THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 363 



continued the fight with the fame degree of courage, till 

 the Galla, who did not dare to approach him near, killed 

 him by a number of javelins thrown at a dirtance. 



The news of the defeat and death of Buco reached Sela 

 Chriftos, then in march to join him; nor did the misfortune 

 that had already happened, nor the bad profpedl of his own 

 fituation, alter his refolution of attacking the enemy : But 

 he firll wrote to the king his brother, telling him his fitua- 

 tion, and the probable confequences of doing his duty 

 as he had determined, laying all the blame upon the ma- 

 lice of his enemies, who, to gratify their own private malice, 

 had left him without affiftance, and occafioncd misfortunes 

 fo detrimental to xhe common- weal. 



Sela Christos pafled this night upon a i-ifing ground, 

 and in the morning early defcended into the plain, with a 

 view of attacking the Galla, when, to his great furprife, that 

 barbarous people, content with the llaughtcr of Kafmati 

 Buco and his army, and not willing to rifk a large quantity 

 of plunder with which their whole army was loaded, had 

 repaired the Nile, and returned home. 



Tecla Georgis was fon-in-law to Soclnios, and then go- 

 vernor of Tigre, but at variance with his father-in-law up- 

 on fome quarrel with his wife. Determined on this ac- 

 count to rebel, he aflbciatcd with fome noblemen of the firft 

 rank and power in Tigr^e, particularly Guebra Mariam and 

 John Akayo, declaring to them, that he v/ould no lorg€r 

 fufTcr the Roman religion, but defend the ancient chuich 

 of Alexandria to the utmoll of his power. And, to convince 

 all the Abyffinians of his fincerity, he tore ofl the figures of 



Z z 2 crucifixes 



