two magnifi-
cent flights of fleps, feveral hundred feet long, all
of granite, exceedingly well-fafhioned, and ftill in
their places, are the only remains of a magnificent
temple. In the angle of this platform where that
temple flood, is the prefent fmall church of Axum,
in the place of a former one deftroyed by Mahomet
Gragne in the reign of king David III. ; and which
was probably remains of a temple built by Ptolemy
.Evergetes, if not the work of times more remote.

The .church is a mean, fmall building, very ill
kept, and full of pigeons dung. In it are fuppofed
to be preferved the ark of the covenant, arid
copy of the law which Menilek fon of Solomon is
faid, in their fabulous lengends, to have fi:olen from
his father Solomon in his return to Ethiopia, and
thefe were reckoned as it were the palladia of this
country. Some ancient copy of the Old Teflament,
1 do believe, was depofited here, probably that
from which the firft verfion was made. But what-
ever this might be, it was deftroyed, with the
church itfelf, by Mahomet Gragne, though pre-
tended falfelv to fubfift there ftill. This I had

from the king himfelf.

Shihor*

There

4^0 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

T'here was another relique of great importance
that happened to efcape from being burnt, by hav-
ing, in time, been transferred to a church in one
of the iflands in the lake Tzana, called Sele C)uarat
Rafou. It is a picture of Chrifl's head crowned with
thorns, faid to be painted by St. Luke, which, upon
occafions of the utmoll importance,is brought out and
carried with the army, efpecially in a war with the
Mahometans and Pagans. We have juit feen, it was
taken, upon Yafous's defeat atSennaar, and reftored
afterwards upon an embaiTy fent thither on purpofe,
no doubt, for a valuable confideration.

Within the outer gate of the church, below the
fteps, are three fmall fquareinclofuies, all of granite,
with fmall oftagon pillars in the angles, apparently
Egyptian ; on. the top of which formerly were fmall
images of the dog-ftar, probably of metal. Upon
a {tone, in the middle of one of thefe, the king fits,
and is crowned, and always has been fmce the days
of Paganifm ; and below it, where he naturally
places his feet, is a large oblong flab like a hearth,
which is not of granite, but of free (lone. The in-
fer iption, though much defaced, may fafely be re-
ftored.

nTOAEMAIOY EVERT E'T O Y
BASIAEflS

Ppncet has miftaken this lad word for Bafilius ;
but he did not pretend to be a fcholar, and was ig-
norant of the hiftory of the country.

Axum is watered by a fmall ftream, which flows
all the year from a fountain in the narrow valley,
where ftand the rows of obeliiks. The fpring is

received

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 4^1

received into a magnificent bafon of 1 50 feet fquare,
and thence it is carried, at pleafure, to water the
neighbouring gardens, where there is little fruit,
excepting pomegranates, neither are thefe very ex-
cellent.

The prefent town of Axum flands at the foot of
the hill, and may have about fix hundred houfes.
There are feveral manufaQ:ures of coarfe cotton
cloth ; and here too the bed parchment is made of
goats fkins, which is the ordinary employment of
the monks. Every thing feemed later at Axum,
and near it, than at Adowa ; the teff was {landing
yet green.

On the 19th of January, by a meridian altitude
of the fun, and a mean of feveral altitudes of flars
by night, I found the latitude of Axum to be
14° 6' 36^'' north.

The reader will have obferved, that I have taken
great pains in correding the geography of this
country, and illuflrating the accounts given us by
travellers as well ancient as modern, and reconcilinsr
them to each other. There are, however, in a very
late publication, what I muil fuppofe to be errors,
at lead they are abfolutely unintelligible to . me,
whether they are to be placed to the account of Je-
rome Lobo, the original, or to Dr. Johnfon the -
tranflator, or to the bookfeller, is what I am not
able to fay. But as the bookitfelf is ufheredin by
a very warm and particular recommendation of io
celebrated an author as Dr. Johnfon, and as I have
in the courfe of this work fpoke very contemptibly
of that Jefuit, I muft, in my own vindication, make
fome obfervations upon the geography of this book,

which.

4fo TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

which, Introduced into the world by fuch authority,
znight elfe bririg the little we know of this part of
Africa into confufion, from which its maps are as
yet very far from being cleared.

Caxume * is faid to mean Axum, to be a city in
Africa, capital of the kingdom of Tigre Mahon
in Abyffinia. Now, long ago, Mr. Ludolf had
Ihewn, from the teftimony of Gregory the Abyffinian,
that there was no fuch place in Abyffinia as Tigre
Mahon. That there was, indeed, a large proyince
called Tigre, of which Axum was the capital ; and
Xe Grande, the firfl; publifher of Jerome Lobo, has
repeatedly faid the fame. And Ludolf has given a
very probable conjefture, that the firfl Portuguefe,
ignorant of the Abyffinian language, heard the
officer commanding that province called Tigre
Mocuonen, which is governor of Tigre, and had
miftaken the name of his office for that of his pro-
vince. Be that as it will, the reader may refl af-
fured there is no fuch kingdom, province, or town
in all Abyffinia.

There flill remains, however, a difficulty much
greater than this, and an error much more dif-
ficult to be correfted. Lobo is faid to have failed
from the peninfula of India, and, being bound
for Zeyla, to have embarked in a vefTel going to
Caxume, or Axum, capital of Tigre, and to have
arrived there fafely, and been well accommodated.
Now Zeyla, he fays, is a city in the kingdom of
Adel, at the mouth of the Red Seaf; and Axum,
being two hundred miles inland, in the middle of

* See JohnfcDti's tranllatlon of Jerome Lobo, p. 29.
•f See page 28.

the

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 463

the kingdom of Tigre, a fiiip going to Axum mud
have pafled Zeyla 300 miles, or . l>^en 300 miles to
the weftward of it. Zeyla is not a city, as is faid,
but an ifland. It is not in the kingdom of Adel,
but in the bay of Tajoura, oppofite to a kingdom of
that name ; but the ifland itfelf belongs to the
Imamdf Sana, fovereign of Arabia Felix ; fo that
it is inexplicable, how a fhip going to Zeyla fhould
choofe to land 300 miles beyond it ; and flill more
fo, how, beings once arrived at Axum, they fliould
feek a Ihip to carry them back again to Zeyla, 300
miles eaflward, when they were then going to
Gondar, not much above a hundred miles weft of
Axum. This feems to me abfolutely impoflible to
explain.

Still, however, another difficulty remains ; Tigre
IS faid, by the Jefuits, and by M. Le Grande, their
hiftorian, to be full of mountains, fo high that the
Alps and Appenines were very inconfiderable ia
comparifon. And fuppofe it was otherwife, there is
no navigable river, indeed no river at all, that runs
through Tigre into the Red Sea, and there is the
defert of Samhar to pafs, where there is no water
at all. How is it poffible a fhip from the coaft of
Malabar fhould get up 200 miles from any fea among
the mountains of Tigre ? I hope the publilher will
compare this with any map he pleafes, and correct
it in his errata, otherwife his narrative is unintelli-
gible, unlefs all this was intended to be placed to
the account of miracles — Peter walked upon the
water, and Lobo the Jefuit failed upon dry land.

Dr. Johnfon, or his publifher, involves his reader
in another ftrange perplexity. " Dancala is a city

of

464 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

of Africa in Upper Ethiopia, upon the Nile, in the
traclof Nubia, of which it is the capital ;" and the
emperor wrote, " that the miflionaries might eafily
enter his dominions by the way of Dancala *.**
It is very difficult to underfland how people, in a
fhip from India, could enter Abyffinia by the way
of Dancala, if that city is upon the Nile ; becaufe
no where, that I know, is that river in Abyffinia
within 300 miles of. any fea ; and, ftill more fo,
how it could be in Nubia, and yet in Upper Ethio-
pia. Dongola is, indeed, the capital of Nubia ; it
is upon the Nile in 20'^ north latitude ; but then
it cannot be in Upper Ethiopia, but certainly in
the Lower, and is not within a hundred miles of
the Red Sea, and certainly not the way for a Ihip
from India to get to Abyffinia, which, failing down
the Red Sea, it mufl have paffiid feveral hun-
dred miles, and gone to the northward : Dongola,
befides, is in the heart of the great defert of Beja,
and cannot, with any degree of propriety, be faid to
be eafily acceffiible to any, no, not even upon ca-
mels, but impoffiibie to ffiipping, as it is not within
200 miles of any fea. On the other hand, Dancali,
for which it may have been miflaken, is a fmall king-
dom on the coaft of the Red Sea, reaching to the
frontiers of Abyffinia ; and through it the patriarch
Mendes entered Abyffinia, as has been faid in my
hiftory ; but then Dancali is in lat. 12", it is not in
Nubia, nor upon the Nile, nor within feveral hun-
dred miles of it.

* Page 28.

Again,

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 465

Again, Lobo has faid, (p. 30, 31.) " that a Portu-
guefe galhot was ordered to fet him afliore at Pate,
whofe inhabitants were man-eaters." This is a very
whimfical choice of a place to land Grangers in,
among man-eaters. I cannot conceive what advan-
tage could be propofed by landing men going to
Abyflinia fo far to the fouthward, aiiong a people
fuch as this, who certainly, by their very manners,
muft be at war, and unconnedled with all their
neighbours. And many ages have pafled without
this reproach having fallen upon the inhabitants of,
the eaft coafl of the peninfula of Africa from any
authentic teftimony; and I am confident after the
few fpecimens juft given of the topographical know-
ledge of this author, his prefent teftimony will not
weigh much, from whatever hand this performance
may have come.

M. de Montefquieu, among all his other talents
a mofl: excellent and accurate geographer, obferves,
that man-eaters were firft mentioned when the
fouthern parts of the eafl: coaft of the peninfula of
Africa came to be unknown.* Travellers of Jerome
Lobo's caft, delighting in the marvellous, did place
thefe unfociable people beyond the promontory of
Praffum, becaufe nobody, at that time, did pafs the
promontory of Praffum.

Above 1200 years, thefe people were unknown,
till Vafques de Gama difcovered their coafl:, and
called them the civil or kind nation. By fome
lucky revolution in that long period, when they
were left to themfelves, they feem mofl unaccountably
to have changed both their diet and their manners.
The Portuguefe conquered them, built towns among

Vol. III. H h them,

466 TRAVELS TO DISCOl/ES.

them, and, if they met with confpiracies and treachery^
thefe all originated in a mixture of Moors front
Spain and Portugal, Europeans that had fettled
among them, and not among the natives themfelves.
No man-eaters appeared till after, the difcovery of
the Cape of Good Hope, when that of the new
world, whicn followed it, made the Portuguefe
abandon their fettlements in the old : and this coall
came as unknown to them as it had been to the
Romans, when they traded only to Rapturn and
PralTum, and made Anthropophagi of all the reft.
One would be almoft tempted to believe that Je-
rome Lobo was a man-eater him.felf, and had taught
this cuftom to thefe favages. They had it not before
his coming ; they have never had it fmce ; and it
muft have been with fome fmifler intention like this,
that a ftranger would voluntarily feek a nation of
man-eaters. It is'nonfenfe to fay, that a traveller
could propofe, as Lobo did, going into a far diftant
country, fucl\ as Abyffinia, under fo very quef-
tionable a proteSiion as a man-eater.

I will not take up my own, or the reader's time, in
going through the multitude of errors in geography
to be found in tliis book of Lobo's ; I have given the
reader my opinion of the author from the original,
before I faw the tranflation. I faid it was a heap of
fables, and full of ignorance and prefumption ; and
I confefs myfelf difappointed that it has come from
fo celebrated a hand as the tranfiator, fo very little
amended, if indeed it can be faid to be amended
at, all.

Dr. Johnfon, in the preface to the book,.; exprefles
hinifelf in thefe words: — " The Portuguefe tra-
veller

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 467

veller (Jerome Lobo, his original) has amufed his
reader with no romantic abfurdities, or incredible
fi(5lions. He feems to have defcribed things as he
faw them ; to have copied nature from the Hfe ; and
to have confulted his fenfes. not his imagination.
He meets with no bafihfl^ that deftroy with their
eyes ; and his cataraQs fall from the rock, without
deafening the neighbouring inhabitants."

At firfl: reading this paflage, I confefs I thought it
irony. As to what regards the cataraft, one of the
articles Dr, Johnfon has condefcended upon as truths
I had already fpoken, while compofmg thefe me-
moirs in Abyffinia, long before this new publication
faw the light ; and, upon a cool revifal of the whole
that I have faid, I cannot think ojf receding from
any part of it, and therefore recommend it to the
reader's perufal. What we have now only to note,
is the fidelity of Jerome Lobo, f© ftrongly vouched
in the words I have juft cited, in the article of bafi-
lilks, or ferpents, which Dr. Johnfon has chofen as
one of the inftances of his author's adhering to h&,
contrary to the cuflom of other writers on fuch
fubjeds.

In crofling a defert, which was two days jour-
ney over, I was iii great danger of my life, for, as
I lay on the ground, I perceived myfelf feized with
a pain which forced me to rife, and faw, about
four yards from me, one of thofe ferpents that
dart their poifon from a dijiance. Althoup-h I rofe
before he came very near me, I yet felt the effects
of his poifonous breath ; and, if I had lain a
little longer, had certainly died. I had recourfe
to bezoar, a fovereigaremedy againft thofe poi-

H h 2 « fons.

<c
<c

cc
ce

ec
cc
cc

4^8 TRAVELS to DISCOVER

cc
et
cc
cc

<6

cc

cc

fons, which I always carried about me. Thefe
ferpents are not long, but have a body Ihort and
thick, their bellies fpeckled with brown, black,
and yellow. They have a wide mouth, with
which they draw in a great quantity of air, and,
having retained it fome time, eje£l: it with fuch
force, that they kill at four yards diftance. I
only efcaped by being fomewhat farther from
him." (Chap. xii. p. 124.)
Now, as this is warranted, by one of fuch au-
thority as Dr. Johnfon, to be neither imagination nor
falfehood, we muft think it a new fyftem of natural
philofophy, and confider it as fuch ; and, in the firft
place, I would wifh to know from the author, who
feems perfectly informed, what fpecies of ferpent it
is that he has quoted as darting their poifon at a
diftance. Again, what fpecies it is that, at the dif-
tance of 1 2 feet, kills a man by breathing on his
back; alfo, what they call that fpecies of ferpent
that, drawing in the fame outward air which Jerome
Lobo breathed, could fo far pervert its quality as
with it to kill at the diftance of four yards. Surely
fuch a ferpent, if he had no other chara£leriftic in the
world, would be defcribed by a naturalift as the
ferpent with the foul ftomach. — I never faw a poifon-
ous ferpent in Abyffinia whofe belly is not white ;
fo this one being fpeckled, brown, black, and yellow,
will be a direftion when any fuch is found, and ferve
as a warning not to come near him, at leaft within
the diftance of four yards.

Jerome Lobo continues, " that this danger was
" not to be much regarded in comparifon of ano-
" ther his negligence brought him into. As he was

" picking

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 469

picking up a Ikin that lay upon the ground, he
was ftung by a ferpent that left its fling in his
finger j he picked out an extraneous fubftance
about the bignefs of an hair, which he imagined
was the fling. This flight wound he took little
notice of, till his arm grew inflamed all over ;
his blood was infedled ; he fell into convulfions,
which were interpreted as the figns of inevitable
death." (Chap. xii. p. 125.)
Now, with all fubmiflion to Jerome Lobo, the
firfl: ferpent had brought him within a near view of
death ; the fecond did no more, for it did not kill
him ; how comes it that he fays the firft danger
was nothing in comparifon to the fecond ? The firfl:
would have certainly killed him, by blowing upon
his back, if he had been nearer than 1 2 feet. The
other had nearly killed him by a fling. Death was
the end of them both. I cannot fee the difference
between the two dangers.

The firft ferpent was of a new fpecies, that kills a
man at the diftance of 1 2 feet by breathing upon
him. The fecond was alfo new, for he killed by a
filing. We know of no fuch power that any of the
ferpent kind have. If Dr. Johnfon believes this,
I will not fay that it is the moft improbable thing he
ever gave credit to, but this I will fay, that it is al-
together different from what at this day is taught
us by natural philofophy. We eafily fee, by the
flrain in which thefe flories are told, that all thefe
fables of Lobo would have pafled for miracles, had
the converfion of Abyflinia followed. They were
preparatory fleps for receiving him as confeflbr, had
his merit not been fufficient to have entitled him. to

a higher

470 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

a higher 'place in the kalendar. Rainy, miry, and
cold countries, are not the favourite habitation of
ferpents, Abyffinia is deluged with fix months rain
every year while the fun is paffing over it. It only
enjoys clear weather when the fun is farthefl: diftant
from it in the fouthern hemifphere ; the days and
nigllts are always nearly equal. Vipers are not
found in a climate like this. Accordingly, I can
tfilify, I never faw one of the kind in the high
country of Abyffinia all the time I lived there ; and
Tigre, where Jerome Lobo places the fcene of his
adventures, by being one of the highefl provinces iu
the coiintry, is furely not one of the moft proper.

It was the 20th of January, at feven o'clock in
the morning, we left Axum ; our road was at firfl:
fufficientiy even, through fmall vallies and meadows ;
we began to afcend gently, but through a road ex-
ceedingly difficult in itfelf, by reafon of large ftones
{landing on edge, or heaped one upon another ; ap-
parently the remains of an old large caufeway, part
of the magnificent works about Axum.

The laft part of the journey made ample amends
for the difficulties and fatigue we had fuffered in the
beginning. For our road, on every fide, was per-
fumed with a variety of flowering fhrubs, chiefly dif-
ferent fpecies of jeflamin ; one in particular of thefe
called Agam (a fmall four-leaved flowerj impreg-
nated the whole air with the mofl: delicious odour,
and covered the fmall hills through which we paflfed,
in fuch profufion, that we were, at times, almoft over-
come with its fragrance. The country all round had
liow the moft beautiful appearance, and this was

heightened

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE, 4^1

heightened by the fined of weather, and a tempe-
rature of air neither too hot nor too cold.

Not long after our lofing fight of the ruins of this
ancient capital of AbyfTinia, we overtook three tra-
vellers driving a cow before them ; they had black
goat fkins upon their Ihoulders, and lances and
ihields in their hands, in other refpeds were but
thinly cloathed ; they appeared to be foldiers. The
cow did not feem to be fatted for killing, and it
occurred to us all that it had been ftolen. This,
however, was not our bufmefs, nor was fuch an oc-
currence at all remarkable in a country fo long
engaged in war. We faw that our attendants at-
tached themfelves in a particular manner to the three
foldiers that were driving the cow, and held a Ihort
converfation with them. Soon after, we arrived at
the hithernidffl bank of the river, where I thought
we were to pitch our tent. The drivers fuddenly
tript up the cow, and gave the poor animal a very
rude fall upon the ground, which was but the be-
ginning of her fufferings. One of them fat acrofs
her neck, holding down her head by the horns,
the other twifted the halter about her forefeet, while,
the third, who had a» knife in his hand, to my very
great furprife, in place of taking her by the throat,
got aftride upon her belly before her hind-legs, and
gave her a very deep wound in the upper part of
her buttock.

From the time I had feen them throw the beaft
upon the ground, I had rejoiced, thinking that when
three people were killing a cow, they mufl: have
agreed to fell part of her to us ; and I was much dif»
appointed upon hearing, the Abyflinians fay, that we

were

473 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

were to pafs the river to the other fide, and not
encamp where I intended. Upon my propofmg
they fhould bargain for part of the cow, my men
anfwered what they had already learned in conver-
fation, that they were not then to kill her, that (he
was not wholly theirs, and they could not fell her.
This awakened my curiofity ; I let my people go
forward, and ftaid myfelf, till I faw, with the utmoft
aftonifhment, two pieces, thicker, and longer than
our ordinary beef fteaks, cutout of the higher part
of the buttock of the beaft. How it was done I
cannot pofitively fay, becaufe judging the cow was
to be killed from the moment I faw the knife drawn,
I was not anxious to view that cataflrophe, which
was by^ no means an obje6t of curiofity ; whatever
"way it was done, it furely was adroitly, and the two
pieces were fpread upon the outfide of one of their
ihields.

One of them flill continued holding the head,
while the other two were bufied in curing the
wound. This too was done not in an ordinary
manner ; the Ikin which had covered the flefh that
was taken aw&y was left entire, and flapped over
the wound, and was faftened to the correfponding
part by two or more fmall fkewers, or pins. Whether
they had put any thing under the Ikin between that
and the wounded flefh I know not, but at the river
fide where they were, they had prepared a cataplafm
of clay, with which they covered the wound ; they
then forced the animal to rife, and drove it on be-
fore them, to furnifli them with a fuller meal when
they fhould meet their companions in the evening.

I could

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 473

I could not but admire a dinner fo truly foldier-
like, nor did I ever fee fo commodious a manner of
carrying provifions along on the road as this was.
I naturally attributed this to neceflity, and the love
of expedition. It was 3 liberty, to be fure, taken
with Chriftianity ; but what tranfgreflion is not war-
ranted to a .foldier when diftrefled by his enemy in
the field? I could not as yet conceive that this
was the ordinary banquet of citizens, and even of
priefts, throughout all this country. In the hofpi-
table, humane houfe of Janni, thefe living feafls had
never appeared. It is true we had feen raw meat,
but no part of an animal torn from it with the
blood. The firft fhocked us as uncommon, but the
other as impious.

When firfl I mentioned this in England, as one
- of the fingularities which prevailed in this barbarous
country, I was told by my friends it was not be-
lieved. I afked the reafon of this difbelief, and was
anfwered, that people who had never been out of
their own country, and others well acquainted with
the manners of the world, for they had travelled as
far as France, had agreed the thing was impoffible,
and therefore it was fo. My friends counfelled me
further, that as thefe men were infallible, and had
each the leading of a circle, I fliould by all means
obliterate this from my journal, and not attempt to
inculcate in the minds of my readers the belief of a ..
thing that men who had travelled pronounced to be
impoffible. They fuggefled to me, in the moft
friendly manner, how rudely a very learned and
worthy traveller had been treated for daring to main-
tain that he had eat part of a lion, a ftory I have al-
ready

474 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

ready taken notice of in my introdudion. They
faid, that, being convinced by thefe connoifTeurs.
his having eat any part of a lion was hnpofflble, he
had abandoned this aflertion ahogether, and after
only mentioned it in an appendix ; and this was the
farthefl; I could polTibly venture.

Far from being a convert to fuch prudential
reafons, I muft for ever profefs openly, that I think
them unworthy of me. To reprefent as truth a thing
I know to be a falfhood, not to avow a truth which
I know I ought to declare ; the one is fraud, the
other cowardice ; I hope I am equally diflant from
them both ; and I pledge myfelf never to retradl the
fad here advanced, that the Abyffinians do feed in
common upon live fleih, and that I myfelf have, for
feveral years, been partaker of that difagreeable and
beaftly diet. On the contrary, I have no doubt,
when time fhall be given to read this hiftory to an
en(!, there will be very few, if they have candour
enough to own it, that will not be afhamed of ever
having doubted.

At 1 1 o'clock of the 20th, we pitched our tent
in a fmall plain, by the banks of a quick clear run-
ning ftream ; the fpot is called Mai-Shum. There
are no villages, at leafl that we faw, here. A pea-
fant had made a very neat little garden on both fides
of the rivulet, in which he had fown abundance of
onions and garlic, and he had a fpecies of pump-
kin, which I thought was little inferior to a melon.
This man gueffed by our arms and horfes that we
were hunters, and he brought us a prefent of the
fruits of his garden, and begged our afiiftance againfl:
;a number of wild boars, which carried havoc and

defolation

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 475

defolation through all his hibours, marks of which
were, indeed, too vifible everywhere. Such inftances
of induftry are very rare in this country, and de-
manded encouragement. I paid him, therefore, for
his greens ; and fent two of my fervants with him
into the wood, and got on horfeback myfelf. Mirza,
my horfe, indeed, as well as his mafler, had re-
cruited greatly during our flay at Adowa, under the
hofpitable roof of our good friend Janni.

Amongfl us we killed five boars, all large ones,
in the fpace of about two hours ; one of which
meafured fix feet nine inches ; and, though he ran
at an amazing fpeed near two miles, fo as to be with
difficulty overtaken by the horfe, and was (truck
through and through with two heavy lances loaded
at the end with iron, no perfon dared to come near
him on foot, and he defended himfelf above half an
hour, till, having no other arms left, I {hot him
with a horfe-piftol. But the misfortune was, tj^at,
after our hunting had been crowned with fuch fuc-
cefs, we did not dare to partake of the excellent
venifon we had acquired ; for the Abyffinians hold
pork of all kinds in the utmofl deteftation ; and I
was now become cautious, left I fliould give offence,
being at no great diftance from the capital.

On the 21 ft we left Mai-Shum at feven o'clock
in the morning, proceeding through an open country,
part fown with tetf, but moftly overgrown with wild
oats and high grafs. We afterwards travelled among
a number of low hills, afcendino^ and defcendino-
many of them, which occafioned more pleafure than
fatigue. The jefTamin continued to increafe upon
^s, and it was the common bufli of the cbuatry.

Several

47<^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER , "T

Several new fpecies appeared, with five, nine, eleven
petals, and plenty of the agam with four, thefe be-
3ng all white. We found alfo large bufhes of yel-
low, and orange and yellow jeiTamin, befides fine
trees of kummel, and the boha, both of the largeft
fize, beautifully covered with fruit and flowers,
which we never before had feen.

We now defcended into a plain called Selech-
lecha, the village of that name being two miles
caft of us. The country here has an air of gaiety
and chearfulnefs fuperior to any thing we had ever
yet feen. Poncet * was right when he compared it
to the mofl beauteous part of Provence. We crolT-
ed the plain through hedge-rows of flowering flirubs,
among which the, honey fuckle now made a princi-
pal figure, v.'hich is of one fpecies only, the fame
known in England ; but the flower is larger and
perfectly white, not coloured on the outfide as our
honeyfuckle is. Fine trees of all fizes were every-
where interfperfed ; and the vine, with fmall black
grapes of very good flavour, hung in many places
in feftoons, joining tree to tree, as if they had been
artificially twined and intended for arbours.

After having pafled this plain, we again entered a
clofe country through defiles between mountains,
thick covered with wood and bulhes. We pitched
our tent by the water-fide judicioufly enough as tra-
vellers, being quite furrounded with bulhes, which
prevented us from being feen in any diredion.

As the boha was the principal tree here, and in
great beauty, being then in flower, I let the caravan

^ Ppncet's voyage to Ethiopia, p. 99.

pafs.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 4^7

pafs, and alighted to make a proper choice for a
drawing, when I heard a cry from my fervants,
" Robbers! Robbers!" I immediately got upon my
mule to learn what alarm this might be, and faw,
to my great furprife, part of my baggage ftrewed
on the ground, the fervants running, fome leading,
others on foot driving fuch of their mules as were
unloaded before them ; in a word, every thing in
the greatefl confufion pofTible. Having got to the
edge of the wood, they faced about, and began to
prepare th^Ir fire-arms ; but as 1 faw the king's two
fervants, and the man that Janni fent with us, en-
deavouring all they could to pitch the tent, and my
horfe (landing peaceably by them, I forbade our
fugitives to fire, till they (liould receive orders from
me. I now rode immediately up to the tent, and
in my' way was faluted from among the bullies with
many flones, one of which gave me a violent blow
upon the foot. At the fame inflant I received ano-
ther blow with a fmall unripe pumpkin, jufl upon
the belly, where I was ftrongly defended by the coarfe
cotton cloth wrapped feveral times about me by way
of fafli or girdle. h% robbers fight with other arms
than pumpkins, when I faw this fall at my feet I
was no longer under apprehenfion.

Notwithflianding this difagreeable reception, I ad-
vanced towards them, crying out. We were friends,
and Ras Michael's fr.iends ; and defired only to
fpeak to them, and would give them what they
wanted. A few flones were the only anfwer, but
they did no hurt. I then g"ive Yafme my gun,
thinking that might have given offence. The top
of the tent being now up, two mem* came forward

making

478 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

making great complaints, but of what I did not
underftand, only that they feemed to accufe us of
liaving wronged them. In fhort, we found the mat-
ter was this J one of the Moors had taken a heap of
ftraw which he was carrying to his afs, but the pro-
prietor, at feeing this, had alarmed the village.
Every body had taken lances and (hields, but, not
daring to approach for fear of the fire-arms, they
had contented themfelves with" fhowering ftones at
us from their hiding-places, at a dillance from
among the bufhes. We immediately told them,
however, that though, as the king's gueft, I had a
title to be furnifhed with what was neceffary, yet,
if they were averfe to it.^ I was very well content to
pay for every thing they furnifhed, both for my men
and beafls ; but that they mud throw no ftones,
otherwife we would defend ourfelves.

Our tent being now pitched, and every thing in
order, a treaty foon followed. They confenled to
fell us what we wanted, but at extravagant prices,
which, however, I was content to comply with. But
a man of the village, acquainted with one of the
king's fervants, had communicated to him, that the
pretence of the Moor's taking the ftraw was not
really the reafoa of the uproar, for they made no
ufe of it except to burn; but that a report had
been fpread abroad, that an a£tion had happened
between Fafil and Ras Michael, in which the latter
had been defeated, and the country no longer in
fear of the Ras, had indulged themfelves in their
ufual exceftes, and, taking us for a caravan of Ma-
hometans with merchandife, had refolved to rob us.

Welleta

THE SOtJRCK OF THE NILF. 479

Welleta Michael, grandfon to Ras Michael, com-
manded this part of the province ; and being but
thirteen years of age, was not with his grandfather
in the army, nor was he then at home, but at Gon-
dar. However, his mother, Ozoro Welleta Michael,
was at home, and her houfe jufl on the hill above.
One of the king's fervants had flolen away privately,
and told her what had happened. The fame even-
ing, a party was fent down to the village, who
took the ringleaders and carried them away, and
left us for the night. They brought us a prefent
alfo of provifions, and excufes for what had hap-
pened, warning us to be upon our guard the reft of
the way, but they gave us pofitive affurance, at
the fame time, that no aftion had happened between
Fafil and Ras Michael ; on the contrary, it was con-
fidently reported, that Fafil had left Bure, and re-
tired to Metchakel, where, probably, he would re-
pafs the Nile into his own country, and flay there
till the rains lliould oblige Michael to return to
Gondar.

On the 22d, we left Selech-lecha at {qvcti o'clock
in the morning, and, at eight, paiTed a village two
hundred yards on our left, without feeing any one }
but, advancing half a mile further, we faw a num-
ber of armed men, from fixty to eighty, and we
were told they were refolved to oppofe our paffage,
unlefs their comrades, taken the night before, were
releafed. The people that attended us on the part
of Welleta Michael, as our efcort, confidered this
as an infult, and advifed me by all means to turn to
the left to another village immediately under the
hill, on which the houfe of Welleta Michael,' mo-
ther

4S0 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

ther to Welieta Gabriel their governor, was fituat-
ed ; as there we fhould find fufficient affiftance to
force thefe opponents to reafon. We accordingly
turned to the left, and marching through thick
bufhes, came to the top of the hill above the vil-
lage, in fight of the governor's houfe, juft as about
twenty men of the enemy's party reached the bot-
tom of it.

The governor's fervants told us, that now was
the time if they advanced to fire upon them, in
which cafe they would inftantly difperfe, or elfe
they would cut us off from the village. But I
could not enter into the force of this reafoning,
becaufe, if this village was (trong enough to pro-
tect us, which was the caufe of our turning to the
left to feek it, thefe twenty men, putting themfelves
between us and the village, took the mod dangerous
ftep for themfelves pofTible, as they muft unavoidably
be deflroyed; and, if the village was not firong
enough to proteQ: us, to begin with blcodflied was
the way to lofe our lives before a fuperior enemy.
I therefore called to the twenty men to (lop where
they were, and fend only one of their company to
me ; and, upon their not paying any attention, I
ordered Yafine to fire a large bkmderbufs over their
heads, fo as not to touch them. Upon the report,
they all fied, and a number of people flocked to us
from other villages ; for my part, I believe fome who
had appeared againfl us came afterwards and joined
us. We foon feemed to have a little army, and,
in about half an hour, a party came from the go-
vernor's houfe with twenty lances and fliields, and
fix firelocks, and, prefently after, the whole multi-
tude

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 48I

tude difperfed. It was about ten o'clock when un-
der their efcort, we arrived at the town of Sire,
^ and pitched our tent in a fi.rong fituation, in a very-
deep gulley on the weft extremity of the town.

CHAP. VI.

'Journey from Sire to Addergey, and Tranfa^iom there,

X HE province of Sire, properly fo called, reaches
from Axum to the Tacazze. The tov»rn of Sire, is
fituated on the brink of a very fteep, narrow valley,
and through this the road lies which is ahnoft ini-
paflable. In the midft of this valley runs a brook
bordered with palm-trees, fome of which are grown
to a confiderable fize, but bear no fruit j they were
the firft we had feen in Abyffinia.

The town of Sire is larger t an that of Axum;
it is in form of a half-moon fronting the plain, but
its greateft breadth is at the weft end ; all the houfes
are of clay, and thatched ; the ro©fs are in form of
cones, as, indeed, are all in Abyflinia. Sire is fa-
mous for manufaiSlure of coarfe cotton cloths, which
pafs for current money through ail the province of
Tigre, and are valued at a drachin, the tenth-part
of a wakea of gold, or near the value of an im-
perial dollar each j their breadth is a yard and

Vol. hi. I i quarter.

4S:i TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

quarter. Bcfides thefe beads, needles, cohol, and
incenfe at times only, are confidered as money. The
articles depend greatly on chance, which or whether
any. ^e current for the time or not; but the latter
is often not demanded j and, for the firft, there are
modes and falhions among thefe barbarians, and
all, except thofe of a certain colour and form, are
ufelefs. We have already fpoken of the fafhions,
fuch as we have found them, at Kella, and we
heard they were the fame here at Sire. But thefe
people were not of a humour to buy and fell with us.
The were not perfedly fatisfied that Michael was
alive, and waited only a confirmation of the news
of his defeat, to make their own terms with all
ftrangers unfortunate enough to fall into their hands.
On the other hand, we were in polTeffion of fupe-
rjor force, and, knowing their - inclinations, we
treated them pretty much in the manner they would
have done us.

On the 2 2d of January, at night, I obferved the
paifage of many ftars over the meridian, and, after'
that, of the fun on the 23d at noon ; taking a me-
dium of all obfervations, I determined the latitude
of Sire to be 14" 4' ;^^'''' north. The fame even-
ing, I obferved an immerfion of the firft: fatellite of
Jupiter, by which I concluded its longitude, to be
38' o' 15'^ ealt of the meridian of Greenwich. '

^Uthough Siie is fituated in one of the fined
countries in the world, like other places it has its
inconvenicncies. Putrid fevers, of the verv word
kind, are almoil conltant here ; and there did then
aduaJly reign a fpecies of thefe that fwept away a
number of people daily. I did not think the be-
liaviou>r of the inhabitants of this provice to me

was

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 483

^vas fuch as required my expofing myfelf to the in-
fedion for the fake of relieving them ; I, therefore,
left the fever and them to fettle accounts together,
without anywife interfering.

At Sire we heard the good news that Ras Mi-
chael, on the loth of this month, had come up
with Fafil at Fagitta, and entirely difpei'fed his
army, after killing 10,000 men. This account,
though not confirmed by any authority, flruck all
the mutinous of this province with awe ; and every
man returned to his duty for fear of incurring the
difpleafure of this fevere governor, which they well
knew would inftantly be followed by more than an
adequate portion of vengeance, efpecially againft
thofe that had not accompanied him to the field.

On the 24th, at feven o'clock in the morning,
we flruck our tent at Sire, and paffed through a
vaft plain. All this day we could difcern no moun-
tains, as far as eye could reach, but only feme few
detached hills, ftanding feparate on the plain, co-
vered with high grafs, which they were then burn-
ing, to produce new with the firfl rains. The
country to the north is altogether flat, and perfedly
open ; and though we could not difcover one village
this day, yet it feemed to be well-inhabited, from
the many people we faw on different parts of the
plain, fome at harvefl, and fome herding their cat-
tle. The villages were probably concealed from us
on the other fide of the hills.

At four o'clock, we alighted at Maifbinni at the
bottom of a high, fteep, bare cliff of red marble,
bordering on purple, and very hard. Behind this
is the fmall village of Maifbinni j and, on the fouth,

I i 2 another

484 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

another ftill higher hill, whofe top runs in an even
ridge like a wall. At the bottom of this cliff,
where our tent was pitched, the fmall rivulet Maif-
binni rifes, which, gentle and quiet as it then was,
runs very violently in winter, firft north from its
fource, and then winding to S. W. it falls in feve-
ral catarafts, near a hundred feet high, into a nar-
row valley, through which it makes its way into
the Tacazze. Maifbinni, for wild and rude beau-
ties, may compare with any place we had ever
feen.

This day was the firfi; cloudy one we had met
with, or obferved this year. The fun was cover-
ed for feveral hours, which announced our being
near the large river Tacazze.

On the 25th, at feven in the morning, leaving
■ Maiibinfii, we continued on our road, fiiaded with
trees of many different kinds. At half an hour
after eight we paffed the river, which at this place
runs weft ; our road this day was through the fame
plain as' yefterday, but broken and full of holes.
At ten o'clock we refted in a large plain called
Dagafhaha ; a hill in form of a cone flood fmgle
about two miles north from us ; a thin ftraggling
wood was to tlie S. E. ; and the water, rifmg in
fpungy, boggy, and dirty ground, was very indif-
ferent ; it lay to the weft of us.

Dagafiiaha is a bleak and difagreeable quarter ;
but the mountain itfelf, being feen far off", was of
great ufe to us in adjufting our bearings; the ra-
ther that, taking our departure from Dagafliaha,
we came immediately in light of the high moun-^
tain of Samen, where Lamalmon, one of that ridge,

is

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 485

is by much the moft confpicuous ; and over this
lies he pafl'a^e, or high road, to Gondar*. We like-
wife fee the rugged, hilly country of Salent, ad-
joining to the foot of the mountain of Samen. We
obferved no villages this day from Maifbinni to
Dagafliaha ; nor did we difcern, in the face of the
country, any figns of culture or marks of great po-
pulation. We were, indeed, upon the frontiers of
two provinces which had for many years been at
war.

On the 26th. at fix o'clock in the morning,
we left Dagafhaha. Our road was through a plain
and level country, but, to appearance, defolated
and uninhabited, being over-grown with high bent
grafs and bufhes, as alfo deflitute of water. W^e
paffed the folitary village Adega, three miles on our
left, the only one we had feen. At eight o'clock
we came to the brink of a prodigious valley, in
the bottom of which runs the Tacazze, next to
the Nile the largeft river in Upper Abyffinia. It
rifes in Angot (at leaft its principal branch) in a
plain champain country, about 200 miles S. E.
of Gondar, near a fpot called Souanii Midre, It
has three fpring heads, or fources, like the Nile;
near it is the fmall village Gourri *.
• Angot is now in pofieffion of the Galla, whofe
chief, Guangoul, is the head of the wedern Galla,
once the moft formidable invader of Abyffinia. The
other branch of the Tacazze rifes in the frontiers
of Begemder, near Dabuco ; whence, running be-
tween Gouliou, Lafta, and Beleflfen, it joins with

* It fignifies coM.

i\w.

486 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

the Angot branch, and becomes the boundary be-
tween Tigre and the other great divifion of the
country called Amhara. This divifion arifes from
language only, for the Tacazze paffes nowhere
near the province of Amhara ; only all to the eaft
of the Tacazze is, in this general way of dividing
the country, called Tigre, and all to the weltward,
from the Tacazze to the Nile, Gojam, and the
Agows, is called Amhara, becaufe the language of
that province is there fpoken, and not that of Tigre
or Geez. But I would have my reader on his guard
againft the belief that no languages but thefe two
are fpoken in thefe divifions ; many different dialeds
are fpoken in little didrids in both, and, in fome
of them, neither the language of Tigre nor that of
Amhara is underilood.

I have already fufficiently dwelt upon the ancient
hirtory, the names, manners, and people that in-
habit the banks of this river. It was the Siris (or
river of the dog-ftar) whilft that negro, uncivilized
people, the Guihites of the ifland of Meroe, refided
upon its banks. It was then called the Tannufh
Abay, or the lelfer of two rivers that fwelled with
the tropical rains, which was the name the peafants,
or unlearned, gave it, from comparifon with the
Nile. It was the Tacazze in Derkin or the dwelling
of the Taka, before it joined the Nile in Beja, and
it was the A.n:aboras of thofe of the ancients that
took the Nile for the Siris. It is now the Atbara,
giving its name to that peninfula. which it inclofes
on the eaft as the N-ie does on the weft, and which
was fornierlv the (land of Meroc , but it never was
the lekelei, as authors have called it, deriving the

name

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE, 487

name from the Ethiopia word Taka, which undoubt-
edly fignifies, fear, terror, diflrefs, or fadnefs; I
mean, this was never the derivation of its name.
Far from this idea, our Tacazze is one of the
pleafanteft rivers in the world, Ihaded with fine
lofty trees, its banks covered with buflies inferior
in fragrance to no garden in the univerfe ; its ftream
is the mod limpid, its water excellent, and full of
good fifli of great variety, as its coverts are of uU
forts of game.

It muft be confeffed, that, during the inundation,
thefe things wear a contrary face. It carries in its
bed near one^hird of all the water that falls in
Abyfiinia ; and we faw the mark the flream had
reached the preceding year, eighteen feet above the
bottom of the river, which we do not know was
the higheft point that it arrived at. But three fa-
thoms it certainly had rolled in its bed ; and this
prodigious body of water, pailing furioufly from a
high ground in a very deep defcent, tearing up
rocks and large trees in its courfe, and forcing
down their broken fragments fcattered on its flream,
with a noife like thunder echoed from a hundred
hills, thefe very naturally fugged an idea, that,
from thefe circumftances, it is very rightly called
the lerrible. But then it muft be confidered, that
all rivers in Abyffinia at the fame time equally over-
flow ; that every flream makes thefe ravages upon
its banks ; and that there is nothing in this that
peculiarly afiecls the Tacazze, or fhould give it this
fpecial name : at leafl, fuch is my opinion ; though
it is with great willingnefs I leave every reader in
polTefTion of his own, efpecially in etymology.

At

J\SS TRAVELS TO DISCOVFR

At half an hour pafl; eight we began a gradual
defcent, at firll eafily enough, .till we croffed the
frnall brook called Pvlaitemquer, or, tbe water of
haptifm. We then began to defcend very rapidly
in a narrow path, winding along the fide of the
mountain, all fhaded wuh lofty timber-trees of
great beauty. i\bout three miles further v;e came
to the e^^^Q of the fiream at the principal ford of
the I'acazze, which is very firm and good j the
bottom confifts of fmall pebbles, without either
fand or large ftones. The river here at this time
was fully 200 yards broad, the water perfcdly clear,
and running very fwiftly ; it was about three feet
deep. This was the dry feafon of the year, when
mofl rivers in Abyllinia ran now no more.

