THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 251 



The battle ended with the death of Za Denghel ; many 

 faw him fall, and more his body after the defeat ; but no 

 one chofe to be the firft that fliould in any way difpofe of 

 it, or care to own that they knew it. It lay in this abjeft 

 ilate for three days, till it was buried by three peafants in a 

 corner of the plain, in a little building like a chapel (which 

 I have feen) not above fix feet high, under the fliade of a 

 very fine tree, in Abyflinia called fajfa : there it lay till ten 

 years after, when Socinios removed it from that humble 

 maulbleum, and buried it in a monaftery called Daga, in 

 the lake Dembea, with great pomp and magnificence. 



The grief which the death of Za Denghel occafioned was 

 fo univerfal, and the odium it brought upon the authors of 

 it fo great, that neither Za Selafl"e nor Ras Athanafius dared 

 for a time take one ftep towards naming a fucceflbr, which 

 the fear of Za Denghel, and the uncertainty of vidory, had 

 prevented them from doing by common confent before the 

 battle. There was no doubt but that the eletftion would fall 

 upon Jacob, but he was far ofif, confined in the mountainous 

 country of Cafl^a in Narea. The difiance was great ; the 

 particular place uncertain ; the way to it lay through deferts, 

 always dangerous on account of the Galla, and often im- 

 paflfable. 



lis 



JACOB^_ 



