TH"E SOURCE OF THE NILE. 285 



tnent, they flew him, cut his head ofF, and fent it to the king 

 at Coga, who received it very thankfully, and returned it to 

 Ti'^re to Amfala Chriftos, to be expofed publicly in all the 

 province to undeceive the people ; for it now appeared, that 

 he had neither fears in his face, broken jaw, nor lofs of teeth, 

 but that the covering was intended only to conceal the little 

 Tcfemblance he bore to king Jacob, flain, as we have feen, 

 at the battle of Lebart ; and he was now found to have 

 been a herdfman, in thofe very mountains of Bifan to which 

 he had fo often fled for refuge while his rebellion lafted. 



The king, in his return from Tigre, paffing by Fremona, 

 fent to the Jefuits there thirty ounces of gold, about L. 75 

 Sterling, for their immediate exigency ; teftifying, in the 

 moft gracious manner, his regret, " That the many affairs 

 in which he was engaged had prevented him from hear- 

 ing mafs in their convent, as he very fmcerely wiflied to 

 do ; but he left with them the Abuna Simon, to whom he 

 had recommended to lludy their religion, and be a friend 

 to it." 



In this he Ihewed his want of penetration and experi- 

 ence ; for though he had feen wars between foldier and 

 foldier, who, after having been in the moft violent ilate of 

 enmity, had died in defence of each other as friends, he was 

 not aware of that degree of enmity which reigns upon dif- 

 ference of opinion, not to fay religion, between prieft and 

 prieft. It was not long, however, before he faw it, and the 

 example was in the perfon of his prefent friend the Abuna 

 Simon. 



N n 2 While 