In the middle of the fiream we met a deferter
from Ras Michael's army, with bis firelock upon
his fnoulder, driving before him two niiferable girls
about ten years old, flarl«vnaked, and almoft fa-
mifiied to death, the part of the booty which had
fallen to his fnare in laying wade the country of
Maitfiia, after the battle. We afl<:ed him of the
truth of this news, but he would give us no fatis-
fadion ; fometimes he faid there had been a battle,
fometimes none. He apparently had fome diftruft,
that one or other of the fads, being allowed to be true,
might determine us as to fome deugn we might have
upon him and his booty. He had not, in my eyes,
the air of a conqueror, but rather of a coward that .
had fneaked away, and llolen thefe two miferable
wretches he had with him. I afked where Michael
Avas ? If at Bure ? where, upon defeat of Fafil, he

naturally

THJl source of the NILE. 489

naturally would be. He faid, No ; he was at Ibaba,
the capital of Maitfha ; and this gave us no light, it
being the place he would go to before, while de-
tachments of his army might be employed in burn-
ing and laying wafte the country of the enemy he
had determined to ruin, rather than return to it
fome time after a battle. At lall we were obliged to
leave him. I gave him fome flour and tobacco,
both which he took very thankfully ; but further
intelligence he would not give.

The banks of the Tacazze are all covered, at
the water's edge, with tamarifl^s ; behind which
grow high and flraight trees, that feem to have
gained additional ftrength from having often refilled
the violence of the river. Few of thefe ever lofe
their leaves, but are either covered with fruit, flower,
or foliage the whole year ; indeed, abundantly
with all three during the fix months fair weather.
The Bohab, indeed, called, in the Amharic lan-
guage, Dooma, lofes its leaf ; it is the largeft tree
in Abyffinia ; the trunk is never high ; it diminiflies
very regularly from the top to the bottom, but not
beautifully ; it has the appearance of a large cannon,
and puts out a multitude of ftrong branches, which
do not fall low, or nearly horizontal, but follow a
direftion, making all of them fmaller angles than
that of 45°. The fruit is of the fnape of a melon,
rather longer for its thicknefs ; wiihin are black
feeds in each of the cells, into which it is divided,
and round them a white fubflance, very like fine
fugar, which is fweet, with a fmall degree of very
pleafant acid. Inever faw it either in leaf or flower ;
the fruit hang dry upon the branches when they are

deprived

490 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

deprived 'of both. The wood of this tree is foft
and fpungy, and of no ufe. The wild bees perfo-
rate the trunk, and lodge their honey in the holes
made in it ; and this honey is preferred to any other
in AbylTiiiia. ,

Beautiful and pleafant, however, as this river is,
like every thing created, it has its difadvantages.
From the falling of the firft rains in March till
November it is death to fleep in the country adjoin-
ing to it, both within and without its banks ; the
whole inhabitants retire and live in villages on the
top of the neighbouring mountains ; and thefe are
all robbers and aifaffins, who defcend from their
habitations on the heights to lie in wait for, and plun-
der the travellers that pafs. No twith (landing great
pains have been taken by Michael, his fon, and
grandfon, governors of Tigre and Sire, this palTage
had never been fo far cleared but, every months
people are cut off.

The plenty of fiili in this river occafions more
than an ordinary number of crocodiles to refort
hither. Thefe are fo daring and fearlefs, that when
the river fwells, fo as to be paffable only by peo-
ple upon rafts, or feins blown up with wind,
tliey are frequently carried off by thefe voracious
and vigilant animals. There are alfo many hippo-
potami, which, in this country, are called Gomari.
I never faw any of thefe in the Tacazze ; but at
night we heard them fnort, or groan, in many
parts of the river near us. There are alfo vaO: mul-
titudes of lions and hyjcnas in all thefe thickets. We
were very much diflurbcd by them all night. 1 he
fr.icll of our mules and horfcs had drawn "them in

numbers

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE, 49I

Jiumbers about our tent, but they did us no further
harm, except obliging us to watch. I found the
latitude of the ford, by many obfervations, the
night of the 26th, taking a medium of them all,
to be 13' 42' 45'''' north. #

The river Tacazze is, as I have already faid, the
boundary of the province of Sire. We now en-
tered that of Samen, which was hoflile to us, being
commanded by Ay to Tesfos, who, fmce the mur-
der of Joas, had never laid down his arms, nor ac-
knowledged his neighbour, Michael, as Ras, nor
Hannes the king, laft made, as fovereign. He had
remained on the top of a high rock called ibe Jews
Rock, about eight miles from this ford. For thefe
reafons, as well as that it was the i^ofi: agreeable
fpot we had ever yet feen, we- left our Itation on
the Tacazze with great regret.

On the 27th of January, a little^aft fix in the
i-norning, we continued fome fliort way along the
river's fide, and, at forty minutes pad fix o'clock,
came to Ingerohha, a fmall rivulet rifing in the plain
^bove, which, after a (hort courfe through a deep
valley, joins the Tacazze. At half paft feven we
left the river, and began to afcend the mountains,
which foims the fouth fide of the valley, or banks
of that river. The path is narrow, winds as much,
and is as deep as the other, but not fo woody. What
makes it, however, ftili more difagreeable is, that
every v/ay you turn you have a perpendicular pre-
cipice into a deep valley below you. At half paft
eight we arrived at the top of the mountain ; and,
at half paft nine, halted at Tabulaque, having all
the way paHed among ruined villages, the monu-
ments

493 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

meots of Michael's cruelty or juftice j for it is hard
to fay whether the cruelty, robberies, and violence
of the former inhabitants did not deferve the fever-
ed chaftifement.

We faw many people feeding cattle on the plain,
and we again opened a market for flour and other
provifions, which we procured in barter for cohol,
incenfe, and beads. None but the young women
appeared. They were of a lighter colour, taller, and
in general more beauti ul than thofe at Kella. Their
nofes feemed flatter than thofe of the Abyffinians
we had yet feen. Perhaps the climate here was be-
ginning that feature fo confpicuous in the negroes
in general, and particularly of thofe in this country
called Shangalla, from whofe country thefe people
are not diflant above two days journey. They feem-
ed inclined to be very hard in all bargains but thofe
of one kind, in which they were moft reafonable ana
liberal. They all agreed, that thefe favours ought
to be given and not fold, and that all coynefs and
courtlhip was but lofs of time, which always might
be employed better to the fatisfadlion of both. Thefe
people are lefs gay than thofe at Kella, and their
converfation more rough and peremptory. They
underflood both the Tigre language and Amharic,
although we fuppofed it was in compliance to us
that they converfed chiefly in the former.

Our tent was pitched at the head of Ingerohha,
on the north of the plain of Tabulaque. This river
rifes among the rocks at the bottom of a little emi-
nence, in a fmall rtream, which, from its fource,
runs very fwiftly, and the water is warm. The pea-
fants told us, that, in wintjer, in time of the rains,

it

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 493

it became hot, and fmoked. It v/as in tafte, how-
ever, good ; nor did we perceive any kind of mi-
neral in it. Tabulaque, Anderafi'a, and Mentefe-
gla belong to the Shum of Addergey and the vice-
roy of Samen, Ay to Tesfos. The large town of
Hauza is about eight miles fouth-and-by eafl of
this.

On the 28th, at forty minutes pad fix o'clock in
the morning, we continued our journey ; and, at
half paft feven, faw the fmall village Motecha on
the top of the mountain, half a mile fouth from
us. At eight, v/e crofled the river Aira ; and, at <
half paft eight, the river Tabul, the boundary of
the diftrift of Tabulaque thick covered with wood,
and efpecially a fort of cane, or bamboo, folid
within, called three Sbemale, which is ufed in mak-
ing {hafts for javelins, or light darts thrown from
the hand, either on foot or on horfeback, at hunt-
ing or in war.

We alighted en the fide of Anderafla, rather a
fmall ftream, and which had now ceafed running,
but which gives the name to the diftiid through
•which we were pafling. Its water is muddy and ill-
tafted, and falls into theTacazze, as do all the rivers
we had yet paffed. Dagalhaha bears N. N. E. from
this Ration. A great dew fell this night j the firfl
we had yet obferved.

The 29th, at fix o'clock in the morning, we
continued our journey from Anderafi'a, throui^h
thick woods of fmall trees, quite overgrov/n, and
covered with wild oats, reeds, and long grafs, To
that it was very difiicult to fin 1 a path through them.
"We were not without confiderable apprehenfion,

from

494 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

from our nearnefs to the Shangalla, who were bat
two days journey diflant from us to the W. N. W.
and had frequently made excnrfions to the wild
country where we now were. Hauza was upon a
mountain fouth from us ; after travelling along the
edge of a hill, with the river on our left hand, we
croifed it : it is called the Bowiha, and is the largeft
we had lately feen.

At nine o'clock we encamped upon the fmall
river Angaria, that gives its name to a diflrift which
begins at the Bowiha where Anderaffa ends. The
river Angara is much fmaller than the Bowiha : it
rifes to the wellward in a plain near Montefegla ;
after running half a mile, it falls down a fleep pre-
cipice into a valley, then turns to the N, E. and,
after a courfe of two miles and a half farther, joins
the Bowiha a little, above the ford.

The fmall village Angari lies about two miles
S. S. W. on the top of a hill. Hauza (vi'hich feems
a large town formed by a colleftion of many vil-
lages) is fix miles fouth, pleafantjy fituated among
a variety of mountains, all of different and ex-
traordinary fhapes ; fome are ftraight like columns,
and fome fliarp in the point, and broad in the
bafe, like pyramids and obelifks, and fome like
cones. All thefe, for the mod part inacceffible,
unlefs with pain and danger to thofe that know
the paths, are places of refuge and fafety in time
of war, and are agreeably feparated from each
other by fmall plains producing grain. Some of
thefe, however, have at the top water and fmall
fiats that can be Jown, 'fuflicient lo maintain a
number of men, independent of what is doing

below \

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 49^

below them. Hauza fignifics delight, or pleafure,
and, probably, fuch a fituation of the country has
given the name to it. It is chie^y inhabited by Ma-
hometan merchants, is the entre-pot between Mafuah
and Gondar, and there are here people of very con-
fiderable fubftance.

The 30th, at feven in the morning, we left An-
gari, keeping along the fide of the river. We then
afcended a high hill covered with grafs and trees,
through a very difficult and fteep road ; which end-
ing, we came to a fmall and agreeable plain, with
pleafant hills on each fide ; this is called Mentefe-
gla. At half pad feven we were in the middle of
three villages of the fame name, two to the right
and one on the left, about half a mile dillance. At
half pad nine we pafled a fmall river called Dara-
coy, which ferves as the boundary between Adder-
gey and this fmall didrid Mentefegla. At a quar-
ter pad ten, we. encamped at Addergey, near a
fmall rivulet called Mai-Lumi,- the river of limes,
or lemons, in a plain fcarce a mile fquare, furround-
ed on each fide with very thick wood in form of an
amphitheatre. Above this wood/, are bare, rugged,
and barren mountains. Midway jn the did' is a
miferable village, that feems rather to hang than to-
ftand there, fcarce a yard of level ground being be-
fore it to hinder its inhabitants from falling down
the precipice. The wood is full of lemons and wild
citrons, from which it acquires its name. Before
the tent, to the wedward, was a very deep valley,
which terminated this little plain in a tremendous
precipice.

The

49^ ' TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

The fiver Mai-Lnmi, rifing above the village,
falls into the wood, and there it divides itfelf in
two ; one branch furrounds the north of the plain,
the other the fouth, and falls down a rock on each
fide of tlie valley, where they unite, and, after
having run about a quarter of a mile further, are
precipitated into a cataract of 150 feet high, and
run in a direction fouth-weft into the Tacazze. The
river Mai-Lumi was, at this time, but fmall, although
it is violent in winter ; beyond this valley are five
hills, and on the top of each is a village. The
Shum refides in the one that is in the middle. He
bade us a feeming hearty welcome, but had malice
in his heart againft us, and only v/aited to know
for certainty if it was a proper time to gratify his
avarice. A report was fpread about with great con-
fidence, that Ras Michael had been defeated by
Fafil ; that Gondar had rebelled, and Woggora was
all in arms ; fo that it was certain lofs of life to
attempt the paffage of Lamalmon.

Ftfr our part, we conceived this llory to be
without foundation, and that, on the contrary, the
news were true which we had heard at Sire and
Adowa, ^oiz. That Michael was vidorious, and Fafil
beaten ; and we were, therefore, relblved to abide
by this, as well knowing, that, if the contrary had
happened, every place between the Tacazze and
. Gondar was as fatal to us as any thing we were to
meet with on Lamalmon could be ; the change of
place made no difference ; the difpofitions of the
people towards Michael and his friends we knew to
be the iame throughout the kingdom, and that our
only {krety remained on certain and good news com-
ing

. ..>

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE.' 497

ing from the army, or in the finlfliing our journey
with expedition, before any thing bud happened,
or was certainly known.

The hyasnas this night devoured one of the befl:
of our mules. They are here in great plenty, and
fo are lions ; the roaring and grumbling of the
latter, in the part of the wood neareft our tent,
greatly diflurbed our beafts, and prevented them
from eating their provender. I lengthened the
firings of my tent, and placed the beads be-
tween them. The white ropes, and the tremu-
lous motion made by the impreflioa of the wind,
frightened the lions from coming near us. I had
procured from Janni two fmall brafs bells, fuch as
the mules carry. I had tied thefe to the ftorm-
ftrings of the tent, where their noife, no doubt,
greatly contributed to our beafts fafety from thefe
ravenous, yet cautious animals, fo that we never
faw them ; but the noife they made, and, perhaps,
their fmell, fo terrified the mules, that, in the morn-
ing, they were drenched in fweat as if they had
been a long journey.

The brutillx hyasna was not fo to be deterred. I
fiiot one of them dead on the night of the 31(1 of
January, and, on the 2d of February, I fired at
another fo near, that I was confident of killing him.
Whether the balls had fallen out, or that I had
really miffed him with the firlt barrel, I know nor,
but he gave a fnarl and a kind of bark upon the firft
(hot, advancing directly upon me as if unhurt. The
fecond (hot, however, took place, and laid him
without motion on the ground. Yafme and his
men killed another with a gike 5 and fuch was their

Vol. III. 'Kk deter-

49S TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

determined coolnefs, that they flalked round aboat
us with the familiarity of a dog, or any other do-
meflic animal brought up with man.

But we were ftrll more incommoded by a lefTer
animal, a large, black ant, little lefs than an inch
long, \*bich, coming out from under the ground,
demolifhed our carpets, which they cut all into fhreds,
md part of the lining of our tent likewife, and
every bag or fack they could find. We had firft
feen them in great numbers at Angari, but here
they were intolerable. Their bite caufes a conft-
derable inflammation, and the pain is greater than
that which arifes from the bite of a fcorpion ; they
are called gundan.

On the I ft of February the Shum fent his people
to value, as he faid, our merchandife, that we might
pay cudom. Many of the Moors, in our caravan,
had left us to go a near way to Hauza. We had at
moft five or fix aifes, including thofe belonging to
Yafme. I humoured them fo far as to open the
cafes where were the telefcopes and quadrant, or,
indeed, rather (hewed them open, as they were not
ihut from the obfervation I had been making. They
could only wonder at things they had never before
feen.

On the 2d of February the Shum came himfelf,
and a violent altercation enfued. He infifled upon
Michael's defeat : I told him the contrary news
were true, and begged him to beware left it fhould
be told to the Ras upon his return that he had
propagjited fuch a falfehood. I told him alfo we
had advice that the Ras's fervants were now wait-
ing

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 499

ing for us at Lamalmon, and infifted upon his
fuffering us to depart. On the other hand, he
threatened to fend us to Ayto Tesfos* I an-
, fwered, " Ayto Tesfos was a friend to Ayto
Aylo, under whofe protedion I was, and a fer-
vant to the Iteghc, and was likelier to punifli
him for ufing me ill, than to approve of it, but
that I would not fuffer him to fend me either to
Ayto Tesfos, or an inch out of the road in which
I was going." He faid, " That I was mad ;'* and
held a confultation with his people for about half
an hour, after which he came in again, feemingly
quite another man, and faid he would difpatch
us on the morrow, which was the 3d, and would
fend us that evening fome provifions. And, indeed,
we now began to be in need, having only flour
barely fufficient to make bread for one meal next
day. The miferable village on the clift had nothing
to barter with us ; and none from the five villages
about the Shum had come near us, probably by his
order. As he had foftened his tone, fo did I
mine. I gave 4iim a fmall prefent, and he went
away repeating his promifes. But all that even-
ing pafled without provifion, and all next day with-
out his coming, fo we got every thing ready for our
departure. Our fupper did not prevent our fleeping,
as all our provifion was gone, and we had tafted no-
thing all that day fmce our breakfaft.

The country of the Shangalla lies forty miles
N. N. W. of this, or rather more weflerly. All
this diftritft from the Tacazze is called, in the lan-
guage of Tigre, Salent, and Talent in Amharic.
This probably arifes from the name being origi-

K k 2 nally

goo TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

naliy fpelled with (Tz), which has occafioned the
difference, the one language omitting the firfl letter,
the other the fecond.

At Addergey, the 31(1 day of January, at noon,
I obferved the meridian altitude of the fun, and, at
night, the paffage of feven different ftars over the
meridian, by a medium of all which, I found that the
latitude of Addergey is 13° 24' 56^'' North. And on
the morning of the ill of February, at the fame
place, I obferved an immeifion of the fecond fatel-
lite of Jupiter, by which I concluded the longitude
of Addergey to be 37" 57' eaft of the meridian of
Greenwich.

On the 4th of February, at half pad nine in the
morning, we left Addergey : hunger prefling us, we
■were prepared to do it earlier, and for this we had
been up fmce five in the morning ; but our lofs of
a mule obliged us, when we packed up our tent, to
arrange our baggage differently. While employed
at making ready for our departure, which was juff in
the dawn of day, a hy^na, unfeen by any of us,
faftened upon one of Yafme*s affes, and had aimed
palled his tail away. I was bufied at gathering the
tent-pins into a fack, and had placed my mufket
and bayonet ready againft a tree, as it is at that
hour, and the clofe of the evening, )fou are always
to be on guard againff. banditti. A boy, who was
fervant to Yafme, faw the hy^na firft, and flew to.
my mufket. Yafine v/as disjoining the poles of the
■ tent, and, having one half of the largelt in his hand,
he ran to the affnlance of his afs, and in that mo-
ment the muflvet went off", luckily charged with
only one ball, which gave Yafme a flefli wound be-
tween

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 50I

tween the thumb and the forefinger of his left hand.
The boy inftantly threw down the muftiet, which
had terrified the hyasna and made him let go the
afs ; but he flood ready to fight Yafine, who, not
amuiing himfelf with the choice of weapons, gave
him fo rude a blow with the tent-pole upon his
head, that it felled him to the ground j others, with
pikes, put an end to his life.

We were then obliged to turn our cares towards
the wounded. Yafine's wound was foon feen to
be a trifle ; befides, he was a man not eafily alarmed
on fuch occafions. But the poor afs was not fo
eafily comforted. The flump remained, the tail
hanging by a piece of it, which we were obliged to
cut off. The next operation was adual cautery ;
but, as we had made no bread for breakfafl, our
fire had been early out. We, therefore, were obliged
to tie the flump round with whip-cord, till we could
get fire enough to heat an iron.

What fufficiently marked the veracity of thefe
beafls, the hysenas, was, that the bodies of their
dead companions, which we hauled a long way from
us, and left there, were almoft entirely eaten by the
furvivors the next morning ; and I then obferved,
for thcfirft time, that the hyaena of this country
was a different fpecies from thofe I had feen in
Europe, which had been brought from Afia or
America,

CHAP.

5®3 TJ^AVELS TO DISCOVER

CHAP. VII.

yourncy over Lamalmon to Gondar,

T

1 T was on account of thefe delays that we did not
leave Addergey till near ten o*clock in the forenoon
of the 4th of February. We continued our jour-
ney along the fide of a hill, through thick wood
and high grafs ; then defcended into a fteep nar-
row valley, the fides of which had been fhaded
with high trees, but in burning the grafs the trees
were confurned likewife ; and the flioots from the
roots were fome of them above eight feet high fince
the tree had thus fuffered that fame year. The
'river Angueah runs through the middle of this

valley ; after receiving the fmall dreams, before
mentioned, it makes its way into the Tacazze. It
is a very .clear, fwift-running river, fomething lefs
than the Bowiha.

When we had jufl: reached the river-fide, wefaw
the Shum coming from the right hand acrofs us.
There were nine horfemen in all, and fourteen or
fifteen beggarly footmen. He had a well-drelfed
young man going before him carrying his gun, and
had only a v^hip in his own hand ; the reH: had lances
in theirs ; but none of the horfemen had fliields.
It was univerfally agreed, that this feemed to be a
party fet for us, and that he probably had others
before appointed to join him, for we were fure his
nine horfe would not venture to do any thing.
Upon the tirll appearance we had flopped on this fide

of

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 503

of the river ; but Welleta Michaers men, who were
to accompany us to Lamalmon, and Janni's fervant,
told us to crofs the river, and make what fpeed we
could, as the Shum's government ended on this
fide.

Our people were now all on foot, and the Moors
d-ove the beads before them. I got immediately
upon horfeback, when they were then about five
hundred yards below, or fcarcely fo much. As
foon as they obferved us drive our beads into the
river, one of their horfemen came galloping up,
while the others continued at a fmart walk. When
the horfeman was within twenty yards diftance of
me, I called upon him to flop, and, as he valued
his life, not approach nearer. On this he made no
difficulty ^to obey, but feemed rather inclined to
turn back. As I faw the baggage all laid on the
ground at the foot of a fmall found hill, upon the
gentle afcent of which my fervants all flood armed,
I turned about my horfe, and with Yafme, who
was by my fide, began to crofs the river. The
horfeman upon this again advanced ; again I cried
to him to flop. He then pointed behind him, and
faid, " The Shum !'* I defired him peremptorily
to flop, or I would fire ; upon which he turned
round, and the others joining him, they held a mi-
nute's counfel together, and came all forward to the
river, where they paufed a moment as if counting
our number, and then began to enter the flream.
Yafine now cried to them in Amharic, as I had
done before in Tigre, defiring them, as they valued
their lives, to come no nearer. They flopt, a fign of
jio great refolutionj and, after fome altercation, it

W2«

504 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

was agreed the Shum, and his fonwith the gun,
Ihould pafs the river.

The Shum complained violently that we had teft,
Addergey without his leave, and now were attack-
ing him in his own government upon the high-road.
" A pretty fituation,'* faid I, " was ours at Adder-
gey, where the Shum left the king's flranger no
other alternative but dying with hunger, or 4>ieing
ate by the hysena."

" This is not your government," fays Janni's
fervant ; " you know my mailer, Ayto Aylo, com-
mands here." — '^' And vvho is attacking you on the
road ?" fays the Sire fervant. " Is it like peaceable
people, or banditti, to come mounted onhorfeback
and armed as you are? Would not your mules
and your foot-fervants have been as proper ? and
would not you have been better employed, with the
king and Ras Michael, fighting the Galla, as you
gave your promife, than here moleftlng paiTengers
on the road ?" — " You^ lie," fays the Shum, " I ne-
ver promifed to go with your Ras ;" and on this he
lifted up his whip to ftrike Welleta Michael's fervant;
but that fellow, though quiet enough, was not of
the kind to be beaten. " By G— d ! Shum," fays
he, " offer to ftrike me again, and I will lay you
dead among your horfe's feet, and my mafterwill
fay I did vs^eli. Never call for your men ; you Ihould
have taken the red flip off 3''our gun before you
came from home to-day to follow us. Why, if you
was to fhoot, you would be left alone in our hands,
as all your fellows on the other fide would run at
the noife ev^n of your own gun. *►

** Friends,

ec

THE SOUilCE OF THE NILE. go5

Friends, faid I, you underfland one another's
grievancer. better than I do. My only bufinefs here
is to get to Latnalmon as foon as pofTible. Now,
pray, Shum, tell me what is your bufinefs with me ?
and why have you followed me beyond your go-
vernment, which is bounded by that river?" — He
faid, " That I had ftolen away privately, without
paying cuflom." — " I am no merchant, replied- 1 ;
I am th- king's gueH:, and pay no cuftom ; but as
far as a piece of red Surat cotton cloth will content
you, 1 will give it you, and we fhall part friends."—
He then anfwered, " That two ounces of gold
were what my dues had been rated at, and would
have that, or he would follow me to Debra Toon.'*
— " Bind him and carry him to Debra Toon, fays
the Sire fervant, or I fhall go and bring the Shum
of Debra Toon to do it. By the head of Michael,
Shum, it fliall not be long before I take yon out of
your bed for this."

I now 'gave orders to my people to load the
mules. At hearing this, the Shum made a fignal
for his company to crofs; but Yafme, who was
oppofite to them, again ordered them to ftop.
" Shum, faid I, you intend to follow us, apparently
with a defign to do us fome harm. Now we are
going to Debra Toon, and you are going thither.
If you chufe to go with us, you may in all honour
and fafety ; but your fervants fhall not be allowed
to join yon, nor you join them ; and if they but
attempt to do us harm, we will for certain revenge
ourfelves on you. There is a piece of ordnance,"
continued I, fhewing him a - large blunderbufs,

?i. cannon, th^t will f\ve?p fifty fuch fellows as you

to

6i

Bo6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

to eternity In a moment. This fhall take the care of
them, and we Ihall take the care of you j but join you
ihall not till we are at Debra Toon.'*

The young man that carried the gun, the cafe of
which had never been off, defired leave to fpeak
with his father, as they now began to look upon
tbemfelves as prifoners. The converfation laded
. about five minutes ; and our baggage was now on
the way, when the Shum faid, he would make a
propofal : — " Since I had no merchandife, and was
going to Ras Michael, he would accept of the red
cloth, its value being about a crown, provided we
fwore to make no complaint of him at Gondar, nor
fpeak of what had happened at Debra Toon ;
while he likewife would fwear, after having joined
his fervants, that he would not again pafs that river."
Peace was concluded upon thefe terms. I gave him
a piece of red Surat cotton cloth, and added fome
cohol, incenfe, and beads for his wives. I gave
to the young man that carried the gun two firings
of bugles to adorn his legs, for which he feemtd mod
wonderfully grateful. The Shum returned, not
with a very placid countenance; his horfemen joined
him in the middle of the flream, and away they
went foberly together, and in filence.

Hauza was from this S. E. eight miles diflant. Its
mountains, of fo many uncommon forms, had a
very romantic appearance. At one o'clock we
alighted at the foot of one of the higheft, called
Debra Toon, about half way between the mountain
iind village of that name, which was on the fide of
the hiil about a mile N. W. Still funher to the
JSI. \V. is a dcfcrt, hilly dill rict, called Adebarca,

the

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 507

the country of the flaves, as being the neighbour-
hdod of the Shangalla, the whole country between
being wafte and uninhabited. ^

The mountains of Waldubba, refembhng thofe
of Adebarea, lay north of us about four or five
miles. Waldubba, which fignifies the Vadcy of the
Hyana, is a territory entirely inhabited by the monks,
who, for mortification's fake, have retired to this
unwholefome, hot, and dangerous country, volun-
tarily to fpend their lives in penitence, meditation,
and prayer. This, too, is the only retreat of great
men in difgrace or in difguft. Thefe firft fhave
their hair, and put on a cowl like the monks, re-
nouncing the world for folitude, and taking vows
which they refolve to keep no longer than exigen-
cies require ; after Vvhich they return to the world
again, leaving their cowl and fandity in Waldubba.

Thefe monks are held in great veneration ; are
believed by many to* have the gift of prophecy, and
fonie of them to work miracles, and are very adlive
inftruments to ftir up the people in time of trouble.
Thofe that I have feen out of Waldubba in Gondar,
and about Kofcam, never {hewed any great marks
of abflinence ; they ate and drank every thing with-
out fcruple, and in large quantities too. They fay
they live otherwife in Waldubba, and perhaps it may
be fo. There are /omen, alfo, whom we fliould
call Nuns, who, though not refiding in Waldubba,
go at times thither, and live in a familiarity with
thefe faints, that has very little favour of fpirituality ;
and many of thefe, who think the living in commu-
nity with this holy fraternity has not in it perfedion
enough to fatisfy their devotion, retire, one of each^

fex,

goS TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

fex, a hermit and a nun, fequeftering themfelves
for months, to eat herbs together m private upon
the top of the mountains. Thefe, on their return,
are fhewn as miracles of holinefs, — lean, enervated,
and exhaufted. Whether this is wholly to be laid
to the charge of the herbs, is more than 1 will take
upon me to decide, never having been at thefe re-
tirements of Waldubba,

Violent fevers perpetually reign there. The in-
habitants are all of the colour of a corpfe ; and
their neighbours, the Shangalla, by conftant inroads,
deftroy many of them, though lately they have
been flopped, as they fay, by the prayers of the
monks. I fuppofe their partners, the nuns, had
their Ihare in it, as both of them are faid to be
equally fuperior in holinefs and purity of living to
what their predeceflbrs formerly were. But, not
to derogate from the efficacioufnefs of their prayers,
the natural caufe why the Shangalla molefl: them
no more, is the fmall-pox, which has greatly re-
duced their ftrength and number, and extinguiftied,
to a man, whole tribes of them.

The water is both fcarce and bad at Debra Toon,
there being but one fpring, or fountain, and it was
exceedingly ill-tafted. We did not intend to make
this a flation ; but, having fent a fervant to Hauza.
to buy a mule in room of that which the hyaena had
eaten, we were afraid to leave our man, who was
not yet come forward, leit he fhould fall in with the
Shum of Addergey, who might flop the mule for
our arrears of cuftoms.

The pointed mountain of Dagafliaha continued
ftill vifible J I fet it this day by the compafs, and

it

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 509

it bore clue N. E. We had not feen any cultivated
ground fince we pafled the Tacazze.

The 5th, at feven o'clock in the morning, we left
Debra Tcon, and came to the edge of a deep valley
bordered with wood, the defcent of which is very
fteep. The Anzo, larger and more rapid than the
Angueah, runs through the middle of this valley ;
its bed is full of large, fraooth flones, and the fides
compofed of hard rock, and diflicult to defcend ;
the ftream is equally clear and rapid with the other.
We afcended the valley on the other fide, through
the mod difficult road we had met with fince that
of the valley of Sire. At ten o'clock we found
ourfelves in the middle of three villages, two to the
right and one on the left ; they are called Ada-
mara, from Adama a mountain, on the eafl; fide of
which is Tchober. At eleven o'clock we encamped
at the foot of the mountain Adama, in a fmall piece
of level ground, after pafTmg a pleafant wood of no
confiderable extent. Adama, in Amharic, fignifies
pleafant ; and nothing can be more wildly fo than,
the view from this flation.

Tchober is clofe at the foot of the mountain, fur-
rounded on every fide, except the north, by a deep
valley covered with wood. On the other fide of this
valley are the broken hills which conftitute the rug-*
ged banks of the Anzo. On the point of one of
thefe, moil extravagantly fhaped, is the village Sha-
hagaanah, projeding as it were over the river ; and,
behind thefe, the irregular and broken mountains
of Salent appear, efpecially thofe around Hauza, in
forms which European mountains never wear ; and
ilili higher, above thefe, is the long ridge of Samen,

which

510 Travels to discover

which run along in an even ftretch till they ard
interrupted by the high conical top of Lamalmon,
' reaching above the clouds, and reckoned to be the
highefl hill in Abyflinia, over the fleepefl: part of
which, by fome fatality, the feafon I do not know,
the road of all caravans to Gondar mull lie.

As foon as we paiTed the Anzo, immediately on
our right is that part of Waldubba, full of deep
valleys and woods, in which the monks ufed to hide
themfelves from the incurfions of the Shangalla, be-
fore they found out the more convenient defence by
the prayers and fuperior fandity of the prefent faints.
Above this is Adamara, where the Mahometans
have confiderable villages, and, by their populouf-
nefs and flrength, have greatly added to the fafety
of the monks, perhaps not altogether completed
yet by the purity of their lives. Still higher than
thefe villages is Tchober, where we now en-
camped.

On the left hand, after paffing the Anzo, all is
Shahagaanah, till you come to the river Zaviraa.
It extends in an eaft and weft dire6lion, almoft
parallel to the mountains of Samen, and in this
territory are feveral confiderable villages ; the people
are much addliSled to robbery, and rebellion, in
which they were engaged at this time. Above Sa-
lent is Abbergale, and above that Tamben, which is
one of the principal provinces in Tigre, commanded
at prefent by Kefla Yafous, an officer of the greateft
merit and reputation in the Abyffinian army.

On the 6th, at fix o'clock in the morning, we left
Tchober, and pafled a wood on the fide of the moun-
tain. At a quarter paft eight we crolfed the river

Zarima,

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^H

7.arima, a clear flream running over a bottom of
ftones. It is about as large as the Anzo. Gn the
banks of . this river, and all this day, we paflfed
under trees larger and more beautiful than any we
had feen fince leaving the Tacazze, After having
crofled the Zarima, we entered a narrow defile be-
tween two mountains, where ran another rivulet :
we continued advancing along the fide of it, till the
valley became fo narrow as to leave no room but in
the bed of the rivulet itfelf. It is called Mai-Agam,
or the water or brook of jefTamin, and falls into the
Zarima, at a fmall diftance from the place wherein
we pafled it. It was dry at the mouth, (the water
being there abforbed and hid under the fand) but
above, where the ground was firmer, there ran a
brilk flream of excellent water, and it has the ap-
pearance of being both broad, deep, and rapid in
winter. At ten o'clock we encamped upon its banks,
which are here bordered with high trees of cumniel,
at this time both loaded with fruit and flowers.
There are alfo here a variety of other curious trees
and plants ; in no place, indeed, had we feen more,
except on the banks of the Tacazze. Mai-Agam
confifts of three villages ; one, tv/o miles diftant,
eaft-and-by-north, one at the fame difiance, N. N. W. ;
the third at one mile diftance, S. E. by fouth.

On the 7th, at fix o'clock in the morning, we
began to aicend the mountain ; at a quarter pafl
feven the village Lik lay eaft of us. Murafs a
country full of low but broken mountains, and
deep narrow valleys, bears N. W. and Walkayt in
the fame diredllon, but farther off. At a qu;irter
pad eight, Gingcrohha, diftant from us about a

n^.ilg

513 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

mile S. W. it is a village fituated upon a mountain
that joins Lamalmon. Two miles to the N. E.
is the village Taguzait on the mountain which we
were afcending. It is called Guza by the Jefuits,
who flrangely fay, that the Alps and Pyfeneans are
inconfiderable eminences to it. Yet, with all de-"
ference to this obfervation, Taguzait, or Guza,
though really the bafe of Lamalmon, is not a quarter,
of a mile high.

Ten minutes before nine o'clock we pitched our
tent on a fmall plain called Dippebaha, on the top
of the mountain, above a hundred yards from a
fpring, which fcarcely was abundant enough to fup-
ply us with water, in quality as indifferent as it was
fcanty. The plain bore flrong marks oftheexcef-
five heat of the fun, being full of cracks and chafms,
and the grafs burnt to powder. There are three
fmall villages fo near each other that they may be
faid to compofe one. Near them is the church of
St. George, on the top of a fmall hill to the eaft-
"ward, furrounded with large trees.

Since paffmg the Tacazze we had been in a very
wild country, left fo, for what I know, by nature,
at leaft now lately rendered more fo by being the
theatre of civil war. The whole was one wil-
dernefs without inhabitants, unlefs at Addergey.
The plain of Dippebaha had nothing of this appear-
ance ; it was full of grafs, and interfperfed with
flowering fhrubs, jeffamin, and rofes, feveral kinds
of which were beautiful, but only one fragrant.
The air was very frefii and pleafant; and a great
number of people, paffmg to and fro, animated the

fcene.

Wc

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^I^

We met this day feveral monks and nuns of
Waldubba, I fhould fay pairs, for they were two
and two together. They faid they had been at the
market of Dobarke on the fide of Lamahiion, juft
above Dippebaha. Both men and women, but ef-
pecially the latter, had large burdens of provifions on
their flioulders, bought that day, as they faid, at
Dobarke, which fliewed me they did not wholly de-
pend upon the herbs of Waldubba for their fupport.*
The women were flout and young, and did not feem,
by their complexion, to have been long in the mor-
tifications of Waldubba. I rather thought that they
had the appearance of healthy mountaineers, and
were, in all probability, part of the provifions bought
for the convent ; and, by the fample, one would
think the monks had the firll choice of the market,
which was but fit, and is a cuftom obferved likewife
in Catholic counirles. The men feemed very mi-
ferable, and ill-cloathed, but had a great air of fero-
city and pride in their faces. They are diftinguiflied
only from the laity by a yellow cowl, or cap, on
their head. The cloth they wear round them is
likewife yellow, but in winter they wear ikins dyed
of the fame colour.

On the 8th, at three quarters pad fix o'clock in
the morning, we left Dippebaha, and at feven, had
two fmall villages on our left ; one on the S. E.
diftant two miles, the other on the fouth, one mile
off. They are called Wora, and fo is the territory
for fome fpace on each fide of them ; but, beyond
the valley, all is Shahagaanah to the root of Lamal-
mon. At a quarter pafl feven, the village of Gin-
gerohha was three miles on our right j and we

Vol. III. L 1 were

514 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

were now afcending Lanialmon, through a very
narrow road, or rather path, for it fcarcely was two
feet v.jde any where. It was a fpiral winding up
the fide of the mountain, always on the very brink
of a precipice. Torrents of water, which in winter
carry prodigious ftones down the fide of this moun-
tain, had divided this path into feveral places, and
opened to us a view of that dreadful abyfs below,
which few heads can (mine at leaft could not) bear
to look down upon. We were here obliged to un-
load our baggage, and, by llov/ degrees, crawl up
the hill. Carrying them little by little upon our
flioulders round thefe chafms where the road was
interfedted. The mountains grow fteeper, the paths
narrower, and the breaches more frequent as we
afcend. Scarce were our mules, though unloaded,
able to fcramble up, but were perpetually falling ;
and, to increafe our difficulties, which, in fuch
cafes, feldom come Tingle, a large number of cattle
was defcending, and feemed to threaten to pufli us
all into the gulf below. After two hours of con-
fiant toil, at nine o'clock we alighted in a fmall plain
called Kedus, ■ or St. Michael, from a church and
village of that name, neither bead nor man being
able to go a ftep further.

. The plain of St. Michael, where we now were,
is at the foot of a (teep cliff v/hich terminates the
weft fide of Lamalmon. It is here perpendicular
like a wall, aad a few trees only upon the top of
the. cliff. Over this precipice flow two flreams of
water, which never a^e dry, but run in all feafons.
• They fall into a wood at the bottom of this cliff, and
preferve it in .continual verdure all the year, though

the

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 515

the plain itfelf below, as Ihavefaid, is all rent into
chafms, and cracked by the heat of the fun. Thefe
two ftreams form a confiderable rivulet in the plain
of St. Michael, and are a great relief both to men
and cattle in this tedious and difficult paflage over,
the mountain.

The air on Lamalmon is pleafant and temperate.
We found here our appetite return, with a chearful-
nefs, lightnefs of fplrits, and agility of body, which
indicated that our nerves had again refumed their
wo ted tone, which they had lofl in the low, poi-
fonous, and fultry air on the coafl of the Red Sea.
The fun here is indeed hot, but in the morning a
cool breeze never fails, which increafes as the fun
rifes high. In the Ihade it is always cool. The
thermometer, in the (hade, in the plain of St.
Michael, this day was y6\ wind N. W.

Lamalmon, as I have faid, is the pafs through which
the road of all caravans to Gondar lies. It is here
they take an account of , all baggage and mer chan-
dife, which they tranfmit to the Negade Ras, or_^^
chief officer of the cuftoms at Gondar, by a man
whom they fend to accompany the caravan. There
is alfo a prefent, or awicie, due to the private pro-
prietor of the ground ; and this is levied with grcac
rigour and violence, and, for the moft part, with in-
juflice ; fo that this ftation, which, by the eftabliffi-
mentof thecuflomhoufe, andnearnefs to the capital,
fliould be in a particular manner attended to by go-
vernment, is always the place where the firfl rob-
beries and murders are committed in unfettled times. .
Though we had nothing with us which could be
confidered as fubjecl to duty, we fubmitted every

L 1 2 thing

gl6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

thing to the will of the robber of the place, and gave
him his prefent. If he was not fatisfied, he feemed
to be fo, which was all we wanted.

We had obtained leave to depart early in the
morning of the 9th, but it was with great regret wc
were obliged to abandon our Mahometan friends
into the hands that feemed difpofed to fhew them
no favour. The king was in Maitlha, or Dambt,
that is to fay, far from Gondaf, and various reports
were fpread abroad about the fuccefsofthe cam-
paign ; and thefe people only waited for an unfa-
vourable event to make a pretence for robbing our
ftllow-travellers of every thing they had.

The perfons whofe right it was to levy thefe con-
tributions were two, a father and fon ; the old man
■was dreffed very decently, fpoke little, but fmoothly
and had a very good carriage. He profeffed a vio-
lent hatred to all Mahometans, on account of their
religion, a fentiment which feemed to promife no-
thin"- favourable to our friend Yafme and his com-
panions : but in the evening, the fon who feemed to
be the a6tive man, came to our tent, and brought
us a quantity of bread and bouza, which his father
had ordered before. He feemed to be much taken
with our fire-arms, and was very inquifitive about
them. I gave him every fort of fatisfadion, and,
little by little, faw I might win his heart entirely ;
which I very much wifhed to do, that I might free
our companions from bondage.

The young man it feems was a good foldier;
and, having been in feveral aftions under Ras
Michael, as a fufileer, he brought his gun, and. in-
filled on fhootiiig at marks. I humoured him in

this ;

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 517

this J but as I ufed a rifle, which he did not under-
ftand, he found himfelf overmatched, efpecially by
the greatnefs of the range, for he fliot ftraight "
enough. I then fliewed him the manner we fhot
flying, there being quails in abundance, and wild
pigeons, of which I killed feveral on wing, which
left him in the utmofl aftonifliment. Having got
on .horfeback, I next went through the exercife of
the Arabs, with a long fpear and a fhort javelin.
This was more within his comprehenfion, as he had
feen fomething like it ; but he was wonderfully
taken with the fierce and fiery appearance of my
horfe, and, at the fame time, with his docility, the
form of his faddle, bridle, and accoutrements. He
threw at laft the fandals off his feet, twifted his
upper garment into his girdle, and fet off atfo furious
a rate, that I could not help doubting whether he
was in his fober underflanding.

