THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 377 



fione, which ftruck him to the ground. Two of the moun- 

 taineers immediately came up to him, one of whom 

 did not know him, and contented himfelf with ftripping 

 the body; but the other remembering his face, cut his 

 head oiT, and carried it to the rebel Melca Chriftos. 



The misfortune was followed by another in Gojam, great 

 to the nation in general, and greater ftill to the Catholic 

 caufe in particular. At the time that Sela Chriftos was in 

 Begemder with prince Facilidas, the Galla from Bizamo, 

 fuppofing the province of Damot without defence, paiTed the 

 Nile, laying the whole province wafle before them. Fecur 

 Egzie, lit. I tenant-general under Sela Chriftos, although he 

 had with him only a fmall number of troops, did not hefi- 

 tate to march againft thofe favages, to endeavour, if poflible, 

 to ftop their ravages. The Galla, furprifed at this, thought 

 it was Sela Chriftos, and fled before him. He had now pur- 

 fued them almoft alone, and lighted in a low meadow to 

 give grafs to his horfe, when he was furrounded and flain 

 by a number of the enemy that lay hid among the buflies, 

 and difcovered how ill he was attended. 



He was reputed a man of the bcft underftanding, and the 

 moft liberal fentiments of any in Ethiopia ; a great oraror, ex- 

 celling both in the gracefulncfs of manner and copioufnefs 

 and purity of his language. He was among the firft that 

 embraced the Catholic religion, even before the king or Sela 

 Chriftos, and was the principal promoter of the tranftations 

 of the Portuguefe books into Ethiopic, affiftcd by the Jeluit 

 Antonio de Angelis. We have feen, in the year 1613, the 

 great eftbrts he made in the embally to India by the coaft of 

 Melinda. He was an excellent horfeman, but more violent 

 Voi. II. 3 B and 



