TKE SOURCE OF THE NItE. Sj. 



This prince kept ftriftly his promife of fecrecy made to 

 Bacda Mariam, while the king of Adcl obferved a very dif- 

 ferent Hne of conducfl ; for he not only difcovered the 

 king's intention, but he invited the Dobas to fend their 

 wives, children, and effects into Adel,' while his troops 

 flioLild cut off the king's provifion, and fight him wherever 

 they faw that it could be done with advantage. The plan 

 was fpeedily embraced. Twelve clans of Dobas marched 

 with their cattle, as privately as poffible, for Adcl ; but the 

 king's intelligence was too good, and his motions too ra- 

 pid, to allow their fchemes to be carried into execution. 

 With a large l)ody of horfc, he took poflellion of a ftrong 

 pafs, called 1 endcra ; and when that imhappy people, fa- 

 tigued with their march, and incumbered with baggage, 

 arrived at this fpot, they were cut to pieces without rcfift- 

 ancc, and without diilinolion of age or fcx. 



The king, at the beginning of this campaign, declared, 

 that his intention was not to carry on war with the Dobas 

 as with an ordinary enemy, but totally to extirpate them as 

 a nuifance ; and, to fliew himfelf in earneil in the declara* 

 tion, he now made a vow never- to depart from the country 

 till he had plowed and fown the fields, and ate the crop on 

 the fpot with his army. He, therefore, called the peafants 

 of two fmall neiglibouring diftric^s, Wadge and Ganz, and: 

 ordered them to plow and low that part ; which having 

 fcen done, the king went to Axum, but returned again to 

 the Dobas, by the feafl of the Epiphany. That cruel, reft- 

 lefs nation, faw now the king's real intent was their utter 

 deftruclion, and that there was no pollibility of avoiding i:: 

 but by fubmiffion. This prudent conduct: they immediate- 

 ly adopted ; and, great part of them renouncing the Pagan^ 



3. religion^., 