It was not long till he came back, and with him
a man-fervant carrying a flieep and a goat, and a
woman carrying a jar of honey-wine. I had not
yet quitted the horfe ; and when I faw what his in-
tention was, I put Mirza to a gallop, and, with one
of the barrels of the gun, fhot a pigeon, and imme-
diately fired the other into the ground. There was
nothing after this that could have furprized him,
and it was repeated feveral times at his defire ; after
which l>e went into the tent, where he invited hmi-
felf to my houfe at Gondar. There I was to teach
him every thing he had feen. We now fwore per-
petual friend fhip ; and a horn or two of hydromel
being emptied, I introduced the cafe of our fellow-
travellers, and obtained a promife that we fhould

have

5lS TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

have leave to fet out together. He would, moreover,
take no awide, and faid he would be favourable in
his report to Gondar.

Matters were fo far advanced, when a fervant of
Michael's arrived, fent by Petros, (Janni's brother)
who had obtained him from Ozoro Eflher. This
put an end to all our difficulties. Our young
foldier alfo kept his word, and a mere trifle of awide
was given, rather by the Moor's own defirethan
from demand, and the report of our baggage, and
dues thereon, were as low as could be wiihed.
Our friend likewife fent his own fervant to Gondar
with the billet to accompany the caravan. But the
news brought by his fervant were flill better than
all this. Ras Michael had a<5lually beaten Fafil,
and forced him to retire to the other fide of the
Nile, and was then in Maitflia, where it was thought
he would remain with the army all the rainy feafon.
This was juil what I could have wiflied, as it brought
me at once to the neighbourhood of the fources of
the Nile, without the fmallefl fiiadow of fear of
danger.

On the 9th of February, at feven o'clock, we
took leave of the friends whom we had fo newly ac-
quired at Lamalmon, all of us equally joyful and
happy at the news. We began to afcend what flill
remained of the mountain, which, though fleep and
full of bufhes, was much lefs difficult than that
which we had pafTed. At a quarter pafl feven we
arrived at the top of Lamalmon, which has, from
below, the appearance of being fharp-pointed. On
the contrary, we were much furprifed to find there
a large plain, part in paflure, but more bearing

grain.

The souPvCE of the nile. 519

grain. It is full of fprings, and feems to be the great
refervoir from whence arife mod of the rivers that
water this part of AbyfTinia. A multitude of ftreams
iifue from the very fummit in all direflions ; the
fprings boil out from the earth in large quantities,
capable of turning a mill. They plow, fow, and reap
here at all feafons ; and the hufbandman mufl blame
his own indolence, and not the foil, if he has not
three harvefts. We faw, in one place, people bufy
cutting do v?,n wheat; immediately next to it, others
at the plough ; and the adjoining field had green
corn in the ear ; a little further, it was not an inch
above the ground,

Lamalmon is ontheN. W. part of the mountains
of Samen. That of Gingerohha, with two pointed
tops, joins it on the north, and ends thefe moun-
tains here, and is feparated from the plain of St.
Michael by a very deep gully. Neither Lamalmon
nor Gingerohha, though higher than the mountains
of Tigre, are equal in height to feme of tbofe of
Sanien. I take thofe to the S. E. to be much hioher,
and, above all, that iharp-pointed hill Amba Gideon,
the prefent refidence of the governor of Samen,
Ayto Tesfos. This is otherwife called the Jews-
Rocks ; famous in the hiH-ory of this country for the
many revolts of the Jews againfl the Abyffinian
kings.

The mountain is every where fo fleep and high,
that it is not enough to fay againfl the will, but with-
out the afiiftance of thofe above, no one from below
can venture to afcend. On the top is a large plain,
affording plenty of paflure, as well as room for
plowing and fov/ing for the maintenance of the army ;

and

^%0 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

and there is water^ at all feafons, in great plenty,
and even fifh in the ftreams upon it ; fo that al-
though the inhabitants of the mountain had been
often befieged for a confiderable time together,
they fuffered little inconvenience from it, nor ever
were taken unlefs by treafon ; except by Chrifto-
pher de Gama and his Portuguefe, who are faid,
by their own hiftorians, to have ftormed this rock,
and put the Mahometan garrilbn to the fword. No
mention of this honourable conqueft is made in the
innals of AbyfTmia, though they give the hiflory of
this campaign of Don Chriflopher in the life of
Claudius or Atzenaf Segued.

On the top of the cliff where we now were, on

the left hand of the road to Gondar, we filled a

tube with quick-filver, and purged it perfeftly of

outward air ; it flood this day at 20I Englifh inches.

Dagafliaha bears N. E. by E. from our prefent

flation upon Lamalmon. The language of Lamal-

mon is Amharic ; but there are many villages

where the language of the Falafha is fpoken. Thefe

are the ancient inhabitants of the mountains, who

ftill preferve the religion, language, and manners of

tl\eir anceflors, and live in villages by themfelves.

Their number is now confiderably diminiflied, and

this has proportionally lowered their povi'er and

fpirit. They are now wholly addided to agriculture,

hewers of wood and carriers of water, and the only

potters and mafons in Abyffinia. In the former

profeffion they excel greatly, and, in general, live

better than the other AbyfTmians ; which thefe, in

revenge, attribute to a fldll in magic, not to fuperior

induflry. Their villages are generally flrongly fitu.

ated

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^2,1

ated out of the reach of marching armies, other-
wife they would be conflantly rifled, partly from ha-
tred, and partly from hopes of finding money.

• On the loth, at l,,alf paft: feven in the morning,
we continued along the plain on the top of Lamal-
mon; it is called Lama; and a village of the l^ime
name bore about two miles eaft from us. At eight
o'clock we paiTed two villages called Mocken, one
W. by N. at one mile and a half, the other S. E.
two miles dirtant. At half paft eight we crolTed the
river Macara, a confiderable ftream running with a
very great currrent, which is the boundary between
Woggora and Lamalmon. At nine o'clock we en-
camped at fome fmall villages called Macara, under
a church named Yafous. On the i ith of February,
by the meridian altitude of the fun at noon, and
that of feveral fixed ftars proper for obfervation, I
found the latitude of Macara to be 13^ 6' S'^. The
ground was every where burnt up ; and though the
nights were very cold, we had not obferved the
fmalleft dew fince our firft afcending the mountain.
Theprovince of Woggora begins at Macara ; it is all
plain, and reckoned the granary of Gondar on this
fide, although the name would denote no fuch thing;
for Woggora fignifies ihej^ojiy, or rocky province.

The 'mountains of Lafta and Belcfien bound our
view to the fouth ; the hills of Gondar on the
S. W. ; and all Woggora lies open before us to the
fouth i covered, as I have faid before, with grain.
But the wheat of Woggora is not good, owing pro-
bably to the height of that province. It makes an
indifferent bread, and is much lefs efteemed than that
qf Foggora and Dembea, I9W, flat provinces, fliel-

terecl

tp,% TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

tered with hills, that lie upon the fide of the lake

Tzana.

On the 1 2th we left Macara, at feven in the

morning, ftill travelling through the plain of Wog-
gora. At half pad feven faw two villages called
Erba Tenfa, one of them a mile diftant, the other half
a mile on the N. W. At eight o'clock we came to
Woken, five villages not two hundred yards diftant
from one another. At a quarter paft eight we faw
five other villages to the S. W. called Warrar, from
one to four miles diflant, all between the points of
eafl and fouth. The country now grows inconceiv-
ably populous ; vafl flocks of cattle of all kinds feed
on every fide, having large and beautiful horns, ex-
ceedingly ' wide, and bofl'es upon their backs like
camels ; their colour is moflly black.

At a quarter pad eight we paffed Arena, a vil-
lage on our left. At nine we paffed the river Gi-
rama, w^hich runs N, N. W. and terminates the
diftritl of Lamalmon, beginning that of Giram. At
ten the church of St. George remained on our right,
one mile from us ; we croffed a river called Shim-
bra Zuggan, and encamped about two hundred yards
from it. The valley of that namie is more broken
and uneven than any part we had met with fmce we
afcended Lamalmon. The valley called alfo Shim-
bra Zuggan, is two miles and a half N. by E. on
the top of a hill furrounded with trees. Two fmall
brooks, the one from 8. S. E. the other from S. £.
join here, then fall into the rivulet.

The 13th, at fevenin the morning, we proceeded
ftill along the plain ; at half paft feven came to Ar-
radara ; and afterwards faw above twenty other vil-
lages

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 5^3

lages on our right and left, ruined and dellroyed
from the lowed foundation by Ras Michael in his
late march to Gondar. At half pall eight the
church of Mariam was about a hundred yards on
our left. At ten we encamped under Tamamo.
The country here is full of people ; the villages are
moflly ruined, which, in fome places, they are re-
building. It is wholly fown with grain of different
kinds, but more efpecially with wheat. For the
production of this, they have every where extir-
pated the wood, and now labour under a great fear-
city of fuel. Since we pafled Lamalmon, the only
fubflitute for this was cows and mules dung, which
they gather, make into cakes, and dry in the fun.
From Addergey hither, fait is the current money, in
large purchafes, fuch as fneep or other cattle ; cohol,
and pepper, for fmaller articles, fuch as flour, butter,
fowls, &c. At Shimbra Zuggan they firft began to
inquire after red Surat cotton cloth, for which they
offered us thirteen bricks of fait ; four peeks of
this red cloth are efleemed the price of a goat. We
began to find the price of provifions augment in
a great proportion as we approached the capital.

This day we met feveral caravans going to Tigre,
a certain fign of Michael's vidory ; alio vaft flocks*
of cattle driven from the rebellious provinces, which
were to pafture on Lamalmon, and had been ..pur-
chafed from the army. Not only the country was
now more cultivated, but the people were cleanlier,
better dreffed, and apparently better fed, than thofe
in the other parts we had left behind us. In-
deed, from Shimbra Zuggan hither, there was not

a foot.

524 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

a foot, excepting the path on which we trode, that
was not fown with fome grain or other.

On the 14th, at feven o'clock in the morning,
we continued our journey. At ten minutes paft
feven, we had five villages of Tamamo three miles
on our left ; our road was through gentle rifing
hills, all paflure ground. At half paft feven, the
village of Woggora w^as three miles on our right ;
and at eight, the church of St. George a mile on
our left, with a village of the fame name near it j
and, ten minutes after, Angaba Mariam, a church
dedicated to the virgin, fo called from the fmall ter-
ritory Angaba, which we are now entering. At
fifty minutes pad eight, we came to five villages
called Angaba, at fmall diftances from each other.
At nine o'clock we came to Koffogue, and entered
a fmall diftrid of that name. The church is on a
hill furrounded with trees. On our left are five
villages all called Koffogue, and as it were on a:
line, the farthefl at three miles diftance ; near ten we
came to the church of Argiff, in the midll of many
ruined villages. Three miles on our left hand are
feveral others, called Appano.

After having fuffered, with infinite patience and
perfeverance, the hardfliips and danger of this long
and painful journey, ~ at <forty minutes pafl ten
we were gratified, at lafl, with the fight of Gondar,
according to my computation about ten miles diflant.
The king's palace (at lead the tower of it) is dif-
tincily feen, but none of the other houfes, which
are covered by the multitude of wanzey-trees grow-
ing in the town, fo that it appears one thick, black
v^ood» Behind it is Azazo, Hkewife covered with

trees.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^^g

trees. On a hill is the large church of Tecla Haima-
nout, and the river below it makes it diftinguifliable ;
ftill further on is the great lake Tzana, which termi-
nates our horizon.

At forty.five minutes paft ten we began to alcend
about two miles through a broken road, having on
our right, in the valley below, the river TchagaiTa ;
and here begins the territory of that name. At
fifty-five minutes pafl ten, defcending dill the hill, we
pafled a large fpring of water, called Bambola, to-
gether with feveral plantations of fugar-canes which
grow herefrom the feed, -At eleven o'clock the vil-
lage Tchagafla was about half a mile diftant from
us on our right, on the other fide of the river. It
is inhabited by Mahometans, as is Waalia, another
fmall one near it. At twelve o'clock we paiTed the
river TchagafTa over a bridge of three arches, the
middle of which is Gothic, the two leffer Roman.
This bridge, though fmall, is folid and well cemented,
built with ftone by order of Facilidas, who probably-
employed thofe of his fubjecls who had retained the
arts of the Portuguefe, but not their religion.

The Tchagafla has very fleep, rocky banks : It is
fo deep, though narrow, that, without this bridge,
it fcarce would be paflable. We encamped at a
fmall diflance from it, but nearer Gondar, Here
again we met with trees, (fmall ones indeed^ but the
firfl: we had feen fince leaving Lamalmon, excepting
the ufual groves of cedars. It is the Virginia cedar,
or oxy-cedros, in this couirtry called Arz, with,
which their churches are conftantly furrounded.

On the 15th, at ten minutes pad fcven, we began
to afcend the mountain ; and, at twenty minutesafter

feven.

5^6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER'

feven, pafled a village on our left. At feven and
three quarters we paffed Tiba and Mariam, two
churches, the one on our right, the other on our left,
about half a mile diflant ; and near them feveral
fmall villages, inhabited by Falaflia, mafons and
thatchers of houfes, employed at Gondar. At half
pad eight we came to the village Tocutcho, and,
in a quarter of an hour, palled the river of that
name, and in a few minutes refted on the river
Angrab, about half a mile from Gondar.

Tchagafia is the laft'bf the riiany little difl:ri6:s
which, together, compofe Woggora, generally under-
ftood to be dependent on Samen, though often, from
the turbulent fpirit of its chiefs, ftruggling for in-
dependency, as at the prefent time, but fure to pay
for it immediately after. In faft, though large, it
is too near Gondar to be fuffered to continue in
rebellion ; and, being rich and well cultivated, it
derives its fupport from the capital, as being the
mart of its produce. It is certainly one of the
fruitfullefl provinces in Abyffinia, but the inhabitants
are miferably poor, notwithftanding their threefold
harvefls. Whereas, in Egypt, beholden to this
country alone for its fertility, one moderate harvefl
gives plenty every where.

Woggora is full of large ants, and prodigious
fwarms of rats and mice, which confume immenfe
quantities of grain ; to thefe plagues may be added
flill one, the greateO: of them all, bad government,
which fpeedily deftroys all the advantages they reap
from nature, climate, and fituation.

^ % C H A p.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 5^7

CHAP. VIII.

Reception at GoJidar — Triumphal Entry of the King—-
The Author* s Jirjl Audience,

V \ E were much furprifed at arriving on the
Angrab, that no perfon had come to us from Petros,
Janni's brother. We fouiid afterwards, indeed,
that he had taken fright upon feme menacing words
from the priefls, at hearing a Frank was on his way
to Gondar, and that he had, foon after, fet out for
Ibaba, where the Ras was, to receive his directions
concerning us. This was the moft difagreeable ac-
cident could have happened to me. I had not a
fmgle perfon to whom I could addrefs myfelf for any
thing. My letters were for the king and Ras Mi-
chael, and could be of no ufe, as both were abfent ;
and though I had others for Petros and the Greeks,
they, too, were out of town.

Many Mahometans came to the Angrab to meet
the caravan. They all knew of my coming perfeclly,
and I foon explained my fituation. I had Janni's
letters to Negade Ras Mahomet, the chief of the ,
Moors at Gondar, and principal merchant in Abyf-
fmia, who was abfent likewife with the army. But
one of his brethren, a fagacious, open-hearted man,
defired me not to be ^iifcouraged ; that, as I had not
put off my Moorifli drefs, I (hould continue it ; that
a houfe was provided for Mahomet Gibberti,
and thofe that were with him, and that he would
# 'put

5'3S TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

put me immediately into pofTeflion of it, where I
might flay, free from any intercourfe with the priefts,
till Petros or the Ras lliould return to Gondar. This
advice I embraced with great readinefs, as there was
nothing I was fo much afraid of as an encounter
with fanatical priefts before I had obtained fome
protedlion from government, or the great people in
the country. After having concerted thefe meafures,
I refigned myfelf to the direction of my Mooiifh
friend Hagi Saleh.

We moved along the Angrab, having Gondar on
our right fituated upon a hill, and the river on our
left, proceeding down till its jun£tion with a fmaller
ftream, called the Kahha, that joins it at theMoorifh
town. This lituation, near running water, is always
chofen by the Mahometans, on account of their fre-
quent ablutions. The Moorifli town at Gondar may
confift of about 3000 houfes, fome of them fpacious
and good. I was put in poiTeffion of a very neat one,
dellined for Mahomet Gibberti. Flour, honey, and
fucH-like food, Mahometans and Chriftians eat pro-
mifcuoufly, and fo far I was well fituated. As for
flefh, although there was an abundance of it, I could
not touch a bit of it, being killed by Mahometans,
as that communion would have been looked upon as
equal to a renunciation of Chriftianity.

By Janni's fervant, who had accompanied us
from Adowa, his kind and friendly mafter had wrote
to Ayto Aylo, of whom I have already fpoker\.
He was the conftant patron oKhe Greeks, and had
been forced after to leave it. Though no man pro-
feifed greater veneration for the priefthood, no one
privately deteft^d more thofe of his own country

^. than

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. g29

than he did ; and he always pretended that, if a
proper way of going to Jerufalcm could be found,
he would leave his large eflates, and the rank he
had in Abyffinia, and, with the little money he
could mufter, live the remaining part of his days
among the monks, of v/hom he had now accounted
himfelf one, in the convent of the holy fepulchre.
This perhaps was, great part of it, imagination ; but,
as he had talked himfelf into a belief that he was to
end his days either at Jerufalem, which was a pre-
tence, or at Rome, which was his inclination, he
willingly took the charge of white jl^ople of all
communions who had hitherto been unhappy enough
to ftray into AbylTmia.

It was about feven o'clock at night, of the 15th,
when Hagi Saleh was much alarmed by a number
of armed men at his door ; and his furprife was flill
greater upon feeing Ayto Aylo, who, as far as I
know, was never in the Moorifli town before, de-
fcend from his mule, and uncover his head and
fhoulders, as if he had been approaching a perfoii
of the firft diflinclion. I had been reading the pro-
phet Enoch, which Janni had procured me at Adowa;
and tVemmer's and LudolPs didionaries were lying
upon it. Yafme was fitting by me, and was telling
me what news he had picked up, and he was well
acquainted with Ayto Aylo, from feveral commifli-
ons he had received for his merchants in Arabia.
A* contention of civilities immediately followed. I
offered to ftand till Aylo was covered, and he would
not fit till I was feated. This being got over, the
lirft curiofity was, What my books were ? and he was
very much aft^ilhed at feeing one of them was

Vol. III. M m Abyffinian,

' />

O TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Abyfiinlan, and the European helps thati had to-
wards underftanding it. He underftood Tigre and
Amharic perfectly, and had a little knowledge of
Arabic, that is, he underftood it when fp6ken, for
he could neither read nor write it, and fpoke it very .
ill, being at a lofs for words.

The beginning of our difcourfe was in Arabic,
and embarralfed enough, but we had plenty of in-
terpreters in all languages. The firft balhfulnefs
being removed on both fides, our converfation be-
gan in Tigre, now, lately fince Michael had become
Ras, the language moft ufed in Gondar. Aylo
was exceedingly aftoniflied at hearing me fpeak the
language as I did, and faid after, " The Greeks are
poor creatures ; Peter does not fpeak Tigre fo well
as this man." Then, very frequently, to Saleh and
the by-ftanders, " Come, come, he'll do, if he can
fpeak ; there is no fear of him, he'll make his
way."

He told us that Welled Hawaryat had come
from the camp ill of a fever, and that they were
afraid it was the fmall pox : that Janni had informed
them I had faved many young people's lives at
Adowa, by a new manner of treating them ; and
that the Iteghe defired I would come the next
morning, and that he fhould carry me to Kofcani
and introduce me to her. I told him that I was
ready to be directed by his good advice; that the
abfence of the Greeks, and Mahomet Gibberti at
the fame time, had very much diftrelfed me, and
efpecially the apprehenfions of Petros. He faid,
finih'ng. That neither Petros nor himfelf were bad
•men, but that unfortunately they ^ere great cow-
V ards

T*HE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 531

ards, and things were not always fo bad as they
apprehended. What had frightened Petros, was a
converfation of Abba Salama, wliom they met at
Kofcam, expreffing his difpleafure with fome warmth,
that a Frank, meaning me, was permitted to come
to Gondar. " But,*' fays Ayto Aylo, " we fhall
hear to-morrow, or next day. Ras Michael and
Abba Salama, are not friends ; and if you could
do any good to Welled Hawaryat his fon, I Ihall
anfwer for it, one word of his will flop the mouths
of a hundred Abba Salamas." I will not trouble
the reader with much indifferent converfation that
pafled. He drank capillaire and water, and fat till
pad mid-night.

Abba Salama, of whom we fhall often fpeak, at
that time filled the poft ofAcab Saat, or guardian
of the fire. It is the third dignity of the [church?
and he is the firfl religious officer in the palace.
He had a very large revenue, and flill a greater in-
fluence. He was a man exceedingly rich, and of
the very word life pofTible ; though he had taken
the vows of poverty and chaftity, it was faid he had
at that time above feventy miftreffes in Gondar,
His way of feducing women was as extraordinary
as the number feduced. It was not by gifts, attend-
ance or flattery, the ufual means employed on
fuch occafions ; when he had fixed his defires upon
a woman, he forced her to comply, under pain
of exconwiunication. He was exceedingly eloquent
and bold, a great favourite of the Iteghe's till takea
in. to be a counfellor with Lubo and Brulhe. He
had been very inflrumental in the murder of Kaf-
mati Efhte, of which he vaunted, even in the palace

M m 2 of

53^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

of the queen his fifter. » He was a man of a pleaf-
ing countenance, (hort, and of a very fair com-
plexion ; indifferent, or rather averfe to wine, but
a monftrous glutton, nice in what he had to eat, to
a degree fcarcely before known in Abyffmia ; a mor-
tal enemy to all white people, whom he claffed un-
der the name of Franks, for which the Greeks,
uniting their interefts at favourable limes, had often
very nearly overfet him.

The next morning, about ten o'clock, taking
Hagi Saleh and Yafme with me, and dreffed in my
Moorifl-j drefs, I went to Ayto Aylo, and found him
with feveral great plates of bread, melted butter,
and honey, before him, of one of which he and I
ate ; the refl; were given to the Moors and other
people prefent. There was with him a prieft of
Kofcam, and we all fet out for that palace as foon as
we had finifhed breakfaft. The reft of the company
were on mules. I had mounted my own favourite
horfe. Aylo, before his fright at Sennaar, was
one of the firft horfemen in Abyffmia ; he was fliort,
of a good figure, and knew the advantage of fuch
make for a horfeman ; he had therefore a curiofity
to fee a tall man ride, but he was an abfolute ftranger
to the great advantage of Moorifh furniture, bridle,
fpurs, and ftirrups, in the management of a violent,
ftrong, high-mettled horfe ; it was with the utmoft
fatisfaclion, when we arrived in the plain called
Aylo Meydan, that I fhewed him the different paces ,
of the horfe. He cried out with fear when he fa\v
him (land upright upon his legs, and jump forward,
or afide, with all his four feet off the ground.

We

r" n n

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 533

We pafled the brook of St. Raphael, a fuburb
of Gondar, where is the houfe of the Abuna ; and
upon coming in fight of the palace of Kofcam, we
all uncovered our heads, and rode flowly. As Aylo
was all-powerful with the Iteghe, indeed her firft
counfellor and friend, our admittance was eafy and
immediate. We alighted and were (hewn into a low
room in the palace. Ayto Aylo went immediately
to the queen to inquire about Welled Hawaryat,
and his audience lafted two long hours. He returned
to us with thefe news, that Welled Hawaryat was
much better, by a medicine a faint from Waldubba
had given him, which confifted in fome characters
written with common ink upon a tin plate, which cha-
raders were wafhed off by a medicinal liquor, and then
given him to drink. It was agreed, however, that
the complaint was the fmall-pox, and the good it had
done him was, he had ate heartily of brhid, or law
beef after it, th^yigh he had not ate before fmce his
arrival, but tailed perpetually for drink. Aylo faid he
was to remain at Kofcam till towards evening, and
defired me to meet him at his own houfe when it
turned dark, and to bring Petros with me, if he
was returned.

Petros was returned when I arrived, and waited
for me at Hagi Saleh-'s houfe. Although he flrewed
all the figns of my being welcome, yet it was eafy
to read in his countenance he had not fucceeded ac-
cording to his wifh in his interview with Michael,
or that he had met fomething that had ruffled and
frightened him anew. And, indeed, this laft was
the cafe, for going to the Ras's tent, he had feen the
(luffed fi-:in of "the' unfortunate Wooflieka, with

whom

534 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

whom he was well acquainted, fvvinging upon a
tree, and drying in the wind. He was fo terrified,
and ftruck with fuch horror, at the fight, that he
was in a kind of hyfteric lit, cried, ftarted, laughed
hideoufly, and feemed as if he had in part lofl his
fenfes.

I was fatisfiedby the ftate I law him in, though
he had left Ibaba three days, that, as the firfl: fight
of Wooflieka's ftuffed flcin muft have been imme-
diately before he went to the Ras, he could not
have had any diftincl or particular converfation
with him on my account ; and it turned out after, that
he had not fpoken one word upon the fubjeft from
fear, but had gone to the tent of Negade Ras Ma-
homet, who carried him to Kefla Yafous ; that they,
too, feeing the fright he was in, and knowing the
caufe, had gone without him to the Ras, and told
him of my arrival, and of the behaviour of Abba
Salama, and my fear thereupon, and that I was then
in the houfe of Hagi Saleh, in the Moorifh town.
The Ras's anfwer was, " Abba Salama is an afs,
and they that fear him are worfe. Do I command
in Gondar only when I ftay there ? My dog is of
more confequence in Gondar than Abba Salajpa."
And then, after paufing a little, he faid, " Let
Yagoube ftay where he is in the Moors town : Sa-
leh will let no priefts trouble him there." Negade
Ras Mahomet laughed, and faid, " We will anfwer
for that j" and Petros fet out immediately upon his
return, haunted night and day with the ghoft of his
friend Woolheka, but without having^ feen Ras
Michael.

I thought

•V 'J^

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. JSg

I thought, when we went at night to Ay to Aylo,
and Petros had told the ftory diftinftly, that Aylo
and he were equally afraid, for he had not, or pre-
tended he had not, till then heard that Woofheka had
been flayed alive. Aylo, too, was well acquainted
with the unfortunate perfon, and only faid," This is
Efther; this is Efther; nobody knew her but I." Then
they went on to inquire particulars, and after, they
would flop one another, and defire each other to
fpeak no more ; then they cried again, and fell into
the fatne converfation. It was impofTible not to laugh
at the ridiculous dialogue. " Sirs," faid I, " you
have told me all I want ; I fhall not ftir from the
Moors town till Ras Michael arrives ; if there
was any need of advice, you are neither of you ca-
pable of giving it ; now I would wifh you would
fhew me you are capable of taking mine. You are
both extremely agitated, and Peter is very tired ;
and will befides fee the ghofl: of Woofheka fhaking
to and fro all night with the wind : neither of you
ate fupper, as I intend to do ; and I think Peter
fnould ftay here all night, but you fhould not lie
both of you in the fame room, where Woofheka's
black fkin, fo flrcngly iniprefTed on your mind,
will nbt fail to keep you talking all night in place
of fleeping. Boil about a quart of gruel., I will put
a few drops into it; go then to bed, and this un-
ufual operation of Michael will not have power to
keep you awake.'*

The gruel was made, and a good large dofe of
laudanum put into it. I took my leave, and re-
turned with Safeh ; but before I went to the door
Aylo told me he had forgot Welled Hawaryat was

very

■■i*

53<5 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

very bad, and the Iteghe, Ozoro Altafh, his wife,
and Ozoro Eflher, defired I would come and fee
him to-morrow. One of his daughters, by Ozoro
Altafli, had been illfome time before his arrival, ,
and' file too was thought in great danger. " Look,"
faid I, " Ayto Aylo, the fmall-pox is a difeafe that
will have its courfe ; and, during the long time the
patient is under it, if people feed them and treat
them according to their own ignorant prejudices,
my feeing him, or advifmg him, is in vain. This
morning you faid a ma!n had cured him by writing
upon a tin plate ; and to try if he was well, they
crammed him with raw beef, I do not think the let-
ters that he fwallowed will do him- any harm, nei-
ther will they do him any good ; but I Ihall not be
furprifed if the raw beef kills him, and his daughter
Welleta Selaffe, too, before I fee him to-morrow/*

On the morrow Petros was really taken, ill and
feverifh, from a cold and fatigue, and fright. Aylo
and I went to Kofcam, and, for a frefh amufe-
ment to him, I (hewed him the manner in which
the Arabs ufe their firelocks on horfeback; but
with this advantage of a double-barrelled gun, which
he had never before feen. I fhot alfo feveral birds
front the horfe ; all which things he would have
pronounced impofiible if they had been only told
him. He arrived at Kofcam full of wonder, and
ready to believe I was capable of doing every thing
I undertook.

We were'jufl entering into the palace-door, when
we faw a large proceffipn of monks, with the priefls
of Kofcam at their head, a large crofs and a piflure
carried with them, the lail in a very dirty, gilt

frame*

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 573

fram€. Aylo turned afide when he faw thefe ; and,
going into the chamberlain's apartment, called; Ayto
Heikel, afterwards a great friend and companion of
mine. He informed us, that three great laints from
Waldubba, one of whom had neither ate nor drank
for twenty years of his Hfe, hadpromifed to coni-
and cure ^Welled Hawaryat, by laying a pifture cf
the Virgi:n Mary and the crofs upon him, and theie-'
fore they would not wifh me to be ken or meddle in
the affair. " I affureyou, x\yto Aylo," faid I, " I
fhall flridly obey you. There is no fort of reafon
for my meddling in this affair with fuch affociates.
If they can cure him by a miracle, I am fure it is
the eafieft kind of cure of any, and will not do his
conffitution the leaft harm afterwards, which is more
than I will promife for medicines in general ; but
remember what I fay to you, it will, indeed, be a
miracle, if both the father and the daup-hter are
not dead before to-morrow night." We feemed all
of us fatisiied in one point, that it w-as better he
ihould die, than I come to trouble by interfering.

After the proceffion was gone, Aylo went to the
Iteghe, and, I fuppofe, told her all that had happened
fince he had feen her laft. I was called in, and,
as ufual, proflrated myfelf upon the ground. She
received that token of refpecl without offering to
excufe or to decline it. Aylo then faid, " This is our
gracious miflrefs, who always gives us her affiftancc
and protedlion. You may fafely fay before her-
"whatever is in your heart."

Our firff difcourfe was about Jerufalem, the Hciv
Sepulchre, Calvary, the City of David, and the
Mountain of Olives, with the fituations of v. hie h.

ii).:

m

$

53^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

/he was perfe<9:Iy well acquainted. She then aiked
me to tell her truly if I was not a Frank ? " Madam,"
faid I, " if I was a Catholic, which you mean by
Frank, there could be no greater folly than my con-
cealing this from you in the beginning, after the
alTurance AytoAylo has jufl: now given; and, in
confirmation of the truth I am now telling, (fhe
had a large bible lying on the table before her, upon
which I laid my hand), I declare to you, by all
thofe truths contained in this book, that my reli-
gion is mor^ different from the Catholic religion
than yours is : that there has been more blood fhed
between the Catholics and us, on account of the
difference of religion, than ever was between you
and the Catholics in this country ; even at this day,
"whep men are become wifer and cooler in many
parts of the world, it would be full as fafe for a
Jefuit to preach in the market-place of Gondar, as
.for any pried of my religion to prefent himfelf as a
teacher in the mofl civilized of Frank or Catholic
countries. — " How is it then," fays fhe, " that you
don't believe in miracles ?**

" I fee. Madam," faid I, " Ay to Aylo has in-
formed you of a few words that fometime ago dropt
from me. I do certainly believe the miracles of
Chrifl and his apoftles, otherwife I am no Chrif-
tian ; but I do not believe thefe miracles of latter
times, wrought upon trifling occafions, like fports,
and jugglers tricks." — " And yet," fays fhe, " our
books are full of them.'* — " I know they are," faid
I, " and fo are thofe of the Catholics : but I never
can believe that a faint converted the devil, who
lived, forty years after, a holy life as a monk ; nor

the

THE SOURCE OF THENILE. 539

the ftory of another faint, who, being fick and
hungry, caufed a brace of partridges, ready-roafted,
to fly upon his plate that he might eat them." —
" He has been reading the Synaxar," fays Ayto
Aylo. " I believe fo," fays fhe fmiling ; " but is
there any harm in believing too much, and is not
there great danger in believing too little ? — " Cer-
tainly," continued I ; " but what I meant to fay to
Ayto Aylo was, that I did not believe laying a
pi<5ture upon Welled Hawaryat would recover him
when delirious in a fever." She anfwered, " There
was nothing impoflible with God." I made a bow
of aifent, wifliing heartily the converfation might
end there.

I returned to the Moors town, leaving Aylo with
the queen. In the afternoon I heard Welleta Se-
laffe was dead ; and at night died her father. Wel-
led Hawaryat. The (?©atagion from Mafuah and
Adowa had fpread itfelf all over Gondar. Ozoro
Ayabdar, daughter of Ozoro Altafh, was now
fick, and a violent fever had fallen upon Kofcam.
The next morning Aylo came to me and told me,
the faith in the faint who did not eat or drink for
twenty years was perfedly abandoned fmce Welled
Hawaryat's death : That it was the defire of the
queen, and Ozoro Either, that I fhould tranfport
myfelf to Kofcam to the Iteghe's palace, where
all their children and grandchildren, by the
different men the queen's daughters had married,
were under her care. I told him, " I had fome
difficulty to obey them, from the pofitive orders I
had received from Petros to flay in the Moors town
with Hasri Saleh till the Ras fhould arrive : that

Kofcam

540 TRAVELS TO Discovx<:rv

Kofcam was full of priefts, and Abba Salama there
every day; notwithifanding which, if Petros and he
fo advifed me, I would certainly go to do any poffi-
ble fervice to the Iteghe, or Ozoro Efther."

He defired half an hour's abfence before he gave
me an anfwer, but did not return till about three
hours afterwards, and, without alighting, cried out
at fome dlftance, " Aya, come, you mufl go im-
mediately/* " I told him, that new and clean
clothes in the Gondar fafhion had been procured
for me by Petros, and that I wiflied they might be
fent to his houfe, where I would put them on, and
then go to^ofcam, with a certainty that I carried
no infedion >with me, for I had attended a number
of Moorifh children, while at Hagi Saleh's houfe,
mod of whom happily went on doing well, but that
there was no doubt there would be infection in
my clothes. He praifed me up to the fkies for this
precaution, and the whole was executed in the man-
ner propofed. My hair was cut round, curled, and
perfumed, in the Amharic fafhion, and I was thence-
forward, in all outward appearance, a perfect Abyf-
fmian.

My firft advice, when arrived at Kofcam, was,
that Ozoro Eflher atrd her fon by Mariam Barea,
and a fon by Ras Michael, fliould remove from the
palace, and take up their lodging in the houfe for-
merly belonging to her uncle Baflia Eufebius, and
give the part of the family that were yet well a
chance of efcaping the difeafe. Her young fon by
Mariam Barea, however, complaining, the Iteghe
would not fuffer him to remove, and the refolution

was

THE SOURCE OF THE W J L E. 54I

was taken to abide the iiTue all in- the palace
together.

Before I entered upon my charge, I defired
Petros (^ow recovered) Aylo, Abba- Chriflophorus,
a Greek pried who • acted as a phylician before I
came to Gondar, and Armaxikos, pried of Kofcam,
and favourite of the Iteghe, to be all prefent. I ftated
to them the difagreeable talk now impofed upon me,
a ftranger without acquaintance or protedion, hav-
ing the language but imperfeclly, and without power
or controul among them. I profefled my intention
of doing my utmoft, although the difeafe v/as much
more ferious and fatal in this country than in mine,
but I infilled one condition fliould be granted me,
which was, that no direfliions as to regimen or
management, even of the mod trifling kind, as they
might think, fhould be fuffered, without my per-
miflion and fuperintendence, otherwife I waflied my
hands of the confequence, which I told before them
would be fatal. They all afiented to this, and Ar-
maxikos declared thofe excommunicated that broke
this promife ; and I faw that, the more fcrupulous
and particular I was, the more the confidence of
the ladies'increafed. Armaxikos promifed me the
affidance of his prayers, and thofe of the whole
monks, morning and evening; and Aylo faid lowlv
to me, " You'll have no objeclion to this faint, I
affure you he eats and drinks heartily, as I fiiall
fhew you when once thefe troubles are over."

I fet the fervants all to work. There wer-e aoari-
ments enough. I opened all the doors and windows,
fumigating them with incenfe and myrrh, in abun-
dance, walked them with warm water and vinegar,

and

543 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

and adhered ftridly to the rules which my worthy
and fldlful friend Do£lor Rufiel had given me at
Aleppo.

The common and fatal regimen in this country,
and in mofl parts in the eaft, has been to keep
their patient from feeling the fmallefl: breath of air ;
hot drink, a fire, and a quantity of covering are
added in Abyfiinia, and the doors fhut fo clofe as
even to keep the room in darknefs, whilfl: this
heat is further augmented by the conftant burning
of candles.

Ayabdar, Ozoro Altafh's remaining daughter, and
■ the:, fon of Mariam Barea, were both taken ill at
the fame time, and happily recovered. A daughter
of KafmatI Boro, by a daughter of Kafmati Elhtes,.
died, and her mother, though fhe furvived, was a
long time ill afterwards. Ayabdar was very much
marked, fo was Mariam Barea's fon.

At this time, Ayto Confu, fon of Kafmati Netcho
by Ozoro Either, had arrived from Tcherkin, a lad
of very great hopes though not then fourteen. He
came to fee his mother without my knowledge or
her's, and was infefted likewife. Lall of all the in-
fant child of Michael, the child of his old age, took
the difeafe, and, though the weakefl of all the chil-
dren, recovered beft. I tell thefe adlions for brevity's
fake altogether, not direftly in the order they hap-
pened, to fatisfy the reader abou: the reafonof the
remarkable attention and favour fliewed to me after-
wards uponfo fhort an acquaintance.

The fear and anxiety of Ozoro Eflher, upon
finaller occafions, was exceffive, and fully in propor-
tion in the greater that now exifled j many pro-

mifes

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 543

mlfes of Michael's favour, of riches, greatnefs, and
proteftion, followed every inftance of my care and
attention towards my patients. She did not eat or
deep herfelf; and the ends of her fingers were all
broke out into puftules, from touching the feveral
fick perfons. Confu, the favourite of all the queen's
relations, and the hopes of their family, had fymp-
toms which all feared would be fatal, as he had vio-
lent convulfions, which were looked upon as fore-
runners of immediate death ; they ceafed, however,
immediately on the eruption. The attention I (hewed
to this young man, which was more than overpaid
by the return he himfelf made on many occafions
afterwards, was greatly owing to a prepolTeffion in
his favour, v/hich I took upon his firfl appearance.
Policy, as may be imagined, as well as charity, alike •
influenced me in the care of my other patients ;
but an attachment, which Providence feemed to have
infpired me with for my own prefervation, had the
greatefl: (hare in my care for Ayto Confu.

Though it is not the place, I muft not forget to
teirthe reader, that, the third day after I had come
to Kofcam, a horfemanand a letter had arrived from
Michael to Hagi Saleh, ordering him to carry me
to Kofcam, and likewife a fhort letter written to mci
by Negade Ras Mahomet, in Arabic, as from Ras
Michael, very civil, but containing pofitive orders
and command, as if to a fervant, that I fhould repair
to the Iteghe's palace, and not fUr from thence till
future orders, upon any pretence whatever.

I cannot fay but this pofitive, peremptory deallnp-,
did very much fhock and difpleafe me. I fhewed
the letter to Petros, who approved of it much ;

faid

544- TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

faid he was glad to fee it in that flile, as it was a fign
the Ras was in earneil. Tfliewed it to Ay to Aylo,
who faid not much to it either the one way or the
other, only he was glad that I had gone to Kolcam
before it came ; but he taxed Ozoro Efther with be-
ing the caufe of a proceeding which might have been
proper to a Greek or flave, but was not fo to a free
man lii^e me,' who came recommended to their pro-
teclion, and had, as yet, received no favour, or even,
civility. Ozoro Efther laughed heartily at all this,
for the fir ft time (lie had fliewn any inclination to
mirth ; ftie confeffed Ilie had fent a mefl'enger every
day, fometimes two, and fometimes three, ever fince
Welled Hawaryat had died, and by every one of
them (he had preffed the Ros to enjoin me not to
leave Kofcam, the confequence of which was the
order above mentioned ; and, in the evening, there
was a letter to Petros from Anthule, Janni's fon-in-
lavv, a Greek, and treafurer to the king, pretty
much to the fame purpofe as the firft, and in no
fofter terms, with direction, however', to furniih me
with every thing I Ihould want, on the king's ac-
count.

One morning Aylo, in prefence of the queen,
fpeaking to Ozoro Efther of the ftile of the Ras's
letter to me, ihe confefted her own anxiety was the
caufe, but added,' You have often upbraided me
with being, wJiat you call, an unchriftian enemy, in
the advices you fuppofe I frequently gave Michael;
but now, if 1 am not as good a friend to Yagoube,
who has faved my children, as I am afteady enemy
to the Galla, who mmrdered my huft^and, fay then
Eilher is not a Ghriilian, and I forgive you." Many

converfations

THE SOUP.CE OF THE NILE. ^45

converfations of this kind paffed between her and
me, during the illnefs of Ay to Confu. I removed
my bed to the outer door of Confu's chamber, to
ba ready whenever he fhould call, but his mother's
anxiety kept her awake in his room all night, and
propriety did not permit me to go to bed. From
this frequent communication began a friendfhip be-
tween Ozoro Efther and me which ever after fub-
fifted without any interruption.

Our patients, being all likely to do well, were
removed to a large houfe of Kafmati Eihte, which
flood ftill "within the boundaries of Kofcam while
the rooms underwent another luflration and fumi-
gation, after which they all returned ; and I got, as
my fee, a prefent of the neat and convenient houfe
formerly belonging to Bafha Eufebius, which had
a feparate entry, without going through the palace.
Still I thought it better to obey Ras Michael's or-
der^ to the letter, and not ftir out of Kofcam, nor
even to Hagi Saleh's or Ayto Aylo's, though both
of them frequently endeavoured to perfuade me that
the order had no fuch ftrift meaning. But my foli-
tude was in no way difagreeable to me. I had a
great deal to do. I mounted my inftruments, my
thermometer and barometer, telefcopes and qua-
drant. Again all was wonder. It occafioned me
many idle hours before the curiofity of the palace
was fatisfied. 1 faw the queen once every day at
her. levee, fometimes in the evening, where many
priefts were always prefent. I was, for the moll
part, twice a-day, morning and evening, with Ozoro
Either, where I feldam met with any.

