298 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



of the king of AbyfTmia, who allowed him an honourable 

 maintenance ; a cuftom always obferved in fuch cafes in the - 

 Eall, by princes towards their unfortunate neighbours. 



Baady, fon of Abdelcader, an adive and violent young 

 prince, although he depofed his uncle Adelan, took this pro- 

 tection of his father in bad part. It was likewife fuggeilcd 

 to him, that the prefent fent by Socinios, a nagareet, or ket- 

 tle-drum, imported, that Socinios confidercd him as his vaf- 

 fal, the drum being the fign of inveftiture fent by the king, 

 to any one of his fubjeds whom he appoints to govern a 

 province, and that the return of the falcon was likely to be- 

 confidered as the acknowledgement of a vafial to his fupe- 

 rior. Baady, upon his acceffion to the throne, was refolved. 

 to rectify this too great refpedt fhewn on the part of his fa- 

 ther, by an affront he refolved to offer. With this view^ 

 he fent to Socinios two old, blind, and lame horfes. 



Socinios took this amifs, a^ it was intended he flaould,\ 

 and the flight was immediately followed by the troops of 

 Atbara, under Nile Wed Ageeb, fent by Baady to make an 

 inroad into Abyffmia, to lay wafte the country, and drive- 

 off the people, with orders to fell them as flaves. 



Among the mofl ac5live in this expedition, were thofe of 

 the town of Scrke. When Baady complained that his father 

 and rival was proteded in his own tov<^n of Tchelga, it had 

 been anfwered. That true it v/as, Tchelga had been ceded and 

 did belong to Sennaar, for every purpofe of revenue, bur 

 that the fovereignty of the place had never been alienated 

 or furrendered to the king of Sennaar, but remained now, as 

 ever, vefled in the king of Abyffmia. Serke flood precifely 



in 



