THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. jrr 



We fhall now return to Gondar to king YafoLis, who be- 

 ing recovered of his difeafe, and having difmifled his phy- 

 fician, was preparing to let out on a campaign againll tk€ 

 Galla. 



Yasous, for his firft wife, had married Ozoro Malacota- 

 wit, a lady of great family and connedlions in the province 

 of Gojam. By her he had a fon, Tecla Haimanout, who was 

 grown to manhood, and had hitherto lived in the moil du- 

 tiful affecftion and fubmiflion to his father, who, on his 

 part, feemed to place unlimited confidence in his fon. He 

 now gave a proof of this, not very common in the annals 

 of Abyilinia, by leaving Tecla Haimanout behind him, at 

 an age when he was fit to reign, appointing him Betwudet, 

 with abfolute power to govern in his abfence. Yafous had 

 a miftrefs whom he tenderly loved, a woman of great qua- 

 lity likewife, whofe name was Ozoro Kedufle. She was fi- 

 ller to his Fit-Auraris, Agne, a very diflinguiflicd and capa- 

 ble officer, and by her he had three children, David, Han- 

 nes, and Jonathan.. 



It happened, while he was watching the motions of the 

 Galla, news were brought that Ozoro Keduile had been ta- 

 ken ill of a fever ; and though, upon this intelligence, he 

 difpofed his affairs fo as to return with all poiTible expedi- 

 tion, yet when he came to Bercante, the lady's houfe, he 

 found that fhe was not only dead, but had been for fome 

 time buried. All his prefence of mind now left him ; he 

 fell into the mofl violent tranfport of wild defpair, and, or- 

 dering her tomb to be opened, he went down into it, ta- 

 king his three fons along with him, and became fo frantic 

 at the fight of the corpfe, that it was with the utnioft diffi- 