Vol. III. Nn One

£4^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

One day, when I went early to the queen, that
I might get away in time, having fome other en-
gagements about noon, jaft as I was taking my leave,
in came Abba Salama. At firfl: he did not know
me from the change of drefs ; but foon after recol-
leding me, he faid, as it were, pafling, " Are you
here? I thought you was with Ras Michael." I
made him no anfwer, but boweJ, and took my leave
when he called out, with an air of authority, Come
back, and beckoned me with his hand.

Several people entered the room at that inflant,

and I flood (lill in the fame place wHere I was, ready

to receive the Iteghe's orders : fhe faid, " Come back,

and fpeak to Abba Salama." I then advanced a few

paces forward, and faid, looking to the Iteghe,

" What has Abba Salama to fay to me ?" He began

directing his difcourfe to the queen, " Is he a prieft?

Is he a pried ?'* The Iteghe anfvvered very gravely,

" Every good man is a pried to himfelf ; in that

fenfe, and no other, Yagoube is a pried." — " Will

you anfwer a quedion that I will afK you ?" fays

•he to me, with a very pert tone of voice. " I do

not know but I may, if it is a difcreet one," faid I,

in Tigre. " Why don't you fpeak Amharic ?"

fays he to me in great hade, or feeming impatience.

" Becaufe I cannot fpeak it well," faid I. " Why

don't you, on the other hand, fpeak Tigre to me ?

it is the language the holy fcriptures are written in,

and you, a pried, (hould underdand it." — " That is

Geez," fays he ; "I underdand it, though I don't

fpeak it."—" Then," replied I, " Ayto Heikel,'*

the queen's chamberlain, who dood behind me,

" fliall

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. g47

*' lliall interpret for us j he undsrftands all Ian*
guages.'*

" Aik h'm, Heikel," fays he, " how many Na-
tures there are in Chrift,'* Which being repeated
to me, I faid, " I thought the queftion to be put
was fomething relating to my country, travels, or
profeffion, in which I poffibly could inllrucl: him ;
and not belonging to his, in which he ihould inftruct
me. I am a phyfician in the town, a horfeman and
foldier in the field. Phyfic is my ftudy in the one,
and managing my horfe and arms in the other.
This I was bred to ; as for difputes and matters of
religion, they are the province ot priefts and fchool-
men. I profefs myfelf much more ignorant ip thefe
than I ought to be. Therefore, when I have doubts
1 propofe them to fome holy man like you, Abba
Salama, (he bowed for the firll time) whofe pro-
feffion thefe things are. He gives me a rule and I
implicitly follow it." " Truth! truth!" fays he;
" by St. Michael, pr'nce of angels, that is right;
it is anfwered well ; by St. George ! . he is a clever
fellow. They told me he was a Jefuit. Will you
come to fee me ? Will you come to fee me ? You
need not be afraid when you come to me,^^ " I
truft," laid I, bowing, *' I (hall do no ill, in that
cafe (hall have no renfon to fear." Upon this I
withdrew from among the crowd, and went away,
as an exprefs then arrived from Ras Michaef.

It was on the 8th or* 9th of March I met him at
Azazo, He was drelfed in a coarfe dirty cloth,
wrapt about him like a blanket, and another like
a table-cloth folded auout his head : He was lean,
old, and apparently much fatigued ; fat Hooping upon
an excellent mule, that carried him fpeedily without

N n 2 fhaking

54^ • TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Shaking him ; he had alfo fore eyes. As we faw
the place where he was to light by four crofs lances,
and a cloth thrown over them like a temporary
tent, upon an eminence, we did not fpeak to him
till he alighted. Petros and the Greek prieft, be-
fides fervants, were the only people with me,
Francis * had joined us upon our meeting the
Ras.

We alighted at the fame time he did, and after-
wards, with anxiety enough, we deputed the Greek
prieft, who was a friend of Michael, to tell him who
I was, and that I was come to meet him. The fol-
diers made way, and I came up, took him by the
hand, and kiffed it. He looked me broad in the
face for a fecond, repeated the ordinary falutation in
Tigre. - " How do you do ? I hope you are well j"
and we pointed to a place where I was to fit down. A
thoufand complaints, and a thoufand orders came
immediately before him, from a thoufand mouths,
and we were nearly fmothered; but he took no notice
of me, nor did he afk for one of his family. In
fome minutes after came the king, who pafled at
fome diftance to the left of him ; and Michael was
then led out of the Ihelter of his tent to the door,
where he was lupported on foot till the king palTed
by, having firft pulled off the towel that was upon
his head, after which he returned to his feat in the
tent again.

The king had been pafl; about a quarter of a
mile, when Kefla Yafous came from him with orders

* A man much attached to Michael, and had been prefen*ed by
hira to many commands, and confequently was ,th^ only Greek
that could be cal!<;d a good foldier.

to

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 549

to the Ras, or rather, as I believe, to receive orders
from him. He brought with him a young noble-
man, Ayto Engedan, who, by his drefs, having his
upper garment tvvifted in a particular manner about
his waifl, fhewed that he was carrier of a fpecial
meflage from the king. The crowd by this time
had fhut us quite out, and made a circle round the
Ras, in which we were not included. We were
upon the point of going away, when Kefla Yafous,
who had feen Francis, faid to him, " I think Enge-
dan has the king's command for you, you mud not
depart without leave." And, foon after, we under-
ftood that the king's orders were to obtain leave
from the Ras, to bring me, with Engedan, near,
and in fight of him, without letting me know, or
introducing me to him. In anfwer to this, the Ras
had faid," Idont know him ; will people like him
think this right ? Afri Petros ; or why fhould not
the king call upon him and fpeak to him ; he has
letters to him as well as to me, and he will be
obliged to fee him to-morrow.**

Engedan went away on a gallop to join the king,
and we proceeded after him, nor did we receive any
other melfage either from the king or the Ras. We
returned to Kofcam, very little pleafed with the re-
ception we had met with. All the town was in a
hurry and confufion ; 30,000 men were encamped
upon the Kahha ; and the fir ft horrid fcene Michael
exhibited there, was caufing the eyes of twelve of
the chiefs of the Galla, whom he had taken prifoners,
to be pulled out, and the unfortunate fufterers turned
out to the fields to be devoured at night by the
hyasna. Two of thefe I took ^nder my care, v^ho

^i both

550 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

both recovered, and from them I learned many par-
ticulars of their country and manners.

The next day, which was the loth, the army
marched into the town in triumph, and the Ras at
the head of the troops of Tigre. He was bare-
headed J over his flioulders, and down to his back,
hung a pallium, or cloak, of black velvet, with a
filver fringe. A boy, by his right ftiirup, held a
filyer wand of abouc five feet and a half long,
much like the ftaves of our great officers at court.
Behind him all the foldiers, who had flain an ene-
my and taken the fpoils from them, had their lances
and firelocks ornamented with fmall fhreds of fcarlet
cloth, one piece for every man he had flain.

Remarkable among all this multitude was Hagos,
door-keeper of the Ras, whom we have mentioned
in the war of Begemder. This man always well-
armed and well-mounted, had followed the wars of
the Ras from his infancy, and had been fo fortunate
in this kind of fingle combat, that his whole lance
and javelin, horfe and peifon, were covered over
with the fhreds of fcarlet cloth. At this laft battle
of Fagitta, Hagos is faid to have flain eleven men
with his own hand. Indeed there is nothing more
fallacious than judging of a man's courage by thefe
marks of conquefl:s. A good horfeman, armed
with a coat of mail, upon a flrong, well-fed, well-
winded horfe, may, after a defeat, kill as many of
thefe wretched, weary, naked fugitives, as he pleafes,
confining himfelf to thofe that are weakly, mounted
upon tired horfes, and covered only with goat's-fkins,
or that are flying on foot.

Behind

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 551

Behind came Gufho of Amhara, and Powuflen,
lately made governor of Bcgemder for his behaviour
at the battle of Fagitta, where, as I have faid, he
purfued Fafil and his army for two days. The
Ras had given him alfo a farther reward, his grand-
daughter Ayabdar, lately recovered from the fmalU
pox, and the only one of my patients that, neither
by herfelf, her mother, <ior her hufband ever made
me the lead return. Powuflen was one of the twelve
officers who, after being delivered to Lubo by the
Galla, together with Mariam Barea, had fled to Mi-
chaePs tent, and were prote^ed by him.

One thing remarkable in this cavalcade, which I
obferved, was the head-drefs of the governors of pro-
vinces. A large broad lillet was bound upon
their forehead, and tied behind their head. In
the middle of this was a horn, or a conical
piece of filver, gilt, about four inches long, much
in the fiiape of our common candle extinguifliers.
This is called kirn, or horn, and is only worn in
reviews or parades after vidory. This I apprehend,
like all other of their ufages, is taken from the
Hebrews, and the feveral allufidns made in fcripturc
to arife from this pradice,:— " I faid unto fools.
Deal not fooliflily ; and to the wicked. Lift not up
the horn — " Lift not up your horn on high ; fpeak
, not with a ftifl:neck*" — "For promotion cometh,^'
&c. — " But ray horn flialt thou exalt like the horn
of an unicorn" — " And the horn of the righteous

* Tlie crooked manner ia which they hold their neck when
tins ornament is on their forehead, for;fcai- it fhould fall forward
perfeftly fliews the meaning of fpeaking with a ftiiT n^eck when
you hold the horn on high, or ered like the'horn of the unicorn.

fhall

55^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

fliall be exalted with honour." And fo in many
other places throughout the Pfalms.

Next to.thefe came the king, with a fillet of
■white muflin about three inches broad, binding his
forehead, tied with a large double knot behind, and
hanging down about two feet on his back. About
him were the great ofHcers of {late, fuch of the young
nobility as were without coromand j and after thefe,
the houfehold troops.

Then followed the Kanitz Kitzera,or executioner
of the camp, and his attendants ; and, lafl of all,
•amidil the King's and • the Ras's baggage, came a
man bearing the fluffed fkin of the unfortunate

«

Woofheka upon a pole, which he hung upon a
branch of the tree before the king's palace appro-
priated for public executions.

Upon their arrival at Gondar, all the great men
had waited both upon the Ras and the King. Aylo
had been with them, and Ozoro Eflher was removed
to Gondar ; but, by my advice, had left the child at
Kofcam. Her fon Confu, though recovered of the
fmall-pox, had evident figns of a dyfentery, and took
no care of himfelf in point of regimen, or avoiding
cold. ^

It was now the 13th of March, and I had heard
no word from Ozoro Eflher, or the Ras, though
removed to a houfe in Gondar near to Petros. I had
gone every day once to fee the children of Kofcam ;
at all \Yhich times I had been received with the
greateft cordiality and marks of kindnefs by the
Iteghe, and orders given for my free admittance upon
all occafions like an ofHcer of her houfehold. As
to the refl, 1 never was in appearance more ne-

gleded.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. gS3

gle£ted, than in this prefent moment, by all but the
Moors. Thefe were very grateful for the fuccefs-
ful attention I had (hewed their children, and very
defirous to have me again among them. Hagi Sa-
leh, in particular, could not fatiate himfelf with
curfing the ingratitude of thefe cafers, and infidels,
the Chriftians. He knew what had paiTed at Kof-
canL> he faw what he thought likely to happen now,
and his anger was that of an honeft man, and vi^hich
perhaps many former inftances which he had been
witnefs of might have judified, but in the prefent
one he was iniftaken.

In the evening, Negade Ras Mahomet came to
my houfe ; he faid Mahomet Gibberti was arrived,
had been twice on private bufinefs with the Ras,
but had not yet delivered him his prefent ; and he
had not informed me of this, as he thought I was
flill at Kofcam, and that Saleh his brother knew
nothing of it, as he had not feen him fmce he came
home. He alfo informed me that Ayto Aylo was
with the Ras twice the day after he entered Gondar,'
and once with |VIahomet Gibbert : all this was about
me; and that, at Ayto Aylo's propofal, it was
agreed that I fhould be appointed Palambaras, which
is mafter of the king's horfe. It is a very great
office, both for rank, and revenuCj but has no bufi-
nefs attending it ; the young Armenian had before
enjoyed it. I told Mahomet, that, far from being
any kindnefs to me, this would make me the moft
unhappy of all creatures ; that my extreme defii^
was to fee the country, and its different natural pro-
dudions ; to converfe with the people as a flranger,
but to be nobody's mafter nor fervant 5 to fee their

books

554 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

books; and, above all,' to vifit the fources of the
Nile ; tq live as privately in my own houfe, and have
as much time to myfelf as poflible ; and what I was
mofl anxious about at prefent, was' to know when
it would be convenient for them to admit me to fee
the Ras, and deliver my letters as a ftranger.

Mahomet went away, and returned, bringing Ma-
homet Gibberti, who told me, that, befides the letter
I carried to Ras Michael from Metical Aga his maf-
ter, he had been charged with a particular one, out
of the ordinary form, dictated by the Englifh at
Jidda, who, all of them, and particularly my friends
Captain Thornhill, and Captain Thomas Price, of
the Lyon, had agreed to make a point with Metical
iVga, devoted to them for his own profit, that his
utmofl exertion of friendfhip andintereft, fliould be
fo employed in my recommendation, as to engage
the attention of Has Michael to provide in earneft
for my fafety and fatisfaftion in every point.

This letter I had myfelf read at Jidda ; it informed
Michael of the power and riches of our nation, and
that they were abfolute mafters of the trade on the
Red Sea, and ftriftly connected with the Sherriftc?
and in a very particular manner with him, Metical
.Aga ; that any accident happening to me would be
an infamy and difgrace to him, and worfe than
death itfelf, becaufc, that knowing Michael's power,
?.nd relying on his friendfliip, he had become fecurity
for my fafety, after I arrived in his hands ; that I
was a man of confideration in my own country,
fervant to the king of it, who, though himfelf a
Chriftian, governed his fubje£ls Muffulmen and Pa-
gans, with the fame impartiality and juftice as he

did

THE SOUllCE OF THE NILE. 55^

did Chriflians. That all my defire was to examine
fprings and rivers, trees and flowers, and the ftars
in the heavens, from which I drew knowledge very
ufeful to preferve man's heakh and life ; that I was
no merchant, and had no dealings whatever in any
mercantile matters ; and that I had no need of any
man's money, as he had told Mahomet Gibberti to
provide for any call I might have in that comitry,
and for which he would anfwer, let the fum be what
it would, as he had the word of my countrymen to
repay it, which he confidered better than the written
fecurity of any other people in the world. He then
repeated very nearly the fame words ufed in the be-
ginning of the letter ; and upon this particular re-
queft, Metical Aga had fent him a diftinct prefent,
not to confound it with other political and commer-
cial affairs, in which they were concerned together.

Upon reading this letter, Michael exclaimed,
" Metical Aga does not know the fituation of this
country. Safety ! where is that to be found ? I am
obliged to fight for my own life every day. Will
Metical call this fafety ? Who knows, at this mo-
ment, if the king is in fafety, or how long I fliall
be fo ? All 1 can do is to keep him with me. If I
lofe my own life, and the king's, Metical Aga can
never think it was in my power to preferve that of
his flranger." — " No, no," fays Ayto Aylo, who
was then prefent, " you don't know the man ; he is
a devil on horfeback j he rides better, and fhoots
better, than any man that ever came into Abyflinia;
lofe no time, put him about the king, and there is
no fear of him. He is very fober and religious ;
he will do the king good. " Shoot !" fays Michael,

" he

556 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

" he won't fiioot at me as the Armenian did j will
he ? will he ?" " Oh," continued Aylo, " you know
tbefe days are over. What is the Armenian? a boy,
a flave to the Turk. When you fee this man, you'll
not think of the Armenian.'* It was finally agreed,
that the letters the Greeks had received Ihould be
read to the king ; that the letters I had from Metical
Aga to the Ras fhould be given to Mahomet Gib-
bertl, and that I (liould be introduced to the King
and the Ras immediately after they were ready.

The reader may remember that, when I was at
Cairo, I obtained letters from Mark, the Greek pa-
triarch, to the Greeks at Gondar ; and particularly
one, in form of a bull, or refcript, to all the Greeks
in Abyffinia. In this, after a great deal of pafloral
admonition, the patriarch faid, that, knowing their
propenfity to lying and vanity, and not being at
hand to impofe proper penances upon them for thefe
fins, he exacted from them, as a proof of their
obedience, that they would, with a good grace, un-
dergo this mortification, than which there could be
no gentler impofed, as it was only to fpeak the
truth. He ordered them in a body to go to the
king, in the manner and time they knew befl:,
and to inform him that I v/as not to -be confounded
. with the reft of white men, fuch as Greeks, "who
were all fubjecl to the Turks, and flaves ; but that
I was a free man, of a free nation ; and the beft of
them would be happy in being my fervant, as one
pf their brethren, Mighael, then a£l:ually was. I
will not ii\y but this was a bitter pill ; for they were
high in office, all except Petros, who had declined all
employment after the murder of Jpas his mafter,

"whofe

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 557

whofe chamberlain he was. The order of the pa-
triarch however, was fairly and pundually perform-
ed ; Petros was their fpokefman ; he was originally
a fhoemaker at Rhodes, clever, and handfome in
his perfon, but a great coward, though, on fuch
an occafion as the prefent, forward and capable
enough.

I think it v^as about the 14th that thefe letters
were to be all read. I expected at the ordinary
hour, about five in the afternoon, to be fent for,
and had rode out to Kofcam with Ayto Heikel, the
queen's chamberlain, to fee the child, who was
pretty well recovered of all its complaints, but very
weak. In the interim I was fent for to the Ras, with
orders to difpatch a man with the king's prefent,
to wait for me at the palace, whither I was to go
after leaving Michael. It was anfwered, That I was
at Kofcam, and the errand I had gone on menti-
oned ; ' which difappointment, and the caufe, did
no way prejudice me with the Ras. Five in the
evening was fixed as the hour, and notice fent to
Kofcam. I came a little before the time, and met
Ayto Aylo at the door. He fqueezed me by the
hand, and faid, " Refufe nothing, it can be all al-
tered afterwards ; but it is very neceifary, on ac-
count of the priefts alid the populace, you have a
place of fome authority, otherwife you will be
robbed and murdered the firft: time you go half a
mile from home : fifty people have told me you
have chefts filled with gold, and that you can make
gold, or bring what quantity you pleafe from the
Indies ; and the reafon of all this is, becaufe you

refufed

55^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

rcfufed the queen and Ozoro Efther's offer of gold
at Kofcam, and which you mull: never do again."

We went in and faw the old man fitting upon a
fofaj his white hair wasdreffed in many fhort curls.
He appeared to be thoughtful, but not difpleafed ;
his face was lean, his eyes quick and vivid, but
feemed to be a little fore from expofure to the
weather. He feemed to be about fix feet high,
though his lamenefs made it difficult to guefs with
accuracy. His air was perfectly free from conftraint,
what the French called degagee. In face and perfon
he was liker my learned and worthy friend, the
Count de Buffon, than any two men I ever faw in
the world. They muft have been bad phyfiogno-
mifts that did not difcern his capacity and under-
ftanding by his very countenance. Every look
conveyed a fentiment with it : he feemed to have
no occafion for other language, and indeed he fpoke
little. I offered as ufual to kifs the ground before
him ; and of this he feemed to take little notice,
ftretching out his hand and fhaking mine upon my
rifing.

I fat down with Aylo, three or four of the judges,
Petros, Heikel ^e queen's chamberlain, and an
Azage from the king's houfe, who whifpered
fomething ill his ear, and went out ; which inter-
ruption prevented me from fpeaking as I was pre-
pared to do, or give him my prefent, which a man
held behind me. He began gravely, " Yagoube,
I think that is your name, hear what I fay to you,
and mark what I recommend to you. You are a
man, I am told, who make it your bufmefs to wan-
der in the fields in fearch after trees «md grafs in

folitary

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^59

folitary places, and to fit up all night alone looking
at the ftars of the heavens : Other countries are not
like this, though this was never fo bad as it is now.
Thele wretches here are enemies to ftrangers ; if
they faw you alone in your own parlour, their lirft
thought would be how to murder you ; though they
knew they were to get nothing by it, they would
murder you for mere mifchief.'* " The devil is
ftrong in them,'* fays a voice from a corner of the
room, which appeared to be that of a pried. " There-
fore," fays the Ras, " after a long converfatioii
with your friend Aylo, whofe advice I hear you hap-
pily take, as indeed we all do, I have thought that
fituation bed which leaves you at liberty to follow
your own defigns, at the fame time that it puts
your perfon in fafety ; that you will not be troubled
with monks about their religious matters, or in
danger from thefe rafcals that may feek to murder
you for money.'*

" What are the monks ?'* fiys the fame voice from
the corner ; " the monks will never meddle with
fuch a man as this." — " Therefore the king,'* con-
tinued the Ras, without taking any notice of the
interruption, " has appointed you Baalomaal, and
to command the Koccob horfe, which I thoup-ht to
have given to Francis, an old foldier of mine ; but
he is poor, and we will provide for him better, for
thefe appointments have honour, but little profit.'*
" Sir," fays Francis, who was in prefence, but be-
hind, " it is in much more honourable hands than
either mine or the Armenian's, or any other white
man's, fmce the days of Hatze Menas, and fo I
told the king to-day." " Very well, Francis," fays

the

560 . TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

the Ras ; " it becomes a foldier to fpeak the truth,
whether it makes for or againfl himfelf. Go then
to the king, and kifs the ground upon your appoint-
ment. I fee you have already learned this ceremony
of ours ; Aylo and Heikel are very proper perfons
to go with you. I'he king expreffed his furprife to
me laft night he had not feen you ; and there too is
Tecia Mariam, the king's fecretary, who came with
your appointment from the palace to-day." The
man in the corner, that 1 took for a prieft, was this
Tecla Mariam, a fcribe. Out of the king's prefence
men of this order cover their heads, as do the priefts,
which was thereafon'of my miflake.

I then gave him a prefent which he fcarce looked
at, as a number of people were preffing in at the
door from curiofity or bufmefs. Among thefe I
difcerned Abba Salama. Every body then went
out but myfelf, and thefe people were rufliing in
behind me, and had divided me from my company.
The Ras, howoyer, feeing me (landing alone, cried,
" Shut the door ;" and afked me, in a low tone
of voice, " Have you any thing private to fay ?" " I
fee you are bufy. Sir," faid I ; " but I vfill fpeak to
Ozoro Eflher." His anxious countenance brigh^tened
up in a moment. " That is true," fays he, " Ya-
goube, it will require a long day to fettle that ac-
count with yQU : Will the boy live ?" " The life of
man is in the hand of God," faid I, " but 1 Ihould
hope the word is over ;" upon which he called to
one of his fervants, *' Carry Yagoube to Ozoro
Efther."

It is needlefs for me to take up the reader'iitiine
with any thing but what illuf''.rates my travels >.'N

may

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 561

may therefore guefs the converfation that flowed
from a grateful heart on that occafion. I ordered
her child to be brought to her every forenoon,
upon condition fhe returned him foon after mid-day.
I then took a fpeedy leave of Ozoro Either, the rea-
fon of which I told her when (he was following me
to the door. Shefaid, " When Ihall Hay my hands
upon that idiot Aylo ? The Ras would have done
any thing ; he had appointed you Palambaras, but,
upon converfing with Aylo, he had changed his
mind. He fays it will create envy, and take up
your time. What figniiies their envy ? Do not
they envy Ras Michael ? and where can you pafs
your lime better than at court, with a comm^.nd
under the king." I faid, " All is for the beft,
Aylo did well; all is for the be ft." I then left her
unconvinced, and faying, " I will not forgive this
to Ayto Aylo thefe feven years."

Aylo and Heikel had gone on to the palace, won-
dering, as did the whole company, what could be
my private conference with Michael, which, after
playing abundantly with their curiofity, I explained
to them next day.

I went afterwards to the king's palace, and met
Aylo and Heikel at the door of the prefence-chamber.
Tecla Mariam walked before us to the foot of the
throne j after which I advanced and proftrated my-
felf upon the ground. " I have brought you a fer-
vant," fays he to the king, " from fo diftant a coun-
try, that if you ever let him' efcape, we fhall never
be able to follow him, or know where to feek him."-
This was faid facetioufly by an old familiar fervant ;
but the king made no reply, as far as we could guefs.

Vol. III. O o for

56^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

for his mouth was covered, nor did he fhew 2.nf
alteration of countenance. Five people were {land-
ing on each fide of the throne, all young men, three
on his left, and two on his right. One of thefe,
the fon of Tecla Marianr, (afterwards my great!
fiiend) who ftood uppermoft on the left hand,
came up, arid taking hold of me by the hand, placed'
me immediately above him ; when feeing 1 had no
knife in my girdle, he pulled out his own and gave
it to me. Upon being placed, I again kiffed the
ground.

The king was in an alcove ; the reft went out
of fight from v;here the throne was, and fat down.
Th<^ ufuai queftions now began about Jerufalem and
the holy places — wh'jre my country was ? which
it was impoilible to defcribe, as they kne\v the fitua-
tiori of no countrv but their own— why I came fo
far ? — whether the moon and the ftars, but efpecially
the moon, was the fame in my country as in theirs ?
— and a great many fuch idle and tirefome quef-
tions, I had feveral times offered to take my pre-
fent from the man who held it, that I might offer
it to his Majefty and go away ; but the king al-^
Ways made a fign to put it otf, till, being tired to
death with ftanding, I leaned againft the waif.
Aylo Was faft afleep, and Ayto Heikel and the
Greeks curfing their mafter in their heart forfpoil-
ing the good fupper that Anthule his treafurer had
prepared for us. This, as we afterwards found out,
the king very well knew, and refolved to try out*
patience to the utmoft. At laft, Ayto Ayb ftole
away to bed, and every body elfe after him, :except
thofe who had acconipanied me, Avho were ready to

die

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 563

die with third; and drop down with wearinefs. It
was agreed by thofe that were out of fight, to fend
Tecia Mariam to whifper in the king's ear, that I
had not been well, which he did, but no notice was
taken of it. It was now pad ten o'clock, and he
Ihewed no inclination to go to bedi ^

Hitherto, while there were flrangers in the room,
he had fpoken to us by an officer called Kal Hatze,
the voice or word of the king ; biit now, when there
were nine or ten of us, his menial fervants, only
prefent, he uncovered his face and mdilth, and
fpoke himfelf. Sometimes it was about Jerufalemj
fometimes about horfes, at other times about fhoot-
itig ; again about the Indies ; how far I could look
into the heavens with my telefcopes : and all thefe
were deliberately and circumftantially repeated, if
they were not pointedly anfwered. I was abfolutely
in defpair^ and fcarcely able to fpeak a word, in*
wardly mourning the hardnefs of my lot in this my
firfl preferment, and fmcerely praying it might be
my laft promotion in this court. At lad all the
Greeks began to be impatient, and got out of the
corner of the room behind the alcove, and flood
immediately before the throne. The king feemed
to be aftonifhed at feeing them, and told them he
thought they had all been at home long ago. They
faid, however, they would not go without me ;
which the king faid could not be, for one of the
duties of my employment was to be charged with
the door of his bed-chamber that night.

I think I could almofl have killed him in that
inftant. At lad Ayto Heikel, taking courage, came
forward to him, pretending a meiTage from the

Q 0 2 queen.

5^4 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

queen, and whifpered him fomething in the ear, pro-
bably that the Ras would take it ill. He then
laughed, faid he thought we had fupped, and dif-
milfed us.

C H A P. IX.

Tranfadfions at Gondar,

E went all to Anthule*s houfe to fupper m
violent rage, fuch anger as is ufual with hungry men.
We brought with us from the palace three of my
brother Baalomaals, and one who had flood to make
up the number though he was not in ofrice ; his
name was Guebra Mafcal, he was a filler's fon of
the Ras, and commanded one-third of the troops
of Tigre, which carried fire-arms, that is, about
2000 men. He was reputed the beft officer of that
kind that the Ras had, and was a man about 30
years of age, fhort, fquare, and well made, with a
very unpromifnig coimtenance ; flat nofe, v;ide
mouth, of a very yellbw complexion, and much
pitted with the fmall-pox ; he had a mofl uncommon
prefumption upon the merit of pall fervices, and
had the greatefl opinion of his own knowledge in
the ufe of fire-arms, to which he did not fcruple to
fay Ras Michael owed all his viflories.- Indeed it
was to the good opinion that the Ras had of him as

a foldicr

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 565

a foldler that he owed his being fuffered to continue
at Gcndar ; for he was fufpe6ted to have been fa-
miliar v/ith one of his uncle's wives in Tigre, by
whom it was thought he had a child, at lead the
Ras put away his wife, and never owned the child
to be his.

This man fupped with us that night, and thence
began one of the mofl ferious affairs I ever had in
Abyflinia. Guebra Mafcal, as ufual, vaunted in-
ceffantly his fkill in fire-arms, the wonderful gun
that he had, and feats he had done with it. Petros
faid, laughing, to him, " You have a genius for
fliooti^g, but you have had no opportunity to learn.
Now, Yagoube is come, he will teach you fome-
thing worth talking off." They had all drank abun-
dantly, and Guebra Mafcal had uttered words that
I thought were in contempt of me. I believe, re-
plied I peevifhly enough, Guebra Mafcal, I fhould
fufpedl, from your difcourfe, you neither knew men
nor guns; every gun of mine in the hands of my
fervants fhall kill twice as far as yours, for my own,
it is not worth my while to put a ball in it : When
I compare with you, the end of a tallow-candle in my
gun fliall do more execution than an iron ball in the
befl of yours, with all the fkill and experience you
pretend to.

He faid I was a Frank, and a liar, and upon my
immediately rifmg up, he gave me a kick with his
foot; I was quite blind with pafTion, feized him by
the throat, and threw him on the ground flout as he
was. The AbylTmians know nothing of either wreft-
ling or boxing. He drew his knife as he was fal-
ling, attempted to cut me in the face, but his arm
* not

56^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

not being at freedom, all he could do was to give
me a very trifling flab or wound, near the crown oif
the head, fo that the blood trickled down over rny
face. I had tript him up, but till then had never
Jlruck him. I now wrefted the knife from him with
a full intention to kill him ; but Providence directed
better. Inftead of the point, I llruck fo violently
with the handle upon his face as to leave fears, which
would be diftinguifhed even among the deep marks
of the fmall-pox. An adventure fo new and fo
unexpefted, prefently overcame the effedls of wine.
Jt was too late to difliurb any body either in the
palace or at the houfe of the Ras. A hundred
opinions were immediately ftarted ; fome were for
fending us up to the king, as we were actually in
the precinfts of the palace, where lifting a hand is
death. Ayto Heikel advifed that I fhould go, late
as it was, to Kofcam ; and Petros, that I fhould re-»
pair immediately to the houfc of Ayto Aylo, while
the two Baalomaals were for taking me to fleep
in the palace. Anthule, in whofe houfe I was, and
who was therefore mofl: fhocked at the outrage,
wifhed me to flay in his houfe, where I was, from
a fuppofition that I was ferioufly wounded, which
all of them, feeing the blood fall over my eyes,
feemed to think was the cafe, and he, in the morn-
ing, at the king's rifmg, was t6 ftate the matter as
it happened. All thefe advices appeared good when
they werepropofed ; for my part, I thought they only
tended to make bad worfe, and bore the appeargncQ
of guilt, of which I was not conlcious.

I now determined to go home, and to bed in my
own houfe. With that intention, I wafhed my face

^ an4

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 567

and wound with vinegar, and found the blood to
be ah'eady (launched. I then wrapt myfelf up in
my cloak, and returned home without accident,
and went to bed. But this would neither fatisfy
Ayto Heikel nor Petros, who went to the houfe of
Ayto Aylo, then pad midnight, fo that early in the
morning, when fcarce light, I faw him come into my
chamber. Guebra Mafcal had fled to the houfe of
Kefla Yafous his relation ; and the firft news we
heard in the morning, after Ayto Aylo arrived, were,
that Guebra Mafcal was in irons at the Ras's houfe.

Every perfon that came afterwards brought up
fome new account ; the whole people prefent had
been examined, and had given, without variation, the
true particulars of my forbearance, and his infolent
behaviour. Every body trembled for fome violent
refolution the Ras was to take on my firfl: com-
plaint. The town was full of Tigre foldiers, and
nobody faw clearer than I did, hou'ever favourable
a turn this had taken for me in the beginning, it
might be my deftrudion in the end.

I afked Ayto Aylo hi§ opinion. He feemed at a
lofs to give it me j but faid, in an uncertain tone of
voice, he could wifli that I would not complain of
Guebra Mafcal while I was angry, or while the Ras
was fo inveterate againfl him, till fome of his
friends had fpoken, and appeafed, at leaft, his firft
refentment. I anfwered, " I'hat I was of a contrary
opinion, and that no time was to be loft : remember
the letter of Mahomet Gibberti ; remember his
confidence yefterday of my being fafe where he was ;
remember the influence of Ozoro Efther, and do
pot let us lofe a moment." . " What, fays Aylo to

nic

S68 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

me in great furprife, are you mad ? Would you
have him cut to pieces in the midft of 20,000 of
his countrymen ? Would you be dimmenia, that is,
guilty of the blood of all the province of Tigre,
through vs^hich you mud go in your way home ?"
*' Juil the contrary, faid I, nobody has fo great a
right over the Ras's anger as I have, being the
perfon injured ; and, as you and I can get accefs to
Ozoro E'lher when we pleafe, let us go immedi-
ately thither, and flop the progrefs of this affair
while it is not yet generally known. People that
talk of my being wounded expe£l »to fee me, I fup-
pofe, without a leg or an arm. When they fee me
fo early riding in the (treet, all will pafs for a (lory
as it fnould do. Would you wifli to pardon him en-
tirely ?"' — " That goes againfl: my heart, too, fays
Aylo, he is a bad man." — " My good 'fi-iend, faid
I, be in this guided by me, I know we both think
the fame thing. If he is a bad man, he was a bad
man betcre I knew him. You know vvhat you told
me yourfelf of the Ras's jealoufy of him. What if
he was to revenge his own wrongs, under pretence
of giving me fatisfattion for mine ? Come, lofe no
time, get upon your mule, go with me to Ozoro
Eftlier, I will anfwer for the confequences."

We arrived there ; the Ras was not fitting in
judgment, he had drank hard the night before, on
occafion of Powufien's marriage, and was not in
bed \\hen the ftory of the fray reached him. We
found Ozoro Euher in a violent anger and agitation,
which, was much alleviated by my laughing. On
her aikingj me about my wound, which had been
xeprefeuted to her as dangerous, *'• I am afraid,

. faid

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 569

faid I, poor Guebra Mafcal is worfe wounded than
I.'* ** Is he wounded too ? fays fhe ; I hope it is
in his heart." " Indeed, replied I, Madam, there
are no wounds on either fide. He was Yery drunk,
and I gave him feveral blows upon the face as he
deferved, and he has already got ail the chaftifement
he ought to have j it was all a piece of folly.'*
*' Prodigious ! fays fhe ; is this fo ?" " It is fo, fays
Aylo, and you (liall hear it all byand-by, only let
us flop the propagation of this foolifhftory.**

The Ras in the inftant fent for us. He was naked,
fitting on a ftool, and a Have fwathing up his lame
leg wiih a broad belt or bandage. I afked him
calmly and pleafantly if I could be of any fervice to
him ? He looked at me with a grin, the moft ghaflly
I ever faw, as half difpleafed. " What! fays he,
are you all mad? Aylo, what is the matter between
him and that mifcreant Guebra Mafcal ?" —
" Why, faid I, I am come to tell you that my
felf; why do you ail-: Ayto Aylo? Guebra Maf-
cal got drunk, was infolent and (truck me. I was
fober, and beathira, as you will fee by his face ; and
I have now come to you to fay I am forry that I lifted
my hand againft your nephew; but he was in the.
wrong, and drunk ; and I thought it was better to
chaftife him onthe fpot, than truft him to you, who
perhaps might take the affair to heart, for we all
know your juftice, and that being your relation is
no excufe when you judge between man and man,
*' I order you, Aylo, fays Michael, as you elteem
my friendfliip, to tell me the truth,' really as it was,
smd without difguife or concealment."

Aylo

g^O TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Aylo began accordingly to relate the whole^hiftor^^j.
when a fervant called me out to Ozoro Sfther.
I found with her another nephew of the Ras, a
much better man, called Welleta Selafle, who came
froni Kefla Yafous, and Guebra Mafcal himfelf,
defiring I would forgive and intercede for him, for
it was a drunken quarrel without malice. Ozoro
Eflher had told him part. " Come in with me,
faid I, and you fhall fee I never will leave the Ras
till he forgive him." " Let him punifli him, fays
Welleta Selaffe, he is a bad man, but don't let the
Ras either kill or maim him.'* " Come, faid I,
let us go to the Ras, and he fhall neither kill, maim,
nor punifii him, if I can help it. It is my firft re-
queft ; if h^e refufes me, I will return to Jidda j come
and hear.'*

Aylo had urged the thing home to the Ras in the
proper light — that of my fafety. " You are a wife
man, fays Michael, now perfedly cool, as foon as he
faw me and Welleta Selaffe, It is a man like you
that goes far in fafety, which is the end we all aim
at. I feel the affront offered you more than you
do, but will not have the puni(hment attributed to
-you ; this affair fhall turn to your honour and fe-
cuiity, and in that light only I can pafs over his in-
folence." ^^ Welleta Selaffe, fays he, falling into a
violent paffion in an inftant, What fort of behaviour
is this my men have adopted with ffrr^ngers ? and
my Jiranger, too, and in the king's palace, and the
king's fervant ? What ! am I dead ? or become in-
capable of governing longer ?" Welleta Selaffe bow-
ed, but was afraid to fpeak, and indeed the Ras
loc.ked like a fiend.

*' Gon-.e,

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 5^1

** Come, fays the Ras, let me fee your head.'*
Ifhewed him where the blood was already hardened,
and faid it was a very flight cut, " A cut, con^
tinued Michael, over that part, with one of our
knives, is mortal.*' " You fee. Sir, faid I, I have
not everf dipt the hair about the wound ; it is no-
thing. Now give me your promife you will fet
Guebra Mafcal at liberty ; and not only that, but
you are not to reproach him with the affair further
than that he was drunk, not a crime in this coun-
try." " No, truly, fays he, it is not ; but that is,
becaufe it is very rare that pe:-ple fight with knives
when they are drunk. I fcarce ever heard of it,
even in the camp." '* I fncy, faid I, endeavouring
to give a light turn to the converfation, they have
not often wherewithal to get drunk m your camp."
Not this lafl year, fays he, laughing, there were no
houfes in the country." " But let me only merit,
faid I, Welleta Selaffe's friend^ip by making hini
the meffenger of good news to Guebra Mafcal, that
Jie is at liberty, and you have forgiven him." " At
Jiberty! fays he, Where is he.?" "In your houfe,
faid I, fomewhere in irons." *• That is Efther's
intelligence, continued Ras; thefe women! ell you
all their fecrets, but when I remember your beha-
%'iour to them I do not wonder at it, and that con-
sideration likewife obliges me to grant what you afk.
Go, Welleta Selafie, and free that dog from his col-
lar, and direct him to go to Welleta Michael, who
will give him his orders to levy the meery in Wog-
gora ; let him not fee my face till he returns.

Ozoro Efther gave us'breakfaft, to which feveral
of the Greeks came. After which I went to Kof-

cam.

C>1Z TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

cam, where I heard a thoufand curfes upon Guebra
Mafcal. The whole affair was tiow made up, and
the king was acquainted with the iflue of it. I ftood
in my place, where he {hewed me very great marks
of favour ; he was grave, however, and forrowful,
as if mortified with what had happened. The king
ordered me to fiay and dine at the palace, and he
would fend me my dinner. I tiiere fawthefonsof
Kafmati Efiite, Aylo, and Engedan, and two WeU
leta Selaffes ; one the fon of Tecla Mariam, the other
the fon of a great nobleman in Goiam, all young men,
with whom I lived ever after in perfefl familiarity
and friendship. The two lafi: were my brethren
Baalomaal, or gentlemen of the king's bed-chamber.
They all feemed to have taken my caufe to heart
more than I- wiihed them to do, for fear it fliould
be productive of fome new quarrel. For my own
part, Inever wasfo dejeded in my life. The trou»
blefome profped before me prefented itfelf day g^d
night. I more than twenty times refolved to return
by Tigre, to which I was more inclined by the lofs
of a young man who accompanied me through Bar-
bary, and affifled me in the drawings of architecture
which Imiade for the king there, part of which he
was ftill advancing here when a dyfentery^ which had
attacked him in Arabia Felix, put an end to his
life* at Gondar. A confiderable diflurbance was
apprehended upon burying him in. a church-yard.
Abba Salama ufed his utmoft endeavours to raife
the populace and take him out of bis grave; but

* See IntroduAion.

fome

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 573

fome exertions of the Ras quieted both Abba Salama
and the tumults.

I began, however, to look upOn every thing now
as full of difficulty and danger; and, from this con-
ftant fretting and defpondency, I found my health
much impaired, and that I was upon the point of
becoming ferioufly ill. There was one thing that
contributed in fome meafure to diffipate thefe me-
lancholy thoughts, which was, that all Gondar v.as
in one fceneof feftivity. Ozoro Ayabdar, daughter
of the late Welled Hawaryat, by Ozoro Altafh,
Ozoro Eflher's filier, and the Iteghe's youngeft
daughter, confequently grand-daughter to Michael,
was married to Powuffen, now governor of Begem-
der. The king gave her large diftrids of land in
that province, and Ras Michael a large portion of
gold, mufkets, cattle, and horfes. All the town, that
wilhed to be well-looked upon by either party,
brought fomething confiderableas aprefent.' The
Ras, Ozoro Efther, and Ozoro Altafh, enter-
tained all Gondar. A vaft number of cattle was
flaughtered every day, and the ^hole town looked
■ like one great market ; the common people, in
every ftreet, appearing loaded with pieces of
raw beef, while drink circulated in the fame pro-
portion. The Ras infilled upon my dining wfth
him every day, when he was fure to give me a
headach with the quantity of mead, or bydromel,
he forced me to fwallow, a liquor that never agreed
with me from the firft day to the lait.

After dinner we Dipt away to parties of ladies,
where anarchy prevailed as complete as at the houfe
of the Ras. All the married women ate, drank,

and

t^^j4r Travels to discover

and fmoaked like the men ; and it is impolTible £d
convey to the reader anv idea of this bacchana"
Jiarl fcene in terms of common decency. I found it
neceflary to quit this riot for a fhort time, and ge£
leave to breathe the frelh air of the country, at fuch
a diftance as that, once a day, or once in two days,-
I might be at the palace, and avoid theconftant fuc-
ceffiori of thofe violent fcenes of debauchery of which
no European can form any idea, and which it was
impoffible to efcape, even at Kofcam.

Although the king's favour, the pi'ote^iion of the
Ras, andniy obliging, attentive and lowly behaviour
to every body had made me as popular as I could wilh
at Gondar, and among the Tigrans fully as much as
thofe of Amhara, yet it was eafy to perceive that
thecaufe of my quarrel with G'viebra Mafcal was not
yet forgot.

One day, when I was {landing by the king in the
palace, he afked, in difcourfe, " Whether I, tooj'
was r?ot drunk in the quarrel with Guebra Mafcal,
before we came to blows V* and upon my faying that
I was perfe£lly foberj both before and after, becaufe
Anthule's red uine was finilhed, and I never willingly
drank hydromel, or mead, he afeed with a degree
of keennefs, " Did you then foberly fay to Guebra
Mafcal, that an end of a tallow candle, in a gun
in your hand, would do more execution than an
iron bullet in his ?"— " Certainly, Sir, I did fo."
— ^" And why did you fay this?" fays the king
dryly enough, and in a manner I had not before
obferved. " Becaufe, replied I, it was truth, and a
proper ifeproof to a vain man, who, whatever emi-
nence he might have obtained in a country like this^
has not knowledge enough to entitle him to the

trufB

THE SOt'RCE OF THE NILE. g^J

ttiift of cleaning a gun in mine." — " O! ho! con-
tinued the king ; as for his knowledge I am not
fpeaking of that, but about his gun. You will not
perfuade me that with a tallow candle, you can kill a
man or a horfe." — " Pardon me, Sir, fald I, bowing
Very refpedfully, I will attempt to perfuade you of
nothing but what you pleafe to be convinced of:"
Guebra Mafcal is my equal no more, you are my
ihafter, and, while I am at your court, under your
proteftion, you are in place of my fovereign, it
would be great prefutnption in me to argue with you,
or lead to a converfation againft an opinion that
you profefs you are already fixed in." — " No, no^
fays he, with an air of great kindnefs^ by no means,
i was only afraid you would expofe yourfelf before
bad people ; what you fay to me is nothing." —
** And what I fay to you. Sir, has always been as
fcrupuloully true as if I had been fpeaking to' the
king my native fovereign and mafter. Whether
I can kill a man with a candle, or not, is an experi-
ment that (hould not be made. Tell me, however,
what I fhall do before you that you may deem art
equivalent? Will piercifig the table, upon which your
dinner is ferved, (it was of fycamore, about three
quarters of an inch thick), at the lengih of this room,
be deemed a fufficient proof of what I advanced?'*
" Ah, Yagoube, Yagoube, fays the king, take
care what you fay. That is indeed more than Gue-
bra Mafcal will do at that diftance ; but take great
care ; you dont know thefe people ; they will He
themfelves all day ; nay, their w^hole life is one lie •
but of you they exped better, or would be glad to
find worfe j take care." Ayto Engedan, who was

then

57^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

then prerent, faid, " I am fare ifYagoube fays he
can do it, he will do it; but how, . I don't know.
Can you fiioot through my (hield with a tallow
candle ?" — " To you, Ayto Engedan, faid I, I can
fpeak freely ; I could {hoot through your (liield if
it was the ftrongefl in the army, and kill the (Irongeft
man in the army that held it before him. When
will you fee this tried ?" — " Why now fays the
king ; there is nobody here^ — " The fooner the
better, faid i ; I would not wifli to remain for a
moment longer under fo difagreeable an imputation
as that of lying, an infamous one inmy country,
whatever it may be in this.- Let me fend for my.
gun ; the king will look out at the window." —
" Nobody^ fays he, knows any thing of it j nobody

will co?}ie.**

The king appeared to be very anxious, and, I faw
plainly, incredulous. The gun was brought ; En-
gedan's fl:!ield was produced, which was of a flrong
buffalo's bide. I faid to him, " This is a weak one^
give me one ftronger." He fliook his head, and
faid," Ah, Yagoube, you'll find it (Irong enough ;
Engedan's (liield is known to be no toy." Tecla
Mariam brought fuch a (liield, and the Billetana
Gueta Tecla another, both of which were mod ex-
cellent in their kind. I loaded the gun before them,
firfl: with powder, then upon it fiid down one half
of what we call a farthing candle ; and, having beat
off the handles of three (hields, I put them clofe
in conta£l with each other, and fet them all three
again ft a poll.

Now, Engedan, faid I, when you pleafe fay— •
Fire ! but mind you have taken leave of your good

Ihield

THE SOUilCE OF THE NILF. 577

Ihield for ever." The word was given, and the
gun fired. It ftruck the three fliields, neither in
the moft difficult nor the eafiefl: place for perforation,
fomething lefs than half way between the rim and
the bofs. The candle went through the three (liields
with fuch violence that it dalhed itfelf'to a thou-
fand pieces againfl: a flone-wall behind it. I turned
to Engedan, faying very lowly, gravelj", and with-
out exultation or triumph, on the contrary with
abfolute indifterence, " Did not I tell -you your
Ihield was naught ?" A great fhout of applaufe
followed from about a thoufand people that were
gathered together. The three fhields were carried
to the king, who exclaimed in great tranfport, I did
not believe it before I faw it, and I can fcarce be-
lieve it now I have feen it. Where is Guebra Maf-
caPs confidence now ? But what do either he or
we know? We know nothing." I thought he
looked abafhed.

" Ayto Engedan, fkiid I, we mufl have a touch
at that table. It was faid the piercing that was
more than Guebra Mafcal could do. We have onci
half of the candle left dill j it is the thinnefl:, weakeft
half, and I fliall put the wick foremofl, becaufe the
cotton is fofteft." The table being now properly
placed, toEngedan's utmofl: afloniflmient the candle,
with the wick forehioft, went through the table, as
Ihe other had gone through the three fhields. " By
St. Michael ! fays Engedan, Yagoube, hereafter fay
to me you can raife my father Eflitc from the grave,
and I will believe you." Some priefts who were
there, though furprifed at fir ft, feemed afterward to
treat it rather lightly, becaufe they thought it below
Vol. III. Pp their

578 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

their dignity to be furprifed at any thing. They faid
it was done (mucktoub) by writing, by which they
meant magic. Every body embraced that opinion
as an evident and rational one, and fo the wonder
with them ceafed. But it was not fo with the king :
It made the mod favourable and lading impreffion
upon his mind ; nor did I ever after fee in his coun-
tenance, any marks either of doubt or diffidence,
but always, on the contrary, the mod decifive
proofs of frienddiip, confidence, and attention, and
the mod implicit belief of every thing I advanced
upon any fubjed from my own knowledge.

The experiment was twice tried afterwards in
prefence of Ras Michael. But he would not rifk
his good diields, and always produced the table,
faying, " Engedan and thofe foolifli boys were
rightly ferved ; they thought Yagoube was a liar
like themfelves, and they lod their fhields ; but I
believed him, and gave him my table for curiofity
only, and fo I faved mine.*'

As I may now fay I was fettled in this country,
and had an opportunity of being informed of the
manners, government, and prefent date of it, I fhall
here inform the reader of what I think mod worthy
his attention, whether ancient or modern, while we
are yet in peace, before we are called out to a cam-
paign or war, attended with every difad vantage,
danger, and fource of confufion.

CH4P.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE, 579

CHAP. X.

Geographical Divlfwn ofAhyJfinia into Pro'vinces,

A

T Mafuah, that Is, on the coaft of the Red
Sea, begins an imaginary divifion of. Abyflinia into
two, which is rather a divifion of language than
ftridlly to be underftood as territorial. The firfl
divifion is called Tigre, between the Red Sea and
the river Tacazze. Between that river and the
Nile, weft ward, where it bounds the Galla, it is
called Afnhara.

Whatever convenience there may be from this
divifion, there is neither geographical nor hiftorical
precifion in it, for there are many little provinces
included in the firfl: that do not belong toTigre;
and, in the fecond divifion, which is Atiihara, that
which gives the name is but a very fmall part of it.

Again, in point of language, there is a variety of
tongues fpoken in the fecond divifion befides that of
Amhara. In Tigre, however, the feparation as to
languages holds true, as there is no tongue known
there but Geez, or that of the Shepherds.

Mafuah, in ancient times, was one of the princi-
pal places of refidence of the Baharnagafli, who,
when he was not there himfelf, conftantly left his
deputy, or lieutenant. In fummer he refided for
feveral months in the ifland of Dahalac, then ac-
counted part of his territory. He was, after the
King and Betwudet, the perfon of the greatefl: con-

P p 2 fideration

580 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

fideration in the kingdom, and was invefted with
fendick and nagareet, the kettle-drum, and colours,
marks of fupreme command. 1

Mafuah was taken, and a bafha eflablifhed there
foon after, as we have feen in the hiftory, in the
reign ofMenas, when the Baharnagafh, named Ifaac,
confederated with the Turkifh bafha, and ceded to
him a great territory, part of his own government,
and with it Dobarwa, the capital of his province,
divided only by the river Mareb from Tigre. From
this time this office fell into difrepute in the king-
dom. The fendick and nagareet, the marks of fu-
preme power, were taken from him, and he never
was allowed a place in council, unlefs fpecially
called on by the king. He preferves his privilege
of being crowned with gold j but, when appointed?
has a cloak thrown over him, the one fide white,
the other a dark blue, and the officer who crowns
him admonilhes him of what will befal him if he
preferves his allegiance, which is fignified by the
*ti\'hite fide of the cloak ; and the difgrace and pu-
•liifhment that is to attend his treafon, and which
has fallen upon his predeceflbrs, which he figures
to him by turning up the colour of mourning.

Befides the dignity attending this office, it was
alfo one of the moft lucrative. Frankincenfe, myrrh,
and a fpecies of cinnamon, called by the Italians
Cannella, with feveral kinds of gums and dyes, all
very precious, from Cape Gardefan to Bilur, were
the valuable- produce of tljis country : but this ter-
ritory, though confiderable in length, is not of any
great breadth ; for, from fouth of Hadea to Mafuah,
it confifts in a belt feldoni above forty miles from

the

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 581

the fea, which is bounded by a ridge of very high
mountains running parallel to the Indian Ocean and
the Red Sea, as far as Mafuah.

After Azab begin the mines of foffile fait, which,
cut into fquare, folid bricks of about a foot long,
ferve in place of the filver currency in Abyffmia ;
and from this, as from a kind of mint, great benefit
accrues alfo.

From Mafuah the fame narrow belt continues to
Suakem ; nay, indeed, though the rains do not reach
fo far, the mountains continue to the Ifthmus of
Suez. This ncrthern province of the Baharnagafh
is called the Habab, or the land of the Agaazi, or
Shepherds ; they fpeak one language, which they
call Geez, or the language of the Agaazi. From
the earlieft times, they have had letters and writing
among them ; and no other has ever been introduced
into Abyflinia, to this day, as we have already ob-
ferved.

Since the expulfion of the Turks from Dobarvva
and the continent of Abyflinia, Mafuah has been go-
verned by a Naybe, himfelf one of the Shepherds^
but Mahometan. A treaty formerly fubfilled, that
the king fliould receive half of the revenue of the
cultom-houfe in Mafuah ; in return for which he was
fuifered to enjoy that fmall fl:ripe of barren, dry
country called Samhar, Inhabited by black fhepherds
called Shiho, reaching from Hamazen on the north
to the foot of the mountain Taranta on the fouth ;
but, by the favour of Michael, that ^, by bribery
and corruption, he has poiTefled himfelf of two large
frontier towns, Dixan and Dobarwa, by leafe, for a
trifling fum, which he pays the king yearly 5 this

mufl:

585 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

mull neceflarily very much weaken this flate, if it
fliould ever again have war with the Turks, of which
indeed there is no great probability.

The next province in Abyffinia, as well for great-
nefs as riches, power, and dignity, and neareft Ma-
fuah, is Tigre. It is bounded by the territory of
the Baharnagafh, that is, by the river Mareb on
the eaft, and the Tacazze upon the weft. It is about
one hundred and twenty miles broad from E. to
W. and two hundred from N. to S. This is its
prefent fituation. The hand of ufurping power has
abolifhed all diftindion on the weft-fide of the Ta-
cazze ; befides,. many large governments, fuch as
Enderta and Antalow, and great part of the Bahar-
nagafli, were fwallowed up in this province to the
eaft.

What, in a fpecial manner, makes the riches of
Tigre, is, that it lies neareft the market, which is
Arabia ; and all the merchandife deftined to crofs
the Red Sea muft pafs through this province, fo that
•the governor has the choice of all commodities
wherewith to make his market. The ftrongeft male,
the moft beautiful female Haves, the pureft gold, the
largeft teeth of ivory, all muft pafs through his hand.
Fire-arms, moreover, which for many years have
decided who is the moft powerful in Abyftinia, all
thefe come from Arabia, and not one can be pur-
chafed without his knowing to whom it goes, and
after his having had the firft refufal of it.

Sire J a province about twenty-five miles broad,
and not much more in length, is reckoned as part
of Tigre alfo, but this is not a new ufurpation. It
loft the rank of a province, and was united to Tigre

for

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 583

for the mifbehaviour of its governor Kafmati Clau-
dius, in an expedition againfl the Shangalla in the
reign of Yafous the Great. In my time, it began
again to get into reputation, and was by Ras Mi-
chael's own confent disjoined from his province,
and given fir ft to his fon Welled Ha wary at, together
with Samen, and, after his death, to Ay to Tesfos,
a very amiable man, gallant foldier, and good
officer J who, fighting bravely in the king's fervice
at the battle of Serbraxos, was there wounded and
taken prifoner and died of his wounds afterwards.

After paffing the Tacazze, the boundary between
Sire and Samen, we come to that mountainous pro-
vince called by the laft name. A large chain of
rugged mountains, where is the Jews Rock, (w^ich
I fhall often mention as the higheft), reaches from
the fouth of Tigre down near to Waldubba, the
low, hot country that bounds Abyffiniaon the north.
It is about 80 miles in length, in few places 30
broad, and in fome much lefs. It is in great part
pofleffed by Jews, and there Gideon and Judith, king
and queen of that nation, and, as they fay, of the
houfe^of Judah, maintain ftill their ancient fove-
reignty and religion from very early times.

On the N. E. of Tigre lies the province of Be-
gemder. It borders upon Angot, whofe governor
is called Angot Ras ; but the whole province now,
excepting a few villages, is conquered by the Galla.

It has Amhara, which runs parallel to it, on the
fouth, and is feparated from it by the river Bafhilo.
Both thefe provinces are bounded by the river Nile on
the weft. Begemder is about 180 miles in its greateft
length, and 60 in breadth, comprehending Lafta, a

mountainou s

584 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

mountainous province, fometimes depending on Be-
gemder, but often in rebellion. The inhabitants
are efteemed the befl foldiers in Abyffinia, men of
great ftrength and ilature, but cruel and uncivilized ;
fo that they are called, in common converfation and
writing, the peafants, or barbarians of Lafta j they
pay to the king 1000 ounces of gold.

Several fmall provinces are now difmembered
from Begemder, fuch as Foggora, a fmall flripe
reaching S. and N. about 35 miles between Em-
frafs and Dara, and about 12 miles broad from E.
to W. from the mountains of Begemder to the lake
Tzana. On the north end of this are two fmall go-
vernments, Dreeda and Karoota, the only territory
in Abyifinia that produces wine, the merchants trade
to Caffa and Narea, in the country of the Galla.
We fpeak of thefe territories as they are in point of
right ; but when a nobleman of great power is go-
vernor of the province of Begemder, he values not
ieffer rights, but unites them all to his province.

Begemder is the flrength of Abyffinia in horfe-
men. It is faid, that, with Lafta, it can bring out
45,000 men ; but this, as far as ever I could inform
myfelf, is a great exaggeration. They are exceed-
ing good foldiers when they are pleafed with their
crencral, and the caufe for which they fight; other-
. wife, they are eafily divided, great many private
interefts being continually kept alive, as it is
thought induftriouily, by government itfeif. It is
well ftocked with cattle of every kind, all very
beautiful. The mountains are full of iron-mines ;
they are not fo fteep and rocky nor fo frequent, as

in

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. gS^

in other provinces, If we except only Lafta, and
abound in all fort of wild fowl and game.

The fouth end of the province near Nefas Mufa
is cut into prodigious gullies apparently by floods,
of which we have ilo hiftory. It is the great barrier
againft the encroachments of the Galla; and, by
many attempts, they have tried to make a fettlement
in it, but all in vain. Whole tribes of them have
been extinguiflied in this their endeavour.

In many provinces of Abyflinia, favour is the
only neceflary to procure the government j others
are given to poor noblemen, that, by fleecing the
people, they may grow rich, and repair their fortune.
But the confequence of Begemder is fo well known
to the flate, as reaching fo near the metropolis, and
fupplying it fo confl:antly with all forts of piovifions,
that none but noblemen of rank, family, and cha-
racter, able to maintain a large number of troops
always on foot, and in good order, are trufl:ed with
its government.

Immediately next to this is Amhara, between the
two rivers Bafliilo and Geflien. The length of this
country from E. to W, is about 120 miles, and its
breadth fomething more than 40. It is a very
mountainous country, full of nobility ; the men
are reckoned the handfomefl in Abyffinia, as well
as the bravefl:. With the ordinary arms, the lance
and fiiield, they are thought to be fuperior to dou-
ble the number of any other foldiers in the king-
dom* What, befides, added to the dignity of this
province, was the high mountain of Gefhen, or
the grafly mountain, v/hereon the king's fons were

formerly

586 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

formerly imprifoned, till furprifed and murdered
there in the Adelan war.

Between two rivers Gefhen and Samba, is a low,
unwholefome, though fertile province, called Wa-
laka ; and fouthward of that is Upper Shoa. ITiis
province, or kingdom, was famous for the retreat
it gave to the only remaining prince of the houfe
of Solomon, who fled from the malTacre of his
brethren by Judith, about the year 900, upon the
rock of Damo. Here the royal family remained
in fecurity, and increafed in number, for near 400
years, till they were reflored. From thenceforward,
as long as the king refided in . the fouth of his
dominions, great tendernefs and diftindion was
Ihewn to the inhabitants of this province; and
when the king returned again to Tigre, he aban-
doned them tacitly to their own government,

Amba Yalbus, prince at this day, and lineal de-
fcendant of the governor who firfl acknowledged
the king, is now by connivance fovereign of that
province. In order to keep himfelf as independent
and feparate from the reit of Abyffinia as poflible,
he has facrificed the province of Walaka, which be-
longed to him, to the Galla, who, by his own de-
fire, have furrounded Shoa on every fide. But it
is full of the braved, bed horfemen, and beft ac-
coutred beyond all comparifon of any in Abyfllnia,
and, when they pleafe, they can difpoflefs the Galla.
Safe and independent as the prince of Shoa now is,
he is ftill the loyalift, and the friend to monarchy
he ever was ; and, upon any fignal diftrefs happen-
ing to the king, he never failed to fuccour him
powerfully with gold and troops, far beyond the

(juota

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 587

quota formerly due from his province. The Shoa
boafts, likewife, the honour of being the native
country of Tecia Haimanout, reftorer of the line
of Solomon, the founder of the monaftery and or-
der of the monks of Debra Libanos, and of the
power and wealth of the Abuna, and the clergy in
general, of Abyflinia.

Gojam, from north-eaft to fouth-eaft, is about
80 miles in length, and 40 in breadth. It is a very
flat country, and all in pafture ; has few mountains,
but thefe are very high ones, and are chiefly on th'e
banks of the Nile, to the fouth, which river fur-
rounds the province ; fo that, to a perfon who Ihould
walk round Gojam, the Nile would be always on
his left hand, from where it went fouth, falling out
of the lake Tzana, till it turns north through Fa-
•zuclo into the country of Sennaar and Egypt.

Gojam is full of great herds of cattle, the largeft
in the high parts of Abyflinia. The men are in
the lowefl: efteem as foldiers, but the country is very
populous. The Jefuits were fettled in many convents
throughout the province, and are no where half fo
much detefl:ed. The monks of Gojam are thofe of
St. Euftathius, which may be called the Low Church
of Abyflinia. They are much inclined to turbulence
in religious matters, and are, therefore, always
made tools by diicontented people, who have no
religion at all.

On the fouth-eaft of the kingdom of Gojam is
Damot. It is bounded by the Temci on the eaft,
by the Gult on the weft, by the Nile on the fouth,
and by the high mountains of Amid Amid on the
north. It is about 40 miles in length from north

to

^88 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

to fouth, and fomething more than 20 in breadth
from eafl: to weft. But all this peninfula, furround-
ed with the river, is called Gojam, in general terms,
from a line down through the fouth end of the lake '
to Mine, the pafTage of the Nile in the way to
Narea. ^

It is furprifmg the Jefuits, notwithftanding their
long abode in Gojam, have not known where this
neighbouring country of Damot was fituated, but
have placed it fouth of the Nile. They were often,
however, in Damot, when Sela Chriftos was attempt-
ing the conqueft and converfion of the Agows.

On the other fide of Amid Amid is the province
of the Agows, bounded by thofe mountains on the
eaft ; by Bure and Umbarma, and the country of
the Gongas, on the weft ; by Damot and Gafat
upon the fouth, and Dingleber on the north.

All thofe countries from Abbo, fuch as Goutto,
Aroofi, and Wainadega, were formerly inhabited
by Agows ; but, partly by the war with the Galla
beyond the Nile, partly by their own conftant rebel-
lions, this territory, called Maitllia, which is the
flat country on both fides of the Nile, is quite un-
inhabited, and at laft hath been given to colonies
of peaceable Galla, chiefly Djawi, who fill the whole
low country to the foot of the mountains Aforma-
fha, in place of the Agows, the firft occupiers.

Maitflia, from the flatnefs^ of the country, not
draining foon after the rains, is in all places wet, but
in many, miry and marftiy ; it produces little or
no corn, but depends entirely upon a plant called
Enfete *, which , furniflies the people both with

* See the article enfete in the appendix.

"whole-

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 5S9

wholefome and delicate food throughout the year.
For the reft, this province abounds in large fine
cattle, and breeds fome indifferent horfes.

Upon the mountains, above Maitfha, is the coun-
try of the AgoviTs, the richeft province ftill in Abyf-
finia, notwithftanding the multitude of devaftations
it has fuffered. They lie round the country above
defcribed, from Aformafha to Quaquera, where are
the heads of two large rivers, the Kelti and Branti.
Thefe are called the Agovv^s of Damot, from their
nearnefs to that province, in contradiftin(5tion to
the Agows of Lafta, who are called Tcheratz-Agow,
from Tcheva, a principal town, tribe, and diftrift
near Lafta and Begemder.

The Gafats, inhabiting a fmall diftrid adjoining
to the Galla, have alfo diftind languages, fo have
the Galla themfelves, of whom we have often fpoken ;
they are a large nation.

. From Dingleber all along the lake, below the
mountains bounding Guefgue and Kuara, is called
Dembea. This low province on the fouth of Gon-
dar, and Woggora the fmall high province on the
eaft, are all fown with wheat, and are the granaries
of Abyftinia. Dembea feems once to have been
occupied entirely by the lake, and we fee all over if
marks that cajmot be miftaken, fo that this large
extent of water is vifibly upon the decreafe; and
this agrees with what is obferved of ftagnant pools
in general throughout the world. Dembea is called
Atte-Kolla, the king^s food, or maintenance, its pro-
duce being affigned for the fupplying of tho king's
houfliold. It is governed by an officer called Can-
tibaj it is a lucrative poft j but he is not reckoned

one

590 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

one of the great officers of the empire, and has no
place in council.

South from Dembea is Kuara, a very mountain-
ous province confining upon the Pagan blacks, or
Shangalla, called Gongas and Guba, the Macrobii
of the ancients. It is a very unwholefome province,
but abounding in gold, not of its own produce,
but that of its neighbourhood, thefe Pagans — Guba,
Nuba, and Shangalla. Kuara fignifies the fun, and
Beja (that is Atbara, and the low parts of Sennaar,
the country of the Shepherds, adjoining) fignifies
the moon, in the language of thefe Shangalla. Thefe
names are fome remains of their ancient fuperflitions.
Kuara was the native country of the Iteghe, or
queen-regent, of Kafmati Efhte, Welled de I'Oul,
Gueta, Eufebius, and Palambaras Mammo.

In the low country of Kuara, near to Sennaar,
there is a fettlement of Pagan blacks called Ganjar.
They are moftly cavalry, and live entirely by hunt-
ing and plundering the Arabs of Atbara and Fazu-
clo. Their origin is this : Upon the invafion of
the Arabs after the coming of Mahomet, the black
flaves deferred from their mafters, the Shepherds,
and took up their habitation, where they have not
confiderably multiplied, otherwife than by the ac-
cefTion of vagrants and fugitives, whom they get
from both kingdom.s. They are generally under the
command of the governor of Kuara, and were fo
when I was in AbyfTinia, though they refufed to fol^
low their governor Coque Abou Barea to fight
againfl Michael, but whether from fear or affedion
I know not j I believe the former.

The

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. '591

The governor of Kiiara Is one of the great officers
of ftate, and, being the king's lieutenant-general,
has abfolute power in his province, and carries fen-
dick and nagareet. His kettle-drums are filver, and
his privilege is to beat thefe drums even in marching
through the capital, which no governor of a pro-
vince is permitted to do, none but the king's naga-
reets or kettle-drums being fuffered to be beat there,
. or any where in a town where the king is ; but the
governor of Kuara is intirled to continue beating his
drums till he comes to the foot of the outer (lair of
the king's palace. This privilege, from fome good
behaviour of the firft officer to whom the command
was given, was conferred upon the pod by David
II. called Degami Daid,.who conquered the province
from the Shepherds, its old inhabitants.

Nara, and Ras el Feel, Tchelga, and on to Tcher-
kin, is a frontier wholly inhabited by Mahometans,
its government is generally given to a ftranger, often
to a Mahometan, but one of that faith is always de-
puty-governor. The ufe of keeping troops here is
to defend the friendly Arabs and Shepherds, who
remain in their allegiance to Abyffinia, from-the
refentment of the Arabs of Sennaar, their neigh-
bours ; and, by means of thefe friendly Arabs and
Shepherds, fecure a conflant lupply of horfcs for
the king's troops. It is a barren (Iripe of a very
hot, unwholefome country, full of thick woods, and
fit only for hunting. The inhabitants, fugitives
from all nations, are chiefly Mahometans, but very
bold and expert horfemen, ufmg no other weapon
but the broad fword, with'which they attack the
elephant and rhinoceros.

There

59^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

There are many other fmall provin'ces, which pc-
cafionally are annexed, and fonietimes are feparated,
fuch as Guefgue, to the eaftward of Kuara ; Wal-
dubba, between the rivers Guangue and Angrab ;
Tzegadeand Walkayt on the weft fide of Waldubba;
Abergale and Selawa in the neighbourhood of Be-
gemder; Temben, Dobas, Giannamora, Bur, and
Engana, in the' neighbourhood of Tigre, and many
others : Such at leaft was the ftate of the country in
my time, very diiierent in all refpecls from what it
has been reprefented. As to the precedency of thefe
provinces we fhall further fpeak, when we come
to mention the officers of ftate and internal govern-
ment in this country.

CHAP. xr.

Various Cujloms in Ahyfjinia ftmilar to thofe in Perfta^
iffc. — A bloody Banquet de/cribed, ^c.

OR the fake of regularity^ I fhall here notice
what might clearly be inferred from what is gone
he^r.e. The crown of Abyflinia is hereditary, and
has always been fo, in one particular family, fuppof-
ed to be that of Solomon by the queen of Saba,
Negefta Azab, or queen of the fouth. It is never-
thelefs elective in this line ; and there is no law of
the land, nor cuftom, which gives the eldeft fon an
exclufive ti^le to fuccedS to his father.

The

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 593

The praftice has indeed been quite the contrary :
when, at the death of a king, his fons are old enough
to govern, and, by fome accident, not yet fent pri-
foners to the mountain, then the eldeft, or he that
is next, and not confined, generally takes pofleflion
of the throne by the. llrength of his father's friends ;
but if no heir is then in the low country, the choice
of the king is always according to the will of the
minifter, which pafles for that of the people ; and,
his inclination and intereft being to govern, he never
fails to choofe an infant whom thereafter he direds,
ruling the kingdom abfolutely during the minority,
which generally exhaufts, or is equal to the term
of his life.

From this flow all the misfortunes of this, unhappy
country. This v^y defect arifes from a defire to
inftitute a more than ordinary perfect form of go-
vernment; for the Abyflinians firft pofition was,
*' Woe be to the kingdom whofe king is a child j"
and this they know murfl: often happen when fuc-
cefTion is left to the courfe of nature. But when ,
there was a choice to be made out of two hundred
perfons all of the fame family, all capable of reign-
ing, it was their own fault, they thought, if they
had. not always a prince of a proper age and qua-
lification to rule the kingdom, according to the
neceffities of the times, and to preferve the fuccef-
fion of the family in the houfe of Solomon, agree-
able to the laws of the land. And indeed it has
.been this manner of reafoning, good at firft view,
though found afterwards but too fallacious, which
has ruined their kingdom iwfltft, and^ttn brought
the whole into the utmoft hazard and jeopardy.

Vol. III. C^q The

594 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

The king Is anointed with plain oil of olives,
which, being poured upon the crown of his head,
he rubs into his long hair indecently enough with
both his hands, pretty much as his foldiers do with
theirs when they get accefs to plenty of butter.

The crown is made in the fhape of a prieft's
mitre, or head-piece ; it is a kind of helmet, cover-
ing the Idng's forehead, cheeks, and neck. It is
lined with blue taffety ; the outfide is half gold and
half filver, of the mofl beautiful filligrane work.

The crown, in Joas*s time, was burnt, with part
of the palace, on that day when Ras Michael's dwarf
was (hot in his own houfe before him. The prefent
wasfince made by the Greeks from Smyrna, who
have large appointments Kere, and work with very
great talle and elegance, though they have not near
fo much encouragement as formerly.

Upon the top of the crown was a ball of red glafs,
or chryflal, with feveral bells of different colours
within it. It feems to me to have formerly been no
better than part of the flopper of a glafs-decanter.
Be that as it may, it was loll in Yafous's time at
the defeat of Sennaar. It was found, however, by a
^'^ Mahometan, and brought by Guangoul, chief of

'' the Bertuma Galla, to the frontiers of Tigre, where

Michael, governor of that province, went with an
army in great ceremony to receive it, and, return-
ing with it, gave it to king Yafous, making thereby
a great advance towards the kill's favour.

Some people *, among the other unwarranted
things they have adva|Bced, have faid. That, at the

* Vrd. Le Grande's Hift. of Abyfianla.

king's

1 t^ron^Ti
% Sia/idard
5 S/uxZ-d outsid/'
^Shuld uis/i/r

SJavelins

'7 Si/verDi/c worn onFe/hvah
foltifers of (luaJdy

■<!»

%t

THE SOURCE OF THE N I T E. 59g

king's coronation, a gold ear-ring is put into his
ears, and a drawn fword into his hand, and that all
the people fall down and worfhip him ; but there is
no fuch ceremony in ufe, and exhibitions of this
kind, made by the king in public, at no period feem
to have fuited the genius of this people. Formerly
his face was never feen, nor any part of him, ex-
cepting fometimes his foot. He fits in a kind of
balcony, with lattice-windows and curtains before
him. Even yet he covers his face on audiences or
public occafions, and when in judgment. On cafes
of treafon, he fits within his balcony, and fpeaks
through a hole in the fide of it, to an officer called
Kal-Hatze, the " voice or word of the king,*' by
whom he fends his queftions, or any thing elfe that
occurs, % the judges who are feated at the council-
table.

The king goes to church regularly, his guards
taking poffeffion of every avenue and door through
which he is to.pafs, and nobody is allowed to enter
■v'ith him, becaufe he is then on foot, excepting two
officers of his bed-chamber who fupport him'. He
kilfes the threfhold and fide-pofts of the church-
door, the fteps before the altar, and then returns
home : fometimes' there i^ fervice in the church,
fometimes there is not; but he takes no notice of
the difference. He rides up flairs into the prefence-
chamber on a mule, and lights immediately on the
carpet before his throne; and I have fometimes
feen great indecencies committed by the faid mule
in the prefence-chamber, upon a Perfian carpet.

An officer called SerachMaffery, with a long whip,
begins cracking and making a noife, worfe than twenty

Qjl 2 French

59^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

French poftillions, at the door of the palace before
the dawn of day. This chafes away the hycena and
other wild beafls ; this, too, is the fignal for the
king's rifing, who fits in judgment every morning
faffing, and after that, about eight o'clock, he goes
to breakfaft.

There are fix noblemen of the king's own choof-
ing, who are called Baalomaal*, or gentlemen of
his bed-chamber ; foar of thefe are always with
him. There is a feventh, who. is the chief of thefe,
called Azeleffa'el Camilha, groom of the robe, or
Itole. He is keeper of the king's wardrobe, and
the firft officer of the bed chamber. Thefe officers,
the black flaves, and fome others, ferve him as me-
nial fervants, and are in a degree of familiarity with
him unknown to the reft of the ful>je£rs.

When the king fits to confult upon civil mat-
ters of confequence, he is fhut up in a kind of
box oppofite to the head of the council table.
The perfons that deliberate fit at the table, and,
according to their rank, give their voices, the
youngeit or loweft ofiicer always fpei^iking firft.
The firft that give their votes are the Shalaka, or
colonels of the houfhold troops. The fecond are
the great butlers, men that have the charge of the
king's drink. The third is the Badjerund, or keeper
of the apartment in the palace called the Uon*s houfe;
and after thefe the keeper of the banqueting-houfe.
The neJLt is called Lika Magwafs, an officer that
alwlay^ goes before the king to hinder the preifure

* Baalomaal, which, literacy tianflated, is, Maflcr of hi»
Cffefts, or goods.

cf

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^97

of the crowd. In war, when the king is marching,
he rides conftantly round him at a certain diftance,
and carries his fhield, and his lance ; at lead he
carries a filver fhield, and a lance pointed with the
fame metal, before fuch kings as do not choofe to
expoie their perfon. That, however, was not the
cafe in my time, as the king carried the (hield him-
felf, black and unadorned, of good buffalo's hide,
and his fpear Iharp-pointed with iron. His filver
ornaments were only ufed when the campaign was
ov6r, when thefe were carried by this officer. Great
was the refpefl fhewed formerly to this king in war,*
and even when engaged in battle with rebels, his
own fubjeds.

No prince ever lofl his life in battle till the com-
ing of the Europeans into AbylTmia, when both the
excommunicating and murdering of their foyereigns
feem to have been introduced at the fame time. The
reader will fee, in the courfe of this hiflory, two
inflances of this refped being flill kept up : the
one at the battle of Limjour, where Fafil, pretend-
ing that he was immediately to attack Ras Michael,
defired that the king might be dreifed in his infignia,
left, not being known, he might be llain by the
ftranger Gal!a. The next v/as after the battle of
Serbraxos, where the king was thrice in one day
engaged with the Begerader troops for a confidera.
ble fpace of time. Thefe infignia, or marks of
royalty, are a white horfe, with fmall filver bells at
his head, a fhield of filver, and' a white fillet of
fine filk or muflin, but generally the latter, fome
inches broad, which is tied round the upper part
of the head over his hair, with a large double or

bow-

g9S TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

bow-knot behind, the ends hanging down to the
fmall of his back, or elfe flying in the air.

After the Lika Magwafs comes the Palambaras ;
after him the Fit-Auraris ; then the Gera Kafmati,
and the Kanya Kafmati, their names being derived
from their rank or order in encamping, the ofte on
the right, -the other on the left of the king's tent ;
Kanya and Gera fignifying the right and the left ;
after them the Dakakin Billetana Gueta, or the un-
der chamberlain ; then the fecretary * for the king's
..commands ; after him the right and left Azages, or
generals ; after them Rak Maflery ; after him the
baPaa ; after him Kafmati of Damot, then of Samen,
then Amhara, and, laft of all, Tigre, before whom
flands a golden cup upon a cufliion, and he is called
Nebrit, as being governor of Axum, or keeper of
the law fuppofed to be there.

After the governor of Tigre comes the Acab

Saat, or guardian of the fire, and the chief eccle-

fiaftical officer of the king's houfhold. Some have

faid that this officer was appointed to attend the

king at the time of eating, and that it was his

province to order both meat and drink to be

withdrawn whenever he faw the king inclined to

excefs. If this was really his office, he never ufed

it in my time, nor, as far as I could learn, for feve-

ral reigns before. Befides, no king eats in public

or before any perfon but flaves ; and he never would

chufe that time to commit excefs, in which he

might be controuled by a fubjed, even if it was

that fubj eft's right to be prefent when the king

eats, as it is not,

* Hatze Azaze,

After

THE SOURCE OF THE 'NILE. 599

After the Acab Saat comes the firfl: mafler of the
houfeholdj then the Betwudet, orRas; lafliofall
the king gives his fentence, which is final, and fends
it to the table, from the balcony where he is then
fitting, by the officer called, as afore-mentioned,
Kal-Hatze.

We meet in Abyffinia with various ufages, which
many have hitherto thought to be peculiar to thofe
ancient nations in which they were firfl: obferved ;
others, not fo learned, have thought they originated
in Abyffinia. I ffiall firft take notice of thofe that
regard the king and court.

The kings of Perfia *, like thefe we are fpeaking
of, were eligible in one family only, that of the
Arfacidas, and it was not till that race failed they
chofe Darius. The title of the king of Abyffinia is
King of Kings ; and fuch Daniel f tells us was that
of Nebuchadnezzar. The right of primogeniture
does not fo prevail in Abyffinia as to exclude elec-
tion in the perfon of the younger brothers, and this
was likewife the cafe in Perfia J.

In Perfia § a preference was underflood to be
due to the king's lawful children ; but there were
inftances of the natural child being preferred to the
lawful one. Darius, though a baftard, was pre-
ferred to IfogiuSj Xerxes's lawful fon, and that
merely by the ele£lion of the people. The fame has
always obtained in Abyffinia. A very great part of

* Strabo, lib. xv. p. 783. Jofeph. lib. J^vili. cap. 3. Procop.
lib. i. de Bel. Pers.

•j- Dan. chap. ii. .

X Procop. lib. 1. cap. 1 1.
^ Arrian, lib. ii. cap. 14,

their

6oo TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

their kings are adulterous baflards ; others are the
ifliie of concubines, as we fhall fee hereafter, but
they have been preferred to the crown by the in-
fluence of a party, always under name of the Voice
of the People.

Although the Perfian kings [j had various palaces
to which they removed at diiterent times in the
year, Pafagarda, the metropolis of their ancient kings,
was obferved as the only place for their coronation ;
and this, too, was the cafe of Abyffinia with their
metropolis of Axum.

The next remarkable ceremony in which thefe
two nations agreed, is that of adoration, inviolably
obferved in Abyffinia to this day, as often as you
enter the fovereign's prefence. This is not only
kneeling *, but an abfolute proftration. You firft:
fall upon your knees, then upon the palms of
your hands, then incline your head and body till
your forehead touches the earth ; and, in cafe you
h^ve an anfwer to expe6:, you lie in that pofture
till the king, or fomebody from him, defires you to
rife. This, too, was the cuftom of Perfia ; Arrian f
fays this was firft inftituted by Cyrus, and this was
precifely the pofture in which they adored God,
mentioned in the book of Exodus.

Though the refufal of this ceremony would, in
Abyffinia and Perfia, be looked upon as rebellion
or Infult, yet it feems in both nations to have met
v/ith a mitigation with regard to ftrangers, who have

jl Plut. in Artax. lib. xv. p. 730.

* Lucretius, lib. v. Ovid. Metam.lib. i. Lucian, in Navlg.

}- Arrian, lib. ir. Cap. il. Exod. chap. 4. Matth. chap. 2.

refufed

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. Goi

Tefufed it without giving any offence. I remember a
Mahometan being twice fent by the prince of Mecca
into Abyifinia during my (lay there, who, neither
time, would go farther than to put his hands acrofs
upon his breaft, with no very great inclination of
his head ; and this I faw was not thought fo ex-
traordinary as to give offence, as it ^as all he did
to his own fovereign and mafter.

We read, indeed, of a very remarkable inftancc
of the difpenfing with that ceremony being indi-
redly, yet plainly, refufed in Perfia to ftrangers.
Conon *, the Athenian, had occafion for an inter-
view with Artaxerxes, king of Perfia, upon matters
of great concern to both ftates ; " You ihall be
introduced to the king by me, fays the Perfian
minifter to Conon, without any deJay ; do you only
firft confider with yourfelf, whether it is really of any
confequence that you fliould fpeak with the king
yourfelf, or whether it would not be as well for you
to convey to him, by letter, any" thing you have to
fay; for it is abfolutely neceflary, if you are intro-
duced into the king's prefence; that you fall dowa
upon your face and worfliip hfffi. ■ If this is difa-
greeable or oifenfive to you' -j^iir bufmefs Ihall
neverthelefs be equally well and quickly done by
me.** To which Conon very feafibly replied, " For
my part", it never can be ofFeifiive fo ?ne to (hew
every degree of refped poiTible to the perfon of a
king. I only am afraid that this falutation may be
mifmterpreted by my citizens, who, being themfelves
a fovereign ftate, may look upon this fubmifTion of

* Judln, lib. vi. Omil. Piob.

their

603 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

their ambaflador as a reproach to themfelves, and
inconfiftent with their independency." Conon,
therefore, defired to wave his introduction, and that
his bufinefs might be done by letters, which was
complied with accordingly.

I have already mentioned tranfiently the circum-
ftance of the king not being feen when fitting in
council. The manner of it is this : When he had
bufmefs formerly, he fat conftantly in a room of
his palace, which communicated with the audience
and council by two folding doors or large windows,
the bottom of which were about three fleps from the
ground, Thefe doors, or windows, were latticed
with crofs bars of wood like a cage, and a thin
curtain, or veil of taffety filk was hung within
it ; fo that, upon darkening the inner chamber,
the king faw every perfon in the chamber without,
while he himfelf was not feen at all. Juftin* tells
us, that the perfon of the king of Perfia was hid to
give a greater idea of his majefty ; and under
Deioces, king of the Medes, a law was made that
nobody might look upon the king ; but the con-
flant v/ars in which Abyffinia has been engaged,
fmce the Mahometans tookpoffeffion of Adel, have
occafioned this troublefome cuftom to be wholly
laid afide, unlefs on particular public occafions, and
Ht council, when they are flill obferved with the
ancient ftridnefs. And we find, in the hiftory of
Abyffinia, that the army and kingdom have often
owed their fafety to the perfonal behaviour and cir-
f umflance of the king diflinguifhing and expofmg

* Judlii lib. 2.

himfelf

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 603

hiaifelf in battle, which advantage they murt: have
loft had the ancient cuftoni been obferved. How-
ever, to this day, when he is abroad riding, or
fitting in any of his apartments at home where peo-
ple are admitted, his head and forehead are perfedly
covered, and one of his hands covers his mouth,
fo that nothing but his eyes are feen ; his feet, too,
are always covered.

We learn from Apu'eius, that this was a cuftom
in Perfia ; and this gave an opportunity to the magi
to place Oropaftus, the brother of Cambyfes, upon
the throne, inftead of Merdis who fhould have fuc-
ceeded ; but the covering of the face made the dif-
ference pafs unperceived.

It is the condant practice in Abyffinia to bdfet the
king's doors and windows within his hearing, and
there, from early morning to night, to cryfor juftice
as loud as poflible, in a diftrefled and complaining
tone, and in all the different languages they are
mafters of, in order to their being admitted to have
their fuppofed grievances heard. In a country fo ill
governed as Abyffinia is, and fo perpetually involved
in war, it may be eafily fuppofed there is no w^ant
of people, who have real injuries and violence to
complain of : But if it were not fo, this is fo much
the conftant ufage, that when it happens (as in the
midft of the rainy feafon) that few people can ap-
proach the capital, or ftand without in fueh bad
weather, a fet of vagrants are provided, maintained,
and paid, whofe fole bufmefs it is to cry and lament,
as if they had been really very much injured and
©pprefled ; and this they tell you is for the kino-'s
honour, that he m^y not be lonely by the palace

being

604 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

being too quiet. 1 his, of all their abfurd cuftoms,
was the molt grievous and troublefome to me ; and,
from a knowledge that it was fo, the king, when
he was private, often permitted hlmfelf a piece of
rather odd diverfion to be a royal one.

There would fometimes, while I was bufy in my
room in the rainy feafon, be four or five hundred
people, who all at once would begin, fome roaring
and crying, as if they were in pain, others demanding
juftice, as if they were that moment fuffering, or if
in the inftant to be put to death ; and fome groan-
ing and fobbing as if jufl; expiring ; and this horrid
fymphony was fo artfully performed that no ear
could diftinguifli but that it proceeded from real dif-
trefs. I was often fo furprifed as to /end the fol-
diers at the door to bring in one of them, thinking
him come from the country, to examine who had
injured. him; many a time he was a fervant of my
own, or fome other equally known ; or, if he was
a firanger, upon alking him what misfortune had
befallen him he would anfwer very compofedly.
Nothing was the matter with him ; that he had
been fleeping all day with the horfes ; that hearing
from the foldiers at the door I was retired to my
apartment, he and his companions had come to cry
and make a noife under my window, to do me
honour before the people, for fear I fhould be me-
lancholy, by being too quiet when alone ; and
therefore hoped that I would order them drink,
that they might continue with a little more fpirit.
The violent anger which this did often put me into
did not fail to be punctua'ly reported to the king,
jit which he would laugh heartily ; and he himfelf

was

THE SOURCE OFTHE NILE. 605

was often hid not far off, for the fake of being a
fpeftator of my heavy difpleafure.

Thefe complaints, whether real or feigned, have
always for their burden, Rde 0 Jan hoi, which, re-
peated quick, very much refembles Prete Janni,
the name that was given to this prince, of which
we never knew the derivation ; its fignification is,
** Do me juRice, O my king !"

Herodotus * tells us, that in Perfia, the people, in
great crowds and of both fexes, come roaring and
crying to the doors of the palace ; and Intaphernes
is alfo faid to come to the door of the king making
great lamentations. •

I have mentioned a council of ftate held in Abyf-
fmia in time of danger or difficulty, where ihe king
fitting invifible, though prefent, gives his opinion by
an officer called Kal-Hatze. Upon his delivering
the fentence from the king the whole alfembly rife,
and fland upon their feet \ and this they mufl have
done the whole time the council laded had the king
appeared there in perfon. According to the cir-
cumftances of the time, the king goes with the ma*
jority, or not ; and if, upon a divifion, there is a
majority againft him, he often puniffies the majority
©n the other fide, by fending them to prifon for
voting againft his fentiments.; for though it is un-
derftood, by calling of the meeting, that the majo-
rity is to determine as to the eligibility of the mea»
fure, the king, by his prerogative, fuperfedes any
majority on the other fide, and fo far, I fuppofe,
has been an encroachment upon the original

* Herod, lib. iii.

conflitution.

6o6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

conftitutlon. This I underftand was the fame in
Perfia.

Xerxes *, being about to declare war againft the
Greeks, affembled all the principal chiefs of Afia in
council. " That I may not, fays he, be thought to
'aSl only by my own judgment, I have called you to-
gether. At the fame time, I think proper to inti-
mate to you, that it is your duty to obey my will,
rather than enter into any deliberation or remon-
ftrances of your own.'*

AVe will now compare fome particulars, the drefs
and ornaments of the two kings. The king of
Abyflinia wears his hair long ; fo did the ancient
kings of Perfia. We learn this circumftance from
Suetonius and Aurelius Victor -|-. A comet had ap-
peared in the war with Perfia, and was looked upon
by the Romans as a bad omen. Vefpafian laughed
at it, and faid, if it portended any ill it was to the
king of Perfia, becaufe, like hinty it wore long
hair.

T^he diadem was, with the Perfians, a mark of
royalty, as with the Abyffmians, being compofed of
the fame materials, and worn in the fame manner.
The king of Abyffinia wears it, while marching,
as a mark of fovereignty, that does not impede or
incommode him, as any other heavier ornament
would do, efpecially in hot weather. This fillet fur-
rounds his head above the hair, leaving the crown
perfeftly uncovered. It is an offence of the firft
magnitude for any perfon, at this time, to wear any.
thing upon his head, efpecially white, unlefs for

* Herod, lib. vl.

j- Suet. Vefpas. cap. 23. Sex. Aurcl. Vidlor, cap, 23.

Mahometans,

THE SOURCE OF THE MILE. 607

Mahometans, who wear caps, and over them a large
white turban ; or for priefts, who wear large turbans
of muflin alfo.

This was the diadem of the Perfians, as appears
from Lucian |, who calls it a white fillet about the
forehead. In the dialogue between Diogenes and
Alexander, the head is faid to be tied round with a
white fillet I ; and Favorinus, fpeaking of Pompey,
whofe leg was wound round with a white bandage,
fays, It is no matter on what part of the body he
wears a diadem. We read in Juftin j(, that Alex-
ander, leaping from his horfe, by accident wounded
Lyfimachus in the. forehead with the point of his
fpear, and the blood gufhed out fo violently that it
could not be ftanched, till the king took the diadem
from his head, and with it bound up the wound ;
which at that time was looked upon as an omen
that Lyfimachus was to be king, and fo it foon after
happened.

The kings of Abyflinia anciently fat upon a gold
throne, which is a large, convenient, oblong, fquare
feat, like a fmall bed-ftead, covered with Perfian
carpets, damafk and cloth of gold, with fleps leading
up to it. It is {till richly gilded j but the many re-
volutions and wars have much abridged their an-
cient magnificence. The portable throne was a gold
ftool, like that curule (tool or chair ufed by the
Romans, which we fee on medals. It was, in the
Begemder war, changed to a very beautiful one of
the fame form inlaid with gold. Xerxes is faid to

t Lucian de Votis ceu in Navigio, Efdras, lib. lii.
% Valer. Maxim, lib. vi. capl 2.
[| Juftin lib. xr.

have

6oS TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

have been fpedator of a naval fight fitting upon a
gold flool *.

It is, in AbyfTinia, high treafon to fit upon any
feat of the king's ; and he that prefumed to do this
would be inftantly hewn to pieces, if there was not
fome other collateral proof of his being a madman.
The reader will find, in the ccurfe of my hiftory, a
very ridiculous accident on this fubjecl, in the king's
tent, with Guangoul, khig of the Bertuma Galla.

It is probable that Alexander had heard of this
law in Perfia, and difapproved of it.; for one day,
it being extremely cold, the king fitting in his
chair before the fire, warming and chaffing his legs,
faw a foldier, probably a Peifian, v/ho had loft his
feeling by extreme numbnefs. The king immedi-
ately leaped from his chair, and ordered the foldier
to be fet down ^pn it. The fire foon brought him
tohisfenfes^ '^.f' •) ^^'^ almoft loft them again with
fear, by findir*^ iiimfelf in the king's feat. To
whom Alex'M ' faid, " Remember, and diftin-
guiflr, hu'/ , 4Jch more advantageous to man my
government js than that of the kings of Perfia f .
" By fitting, y ..^^Vii on niy feat, you have faved your
*' life; by \ 'in^,on theirs, you would infallibly
" have loft f ^

In AbyfTim; it is confidered as a fundamental
law of the 1/ ^?, that none of the royal family, who
has any defprnity or bodily defeftfhall be allowed
to fucceed tOv'.e crown ; and for this purpofe, any
of the princf . who may have efcaped from the
t '

* Philoftrat. lib. ii.

' /
■j- Val. Max. lib.' V. cap. l6. — Q^Curt lib. vili.

mountain

ii

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^Oj

mountain of Wechnc, and who are afterwards taken,
are mutilated in fome of their members, that thus
they may be difqualified from ever fucceeding. In
Perfia the fame was obferved. Procoplus * tells us,
that ZameS; the fon of Cabades, was excluded from
the throne becaufe he was blind of one eye, the law
of Perfia prohibiting any perfon that had a bodily
defect to be eleded king* *

The kings of Abyffinia were feldom feen by their
fubjefts* Juftinf fays, the Perfians hid the perfon
of their king ta increafe their reverence for his ma-
jefty. And it was a law of Deioces {, king of the
Medes, that nobody Ihould be permitted to fee the
king ; which regulation was as ancient as the time
of Semiramis, whofe fon, Ninyas, is faid to have
grown old in the palace, without ever having been
known by being feen out of it.

This abfurd ufage gave rife to many abitfes. Iii
Perfia § it produced two officers, who were called the
king's eyeSj and the king's ear, and who had the
dangerous employment, I mean dangerous for the
fubjed, of feeing and hearing for their fovereign.
In Abyffinia, as I have jufl faid, it created an officer
called the king's mouth, or voice, for, being feen by
nobody, he fpoke of courfe in the third perfon.
" Hear what the king fays to you, which is the ufual
form of all regal mandates in Abyffinia ; and what
follows has the force of law. In the fame ftile,
Jofephus thus begins an edi£l of Cyrus king of Perfia,

Cyrus the king fays ||." — And fpeaking of Cam-

* Procop. lib. i. cap. II. f Juftin, lib. i.

X Herod, lib. i. J DIo. Chryfoft. Oral. 3, pro regno,

il Jofeph. lib. si. cap. i.

Vol. IIL Rr byfes's

(C

6oS • TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

byfes*s refcript, " Cambyfes the king fays thus*^-^
AndEfdras alfo, « Thus faith Cyrus king of Perfia*"
•—And Nebuchadnezzar fays to Holofernes, " Thus
faith the Great King, Lord of the whole earth ;f "
—and this was probably the origin of edi^s, whea
writing was little ufed by fovereigns, and little un-
derftood by the fubje£t.

Solemn hunting-matches were always in ufe both
with the kings of Abyffinia and thofe of Perfia J. la
both kingdoms it was a crime for a fubjeft to ftrike the
game till fuch time as the king had thrown his lance
at it. This abfurd cuftom was repealed by Ar-
taxerxes Longimanus in one kingdom ; || and by
Yafous the Great in the other, fo late as the be-
ginning of the laft century.

The kings of AbyfTmia are above all laws. They
are fupreme in all caufes ecclefialtical and civil j
the land and perfons of their fubjedts are equally
their property, and every inhabitant of their king-
dom is born their flave j if he bears a higher rank
it is by the king's gift ; for his neareft relations are
accounted nothing better. The fame obtained in
Perfia. Aridotle calls the Perfian generals and no-
bles, flaves of the great king §. Xerxes, reproving
I'ytheus the Lydian when feeking to excufe one of
his fons from going to war, fays, " You that are
my flave, and bound to follow me with your wife

* Efdraf, cap. 5.

■\ Judith, cap. 2.

4: Ctefias in Perficis^ Xenophon^Iib. L

II Plutarch^.in Apothegraau

§ DeMundo.

and

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 609

and all your family *.'* — And GobryaS -)- fays to
Cyrus, " I deliver myfelf to you, at once your
companion and your flave."

There are feveral kinds of bread in Abyfflnia,
fome of ditferent forts of teff, and fome of tocuflb,
which alfo vary in quality. The king of Abyffinia
eats of wheat bread, though not of every wheat,
but of that only that grows in the province of Dem-
bea, therefore called the king's food. It was 10
with the kings of Perfia, who ate wheat bread, He-
rodotus fays, but only of a particular kind, as we
learn from Strabo J.

I have Ihewn, in the courfe of the foregoing hif-
tory, that it always has been, and dill is the cuftom
of the kings of Abyffinia, to marry what number of
wives they choofe; that thefe were not, therefore, all
queens ; but that among them there was one who was
confidered particularly as queen, and upon her head
was placed the crown, and (he was called Iteghe.

Thus, in Perfia, we read that Ahafuerus loved Ed-
her II, who had found grace in his fight more than the
other virgins, and he had placed a golden crown upon
her head. And Jofephus § informs us, that, when
Efther ^ was brought before the king, he was ex-

* Herod. lib* vit.

•j- Xenoph. lib. iv.

:f Strabo lib. xv.

II Efther, chap. ii.

§ Jofeph.lib. xi. cap. 6.

<|[ If I remember right, it is D. Pridcaux that fays Efther is a
Pcrfian word, ofnofignification. I rather think it is Abyfliuian,
becaiife it has a fignification in that language. Efhle, the maf-
culine, fignifies an agreeable prefcnt, and is a proper name, of
which Either is the feminine.

R r 3^ ceedingly

6lO TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

ceedlngly delighted with her, and made her his law-
ful wife, and when fhe came into the palace he put
a crown upon her head : whether placing the crowa
upon the queen's head had any civil effed as to re-
gency in Perfia as it had in Abyffinia, is what hiflory
does not inform us.

I have already obferved that there is an officer
called Serach Mafleryj'who watches before the king'a
gate all night, and at the dawn of day cracks a whip
to chace the wild beads out of the town. This, too,
is the fignal for the king to rife, and fit down in his
judgment-feat. The fame cuflom was obferved in
Perfia. Early in the morning an officer entered the
king's chamber, and faid to him " Arife, O king I
and take charge of thofe matters which Oromafdea
has appointed you, to the care of."

The king of Abyffinia never is feen to walk, nor
to fet h.is foot upon the ground, out of his palace ^
and when he would difmount from the horfe or
mule on which he rides, he has a fervant with a ftool,
who places it properly for him for that purpofe.
He rides into the anti-cham.ber to the foot of his
throne, or to the ftool placed in the alcove of his
tent. We are told by Athenaeusf, fuch was ths
pra6lice in Perfia, whofe king never fet his foot
upon the ground out of his palace.

The king of Abyffinia very often judges capital-
crimes- himfelf. It is reckoned a favourable judica-
ture, fuch as, Claudian fays that of a king in perfon
fhould be, Piger ad pd^nas, ad pramia 'uelox.** No
man is condemned by the king in perfoa to. die for

* Athen,llb. xii.Ccjp. 2.

the

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^11

ihe firfl fault, unlefs the crime be of a horrid nature,
fuch as parricide or facrilege. And, in general, the
life and merits of the prifoner are weighed againffc
his immediate guilt ; fo that if his firfl: behaviour
has had more merit towards the ftate than his pre-
fent delinquency is thought to have injured it, the
one is placed fairly againfl: the other, and the ac-
cufed is generally abfolved when the fovereign
judges alone.

Herodotus f pra;ifes this as a maxim of the kings
of Perfia in capital judgments, almofl in the very
words that I have juft now ufed ; and he gives an
inftance of it: — Darius had condemned Sandoces,
one of the king's judges, to be crucified for corrup-
tion, that is, for having given falfe judgment for a
bribe. The man was already hung up on the crofs,
when the king confidering with himfeff how many
good fervices he had done, previous to this, the
only offence which he had committed, ordered him
tof be pardoned.

ThePerfian king, in all expeditions, was attended
by judges. We find in Herodotus }, that, in the
expedition of Cambyfes, ten of the principal Egypti-
ans were condemned to die by thefe judges for every
Perfian that had been flain by the people of Mem-
phis. Six judges always attend the king of Abyf-
fmia to the camp, and, before them, rebels taken on
the field are tried and punifhed on the fpot.

People that the king diflinguilhed by favour, or
for any public adion, were in both kingdoms pre-

•|- Herod lib. vii.
J IIU, lib. iii.

fented

6l2, TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

fented with gold chains, fwords, and bracelets ||.
Thefe in Abyffinia are underilood to be chiefly re-
wards of military fervice ; yet Poncet received a
gold chain from Yafous tne Grea . The day before
the battle of Serbraxos, Ayto Engedan received a
filver bridle and faddle, covered with filver plates,
from Ras Michael ; and the night after that battle
I was myfelf honoured with a gold chain from the
king upon my reconciliation with Guebra Mafcalj^
who, for his behaviour that day, had a large revenue
moft defervedly aligned to him, and a confiderable
territory, confiding of a number of rich villages,
a prefent known to be more agreeable to him than a
mere mark of honour.

A dranger of fafliion, particularly recommende4
as I was, not needy in point of money, nor de-
pending from day to day upon government for fub-
fiftence, is generally provided with one or more vil-
lages to furnidi him with what articles he may need,
without being obliged to have recourfe to the king
or his minifters for every neceifary. Amha Yafous,
prince of Shoa, had a large and a royal village, Em-
fras, given him to fupply him with food for his
table ; he had another village in Karoota for wine j
a vilfege in Dembea, the king's own province, for
his v/heat ; and another in Begemder for cotton
cloths for his fervants ; and fo of the reft. After J
was in the king*s fervice I had the villages that be^
longed to the pods I occupied ; and one called
Geefti, in which arife the fources of the Nile, a viU
lage of about i8 houfes, given me by the king at my

II Xenoph. lib. L Xenoph. lib, vu'u

pwi^

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 613

own requeft ; for I might have had a better to furnifli
me with honey, and confirmed to me by the rebel
Waragna Fafil, who never fuffered me to grow rich
by my rents, having never allowed me to receive but
two large jars, fo bitter with lupines that they were
of no fort of ufe to me. I was a gentle mafter, nor
ever likely to be opulent from the revenues of that
country ; and more efpecially fo, as I had under me,
as my lieutenant *,'an officer commanding thehorfe,
whofe thoughts were much more upon Jerufalem
and the holy fepulchre than any gains he could get
in Abyflinia by his employments.

Thucydides f informs us, that Themiftocles had
received great gifts from Artaxerxes king of Perfia,
when fettled at Magnefia ; the king had given him
that city for bread, Lampfacus for wine, and Myuns
to furnifli him with victuals. To thefe Athenaeus
adds two more, Palsefcepfis and Percope, to yield
him clothing and furniture. This precifely, to this
day, is the Abyffinian idea, when they conceive
they are entertaining men of rank ; for fliangers,
that come naked and vagabond among them, without
name and character, or means of fubfiftencc, fuch as
the Greeks in Abyffinia, are always received as beg-
gars, and neglected as fuch til! hunger fets their
wits to work to provide for the prefent exigency*
and low intrigues and practices are employed after-
wards to maintain them in the little advancements
which they have acquired, but no honour or con-
fidence follows, or very rarely.

' * Ammonlos, Billetana Gueta to Ayto Confii.
f Tliucyd. lib. i. Strabo, lib. xiv. Theod. Sic. lib. xl.

In

(5i4 T^vAVELS TO Dis ::>/!;<.

In Abyflinia, when the prifoner is condemned ii^
capital cafes, he is not again remitted to prifon,
which is thought cruel, but he is immediately car^
ried away, and the fentence executed upon him.
I have given feveral inftances of this in the annals
of the country. Abba Salama, the Acab Saat, was
condemned by the king the morning he entered
Gondar, on his return from Tigre, and immedi-
ately hanged, in the garment of a prieft, on a tree
at the door of the king's palace, Chremation, bro-
ther to the ufurper Socinios, was executed that
fame morning ; Guebra Denghal, Ras Michael's
fon-in-law, was likevvife executed that fame day,
immediately after judgment ; and fo were feveral
others. The fame was the pradice in Perfia, as
we learn from Xenophori *, and more plainly from
Diodorus f.

The capital punifliments in Abyffinia are the crofs,
Socinios J firft ordered Arzo, his competitor, who
had fled for affidance and refuge to Phlneas king
of the Falaflia, to be crucified without the camp.
"We find the fame punifhnjent inflided by Artax-
erxes upon Haman §, who was ordered to be
affixed to the crofs till he died. And Polycrates
ex Samos, Cicero tells us jj, was crucified by order
of Oraetis, praetor of Darius.

The next capital punillmient is flaying alive.
That this barbarous execution dill prevails in Abyf-

* Xenoph.lib. i.

f Diod. lib. xii,

:j: Vide annals of Abyffinia, life of SocInioSa

§ Etlher, chap. vii. and viii.

Ij Cicero, lib. V. de Finib.

finh

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 61^

^nla is already proved by the fate of the unfortunate
Wooflieka, taken prifoner in the campaign of 1769
while i was in Abyflinia ; a facrifice made to the
vengeance of the beautiful Ozoro Either, who, kind
and humane as fhe was in other refpeds, could re-
ceive no atonement for the death of her hufband.
Socrates * fays, that Manes the heretic v. as flayed
alive by order of the king of Perfia, and his Ikin
made into a bottle. And Procopius f informs us,
that Pacurius ordered Baficius to be flayed alive, and
his ikin made into a bottle, and hung upon a high
tree. And Agathias { mentions, that the fame
punifhmcnt was inflided upon Nachorages more ma-
jorwn, according to ancient cufl:om.

Lapidation, or (toning to death, is the next ca-
pital punifliment in Abyflinia. This is chiefly in-
fiided upon ftrangers called Franks, for religious
caufes. The Catholic priefls in Abyflinia that have
been dete6:ed there, in thefe latter days, have been
ftoned to death, and their bodies lie ftill in the
flreets of Gondar, in the fquares or waflie-places,
covered with the heaps of fi:ones which occafioned
their death by being thrown at them. There are
three of thefe heaps at the church of Abbo, all co-
vering Francifcan friars ; and, befides them, a fmall
pyramid over a boy who was fl:oned to deaih with
them, about the firfl: year of the reign of David
the IV [|. This boy was one of four fons that one of
(ne Francifcan friars had had by an Abyflinian wo-

* EcclefiaOt. Hiftor. chap. xxil.

•j- Procop. lib. i. cap. 5. de Bell. Pcrs.

X Agath. lib iii.

!l See this hillory of Abyfilnia in vit. David. IV.

man

6l6 TRAVELS TO DISCO\^ER

man in the reign of Ouftas. In Perfia we find, that^
Pagorafus (according to Ctefias *) was ftoned to
death by the order of the king ; and the fame au-
thor fays, that Pharnacyas, one or the murderers of
Xerxes, was floned to death like wife.

Among capital punifhments may be reckoned
likewife the plucking out of the eyes, a cruelty
which I have but too often feen committed in the
fhort ftay that I made in Abylfinia. This is gene-
rally inflicted upon rebels. I have already men-,
tioned, that, after the llaughter of the battle of Fa-
gitta, twelve chiefs of the Pagan Galla, taken pri-
foners by Ras Michael, had their eyes torn out^ and
were afterwards abandoned to ftarve in the valleys
below the town. Several prifoners of another rank,
noblemen of Tigre, underwent the fame misfortune j
and what is wonderful, not one of them died in the
operation, nor its confequences, though performed
in the coarfeft manner with an iron forceps, or
pincers. Xenophon f tells us, that this was one of
the punifliments ufed by Cyrus. And Ammianus
Marcellinus | mentions, that Sapor king of Perfia
baniflied Arfaces, whom he had taken prifoner to %
certain caftle, after having pulled out his eyes.

The dead bodies of criminals flain for treafon, mur-
der, and violence, on the high-way at certain times,
are feldom buried in Abyflinia. The ftreets of Gon-
dar are (Irewed with pieces of their carcafes, which
bring the wild beafts in multitudes into the city a^

* Vide Ctefiani Hockerli.

f Xenoph. lib. i.

J: Amm. Mar. lib. vii.

foon

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 617

loon as it becomes dark, fo that it is fcarcely poflible
for any to walk in the night. Too many inftances
of this kind will be found throughout my narrative.
7'he dogs ufed to bring pieces of human bodies into
the houfe, and court-yard, to eat them in greater
fecurity. This was mod difguftful to me, but fo
often repeated, that I was obliged to leave them in
poffefTion of iuch fragments. We learn from Qu'in-
tus Curtius *, that Darius having ordered Chari-
damus to be put to death, and finding afterwards
that he was innocent, endeavoured to flop the ex-
ecution, though it was too late, as they had already
cut his throat ; but, in token of repentance, the
king allowed him the liberty of burial.

1 have taken notice, up and down throughout my
hiftory, that the Abyffinians never fight in the night.
7Tiis too was a rule among thePerfians f.

Notwithftanding the Abyffinians were fo anci-
ently and nearly connedled with Egypt, they never
feeni to have made ufe of paper, or papyrus, but
imitated the practice of the Perfians, who wrote
upon (kins, and they do fo this day. This arifes
fi'oni their having early been Jews. In Parthia, like-
wife, Pliny I informs us, the ufe' of papyrus w^s ab-
folutely unknovv'n ; and though it was difcOvered
jhat papyrus grew in the Euphrates, near Babylon,
of which they could" make paper, they obflinately
rather chofe to adhere to their ancient cuflom of
weaving their letters on cloth of which they made

* (^Cmt. lib. iii. 2. 19.
f Q^Curt. V. 12.

X Pliii. Hilt. Nat. lib. xiii. cap. 11. '

tb air

6l8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

their garments. The Perfians, moreover, made ur<?
of parchment for their records *, to which all their
remarkable tranfaclions were trufted ; and to this it
is probably owing we have fo many of their cuftoms
preferved to this day. Diodorus Siculus f , fpeaking
of Ctefias, fays, he verified every thing from the
royal parchments themfelves, which, in obedience
to a certain law, are all placed in order, and after-
v^ards were communicated to the Greeks.

From this great refemblance in cuftoms between
tlie Perfians and Abyffmians following the fafhionable
way of judging about the origin of nations, I fhould
boldly conclude that the Abyffinians were a colony
of Perfians, but this is very v/ell known to be with-
out foundation. The cuftoms mentioned as only
peculiar to Perfia, were common to all the eaft ; and
they were loft when thofe countries were over-run
and conquered by thofe v/ho introduced barbarous
cuftoms of their own. The reafon why w€ have
fomuch left of the Perfian cuftoms is, that they were
written, and fo not liable to alteration ; and, being
on parchment, did alfo contribute to their preferva-
tion. The hiftory w^hich treats of thofe ancient and
poiiihed nations has preferved few fragments of
their manners entire from the ruins of time ; while
Ahyifmia, at war with nobody, or at war with itfelf
ciilv, has preferved the ancient cuftoms which it
enjoyed in common with all the eaft, and which were
only loft in other kingdoms by the invafion of
ih-angers, a misfortune Abyflinia has never fufi'ere4
fincethe introdudion of letters.

* P,]in. lib. xiil. cap. i i.
■; DIuu. Sic. lib. H,

Before

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 619

Before I finifh what I have to fay upon the man-
ners oi" this nation, having fliewn that they are the
fame people with the ancient Egyptians, I would
inquire, whether there is the fame conformity of
rules in the dietetique regimen, between them and
Egypt, that we (hould expeft to find from fuch rela-
tion ? This is a much furer way of judging than by
refemblance of external cuftoms.

The old Egyptians, as we are told by facred
fcripture, did not eat with ftrangers ; but I believe
the obfervation is extended farther than ever fcrip-
ture meant. The inllance given of Jofeph's bre-
thren not being allowed to eat with the Egyptians
was, becaufe Jofeph had told Pharaoh that his
brethren*, and Jacob his father, were fhepherds,
that he might get from the Egyptians the land of
Gofhen, a land, as the name imports^ of pafturage
and grafs, wliich the Nile never overflowed, and it
was therefore in poffeffion of the (Iiepherds. Now
the fhepherds, we are told, were the dire<5l natural
enemies of the Egyptians who lived in towns. The
fhepherds alfo facrificed the god whom the Egypti-
ans worfhipped. We cannot (fays Mofes f ) facrifice
in this knd the abomination of the Egyptians, left
they (lone us. If the Egyptians did not eat with
them, fo neither would they with the Egyptians;
but it is a miftake that the Egyptians did not eat
flefn as well as the fhepherds, it was only the fiefh
of certain animals they differed on, and did
Dot eat.

* Genefis, chap, xlvii. ver. 4. -
f Exod. chap. vlil. ver. 26»

The

620 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

The Egyptians worfhipped the cowf, and the
fhepherds lived upon her flefli, which made them a
feparate people, that could not eat nor communicate
together; and the very knowledge of this was, as
we are informed by fcripture, the reafon why Jofeph
told Pharaoh, when he afked him what profeflion
his brethren were of, " Your fervants, fays Jofeph,
are fhepherds, and their employment the feeding of
cattle ;" and this was given out, that the land of
Goflien might be allotted to them, and fo they
and their defcendents be kept feparate from the
Egyptians, and not expofed to mingle in their
abominations. Or, though ,they had abftained
from thefe abominations, they could not kill cattle
for facrifice or for food. They would have raifed
ill-will againll themfelves, and, as Mofes fays, would
have been ftoned, and fo the end of bringing them
to Goflien would have been fruflrated, which was
to nurfe them in a plentiful land, in peace and fecu-
rity, till they Ihould attain to be a mighty people,
capable of fubduing and filling the land to which,
at the end of their captivity, God was to lead
them.

The Abyflinians neither eat nor drink with flran-
gers, though they have no reafon for this ; and it is
now a mere prejudice, becaufe the old occafion for
this regulation is loft. They break, or purify, how-
ever, every velfel a ftranger of any kind fhall have
ate or drank in. The cuftom then is copied from
the Egyptians, and they have preferved it though
the Egyptian reafon does no longer hold.

•f Herod, lib. ii. p. 104. fee. 40.

Some

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 62,1

Some hlflorians fay, the Egyptian women anci-
«ntly enjoyed a full liberty ot inccrcourfe with the
males, which was not the cafe in tne generality of
eaftern nations ; and we muft, therefore, think it
was derived from Abyffinia ; for there the women
live, as it were, in common, and their enjoyments
and gratification have no other bounds but their
own will. They, however, pretend to have a prin-
ciple, that, if they marry, they fhould be wives of
Qne hufband ; and yet this principle does not bind,
but, like mod of the other duties, fcrves to reafon
upon, and to laugh at, in converfation. Herodotus
tells it was the fame with the Egyptians *.

The Egyptians made no account of the mother
what her ftate was ; if the father was free, the child
followed the condition of the father. This is ftriftlv
fo in Abyflinia. The king's child by a negro-fiave,
bought with money, or taken in war, is as near
in fucceeding to the crown, as any one of twenty
children that he has older than that one, and born
of the nobleft women of the country.

The men in Egypt |- did neither buy nor fell ;'
the fame is the cafe in Abyffmia at this day. It is
infamy for a man to go to market to buy any thing.
He cannot carry water or bake bread ; but he
muft walhthe cloaths belonging to both fexes, and,
in this fundlion, the women cannot help him. In
Aby-Tmia the men carried their burdens on their
heads, the women on their fboulders, and this dif-
ference, we are told, obtained in Egypt |. It is

* Herodot. p. 121. feft. 92.

•f- Herodot. lib. ii. p. loi. feft. 35.

J Herodot. lib. ii. p. loi.feft. 35.

pkin,

6Z% TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

plain, that this buying, in the public market, by
women, muft have ended whenever jealoufy or
fequeltration of that fex began; for this reafon
it ended early in Egypt, but, for the oppofite reafon,
it fubfilfs in Abyffinia to this day.

It was a fort of impiety in Egypt to eat a calf;
and the reafon was plain, they worlhipped the cow.
In Abyffinia, to this day, no man eats veal, although
every one very willingly eats a cow. The Egyp-
tian II reafon no longer fubfifts as in the former cafe-^
but the prejudice remains, though they have forgot
the reafon.

The Abyffinians eat no wild or wafer-fowl, hot
even the goofe, which was a great delicacy in Egypt.
The reafon of this is, that, upon their converfion
to Judaifm, they were forced to relinquifii their an-
cient municipal cuftoms, as far as they were con-
trary to the Mofaical law ; and the animals, in their
country, not correfponding in form, kind, nor
name, with thofe mentioned in the Septuagint, or
original Hebrew, it has followed, that there are
many of each clafs that know not whether they
are clean or not ; and a wonderful confufion and
uncertainty has followed through ignorance or mif-
take, being unwilling to violate the law in any one
inftance through not underftanding it.

The abhorrence of the old Egyptians for the bean
is well known, and many filly reafons have been
affigned for it ; but that which has moft met the ap-
probation of the moft learned men is, in my
humble opinion, the weakefl of them all. They

II Hcrodot. lib. ii; p. 104 kdc. 41.

fay.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 62,^

fay, the averfion to (he bean arofe from Its rerem-
bllng the phallus ; but the crux anfata, or the crofs
with the handle to it, which is put in the hand of
every Egyptian hieroglyphic of Ifis, Ofiris, or what-
ever the priefts have called them, is likewife agreed
by the learned to reprefent the phallus ; and the
figure of thefe nudities, without vail or concealment,
is plain in all their flatues. Now, I would afk.
What is the reafon why they abhor a bean be-
caufe it reprefents thefe parts which, at the fame
time, by their own option or choice, are expofed
in the hand or perfon of every figure which they ex-
hibit to public view ? The bean, however, is not
cultivated in Abyffinia, neither is it in Egypt ; lu-
pines grow up in both, and lupines in both are eradi-
cated like a weed, and lupines were <vhat is called
fal?a JEgjptiaca,

Though I cannot pretend to know the true rea-
fon of this, yet I will venture to give a guefs : —
The origin of great part of religious obfervances of
Egypt began with the worfhip of the Nile, and pro-
bably at the head of it. The country of the Agows,
as well where the Nile rifes as in parts more diflant,
is all a honey country ; not only their whole fufte-
nance, but their trade, their tribute to the king,
and the maintenance of a great part of the capital,
depends upon honey and butter, the common food
of the better fort of people when they do not eat
flefli ; it compofes their drink alfo in mead or hy-
dromel. , Now, this country, when uncultivated,
naturally produces lupines, and the blofToms of thefe
becoming food for the bees, gives the honey fuch
bitternefs that no perfon will eat it, or ufe it any
Vol. III. S f way

6Z^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

way In food or for drink. — After the king had be-
flowed the village of Geefii upon me, though with
the confent of Fafil its governor, that egregious
fhuffler, to make the prefent of no ufe to me,fent
me, indeed, the tribute of the honey in very large
jars, but it all tafted fo much of the lupines that ic
was of no earthly nfe whatever. Their conflant at-
tention is to weed out this bitter plant ; and, when
any of thofe countries are defolated by war, we
may expecl a large crop of lupines immediately to
follow, and, for a time, plenty of bad honey in con-
fequence. It is, then, this deflruftive bean that
Pythagoras, who, it is faid, ate no flefh, regarded as
an objed of deteflation ; it was equally fo among
the Abyflinians and Egyptians for tbe fame reafon.
Both nations, moreover, have an averfion to hogs
fiefli, and both avoid the touch of dogs.

it is here I propofe to take notice of an unnatural
cuflom which prevails univerfally in AbylTmia, and
which in early ages feems to have been common to
the whole world. I did not think that any perfon
of moderate knowledge in profane learning could
have been ignorant of this remarkable cuflom among
the nations of the eaft. But what ftill more furprifed
me, and is the leaft pardonable part of the whole,
v.'as the ignorance of part of the law of God, the
earliefl that was given to man, the mod frequently
noted, infifted upon, and prohibited. 1 have faid,
in. the courfeof the narrative of my journey from
Mafuah, that, a fmall dillance from Axum, T over-
took on the way three travellers, who feemed to be
foldiers, driving a cow before them. They halted
at a brook, threw down the beaft, and one of them

cut

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 6^5

cut a pretty large collop of Befh from its buttocks,
after which they drove the cow gently on as before.
A violent outcry was raifed in England at hearing
this circuraftance, which they did not hefitate to
pronounce impojftbk^ when the manners and cuf-
toms of Abyffinia were to them utterly unknown.
The Jefuits, eftablifhed in Abyffinia for above a
hundred years, had told them of that people eat-
ing, what they call raw meat, in every page, and
yet they were ignorant of this. Poncet, too, had
done the fame, but Poncet they had not read ; and
if any writer upon Ethiopia had omitted to mention
it, it was becaufe it was one of thofe fadts too no-
torious to be repeated to fwell a volume.

It mull be from prejudice alone we condemn the
eating of raw flelh ; no precept, divine or human,
that I know, forbids it ; and if it is true, as later^
travellers have difcovered, that there are nations
ignorant of the ufe of fire, any law againft eating
raw flefh could never have been intended by God
as obligatory upon mankind in general. At any
rate, it is certainly not clearly known, whether the
eating raw flefh was not an earlier and more gene-
ral practice than by preparing it with fire j I think
it was.

Many wife and learned men have doubted whe-
ther it was at flrft permitted to man to eat animal
food at all. I do not pretend to give any opinion
upon the fubjeft, but many topics have been main-
tained fuccefsfully upon much more (lender grounds.
God, the author of life, and the beft judge of what
was proper to maintain it, gave this regimen to our
firfl: parents — " Behold, I have given you every herb

Sf 2 " bearing

cc

6a6 travels to DISCOVER

" bearing feed, which is upon the face of all the
" earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit
of a tree yielding feed : to you it (hall be for
meat *.** And though immediately after, he men-
tions both beafts and fowls, and every thing that
creepeth upon the earth, he does not fay that he
has defigned any of th le as meat for man. On the
contrary, he feems to have intended the vegetable
creation as food for both man and beafl — " And to
" every bead of the earth, and to every fowl of the
" air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the
" earth, wherein there is life^ I have given every
" green herb for meat : and it was fof." After the
flood, when mankind began to repoffefs the earth,
God gave Noah a much more extenfive permilTion —
'' Every moving thing that liveth fliall be meat for
" you ; even as the green herb have I given you

« all things +."

As the criterion of judging of their aptitude for;
food was declared to be their Tuoving and having
life, a danger appeared of mifmterpretation, and
that thefe creatures fliould be ufed living ; a thing
which God by no means intended, and therefore,
immediately after, it is faid, " But flefli with the
" hfe thereof, v.hich is the blood thereof, (hall
" you not eat § ;" or, as it is rendered by the beft
interoreters, ' FIcfh, or mem/oers, torn from living
animals having the blood in them, thou (halt not eat/
We fee, then, by this prohibition, that this abufe

* Gen. chap. i. ver. 29.
j- Gen. chap. i. ver. 3c.
\ Gen. chap. I'x. ver. 3.
9 Gen. chap. ix. ver. 4.

of

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE 6^7

of eating living meat, or part of animals while yet
alive, was known in the days of Noah, and forbid-
den after being fo known, and it is precifely what
is praclifed in AbyfTmia to this day. This law, then,
was prior to that of Mofes, but it came from the
fame legiflator. It was given to Noah, and confe-
quently obligatory upon the whole world. Mofes,
however, infifts upon it throughout his whole law ;
which not only fhews that this abufe was common,
but that it was deeply rooted in, and interwoven
with, the manners of the Hebrews. He pofitively
prohibits it four times in one chapter in Deutero-
nomy *, and thrice in one of the chapters of Levi-
ticus | — " Thou fhalt not eat the blood, for the
" blood is the life j thou Ihalt pour it upon the earth
"=* like water."

Although the many inflances of God's tender-
nefs to the brute creation, that conftantly occur in
the IMofaical precepts, and are a very beautiful part
of them, and though the barbarity of the cuftom
itfelf might reafonably lead us to think that huma-
nity alone was a fufEcient motive for the prohibi-
tion of eating animals alive, yet nothing can-'
more certain, than that greater confequences were
annexed to the indulging in this crime than what
was apprehended from a mere depravity of manners.
One { of the mod learned and fenfiblc men that ever
wrote upon the facred fcriptures obferves, that God,
in forbidding this pradice, ufes more fevere certifi-
cation, and more threatening language, than againft

* Deut. chap. xH.

J Lev!:, chap. xvii.

■^ Mairaon. more. Nebochim.

any

cc

6a8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

any other fin, excepting idolatry, with which it is
conflantly joined. God declares, " I will fet my
face againft him that eateth blood, in the fame
manner as I will againft him that facrificeth his
fon to Moloch ; I will fet my face againft him that
" eateth flefh with blood, till I cut him oft from
" the people."

We have an inftance in the life of Saul * that
Ihews the propenfity of the Ifraelites to this crime.
Saul's army, after a battle, fiew, that' is, fell vorJi-
cioufly upon the cattle they had taken, and threw
them upon the ground to cut off their flefli, and
eat them raw, fo that the army was defiled by eat-
ing blood, or living animals. To prevent this,
Saul caufed roll to him a great ftone, and ordered
thofe that killed their oxen to cut their throats upon
that ftone. This was the only lawful way of kill-
ing animals for foodj the tying of the ox and
throwing it upon the ground was not permitted as
equivalent. The Ifraelites did probably in that cafe
as the AbyfTmians do at this day ; they cut a part
of its throat, fo that blood might be feen upon the
ground, but nothing mortal to the animal followed
from that wound. But, after laying his head upon
a large ftone, and cutting his throat, the blood fell
from on high, or was poured on the ground like
water, and fufEcient evidence appeared the creature
was dead befors it was attempted, to eat it. We
have feen that the Abyffmians came from Paleftine
a very few years after this ; and we are not to doubt
that they then carried with them this, with many

* 1 Sara, chap, xiv. ver, 52, 33.

Other

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 62^9

other Jewlfh cuftoms, which they have continued
to this day.

The author I lafl: quoted fays, that it is plain,
from all the books of the eaflern nations, that their
motive for eating flefh with the life, or limbs of
living animals cut off with the blood, was from
motives of religion, and for the purpofes of ido-
latry, and fo it probably had been among the
Jews ; for ofie of the reafons given in Leviticus
for the prohibition of eating blood, or living flelh,
is, that the people may no longer offer facrifices to
devils, after whom they have gone a-whoring *, If
the reader choofes to be further informed how very
common this praftice was, he need only read the
Halacoth Gedaloth, or its tranflation, where the
whole chapter is taken up with inftances of this
kind.

That this pra6llce likewife prevailed in Europe,
as well as in Afia and Africa, may be collected
from various authors. The Greeks had their bloody
feafts and facrifices where they ate living fielh ; thefe
were called Omophagia. Arnobiusj fays, " Let
us pafs over the horrid fcenes prefented at the Bac-
chanalian feaft, wherein, with a counterfeited fury,
though with a truly depraved heart, you twine a
number of ferpents around you, and, pretending
to be poffeffed with fome god, or fpirit, you tear .to
pieces, with bloody mouths, the bowels of living
goats, which cry all the time from the torture they
fuffer." From ail this it appears, that the praftice

* Levlt. chap. xvii. ver. 7.

f Arnob. adv. Gent. Clem. Alexan. Sextus Impirlcus, lib.
lii. cap. 25. and Selden. de Jur. natur. and Gent. cap. i. lib. vii.

of

630 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

of the Abyffinians eating live animals at this day,
was very far from being new, or, what was non-
fenfically faid, impojjlhie. And I fhall only further
obferve, that thofe of my readers that wifh to in-
dulge a fpirit of cnticifm upon the great variety of
cuflioms, men and manners, related in this hiftory,
or have thofe critieifms attended to, fliould furnifh
themfelves with a more decent ftock of reading
than, in this inftance, they feem to have poffefled ;
or, when another example occurs of that kind,
which they call impojftbie^ that they would take the
truth of it upon my word, and believe what they
are not fuiEciently qualified to inveftigate.

Confident with the plan of this work, which is
to defcribe the manners of the feveral nations thro'
which I paffed, good and bad, as I obferved them,
I cannot avoid giving fome account of this Poly-
phemus banquet, as far as decency will permit me j
it is. part of the hiflory of a barbarous people;
whatever I might wifh, I cannot decline it.

Ill the capital, where one is fafe from furprife at
all times, or in the country or villages, when the rain?
have become fo conflant that the vallevs will not
bear a horfe to pafs them, or that men cannot ven-
ture far from home through fear of being fur-
rounded and fwept away by temporary torrents, oc-
cafioned by fudden fhowers on the mountains ; in
a word, when a man can fay he is fafe at home, and
the fpear and fhield is hung up in the hall, a nump
ber of people of the befl fafhion in the villages, of
both fexes, courtiers in the palace, or citizens in
the town, meet together, to dine between twelve
and one o'clock.

A long

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 63I

A long table is fet in the middle of a large room,
Qnd benches befide it for a number of guefts who
are invited. Tables and benches the Portugueze
introduced amongfl them ; but bull hides, fpread
upon the ground, ferved them before, as they do
in the camp and country now. A cow or bull,
one or more, as the company is numerous, is
brought clofe to the door, and his feet (Irongly tied.
The fkin that hanc-s down under his chin and throat,
which I think we call the dew-lap in England, is
cut only fo deep as to arrive at the fat, of
which it totally confids, and, by the feparation of a
few fmall blood-veffels, fix or feven drops of
blood only fall upon the ground. They have no
ftone, bench, nor altar upon which thefe cruel
affaffins lay the animal's head in this operation. I
Ihould beg his pardon indeed for calling him an
aflaffin, as he is not fo merciful as to aim at the
life, but, on the contrary, to keep the beaft; alive
till he be totally eat up. Having fatisfied the Mo-
faical law, according to his conception, by pouring
thefe fix or feven drops upon the ground, two or
more of them fall to work; on the back of the
beaft, and on each fide of the fpine they cut (kin-
deep ; then putting their fingers between the fiefh
and the fldn, they begin to ftrip the hide of the
animal half way down his ribs, and fo on to the but-
tock, cutting the fliin wherever it hinders them
commodioully to ftrip the poor animal bare. All
the flefti on the buttocks is cut off then, and in folid,
fquare pieces, without bones, or much effulion of
blood ; and the prodigious noife the animal makes
is a fignal for . the company to fit down to table.

There

63-* TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

There, are then laid before every gueH, intlead
of plates, round cakes, if I may fo call them, about
twice as big as a pan-cake, and fomething thicker
and roueher. It is unleavened bread of a fouriih
tafle, far from being difagreeable, and very eafily
digefled, made of a grain called tefF. It is of dif-
ferent colours, from black to the colour of the
whited wheat-bread. Three or four of thefe cakes
are generally put uppermoft, for the food of the
perfon oppofite to whofe feat they are placed. Be-
neath thefe are four or five of ordinary bread, and
of a blacldi}ii>:ind. Thefe ferve the mafter to wipe
his fingers upon ; and afterwards the fervant, for
bread to his dinner.

TVo or three fervants then come, each with a fquare
piece of beef in their bare hands, laying it upon
the cakes of tefF, placed like diflies down the table,
without cloth or any thing elfe beneath them. By
this time all the guefts have knives in their hands,
and their men have the large crooked ones, which
they put to all forts of ufes during the time of war.
The women have fmall clafped knives, fuch as the
vvorfl of the kind made at Birmingham, fold for
a penny each.

The company are fo ranged that one man fits be-
tween two women; the man with his long knife
cuts a thin piece, which would be thought a good
beef"-{leak in Kngland, while you fee the motion of
the fibres yet perfedly diftind, and alive in the
flefh. No man in AbyiFmia, of any fafhion what-
ever, feeds himfeif, or touches his own meat. The
women take the fleak and cut it length- ways like
firings, about the thicknefs of your little finger,

then

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE 6^^.

then crofsways into fquare pieces, fomething fmaller
than dice. This they lay upon a piece of the teiF
bread, flrongly powdered with black pepper, of
Cayenne pepper, aad foffile-falt, they then wrap it
up in the tefF bread like a cartridge.

In the mean time, the man having put up his
knife, with each hand reding upon his neighbour's
knee, his body Hooping, his head low and forward,
and mouth open very like an idiot, turns to the one
whofe cartridge is firft ready, who ftuffs the whole
of It into his mouth, which is fo full that he is in
conftant dangler of beino; choked. This is a mark
of grandeur. The greater the man would feeni to
be, the larger piece he takes in his mouth ; and the
more noife he makes in chewing it, the more polite
he is thought to be. They have, indeed, a pro-
verb that fays, " Beggars and thieves only eat fmall
" pieces, or without making a noife." Having dif-
patched this morfel, which he does very expediti-
oufly, his next female neighbour holds forth ano-
ther cartridge, which goes the fame way, and fo
on till he is fatisfied. He never drinks till he has
fmiflied eating ; and, before he begins, ia gratitude
to the fair ones that fed him, he makes up two fmall
rolls of the fame kind and form ; each of his neigh-
bours open their mouths at the fame time, while with
each hand he puts their portion into their mouths.
He then falls to drinking out of a large handfome
horn ; the ladies eat till they are fatisfied, and then
all drink together, " Vive la Joye et la JeunefTe I"
A great deal of mirth and joke goes round, very
feldom with any mixture of acrimony or ill-humour.

All

634 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

All this time, the unfortunate vidlini at the door
is bleeding indeed, but bleeding little. As long as
they can cut off the flelh from his bones, they
do not meddle with the thighs, or the parts where
the great arteries are. At laft they fall upon the
thighs likcwife ; and foon after the animal, bleed-
ing to death, becomes fo tough that the canibals,
who have the reft of it to eat, find very hard work
to feparate the flefli from the bones with their
teeth like dogs.

In the mean time, thofe within are very much
elevated ; love lights all its fires, and every thing
is permitted with abfolute freedom. There is no
coynefs, no delays, no need of appointments or
retirement to gratify their wifhes ; there are no
rooms but one, in which they facrifice both to
Bacchus and to Venus *. The two men neareft the
vacuum a pair have made on the bench by leaving
their feats, hold their upper garment like a fkreen
before the two that have left the bench ; and, if we
may judge by found, they feem to think it as great
a fhame to make love in filence as to eat.-^Replaced
in their feats again, the company drink the happy
couple's health ; and their example is followed at
different ends of the table, as each couple is difpofed.
Ail this paffes without remark or fcandal, fiot a li-
centious word is uttered, nor the mofl diftant joke
upon the tranfaftion.

Thefe ladies are, for the mofl part, women of
family and chara6:ei>, and they and their gallants

* In this particular they referable the Cynics of old, of whom
it was faid " Omnia quae ad Bacchum et Venerem pertinuerint in
" publico facere." Diogenes Laertius In Vit. Diogen.

are

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 62,^,

are reciprocally difllnguifhed by the name Woodage^ •
which anfwers to what in Italy they call Cicifbey ;
and, indeed, I believe that the name itfelf, as well
as the practice, is Hebrew j fchus chis bciim, figni-
fies attendants or companions of the bride, or bride's
man, as we call it in England. 1 he only difference
is, that in Europe the intimacy and attendance con-
tinues during the marriage, while, among the Jews,
it was permitted only the few days of the marriage
ceremony. The averfion to Judaifm, in the ladies
of Europe, has probably led them to the prolonga^
tion of the term.

It was a cuftom of the ancient Egyptians to purge
themfelves monthly for three days ; and the fame
is ftill in praftice in Abyflinia. We (hall fpeakmore
of the reafon of this pradlice in the botanical part
of our work, where a drawing of a mod beautiful
tree *, ufed for this purpofe, is given.

Although we read from the Jefuits a great deal
about marriage and polygamy, yet there is nothing
which may be averred more truly than that there is
no fuch thing as marriage in AbylTmia, unlefs that
which is contra6led by mutual confent, without
other form, fubfifting only till diffolved bv diffent
of one or other, and to be renewed or repeated as
often as it is agreeable to both parties, who, when
they pleafe, cohabit together again as man and wife,
after having been divorced, had children by others,
or whether they have been married, or had children
■with others or not. I remember to have once been,
at Kofcam in prefence of the Iteghe, when, in the
circle, there was a woman of great quality, and

* Vide appendix, article CufTo.

feven

ii.

6s6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

fe'^en men who had all been her hufbands, none
cf whom was the happy fpoufe at that time.

Upon reparation they divide the children. The
cldelT: fon falls to the mother's firft choice, and the
eldeft daughter to the father. If there is but one
daughter, and all the reft fons, {he is affigned to
the father. If there is but one fon, and all the reft
daughters, he is the right of the mother. If the
numbers are unequal after the firft election, the reft
are divided by lot. There is no fuch diftindion ,as
legitimate and illegitimate children from the king
to the beggar ; for fuppofing any one of their mar-
riages valid, all the iil'ue of the reft muft be aduU
terous baftards.

One day Ras Michael alked me, before Abba Sa-
lama, (the Acab Saat) Whether fuch things as thefe
promifcuous marriages and divorces were permitted
and pradifed in my country ? I excufed myfelf till
I was no longer able ; and,*ipon his infifting, I was
obliged to anfwer. That even if fcripture had not
forbid to us as Chriflians, as Englilhmen the law
reftrained us from fuch pradices, by declaring po-
lygamy. felony, or puni'hable by death.

The king in his marriage ufes no other ceremony
than this : — ^He fends an Azafije to the houfe where
the lady lives, where the officer announces to her,
It is the king's pleafure that fhe iliould remove in-
ftantly to the palace. She then dreiles herfelf in
the beft manner, and immediately obeys. Thence-
forward he affigns her an apartment in the palace,
and gives her a houfe elfevvhere in any part Ihe
chufes. Then when he makes her Iteghe, it feems
to be the neareft refemblance to marriage; for,

whether

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 637

uhether in the court or the camp, he orders one of
the judges to pronounce in his prefence, That he,
the king, has chofen his hand-maid, naming her
for his queen ; upon which the crown is put upon
her head, but (he is not anointed,

The crown being hereditary in one family, but
eleftive in the perfon, and polygamy being permit-
ted, mud have multiplied thefe heirs very much,
and produced conftant difputes, fo that it was found
neceflary to provide a remedy for the anarchy and
effufion of royal blood, which was otherwife inevi-
tably to follow. The remedy was a humane and
gentle one, they were confined in a good climate
upon a high mountain, and maintained there at the
public expence. They are there taught to read and
write, but nothing elfe; 750 cloths for wrapping' ••
round them, 3000 ounces of gold, vv'hich is 30,000
dollars, or crowns, are allowed by the ftate for
their maintenance. Thefe princes are hardly ufed,
and, in troublefome times, often put to death upon
the fmalleft miflnformation. While I was in Abyf-
fmia their revenue was fo grofsly mifappiied, that
fome of them were faid to have died with huncrer
and of cold by the avarice and hardheartednefs of
Michael negleding to furniih them neceffaries. Nor
had the king, as far as ever I could difcern, that
fellow-feeling one would have expected from a prince
refcued from that very fituation himfeif; perha'^s
this was owing to his fear of Ras Michael.

However that be, and however diftreflirg the
fituation of thofe princes, we cannot but be fatif-
hed with it when we look to the neiiihbourino- kino-,
dom of Sennaar, or Nubia. There no mountain

IS

6;8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

is trufled with the confinement of their princes,
but, as foon as the father dies, the throats of all
the collaterals, and all their defcendents that can be
laid hold of, are cut ; and this is the cafe with all
the black Rates in the defert weft of Sennaar, Dar
Fo\vr, Sele, and Bagirma.

Great exaggerations have been ufed in fpeaklng"
of the military force of this kingdom. The largeft
army that ever was in the field (as far as I could be
informed from the oldeft officers) was that in the
rebellion before the battle of Serbi-axos. I believe,
when they firft encamped upon the lake Tzana, the
rebel army altogether might amount to about 50,000
men. In about a fortnight afterwards, many had
deferted ; and I do not think (I only fpeak by
hearfay) that, when the king marched out of Gon-
dar, they were then above 30,000. I believe when
Gojam joined, and it was known that Michael and
his army wersp to be made prifoners, that the re-
bel army increafed to above 60,000 men ; cowards
and brave, old and young, veteran foldiers and
blackguards, all came to be fpedators of that de-
firable event, which many of the wifeft had def-
paired of living to fee. I believe the king's army
never amounted to 26,000 men ; and, by defer-
tion and other caufes, when we retreated to Gon-
dar, I do not fuppofe the army was 16,000, moftly
from the province of Tigre. Fafil, indeed, had
not joined; and putting his army of 12,000 men,
(I make no account of the wild Galla beyond the
Nile) I do not imagine that any king of Abyffinia
ever commanded 40,000 effedive men at any time.

or

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 639

or upon atiy caufe whatever, exclufive of his houfe-
hold troops.

Their flandards are large (laves, furmounted at the
top with a hollow ball ; below this is a tube in which
the flaff is fixed ; and immediately below the ball,
a narrow ftripe of filk made forked, or fwallow-
tailed, like a vane, and feldom much broader. In
the war of Begemder we firfl faw colours like a flag
hoifted for king Theodorus. They were red, about
eight feet long and near three feet broad ; but they
never appeared but two days ; and the fuccefs«that
attended their firfl appearance was fuch that did
not bid fair to bring them into fafhion.

The flandards of the infantry have their flags
painted two colours crofs-ways — yellow, white, r«d,
or green. The horfe have all a lion upon their
flag *, fome a red, fome a green, and fome a white
lion. The black horfe have a yellow lion, and
over it a white fl:ar upon a red flag, alluding to two
prophecies, the one, " Judah is a young lion," and
the other, " There fliall come a ftar out of Judah."
This had been difcontinued for want of cloth till
the war of Begemder, when a large piece was found
in Joas*s wardrobe, and was thought a certain omen
of his vidlory, and of a long and vigorous reign.
This piece of cloth was faid to have been brought
from Cairo by Yafous II. for the campaign of Sen-
naar, and, with the other flandards and colours,
was furrendered to the rebels when the king was
made prifoner.

* The firfl; Invention is attributed to the Portuguefe.
Vol. III. Tt The

640 TRA'^'ELS TO DISCOVER

The king's houfehold troops fhould confifi: of
about 80CO infantry, 2000 of which carry firelocks,
and fupply the place of archers ; bows have been
laid afide for near a hundred years, and are only
now ufed by the Waito Shangalla, and fome other
barbarous inconfiderable nations.

Thefe troops are divided into four companies,
each under an officer called Shalaka, which anfwers
to our colonel. Every twenty men have an officer,
every fifty a fecond, and every hundred a third ;
that is, every twenty have one officer who com-
mands them, but is commanded likewife by an
officer who commands the fifty ; fo that there are
three officers who command fifty men, fix command
a hundred, and thirty command five hundred, over
whom is the Shalaka; and this body they call Bet,
which fignifies a houfe,. or apartment, becaufe each
of them goes by the name of one of the king's
ap2,rtments. For example, there is an apartment
called Anbafa Bet, or the tion^s hoiife, and a regi-
ment carrying that name has the charge of it, and
their duty is at that apartment, or that part of the
palace where it is ; there is another called Jan Bet,
or the dephanfs hoiife, that gives the name to ano-
ther regiment : another called Werk Sacala, or the
gold houfe, which gives its name to another corps ;
and f(5 on with the refl; as for the horfe, I have
fpoken of them already.

There are four regiments that feldom, if ever,
amounted to 1600 men, M'hich depend alone upon
the king, and arc all foreigners, at lead the offi-
cers ; thefe have the charge of his perfon while in
the field. In times when the king is out of leading-
firings,

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 64I

firings, they amount to four or five thoufand, and
then opprefs the country, for they have great pri-
vileges. At times when the king's hands are weak,
they are Icept incomplete out of fear and jealoufy,
which was the cafe in my time ; — thefe have been
already fufficiently defcribed.

Three proclamations are made before the king
marches. The firfl: is, " Buy your mules, get
ready your provifion, and pay your fervants, for,
after fuch a day, they that feek me here fliall not
find me.'* The fecond is about a week after, or
according as the exigency is preffing ; this is, " Cut
down the kantuffa in the four quarters of the world,
for I do not know where I am going.'' I'his kantuffa
is a terrible thorn which very much molefts the king
and nobility in their march, by taking hold of their
long hair, and the cotton cloth they are wrapped
in. The third and lafl; proclamation is, " I am er.
camped upon the Angrab, or Kahha : he that does
not join me there, I will chaftife him for feven
years." I was long in doubt what this term of
feven years meant, till I recoUefted the jubilee-
year of the Jews, with whom feven years was a
prefcription of offences, debts, and all trefpalTes.

The rains generally ceafe the eighth of Septem-
ber ; a fickly feafon follows till they begin again
about the 20th of October ; they then continue
pretty conftant, but moderate in quantity, till He-
dar St. Michael, the eighth of November. All
epidemic difeafes ceafe with the end of thefe rains,
and it is then the armies begin to march.

Tt 2 CHAP.

cc

643 TKAVELS TO DISCOVER

C H A P. XII.

State of Religion — Circumtijion^ Exci/lon^ l^c-

T.

HERE IS no country in the world where there
are fo many churches as in Abyffinia* Though th<s
country is very mountainous, and confequently the
view much obflruded, it is very feldom you fee lefs
than five or fix churches, and, if you are on a com-
manding ground, five times that number. Every
great man that dies thinks he has atoned for all his
wickednefs if he leaves a fund to build a church, or
has built one in his lifetime. The king builds man)-^
Wherever a victory is gained, there a church is
crefted in the very field ftinking with the putrid bo-
dies of the flain. Formerly this was only the cafe
when the enemy was Pagan or Infidel ; now the fame
is obferved when the vidories ^re over Chriftians.

The fituation of a church Ts always chofen near
running water, for the convenience of their puri-
fications and ablutions, in which they obferve ftrid-
ly the Levitical law. They are always placed upon
the top of fome beautiful, round hill, which is fur-
roiinded entirely with rows of the oxycedrus, or
A^irginia cedar, which grows here in great beauty
and perfection, and is called Arz *. There is no-
thing

* Ludolf, in his difiionary, fays, this word, in Hebrew,,

, fignifies any tall tree. In this, however, he is miftaken. The

tranflators did not, Indeed, know what tree it was, and fo have

faid

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE, 643

thing adds fo much to the beauty of the country as
thefe churches and the plantations about them.

In the uiiddle of this plantation of cedars is in-
terfperfed, at proper diftances, a number of thofe
beautiful trees called Cuflb, which grow very high,
and are all exrremely pidlurefque.

All the chut-ches are round, with thatched
roofs ; their fummits are perfe£J: cones ; the outfide
is furrounded by a number of wooden pillars, which

4 are nothing elfe than the trunks of the cedar-tree,
.arid are placed to fupport the edifice, about eight
feet of the roof projeaing beyond the wall of the
church, which forms an agreeable walk, or colo-

l nade, around it in hot weather, or in rain. The
jnfide of the church is in feveral divifions, accord-
ing as is prefcribed by the law of Mofes. The
firfl is a circle fomewhat wider than the inner one ;
here the congregation fit and pray. Within this
is a fquare, and that fquare is divided by a veil or
curtain, in which is another very fmall divifion an-
jfwering to the holy of holies. This is fo narrow
that none but the priefts can go into it. You are
bare- footed whenever you enter the church, and,
if bare-footed, you may go through every part of
. it, if you have any fuch curiofity, provided you are
pure, /'. e. have not been concerned with women
for twenty-four hours before, or touched carrion
or dead bodies, (a curious aflemblage of ideas)

fdid this to cover their ignorance ; but Arz is as ^^clufively the
oxy-cedrus> as is an oak or an elm when fo named. Arz is in-
deed a tall tree, but every tall tree is not Arz, which is the Vir-
ginia berry -bearing cedar.

for

644 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

for in that cafe you are not to go within the pre-a
cinfls, or outer circumference of the church, but
ftand and fay your prayers at an awful diftance
among the cedars.

All perfons of both fexes, under Jewifli dif-
qualifications, are obliged to obferve this diftance ;
and this is always a place belonging to the church,
where, unlefs in Lent, you fee the greateft part of
the congregation ; but this is left to your own con--
fcience, and, if there was either great inconvenienceV^
in the one fituation, or great fatisfaction in the other,
the cafe would be otherwife.

When you go to the church you put offyou?"
flioes before your firfl; entering the outer precinct ;
but you muft leave a fervant there with them, or elfe
they will be flolen, if good for any thing, by the
priefts and monks before you come out of the church.
At entry you kifs the threflicld, and two door-pods,
go in and fay what prayer you pleafe, that finiihed,
you come out again, and your duty is over. The
churches are full of pictures, painted on parchment,
and nailed upon the walls, in a manner little lefs
llovenly than you fee paltry prints in beggarly coun-
try alehoufes. There has been always a fort of
painting known among the fcribes, a daubing much
inferior to the worft of our fign-painter?. Some-
times, for a particular church, they get a number
ofpiftures of faints, or fkins of parchment, ready
fini'hed from Cairo, in a (lile very little fuperior to
thefe perf :;,Tmances of their own. They are placed
like a frize, and hung in the upper part of the
w^all. St. George is generally there with his dragon,
and St. Demetrius fighting a lion. There is no

fhoice

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 645

choice in their faints, they are both of the Old and
New Teftament, and thofe that might be difpenfed
with from both. There is St. Pontius Pilate ii«id his
wife ; there is St. Balaam and his afs ; Samfon and
his jaw-bone; and fo of the reft. But the thing
that furprifed me moft was a kind of fquare-minia-
ture upon the front of the head-piece, or mitre, of
the prieft, adminiftering the facrament at Adowa,
reprefenting Pharaoh on a white horfe plunging in
'^ the Red Sea, with many guns and piflols fwimming
^ upon the furface of it around him.

Nothing emboffed, nor in relief, ever appears in
any of their churches ; all this would be reckoned
idolatry, fo much fo that they do not wear a crofs,
as has been reprefented, on the top of the ball of
the fendick, or ftandard, becaufe it cafts a fhade ;
but there is no doubt that pictures have been ufed
in their churches from the very earlieft age of Cbrif-
tianity.

1 he Abuna is looked upon as the patriarch of the
Abyflinian church, for they have little, knowledge
of the Coptic patriarch of Alexandria. "VVe are
perfectly ignorant of the hiftory of thefe; prelates
for many years after their appointment. The firll
of thefe mentioned is Abuna TeclaHaimanout, who
diftinguifhed himfelf by the reftoration of the royal
family, and the regulations he made both in church
and ftate, as we have feen in the hiftory of thofe
times : a very remarkable, but wife regulation was
then made, that the Abyfiinians fliould not have it
in their power to choofe one of their own country-
ffiQTi as Abuna.

Wife

6^6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Wife men faw the fallen Rate of literature among'
them ; and unlefs opportu- ity was given, from
time to time, for their priefls to go abroad to Jeru-
falem for their inftruftion, and for the purpofe of
bringing the Abuna, Tecla Haimanout knew that
very foon no fet of people would be more fhame-
fully ignorant than thofe priefls, even in the mod
common dogmas of their profeffion. He hoped
therefore, by a confiderable ftipend, to tempt fome
men of learning to accept of this place, to give his
countenance to learning and religion among them.

The Arabic canon §, which is preferved by the
AbyfTmian church, and faid to be of the council
of Nice, Ihould certainly be attributed to this Abuna,
and is a forgery in, or very focn after, his time ;
for .1: is ,.iain this canon took place about the year
1300, that it was lawful to ele£t an Abuna, who
was a native of Abyfimia before this prohibition,
otherwife it would not have applied. Abuna Tecla
Hzjimanout was an Abyfiinian by birth, and he wa»
Abuna ; the prohibition therefore had not then
taken place : but, as no Abyfiinian was afterwards
chofen, it mull: certainly be a work of his time,
for it is impoffible a canon (hould be made by the
council of Nice, fettling the rank of a biihop in a
nation which, for above 200 years after that gene-
ral council, were not Chriftians.

As the Abuna very feldom underflands the lan-
guage, he has no fliare of the government, but goes
to the palace on days of ceremony, or when he has

§ See Ludolf, lib. lii. cap. 2. No. 17.

^ny

THE SOURrE OF THE NILE. 647

^ny favour to afk or complaint to make. He is
much fallen in efteem mm what he was formerly
chiefly irom his own little intrigues, his ignorance
avarice, and want of firmnefs. His greateft employ-
ment is in ordinations, A number of men and
children prcfent them elves at a diftance, and there
(land, from humilitv, no' daring to approach him.
He rhen alT;s who hei'e are ? and they tell hira
that they want to be deacons. On this, with a
fmall iron c ofs in his hand, after making two or
three figns, he blows with his mouth twice or thrice
upon them, faying, " Let them be deacons." I
faw once all the army of Begemder made deacons,
juft returned from ftiedding the blood of ic,coo
men, thus drawn up in Aylo Meidan, and the
Abuna Handing at the church of St. Raphael, about
a quarter of a mile diftant from them. With thefe
were mingled about igoo women, who confequently
having part of the fame blaft: and brandifhment of
the crofs, were as good deacons as the reft.

The fame with regard to monks. A crowd of
people, when he is riding, will aflemble within
500 yards of him, and there begin a melancholy
fong. He afks who thofe men with beards are ? they
tell him they want to be ordained monks. After
the fame figns of the crofs, and three blafts with his
mouth, he orders them to be monks. But in or-
daining priefts, they muft be able to read a chapter
of St Mark, which they do in a language he does
not underftand a word of. They then give the
Abuna a brick of fait, to the value of perhaps fix-
pence, for their ordination; which, from this

prefent

?;

64S TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

prefent given, the Jefuits maintained to be Simo-
niacal.

The Itchegue is the chief of the monks in gene-
ral, efpecially thofe of Debra Libanos. The head
of the other monks, called thofe of St, Enftathiusj
is, the fuperior of the convent of Mahebar SelafTe,
on theN. W. corner of Abyffinia, near Kuara, and
the Shangalla, towards Sennaar and the river Ben-
der. AH this tribe is grofsly ignorant, and through
time, I believe, will lofe the ufe of letters entirely.

The Itchegue is ordained by two chief priefls
holding a white cloth, or veil, over him, while ano-
ther fays a prayer ; and they then lay all their hands
on his head, and join in pfalms together. He is a
man, in troublefome times, of much greater con-
fequence than the Abuna. There are, after thefe,
chief priefts and fcribes, as in the Jewifh church i
the laft of thefe, the ignorant, carelefs copiers of the
holy fcriptures.

The monks here do not live in convents as iu
Europe, but in feparate houfes round their church,
and each cultivates a part of the property they have
in land. The priefts have their maintenance aftigned
to them in kind, and do not labour. A fteward,
behig a layman, is placed among them by the king,
who receives all the rents belonging to the churches,
and gives to the priefts the portion that is their
due ; but neither the Abuna, nor any other churchr
man, has any bufmefs with the revenues of churches^
nor can touch them.

The articles of the faith of the Abyftinians have
been inquired into and difcufted with fo much
keennefs in the beginning of this century, that I

fear

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 649

fear I fhould difoblige fome of my readers were I
to pafs this fubje£t without notice.

Their firfl bifhop, Frumentius, being ordained
about the year 333, and inftruded in the religion
of the Greeks of the church of Alexandria by St.
Athanafius, then fitting in the chair of St. Mark, it
follows that the true religion of the Abyflinians,
which they received on their converfion to Chrif^
tianity, is that of the Greek church ; and every
rite or ceremony in the Abyfiinian church may be
found and traced up to its origin in the Greek
church while both of them were orthodox.

Frumentius preferved Abyflinia untainted with
herefy till the day of his death. We find, from a
letter preferved in the works of St. Athanafius,
that Conftantius, the heretical Greek emperor, wifhed
St. Athanafius to deliver him up, which that pa-
triarch refufed to do: indeed at that time it was
not in his power.

Soon after this, Arianifm, and a number of other
herefies, each in their turn, were brought by the
monks from Egypt, and infefted the church of
Abyffinia. A great part of thefe herefies, in the be-
ginning, were certainly owing to the difference of
the languages in thofe times, and efpecially the two
words Nature and Perfon, than which no two words
were ever more equivocal in every language in which
they have been tranflated. Either of thefe words, in
our own language, is a fufficient example of what
I have faid ; and in fadl we have adopted them
from the Latin. If we had adopted the fignification
of thefe words in religion from the Greek, and ap-
plied the Latin words of Perfon and Naturfe' to

common *

650 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

common and material cafes, perhaps we had done
better. Neither of them hath ever yet been tranf-
lated into the AbyfTinian, fo as to be underftood to
mean the fame thing in different places. This for
a time was, in a certain degree, remedied, or un-
derftood, by the free accefs they had, for feveral
ages, both to Cairo and Jerufalem, where their
books were revifed and correfted, and many of the
principal orthodox opinions inculcated. But, fmce
the conqueft of Arabia and Egypt by Sultan Selim,
in 1516, the communication between Abyffinia and
thefe two countries hath been very precarious and
dangerous, if not entirely cut off; and now as to
doftrine, I am perfe£lly convinced they are in every
refpe£t to the full as great heretics as ever the Jefuits
reprefented them. And I am confident, if any Ca-
tholic miftionaries attempt to inftruct them again,
tliey will foon lofe the ufe of letters, and the little
knowledge they yet have of religion, from prejudice
only, and fear of incurring a danger they are not
fufficiently acquainted with to follow the means of
avoiding it.

The two natures in Chrift, the two perfons, their
unity, their equality, the inferiority of the man-
hood, doftrines, and definitions of the time of St.
Arbanafms, are all wrapt up in tenfold darknefs,
and inextricable from amidft the thick clouds of
herefv and ignorance of language. Nature is of-
ten miitaken for perfon, and perfon for nature ; the
fame of the human 'fubftance. It is monftrous to
hear their reafoning upon it. One would think,
that every difl'erent monk, every time he talks, pur-
pofely broached fome new herefy. Scarce one of

them

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 6^1

them that ever I converfed with, and thofe of the
very beft of them, would fuifer it to be faid, that
Chrift*s body was perfeftly like ours. Nay, it was
cafily feen that, in their hearts, they went dill fur-
ther, and were very loth to believe, if they did be-
lieve it at all, that the body of the Virgin Mary and
St. Anne were perfectly human.

Not to trouble the reader further with thefe un-
interefling particulars and diftinftions, I fhall only
add, that the Jefuits, in the account they give of the
herefies, ignorance, and obHinacy of ihe Ai.yfTmian
clergy, have not mifreprefented them, in the im-
putations made againft them, either in point of faith
or of morals. Whed er, this be:n , the ca e, themif-
fion they undertook of themfelves into that country,
gave them authority to dciiroy the many with a
view to convert the few, is a queftion to be refolved
hereafter ; I believe it did not ; an.^ that the tares
and the wheat fhould have been fuffered to grow
together till a ban i o*" more autiiority, guided by
unerring judgment, pulled them, with that portion
of fafety he had pre-ordained for both.

The Proteftant writers again unfairly triumph
over their adverfaries the Catholics, by afking. Why
all that noife about the two natures in Chrift ? It is
plain, fay. they, from pailages in the Haiir.anout
Abou, and their other trafts upon orthodox belief,
that they acknowledge that Chrift was perfeft God
and perfeft man, of a rational foul and human flefh
fubfilling, and that all the confeffions of unity, co»
equality, and inferiority, are there expreffed in the
cleareft manner as received in the Greek church.
What neceffity was there for more j and what need

• of

••!.

6^2, TRAVELS TO DISCOVEK.

of dif})iuing upon thefe points already fo fuller
fettled?

This, I beg leave to fa)^, is unfair ; for though It
is true that, at the time of collefting the Haimanout
Abou, and at the time St. Athanafius, St. Cyril,
and St. Chryfoftom wrote, the explanation of thefe
points was uniform in favour of orthodoxy, and
that while accefs could eafily be had to Jerufalem
or Alexandria, then Greek and Chriftian cities, dif-
ficulties, if any arofe, were eafity refolved ; yet, at
the time the Jefuits came, thofe books were very
rare in the country, and the contents of them fo far
from being underftood, that they were applied to
the fupport of the groiTen: herefies, from the mifin-
terpretation of the ignorant monks of thefe latter
times. That the Abvilinians bad been orthodox
availed nothing : they were then become as igno-
rant of the doiStrines of St. Athanafius and St. Cyril,
as if thofe fathers had never wrote ; and it is their
religion at this period which the Jefuits condemn,
not that of the church of Alexandria, when in its
parity under the firil patriarchs ; and, to complete
all their misfortunes, no accefs to Jerufalem is any
longer open to them, and very rarely communica-
tion with Cairo.

On the other hand, the Jefuits, who found that
the Abvilinians were often wrong in fome things,
were refolved to deny that they could be right in
any thing ; and, from attacking their tenets, they
fell upon their ceremonies received in the Greek
church at the fame time with Chriftianity ; and in
this difpute they fhewed great ignorance and malevo-
lence, which they fupported by the help of falfehood
* and

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 653

and invention. I fliall take notice of only one in-
ftance in many, becaufe it has been infifted upon
by both parties with unufual vehemence,, and very
little candour.

It was fettled by the firfl general council, that one
baptifm only was neceffary for the regeneration of
man, for freeing him from the fm of our firR parents,
and lifting him under the banner of Chrift, — " I
confefs one baptifm for the remiiTion of fins," fays
the Symbol. Now it was maintained by theje-
fuits that in Abyffinia, once every year, they bap-
tifed all grown people, or adults. I ihall, as briefly
as poflible, fet down what I myfelf faw while on the
fpot.

The fmall river, running beiween the town of
Adowa, and the church, had been dammed up
for feveral days; the ftream was fcanty, fo that it
fcarcely overflowed. It was in places three feet
deep, in fome, perhaps, four, or little more. Three
large tents were pitched the morning before the
feaft of the Epiphany ; one on the north for the
priefts to repofe in during intervals of the fer-
vice, and befide this, one to communicate in :
on the fouth there was a third tent for the monks
and priefts of another church to reft themfelves in
their turn. About twelve o'clock at night the monks
and priefts met together, and began their prayers
and pfalms at the water-fide, one party relieving
each other. At davv'n of day the governor, Wel-
leta Michael, came thirher with fome foldiers to
raife men for Ras Michael, then on his march againft
Waragna Fafil, and fat down on a fmall hill by the

water-

6^4 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

water-fide, the troops all fkirmifliing on foot and ati
horfeback around hem. .

As foon as the fun began to appear, three large
crolfes of wood were carried by three priefts dreffed
in their facerdoral veftments, and whOj coming to
the fide of the river, dipt the crofs into the water,
and all this time the firing, ikirmifhing, and pray-^
ing went on together. The priefls with the croifes
returned, one of tiieir number before them carry-
ing fomething lefs rv Englifh quart of water
in a filver cup or chalice ; when they were about
fifty yards from vVell ta iVirhael, that general flood
up, and the pri .■ took as much water as he could
hold in his hands and fprinkled it upon his head,
holding the cap at the fame time to Welleta Mi-
chael's mouth to tafte ; after which the prieft re-
ceived it back again, faying, at the fame time,
" Gzier y'barak," which is fimply, " May God blefs
you." Each of the three crolfes were then brought
forward to Welleta Michael, and he kiffed them.
The ceremony of fprinkling the water was then re-
peated to all the great men in the tent, all cleanly
dreifed as in gala. Some of them, not contented
with afperfion, received the water in the palms of
their hands joined, and drank it there; more water
was brought for thofe that had not partaken of the
firfl ; and, after the whole of the governor*s com*
pany was fprinkled, the crofles returned to the river,
thi^'iY bearers finging hallelujahs^ and the fkirmifhing
and firing continuing.

Janni, my Greek friend, had recommended me to
the prieft of Adowa ; and, as the governor had
placed me by him, 1 had an opportunity, for both

thefe

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 6^5

thefe reafons, of being ferved among the firft. My

friend the pried fprinkled water upon my head,

and gave me his blefling in the fame words he had

ufed to the others ; but, as I faw it was not ner^f-

fary to drink, I declined putting the cup to my lips,

for two reafons ; one, becaufe I knew the Abyi-

fmians have a fcruple to eat or drink after ftrangers;

the other, becaufe I apprehended the water was not

perfedly clean ; for no fooner had the croffes firfl:

touched the pool, and the cup filled from the clean

part for the governor, than two or three hundred

boys, calling themfelves deacons, plunged in with

only a white cloth, or rag, tied round their middle ;

in all other refpefts they were perfectly naked. All

their friends and relations (indeed every body) went

clofe down to the edge of the pool, where water was

thrown upon them, and firfl: decently enough by

boys of the town, and thofe brought on purpofe as

deacons ; but, after the better fort of people had.

received the afperfion, the whole was turned into

a riot, the boys, muddying the water, threw it

round them upon every one they faw well-drefled

or clean. The governor retreated firfl, then the

monks, and then the crofles, and left the brook in

pofleffion of the boys and blackguards, who rioted

there till two o'clock in the afternoon.

I muft, however, obferve, that, a very little time
after the governor had been fprinkled, two horfes
and two mules, belonging to Ras Michael and Ozoro
Eflher came and were walhed. Afterwards the fol-
diers went in and bathed their horfes and guns ;
thofe who had wounds bathed them alfo. I faw no
women in the bath uncovered, even to the knee ;

Vol. III. U u noj:

656 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER'

nor did I fee any perfon of the rank of decent fer-
vants go into the water at all except with the horfes.
Heaps of platters and pots, that hiid been ufed by
Mahometans or Jews, were brought thither likewifc
to be purified ; and thus the whole ended.

I faw this ceremony performed afterwards at
Kahha, near Gondar, in prefence of the king, who
drank fome of the water, and was fprinkled by the
priefts ; then took the cup in his hand, and threw
the reft that was left upon Amha Yafous *, faying,
" I will be your deacon ;" and this was thought a
high compliment, the prieft giving him his blefling
at the fame time, but offering him no more water.

I ihall now flate, in his own words, the account
given of this by Alvarez, chaplain to the Por-
tuguefe embaffy, under Don Roderigo de Lima.

The king had invited Don Roderigo de Lima,
the Portuguefe ambaflador, to be prefent at the ce-
lebration of the feftival of the Epiphany. 'Ihey
went about a mile and a half from their former
ftation, and encamped upon the fide of a pond which
had been prepared for the occafion. Alvarez fays,
that, in their way, they were often afl^:ed by thofe
they met or overtook, " Whether or not they
were going to be baptized ?'* to which the chaplain
and his company aniwered in the negative, as hav-
inc been already once baptized in their childhood.

" In the night, fays he, a great number of priefts
aifembled about the pond, roaring and finging with
a view of blelfing the water. After midnight the

* prince of Shoa, often fpoken of in the fequel,

baptifm

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 657

baptifm began. The Abuna Mark, the king and
queen, were the firft that went into the lake ; they
had each a piece of cotton cloth about their middle
which was juft fo much more than the red of the
people had. At the fun-rifing the baptifm wi.s
moft thronged ; after which, when Alvarez | C2me^
the lake was full of holy water, into which they had
poured oil."

It (houldfeem, from this outfet of his narrative,
that he was not at the lake till the ceremony was
half over, and did not fee the benedidion of the
water at all, nor the curious exhibition of the King,
C^een, and Abuna, and their cotton cloths. As
for the circumftance of the oil being poured into the
water, I will not pofitively contradid it, for though
I was early there, it might have efcaped me if it was
done in the dark. However, I never heard it men-
tioned as part of the ceremony; and it is probable I
fhould, if any fuch thing was really pradifed; nei-
ther was I in time to have iQQn it at Kahha*

" Before the pond a fcafFold was built, covered
" round with planks, within which fat the king
" looking towards the pond, his face covered with
" blue taffeta, while an old man, who was the king's
*' tutor, was (landing in the water up to the (houl-
^' ders, naked as he was bornj and half dead with
*' cold, for it had fro-zen violently in the night.
" All thofe that came near him he took by the
" head and plunged them in the water, whether
*' men or women, faying, in his own language, I

■]• Vide Alvarez's narrative in his account of the embalTy of
Don Roderigo de Lima, page 155.

U u .2 " baptize

658 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

" baptize thee in the name of the Father, Son,
«' and Holy Ghoft.'*

Now Shoa, where the king was then, is in lat.
8^. N. and the fun was in 22°. fouth declination,
advancing northward, fo the fun was, on the day
of the Epiphany, within 30'^ of the zenith of the
bathing-place. The thermometer of Fahrenheit
rifes at Gondar about that time to 68% fo in Shoa it
cannot rife to lefs than 70^^, for Gondar is in lat.
12''. N. that is 4° farthernorthward, fo it is not
poffible water fhould freeze, nor did I ever fee ice
in Abyffinia, not even on the higheft or coldeft
mountains. January is one of the hottefl moiith&
in the year, day and night the Iky is perfedly fe-
rene, nor is there a long difproportioned winter-
night. At Shoa the days are equal to the nights,
at leaft as to fenfe, even in the month of January.

The baptifm, Alvarez fays, began at midnightj^
and the old tutor dipped every perfon under water,
taking him by the head, faying, ' I baptize thee in
the name of the Father, of the Son and of the
Holy Ghofl.* It was mod thronged at fun-rife, and
ended about nine o'clock ; a long time for an old
man to (land in frozen water.

The number (as women were promifcuoully ad-
mitted) could not be lefs than 40,000; fo that evert
the nine hours this baptift-general officiated, hemufl
have had exercife enough to keep him warm, if
40,000, (many of them naked beautiesj paffed
through his hands.

The women were (lark naked before the men, not
even a rag about them. Without Ibme fuch proper
medium as frozen water, I fear it would not have

contributed

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 659

contributed much to the Interefts of religion to have
trufted a prieft (even an old one) among fo many
bold and naked beauties, efpecially as he had the
firft fix hours of them in the dark.

The Abuna, the kihg, and queen, were the
three firft: baptized, ail three being abfolutely naked,
having only a cotton cloth round their middle. I
am fure there never could be a greater deviation
from the manners of any kingdom, than this is from
thofe of Abyffinia. The king is always cover-
ed; you feldom fee any part of him but his eyes.
The queen and every woman in Abyffinia, in public
and private, (I mean where nothing is intended
but converfation) are covered to the chin. It is a
difgrace to them to have even their feet feen by ftran-
gers ; and their arms and hands are concealed even
to their nails. A curious circumilance therefore
it would have been for the king to be fo liberal of
his queen's charms, while he covers his own face
v^ith blue taffeta; but to imagine that the Abuna,
a Coptifti monk bred in the defert of St. Macarius,
would expofe himfelf naked among naked women,
contrary to the ufual cudom of the celebration he
obferves in his own church, is monllrous, and mufl
exceed all belief whatever. As the Abuna Mark
too was of the reafonable age of 1 10 years, he might,
I think, have dilpenfed at that time of life with a
bathing gown, efpecially as it wasyrg/?.

The old man in the pond repeated the formula,

*' I baptize you in the name of 'the Father, of the ,

Son, nnd of the Holy Ghoft," in his own language;

and Alvarez, it is plain, underftood not one word

of Abyffinian. Yet, on the other hand, he fpeaks

Latin

65o TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

Latin to the king, who wonderfully underfl'and^
him, and anfwers as decifively on the merits of the
difpute as if he had been educated in the Sorbonne^
*' Confiteor unum baptizma" fays Alvarez*, was a
conftitution of the Nicene council under Pope Leo,
Right, fays the king, whofe church, however, ana^
thematized Leo and the council he prefided at, which
both the king and Alvarez fhould have known was
not the Nicene council, though the words of the
fymbol quoted are thought to be part of a confelTion
framed by that affembly.

" Qui crediderit et baptizatus fuerit falvus erit,''
fays Alvarez. " You fay right, anfwers the king,
as to baptifm ; thefe are the words of our Saviour ;
but this prefent ceremony was lately invented by ^
grandfather of mine, in favour of fuch as have
turned Moors, and are defirous again of becoming
Chriftians."

I fhould think, in the firfl: place, this anfwer of the
king, (hould have let Alvarez fee no baptifm was
intended there ; or, if it was a re-baptifm, it only
took place in favour of thofe who had turned
Moors, and mud therefore have been but partial. If
this was really the cafe, what had the king, queen,
and Abuna to do in it ? Sure they had neither apof?
tatized, nor was the company of apoftates a very
creditable fociety for them.

Alvarez, to perfuade us this is real baptifm, fays,
that oil was thrown into the pond before he came.
lie will not charge himfelf with having feen this,
and it is probably a falfehood. But he knew it was

* Vid. Alvarez, hoc loco.

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 6^1

an eflential in baptifm in all the churches in the eaft ;
fo indeed is fait, which he fhould have faid was here
.ufed likewife : then he would have had all the ma-
terials of Greek baptifm, and this fait might have
-contributed to cooling the water, that had frozen
■under the rays of a burning fun.

Alvarez mufl have feen, that not only men and
women go to be wafhed in the pool, but horfes,
cows, mules and a prodigious number of affes. Are
thefe baptized ? I would wiOi to know the formula
-the reverend baptift-general ufed on their occafion.

There is but one church where I ever faw facred
rites, or fomething like baptifm, conferred upon
-affes ; it is, I think, at Rome on St. Andrew's or
St. Patrick's day. ft fhould be St. Balaam's if he
was in the Roman kalendar as high as he is in the
Abyffmian. In that church (jit is I think on Monte
Cavallo) all forts of affes, about and within Rome,
ure gathered together, and fhov/ers of holy water
and bleffmgs rained by a pried upon them. What
is the formula I do not know ; although it is a joke
put upon ftrangers, efpecially of one nation, to af-
femble them here ; or whether the two -churches of
Rome and Abyffmia differ fo much in this as in
other points of difcipline, I am not informed ; but
the rationality and decency of fuch a ceremony be-
ing the fame in all churches, the fervice performed
at the time (hould be the fame likewife.

I will not then have any fcruple to fay, that this
whole account o| Alvarez is a grofs fidion, that no
baptifm, or any thing like .baptifm, is meant by the
ceremony ; that a man U no more baptized by
keeping the anniverfary of our Saviour's baptifm,

than

662, TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

than he is crucified by keeping his crucifixion. The
commemoration of our Saviour's baptifm on the epi-
phany, and the bleffmg the waters that day, is an
old obfervance of the eaftern church, formerly per-
formed in public in Egypt as now in Ethiopia.
Since that of Alexandria fell into the hands of Ma-
hometans, the fear of infult and profanation has
obliged them to confine this ceremony, and all other
proceffions, within the walls of their churches, in
each of which there is conftantly a place devoted to
this ufe. Thofe that cannot attend the ceremony of
afperfion in the church, efpecially fickor infirm peo»
pie, have the water fent to them, and a large con-
tribution is made for the patriarch, or bifhop ; yet
no body ever took it into their heads to tax either
Greek or Armenian with a repetition of baptifm.

Monfieur de Tournefort*, in his travels through
the Levant, gives you a figure of the Greek prieft,
who blelfes the water in a peculiar habit, with a
paftoral ftaff in liis hand..

But, befides this, various falfehoods have like-
wife been propagated about the manner of baptifrr*
practifed in Abyffinia, all in order to impugn the
validity of it, and to excufe the rafh conduct of the
Jefuits for re-baptifing all the Abyffinians, as if they
had been a Jewifh and Pagan people that never ha4
been baptized at all. The violation of this article
of the creed, or confeffion of Nice, was a caufe of
great offence to the Abyffinians, and of the misfor-
tunes that happened afterwards. Whe wh'ole of the
Abyffinian fervice of baptifm is in their liturgy. The

* Tournef. torn. i. p, i u,

Jefuits

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 663

Jefults had plenty of copies in their hands, and could
have pointed out the part of the fervice that was
heretical, if they had pleafed ; they did not pretend,
however, to do this, and their filence condemns them.
As for the idle ftories that are told of the words
pronounced, fuch as, — " I baptize you in the name
of the Holy Trinity," — In the name of Peter and
Paul," — " I baptize you in the water of Jordan,"
— *' May God baptifc you," — May God wafh you,**
and many others, they are all invented by the Jefuits,
to excufe the repetition of baptifm in Abyflinia,
which there was no fort of occafion for, as they might
have examined the words and form in the liturgies,
which are in every church ; and I muft here only
obierve, that if, as the chaplain of Alvarez fays,
the prieft in the pool, on the feftival of the Epi-
phany y. was fo fond of the proper words as even,
iit that time, to fay, *' I baptize you in the name
of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghoft," the words he quotes to fhew this immer-
fion in water on the Epiphany, is a real baptifm, I
cannot comprehend why they fhould vary them to
other words, when nothing but baptifm is meant.
But this I can bear evidence of, that, in no time
when I was prefent, as I have above a hundred times
been at the baptifm both of adults and infants,
aye, and of apoilates too, I never heard other words
pronounced than the orthodox baptifmal ones, " I
*' baptize the? in the name of the Father, of the
" Son, and^-of the^ Holy Gholt," immerging the
child in pure watar, into which they firfl pour a
fmall quantity of oil of olives, in the form of a

C:rofs.

The

6^4 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

The Abyffinians receive the holy facrament in
both kinds in unleavened bread, and in the grape
brulfed with the huik together as it grows, fo that
it is a kind of marmalade, and is given in a flat
fpoon: whatever they may pretend, fome mixture
fcems neceflary to keep it from fermentation in the
ftate that it is in, unlefs the dried clufl;er is frefli
bruifed jufl: before it is ufed, for it is little more
fluid than the common marmalade of confectioners ;
but it is perfedly th€ grape as it grew, bruifed
{tones and fl^in together. Some means, however,
have been ufed, as I fuppofe, to prevent fermen^
tation, and make it keep ; and, though this is
cohftantly denied, I have often thought I tailed a
flavour that was not natural to the grape itfelf.

It is a mifl:ake that there is no wine in Abyflinia,
for a quantity of excellent ftrong wine is made at
Dreeda, fouth-weft from Gondar about thirty miles,
which would more than fupplythe quantity necef-
fary for the celebration of the eucharift in all
AbyfTmia twenty times over. The people them-
felves are not fond of wine, and plant the vine ii*
one place only ; and in this they have been imi-
tated by the Egyptians, their colony ; but a fmall
black grape, of an excellent flavour, grows plen?
tifully wild in every wood in Tjgre.

Large pieces of bread are given to the com-
municants in proportion to their quality ; and I
have feen great men, who, though they open their
mouths as wide as conveniently a man can do, yet
from the refpedt the pried bore him, fuch a portion
of the loaf was put into his mouth that water ran
from his eyes, from the incapacity of chewing it,

which

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 66g

««*hich, however, he does as indecently, and with
full as much noife, as he eats at table.

Afte<:jreceiving the facrviment of the eucharift in
both kinds, a pitcher of water is brought, of which
the communicant drinks a large draught ; and well
he needs it to wafh down the quantity of bread he
has jufl fwallowed. He then retires from the ftcps
of the inner divifion upon which the adminiftering
prieft (lands, and turning his face to the wall of the
church, in private fays fome prayer with feeming
decency and attention.

The Romanifts doubt of the validity of the Abyf-
fmian confecration of the elements, becaufe in their
liturgy it is plainly fald, " Lord, put thy hand upon

this cup, and blefs it, and fanclify it, and purify if,

that it may be made thy holy blood j'* and of the
Spread they fay, " Blefs this faucer, or plate, that in
" it may be made thy holy body." And in their
prayer they fay, " Change this bread that it may
" be made thy pure body which is joined with this
" cup of thy precious blood." The Jefuits doubt
of the validity of this confecration, becaufe it is
faid, " this bread is my body," and over the wine,
?' this cup is my blood j" whereas, to operate a true
tranfubilantiation, they (hould fay over the bread
" this is my body."

For my own part, I leave it to the reverend fa-
thers, who are the beft judges, what is neceflary to
operate this miracle of tranfubflantiation. The reali-
ty of the thing itfelf is denied by all Proteftant
churches, has been often doubted by others, has
been ridiculed by lay-writers, and can never be
a rnatter, I believe, of thorough convidion, much

lefs.

666 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

lefs of proof to any. The dignity of the fubje£l,
on which it touches nearly, as well as tendernefs
for our brethren on the continent, an a|ilcle of
whofe faith it is, fliould always fcreen it from being
treated with pleafantry, whatever we believe, or
whether we believe it or not.

M. Ludolf thinks, that the words I have fet down

are a proof the Abyffinians do not believe in tran-

fubftantiation. For my part, from thofe very words,

I cannot think any thing is clearer than that they

do ; the bread is upon the plate ; they pray that that

plate may be blefied, " That in it the bread may

be made God's holy body * ; and of the wine they

fay, " That it may be made thy holy blood :'* and

in their prayer they fay, " Change this bread that

it may be made thy body ;** and again, " May the

Holy Ghofl fhine upon this bread, that it may be

made the body of Chrifl our God, and that this

cup may be changed and become the blood, not

the /jmkl, of the blood of Chrift our God." "With

all refped to Mr. Ludolf 's opinion, I muft think

that, though the benedidion prayed upon the pa-

:fne, fpoon, and chalice, is but an aukward expref-

fion, yet, if I underfland the language, " converte'*

and " immutetur'* are literal tranilations of the

Ethiopic, and feem to pray for a tianfubftantiation

as directly as words will admit, whether they believe

in it or not ; nor, as far as I know, can any ftronger

or more expreiTive be found to fubftitute in their

place.

* See the Ethiopic liturgies pafTim. Ludolf, lib. ili. cap 5.

I fhall \

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 66?

I (hall finifh this fubjeft (which is not of my pro-
vince, and which I have mentioned, becaufe I know
it is a matter which fome of my readers defire infor-
mation upon) by an anecdote that happened a few
months before my coming into AbyfTmia, as it was
accidentally told me by the prieft of Adowa the
very day of the Epiphany, and which Janni vouched
to be true, and to have feen.

The Sunday before Ras Michael's departure for
Gondar from Adowa, he went to church in great
pomp, and there received the facrament. There
happened to be fuch a crowd to fee him, that the
wine, part of the confecrated elements, was thrown
down and fpilt upon the fteps whereon the com-
municants ftood at receiving. Some flraw or hay
was inftantly gathered and fprinkled upon it to
cover it, and the communicants continued the
fervice till the end, treading that grafs under foot.

This giving great offence to Janni, and fome few
priefts that lived with him, it was told Michael,
who, without explaining himfelf, faid only, " As
to the fadt of throwing the hay, they are a parcel of
hogs, and know no better.*' Thefe few words had
ftuck in the ftomach of the prieft of Adowa, who,
with great fecrecy, and as a mark of friendftiip,
begged I would give him my opinion what he
fhould have done, or rather, what would have been
done in my country ? I told him, " That the an-
fvver to his queftion depended upon two things,
which, being known, his difficulties would very
eafily be folved. If you do believe that the wine
fpilt by the mob upon the fteps, and trod under
foot afterwards, was really the blood of Jefus Chrift,

then

66S TRAVELS T.O DISCOVE]^

then you was guilty of a moft horrid crime, and
you fliould cry upon the mountains to cover you j
and ages of atonement are not fufficient to expiate
it. You fhould, in th-e mean time, have railed
the place round with iron, or built it round with
ftone, that no foot, or any thing elfe but the dew
of heaven, could have fallen upon it, or you fhould
have brought in the river upon the place that would
have wadied it all to the fea, and covered it ever
after from facrilegious profanation. But if, on
the contrary, you believe, (as many C-hrlftian
churches do) that the wine (notwithflanding con-
fccration) remain d m the viip nothing more than
wine, but was only the Pf mbol, or type, of Chrifl's
blood of the New Teftament, then the fpilling it
upon the fteps, and the treading upon it afrer wards,-
having been merely accidental, and out of your
power to prevent, being fo far from your wifh that
you are heartily forry that it happened, I do not
reckon that you are further liable in the crime of
facrilege, than if the ^ine had not been confecrat-
ed at all. You are toiiumble yourfelf, and fmcere-
ly regret that fo irreverent an ac^dent happened in
your hands, and in your time, but as you did not
intend it, and caold not prevent it •, the confequence
of an accident, where inattention is exceedingly
culpable, will be imputed to you, and nothing
further."

The priefl: declared to me^ with great earnefl-
nefs, that he never did believe that the elements
in the eucharid were converted by confecration
into the real body and b'ood of Ghrift. He faid,
however, that he believed this to be the Roman

Catholic

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 66^

Catholic faith, but it never was his ; and that he
conceived the bread was bread, and the wine was
vj'me, even after confecration. From this example,
which occurred merely accidentally, and was not
the fruit of interrogation or curiofity, it appears to
me, whatever the Jefuits fay, feme at lead among
the Abyffinians do not believe the real prefence in
the eucharifl j but further I am not enough inform-
ed to give a pofitive opinion. Ta follow this invef-
tigatlon more curioufly would have been attended
with a confiderable degree of danger ; and there-
fore I have ftated my only means of knowledge, and
leave my readers entirely to the freedom of their
own opinion, and to after inquiry and information.
The Abyffinians are not all agreed about the ftate
of fouls before the refurreftion of the body. The '
opinion which generally prevails is, that there is no
third ftate ; but that, after the example of the thief,
the fouls of good men enjoy the beatific vifion im-
mediately upon the feparation from the body. But
I muft here obferve, that their praftice and books
do both contradict this ; for, as often as any perfon
dies, alms are given, and prayers are offered for
the fouls of thofe departed, which would be vain
did they believe they were already in the prefence
of God, 'and in poiTefTion of the greateft blifs pof-
fible, wanting nothing to complete it. " Remember,
(fays their liturgy) O Lord ! the fouls of thy fervants,
our father Abba Matthias, and the reft of our faints,
Abba Salama, and Abba Jacob." In another place,
*' Remember, O Lord ! the kings of Ethiopia,
Abreha,and Atzebeha, Caleb, and Guebra Mafciil."
And again, " Releafe, O Lord ! our father Anto-
nius, and Abba Macarius." If this is not direilly

' acknow-

67o TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

acknowledging a feparate ftate, it can have no mean-
ing at all.

I have already faid, that the Agaazi, the prede-
ceflbrs of thofe people that fettled in Tigre from
the mountains of the Habab, were fhepherds ad-
joining to t)ie Red Sea j that they fpeak the language
Geez, and are the only people in Abyffinia in pof-
feffion of letters ; that thefe are all circumcifed, both
men and women. The former term, as applied to
men, is commonly known to every one the leafl:
acquainted with the Jewifh hiflory. The latter is,
as far as I know, a rite merely Gentile, although in
Africa, at leaft that part adjoining to Egypt and the
Red Sea, it is much niore known and more univer-
fally pratftifed than the other. This I fliali call ex-
cifion, that I may exprefs this uncommon operation
by as decent a word as poflible. The Falaiha like-
wife fubmit to both.

Thefe nations, however they agree in their rite,
diifer in their accounts of the time they received
this ceremony, as well as the manner of perform-
ing it. The Abyffmians of Tigre fay, that they
received it from Ilhmael's family and his defendants,
with whom they were early connefted in their trad-
ing voyages. They fay alfo, the queen of Saba,
and all the women of that coaft, had fufFered exci-
fion at the ufual time of life, before puberty, and
before her journey to Jerufalem, The Falafha again
declare, that their circumcifion was that commonlj?
praftifed at Jerufalem in the time of Solomon, and
in ufe among them when they left Paleftine, and
came into Abyffinia.

The

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE 67l

The circumcifion of the Abyffinlans is performed
-with a (Iiarp knife, cr razor. There is no lacera-
tion with the nails, no formula or repetition of words,
nor any religious ceremony at the time of the ope-
ration, nor is it done at any particular age, and ge-
nerally it is ft woman that is the furgeon. The Fa-
lafha fay, they perform it fometimes with the edge
of a fharp Hone ; fometimes with a knife or razor,
and at other times with the nails of their fingers ;
and for this purpofe they have the nails of their
little fingers of an immoderate length : at the time
of the operation the priefl chants a hymn, or verfe,
importing, *« Bleffed art thou, O Lord, who haft
ordained circumcifion !" This is performed on the
eighth day, and is a religious rite, according to the
firfl: inftitution by God to Abraham.

The Abyfiinians pretend theirs is not fo ; and,
being preffed for the reafon, they tell you it is be-
caufe Chrift and the apoftles were circumcifed, tho'
they do not hold it neceifary to falvation. But it is
the objection they confcantly make againft eating out
of the fame plate, or drinking out of the fame cup
with ftrangers, that they are uncircumcifed, while,
with the Egyptians or the Cophts, though equally
ftrangers, they make no fuch difficulty. In the
time of the Jefuits, when the Roman Catholic reli-
gion was abolifhed, and liberty given them to re-
turn to their old worfliip, their priefis proclaimed a
general circumcifion ; and the populace, in the
firft days of their fiiry, or triumph, murdered many
Catholics, by dabbing them with a lance in that
part, as they met them, repeating in derifion the
Jewifli hymn, or ejaculation, " Bleffed is the Lord
Vol. III. X X that

6/^ TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

that hath ordained clrcumcifion !" fo that, I believe,
their indifference in this article is rather owing to
not being contradicted ; juft as they are carelefs
about every other part of religion, unlefs fueh as
have been revived in their minds by difputes with
the Jefuits, and kept up fince in part among their
clergy. But none of them pretend that circumci-
fion arifes from neceflity of any kind, or from any
obflrudion or impediment to procreation, or that it
becomes neceflary for cleanlinefs, or from the heat
of climate.

None of thefe reafons, conftantly alledged in
Europe, are ever to be heard of here, nor do I be-
lieve they have the fmalleft foundation any where ;
and this, I think, (hould weigh flrongly in favour
of the account fcripture gives of it. Examining the
origin of this ceremony, independent of this reve-
lation, I will never believe that man, or nations of
men, rafhly fubmitted to a difgraceful, fometimes
dangerous, and always painful operatipn, unlefs
there had been propofed, as a confequence, fome
reward for fubmitting to, or forne punilhment
for refufmg it, which balanced in their minds the
pain and danger, as well as difgrace, of that ope-
ration.

All the inhabitants of the globe agree In confi-
dering it (liameful to expofe that part of their body,
even to men ; and in the eaft, where, from climate,
you are allowed, and from refped to your fuperi-
ors, the generality of men are forced to go naked,
all agree in covering their waift, which is called
their nakednefs^ though it is really the only part of

their

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 67

/I

their body that is covered* We fee even that there
was a curfe * attended the mere feeing that part of
the body of a parent, and not inftantly throwing
a covering over it.

I do not propofe difcufling at large the argu-
ments for or againft the time of the beginning to
circumcife. The fcripture has given fuch an account
of it, that, when weighed with the promife fo ex-
adly kept to the end, fcems to me to be a very
rational one. But, confidering all revelation out
of the queflion, I think there is no room to inili-
tute any free or fair inquiry. I give no pre emi-
nence to Mofes nor his writings. I fuppofe him a
profane author; but, till thofe that argue againft
his account, and maintain circumcifion was earlier
than Abraham, fliall fliew me another profane wri-
ter as old as Mofes, as near the time they fay it be.
gan as Mofes was to the time of iibraham, I will not
argue with them in fupport of Mofes againft Herodo-
tus, nor difcLifs who Herodotus's Phenicians, and who
his Egyptians were that circumcifed. Herodotus
knew not Abraham nor Mofes, and, compared to
their days, he is but as yefterday. Thofe Phenici-
ans and Egyptians might, for any thing he knew at
his time, have received circumcifion from Abraham
or Ifhmael, or fome of their pofterity, as the Abyf-
fmians or Ethiopians, whom he refers to, adlually '
fay they did, which Herodotus did not know, it is
piain, though he mentions they were circumcifed.
This tradition of the AbyfTmians merits fome con-
fideration from what they fay of it themfelves, that

* Gen. chr.p. ix. ver. 22.

X X 2 they

674 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

they were, in the earlieft time, circumcifed before
they left their native country, and fettled in Tigre.
From this they derive no honour, nor do they pre-
tend to any. It would have been otherwife, if the
8?i^a fixed upon had been the reign of Menilek, fon
of Solomon, when they firif embraced Judaifm
under a monarch. This would have made a much
more brilliant epoch in their hiftory, whilil it was
probable that they adopted circumcifion under the
countenance of Azarias, the fon of Zadok, the
high priefl, and the reprefentatives of the twelve
tribes who came with him at that time from Jerufa-
lem.

It feems to me very extraordinary, that, if cir-
cumcifion was originally a Jewiflr invention, all thofe
nations to the fouth fhould be abfolutely ignorant
of it, while others to the northward were fo early
acquainted with it ; for none of thofe nations up
the Nile (excepting the Shepherds) either know or
pradife it to this day ; though, ever fince the 1400th
year before Chrift, they have been in the clofeft
connexion with the Jews. This would rather make
me believe, that the rite of circumcifion went north-
ward from the plain of Mamre, for it certainly made
no progrefs fouthward from Egypt. We fee it ob-
tained ill Arab:?., by Zipporah *, Mofes's wife, cir-
cumcifmg her fon upon their return to Egypt. Hef
great anxiety to have that operation immediately
performed, fnews that her's was a Judaical circum-
cifion ;■ there was no fin that attended the omiffion
of this operation in Egypt, but God had faid to

* Excd. chap, iv.vcr. 25.

Abraham,

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 675

Abraham *, " The foul that is not circumcifed
ihall be cut off from Ifrael."

The Tcheratz Agows, who live between Lafla and
Begemder, in an exceedingly fertile country, are
not circumcifed ; and, therefore, if ibis nation left
Paleftine upon Jofhua paffing Jordan, circumcifion
was not known there, for the Agows to this day
are uncircumcifed. The fame may be faid of the
Agows of Damot, who are fettled at the head Of
the Nile. It will be feen by the two fpecimens of
their different languages that they are different na-
tions, as I have alledged. Next to thefe are the Ga-
fat, in a plain open country, who do not ufe cir-
cumcifion ; none of them were ever converted to
Judaifm, and but few of them to Chriflianity. The
next are the people of Amhara who did not ufe cir-
cumcifion, at leafl few of them, till after the maf-
facre of the princes by Judith in the year 900, when
the remaining princes of the line of Solomon fled
to Shoa, and the court was eftabliflied there. The
laft of thefe nations that I fliall mention are the
Galla, who are not circumcifed j of this nation we
have faid enough.

On the north, a black, woolly-headed ...nation
called the Shangalla, already often mentioned, bounds
Abyilinia, and ferves like a firing to the bow made
by thefe nations of Galla. Who they are we know
perfectly, being the Cufhite Troglodytes of Sofala,
Saba, Axum and Meroe ; fhut up, as I have already
mentioned, in thofe caves, the firfl habitations of
their more polifhed anceftors. Neither do thefe

* Gen. chap. xvil. vcr. 14.

circumcl.^c.

6'-]6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

circumcife, though they immediately bordered upon
Egypt, while the Culhite, adjoining to the peninfula
of Africa certainly did. As then fo many nations
contiguous to Egypt never received circumcifion
from it, it feems an invincible argument^ that this
was no endemial rite or cuflom among the Egyptians*
and I have before obferved, that it was of no ufe to
this nation, as the reafons mentioned by Philo, and
the reft, of cleanlinefs and climate, are abfolute
dreams, and now, exploded ; and that they are fo
is plain, becaufe, othervi'ife, the nations more to
the fouthward would have adopted it, as they have
univerfally done another cuftom, which I fhall pre-
feiitly peak of.

Circumcifion, then, having no natural caufe or
advantage, being in itfelf repugnant to man's nature
and extremely painful, if not dangerous, it could
never originate in man's mind wantonly and out of
free-will. It might have done fo indeed from imi-
tation, but with Abraham it had a caufe, as God
was to make his private family in a few years nu-
merous, like the fands of the fea. This mark,
which feparated them from all the world, was an
eafy way to fhew whether the promife was fulfilled
or not. They were going to take poffefTion of a
land where circumcifion was not known, and this
fhewed them their enemy diftinft from their own
people. And it would be the groffeft abfurdity to fend
Samfon to bring, as tokens of the flain, fo many
fore-lkins or prepuces of the Philifiines, if, as He-
rodotus fays, the Philiftines had cut off their pre-
puces a thoufand years before.

Imufl

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 677

I mufl here take notice that this cuftom, filthy
and barbarous as it is, has been adopted by the Abyf-
finians of Tigre, who have always been circumcifed,
from a knowledge that the nations about them were
not circumcifed at all. It is true they do not con-
tent themfelves with the fore-lkin, and I doubt very
much if this was not the cafe with the Jews like-
wife. On the contrary, in place of the fore-lkin
they cut the whole away, fcrotum and all, and
bring this to their fuperiors, as a token they have
killed an enemy.

Although it then appears that the nations which
had Egypt between Abraham and them, that is,
were to the fouthward, did not follow the Egyp-
tians in the rite of circumcifion, yet in another, of
excifion, they all concurred. Strabo* fays, the
Egyptians circumcifed both men and women, Itke
the Jews, I will not pretend to fay that any fuch
operation ever did obtain among the Jewifh women,
as fcripture is filent upon it; and indeed it is no-
where ever pretended to have been a religious rite,
but to be introduced from neceffity, to avoid a
deformity which nature has fubje6ted particular peo-
ple to, in particular climates and countries.

We perceive among the brutes, that nature creat-
ing the animal with the fame limbs or members all
the world over, does yet indulge itfelf in a variety,
in the proportion of fuch limbs or members. Some
are remarkable for the fize of their heads, fome for
the breadth and bignefs of the tail, fome for the
length of their legs, and fome for the fize of their
iicjfns. There is a diftrict in Abyffinia, within the

* Lib. xvli. p. 950.

\- perpet uaj

678 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

•perpetual rains, where cows, of no greater fize than
ours, have horns, each of which would contain as
much water as the ordinary water-pail ufed in Eng-
land does ; and I remember on the frontiers of Sen-
naar, near the river Dender, to have feen 'a herd
of many hundred cows, every one of which had the
apparent conflrudion of their parts almoft fimilar
with that of the bull ; fo that for a confiderable
time, I was perfuaded that thefe were oxen, their
udders being very fmall, until I had feen them

milked.

This particular appearance, or unneceffary ap-
pendage, at firft made me believe that I had found
the real caufe of circumcifion from analogy, but,
upon information, this did not hold. It is however
otherwife in the excifion of women. From climate,
or fome other caufe, a certain difproportion is found
generally to prevail among them. And, as the
population of a country has in every age been con-
fidered as an objeft worthy of attention, men have
endeavoured to remedy this deformity by the am-
putation of that redundancy. All the Egyptians,
therefore, the Arabians, and nations to the fouth of
Africa, the Abyffinians, Gallas, Agows, Gafats, and
Gongas, make their children undergo this operation,
at no fixed time indeed, but always before they are
marriageable.

When the Roman Catholic priefts firfl: fettled in
Egypt, they did not neglett fupporting their million
by temporal advantages, and fmall prefents given to
needy people their profelytes ; but midaking this
excifion of the Coptilli women for a ceremony per-
formed upon Judaical principles, they forbade, upon

pain

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 679

pain of excommunication, that excifion (hould be
performed upon the children of parents who had .
become Catholics. The converts obeyed, the chil-
dren grew up, and arrived at puberty ; but the con-
jfequences of having obeyed the interdid were, that
the man found, by chufing a wife among Catholic
Cophts, he fubjefted himfelf to a very difagreeable
inconveniency, to which he had conceived an un-
conquerable averfion, and therefore he married a
heretical wife, free from this objeftion, and with
her he relapfed intoherefy.

The miffionaries therefore finding it impoflible
that ever their congregation could increafe, and
that this accident did fruflrate all their labours, laid
their cafe before the College of Cardinals de pro-
paganda Jide, at Rome. Thefe took it up as a matter
of moment, which it really was, and fent over vifitors
(killed in furgery fairly to report upon the cafe as
it flood; and they, on their return, declared, that
the heat of the climate, or fome other natural caufe,
did, in that particular nation, invariably alter the
formation fo as to make a difference from what was
ordinary in the fex in other countries, and that this
difference did occafion a difguft, which muft impede
the confequences for which matrimony was infli-
tuted. The college, upon this report, ordered that
a declaration, being firfl made by the patient and
her parents that it was not done from Judaical in-
tention, but becaufe it difappointed the ends of
marriage, " Si modo matrimonii frudus impediret
" id omnino toUendum effet :'* that the imperfec-
tion was, by all manner of means, to be removed ;

fa

CSo TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

fo that the Catholics as well as the Cophts, in
Egypt, undergo excifion ever fince. This is done
with a knife, or razor, by women generally when
the child is about eight years old *.

There is another ceremony with which I fliall clofe,
and this regards the women alfo, and I (hall call it
incijton. This is an ufage frequent, and fliil retained
among the Jews, though pofitively prohibited by
the law ; " Thou (halt not cut thy face for the fake
of, or on account of the dead f ." As foon as a
near relation dies in Abyffinia, a brother or parent,
coufin german or lover, every woman in that re-
lation, with the nail of her little finger, which fhe
leaves long on purpofe, cuts the fkin of both her
temples, about the fize of a fixpence ; and therefore
you fee either a wound or a fear in every fair face in
Abyfiinia ; and in the dry feafon, when the camp is
out, from the lofs of friends they feldom have liberty
to heal till peace and the army return with the rains.

,The AbyiTmians, like the ancient Egyptians, their
firfi: colony, in computing their time, have conti-
nued the ufe of the folar year. Diodorus Siculus
hys, " They do not reckon their time by the
moon, but according to the fun ; that thirty days
conftitute their month, to which they add five days
and the fourth part of a day, and this completes
their year.

* The reader will obferve, by the obfcurity of this paffage,
tbat it Is with reluftance I have been determined to mention it at
all; but as it is an hiftorical faft, which has had material confe-
quences, I have thought it not allowable to omit it altogether.
Any naturalift, wifhing for more particular information, may
confult the French copy.

:J: Deut. chap. xiv. ver. i.

Thefe

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE« 68l

Thefe five days were, by the Egyptians, called
NIci, and, by the Grceeks, Epagomeni, which fig-
nifies, days added, or fuperinduced, to complete a
fum. The AbyfTinians add five days, which they
call Quagomi,' a corruption from the Greek Epago-
meni, to the month of Auguft, which is their Na-
hafle. Every fourth year they add a fixth day.
They begin the year, like all the eaflern nations,
with the 29th or 30th day of Auguft, that is the
kalends of September, the 29th of Auguft being
the firft of their month Mafcaram.

It is uncertain whence they derived the names of
their months ; they have no fignification in any of
the languages of Abyffinia. The name of the firft
month among the old Egyptians has continued to
this day. It is Tot, probably fo called from the firft
divifion of time among the Egyptians, from obfer-
vation of the heliacal rifing of the dog-ftar. The
names of the months retained in Abyflinia are pof.
fibly in antiquity prior to this; they are probably
thofe given them by the Culhite, before the Kalendars
at Thebes and Meroe, their colony, were formed.

They common epoch which the Abyflinians make
ufc of is from the creation of the world ; but in the
quantity of this period they do not agree with the
Greeks, nor with other eaftern nations, who reckon
5508 years from the creation to the birth of
Chrift. The Abyflinians adopt the even number
of 5500 years, cafting away the odd eight years ; but
whether this was firft done for eafe of calculation,
or fome better reafon, there is neither book nor tra-
dition that now can teach us. They have, befides
this, many other epochs, fuch as from the council

of

6S'Z TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

of Nice and Ephefus. There is likewife to be met
with in their books a portion of time, which is cer-
tainly a cycle ; the Ethiopic word is kamar, which,
literally interpreted, is an arch, or circle. It is not
now in ufe is civil life among the Abyffinians, and
therefore was mentioned as containing various quan-
tities from I OD years to 19; and there are places in
their hiftory where neither of thefe will apply, nor
any even number whatever.

They make ufe of the golden number and epad
conftantly in ail their ecclefiaftic computations ; the
fitil they call Matque ihe other Aba6le. Scaliger,
who has taken great pains upon th-is confufed fub-
jed, the computation of time in the church of
Abyffinia, without having fucceeded in making it
much clearer, tells us, that the firfl: ufe or invention of
eoads was not earlier than the time of Dioclefian ;
but this is contrary to the pofitive evidence of Abyf-
fmian hiftory, which fays exprefsly, that the epad
was invented by Demetrius * patriarch of Alexan-
dria. " Unlefs, fays the poet in their liturgy, De-
metrius had made this revelation by the immediate
influence of the Holy Ghoft, how, Ifpray you, was
it pofTible that the computation of time, called
Epacls, could ever have been known ?" And, again,
*' When you meet, fays he, you (hall learn the com-
putation by epads, which was taught by the Holy
Gho fl to father Demetrius, and by him .revealed to
you.'* Now Demetrius was the twelfth patriarch of
Alexandria, who was elected about the 190th year of
Chrifi:, or in the reign of the emperor Severus,, con-
fequently long before the time of Dioclefian.

* Encom. I2tl\ 0£lober, Od. 3. torn. r. Ann. Alcxan.
P. m. 363.

It

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE, 68

n

It feems the reputation the Egyptians had from
very old time for their (kill in computation and the
divifion of time, remained with them late in the
days of Chriftianity. Pope Leo the Great, writing
to the emperor Marcian, confeffes that the fixing the
time of the moveable feails was always an exclufive
privilege of the church of Alexandria ; and there-
fore, fays he, in his letter about reforming the ka-
lendar, the holy fathers endeavoured to take away
the occafion of this error, by delegating the whole
care of this to the bifliop of Alexandria, becaufe
the Egyptians, from old times, feem to have had this
gift of computa ion given them ; and when thefe had
fignified to the apoftolic See the days upon which
the moveable feafts were to happen, the church of
Rome then notified this by writing to churches at a
greater diftance. A

We are not to doubt that this privilege, which
the church of Alexandria had been fo long in pof-
fefiion of, contributed much to inflame the minds of
the AbyfTmians againfl the Roman Catholic priefls,
for altering the time of keeping Eafter by appointing
.days of their own ; for we fee violent commotions
to have arifen' every year upon the celebration of
this feflival.

The Abyflinians have another way of defcrib-
ing time peculiar to themfelves ; they read the
whole of the four evangeliffs every year in their
churches. They begin with Matthew, then proceed
to Mark, Luke, and John, in order ; and,^ when
they fpeak of an event, they write and fay it hap-
pened in the days of Matthew, that is, in the firft
quarter of the year, while the gofpel of St. Mat-
thew was yet reading in the churches.

They

684 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

They comprute the time of the day in a very ar-
bitrary irregular manner. The twilight, as I have
before obferved,iis very fliort, almoft imperceptible,
and was ftill more fo when the court was removed
farther to the fouthvvard in Shoa. As foon as the
fun falls below the horizon, night comes on and all
the flars appear. This term, then, the twilight,
they choofe for the beginning of their day, and call
it Nagge, which is the very time the twilight of the
morning lads. The fame is obferved at night, and
Mefet is meant to fignify the inftant of beginning
the twilight, between the fun's falling below the ho-
rizon and the ftars appearing. Mid-day is by them
called Kater, a very old word, which fignifies culmi-
nation, or a thing's being arrived or placed at the
middle or highefl: part of an arch. All the reft of
times, in converfation, they def(^5e by pointing at
the place in the heavens where the fun then was,
when what they are defcribing happened.

I fhall conclude what further I have to fay on
this fubjed:, by obferving, that nothing can be more
inaccurate than all Abyffinian calculations. Befides
their abfolute ignorance in arithmetic, their excef-
five idlenefs and averfion to ftudy, and a number
of fanciful, whimfical combinations, by which every
particular fcribe or monk diftinguiflies himfelf,
there are obvious reafons why there fhould be a va-
riation between their chronology and ours. I have
already obferved, that the beginning of our years
are different ; ours begin on the ift of January, and
theirs on the ift day of September, fo that there are
8 months difference between us. The Igft day o^
Augull may be the year 1780 with us, and 1779

only

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 685

only with the Abyflinians. And in the reign of their
kings they very feldom mention either month or day
beyond an even number of years. Suppofing, then,
it is known that the reign of ten kings extended
from fuch to fuch a period, where all the months
and days are comprehended, when we come to affign
to each of thefe an equal number of years, without
the correfpondent months and days, it is plain that,
when all thefe feparate reigns come to be added to-
gether, the one fum-total will not agree with the
other, but will be more or lefs than the juft: time
which that prince reigned. This, indeed, as errors
compenfate full as frequently as they accumulate,
will feldom amount to a difference above three years ;
afpace of time too trivial to be of any confequence
in the hiftory oQaarbarous nations.

However, it will occur that even this agreement
is no pofitive evidence of the exadnefs of the time,
for it may fo happen that the fum-totals may agree,
and yet every particular fum conftituting the whole
maybe falfe, that is, if the quantity of errors which
are too much exaftly correfpond with the quantity of
errors that are too little ; to obviate this as much as
polTible, I have confidered three eclipfes of the fun as
recorded in the Abyffinian annals. The firft was in
the reign of David III. the year before the king
marched out to his firfl: campaign agalnft Maffudi
the Moor, in the unfortunate war with Adel. The
year that the king marched into Dawaro was the
1526, after having difpatched the Portuguefe am-
baflador Don Roderigo de Lima, who embarked at
Mafuah on the 26th of April on board the fleet com-
manded by Don Hedlor deSilveyra, who had come

from

6S6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

from India on purpofe to fetch him ; and the Abyf-
fmian annals fay, that, the year before the king
marched, a remarkable eclipfe of the fun had hap-
pened in the Ethiopia month Ter. Now, in con-
fuking our European accounts, we find that, on the
fecond of January, anf.vering to the i8th day of
Ter, there did happen an., eclipfe of the fun, which*
as it was in the tim(?-of the year when the fky is
cloudlefs both night and. day, niuft have been vifible
all the time of its duration. So here our accounts
do agree precifely.

The fecond happened on the 13th year of the
rei^-^n of Claudius, as the AbySinian account flates
it. Claudius fucceeded to the crown in the 1540.
and the 13th year of his reign will fall to be on the
1553- Now we find this eciipic^d happen in the
fame clear feafon of the year, ths^p, on the 24th of
January 1553? fo in this fecond inftance our chro-
nology is perfectly correct.

The third eclipfe of the fun happened in the 7th
year of the reign of Yafous II. in Magabit, the
feventh month of the AbyfTmians. Now Yafous
came to the crown in 172 , fo that the 7th year of
his reign will be in 1736, and on the 4th day of
October, anfwering to the 8th day of the month
Tekemt, N. S. in that year, we fee this eclipfe ob-
ferved in Europe.

As a further confirmation of this, we have flated
the particulars of a comet which, the AbyiTmian
annals fay, appeared at Gondar in the month of
November, in the 9th year of the reign of Yafous L
and as this comet was obferved in Europe to have

come

-THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 687

come to its perihelion in December 1689, and as
that year, according to our account, was really
the 9th of that king's reign, no iurther proof of
the exadnefs of our chronology can poflibly be re-
quired. By means of thefe obfervations, counting
backward to the time of Icon Amlac, and again
forward to the death of Joas, which happened in
1768, and afligning to each prince the number of
years that his own hiflorians fay he reigned, J
have, in the moft unexceptionable manner that I
can devife, fettled the chronology of this country ;
and the exa£i: agreement it hath with all the re-
markable events, je ularly and fufficiently vouched,
plainly fhews the accuracy of this method. If,
therefore, in a few cafes, I differ two or three
years from the Jgfuits in their account of this
country, I do not in any fhape believe the fault
to be mine, becawl there are, at all thefe periods,
errors in point of fa6t, both in Alvarez and Tellez,
much more material and unaccountable than the
miftake of a few years ; and thefe errors have been
adopted with great confidence in the Hifpania II-
luflrata, and fome of the bell books of Portuguefe
hiftory which have made rnention of this country.

END OF THE THIRD VOLUME.

i

•