THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 571 



looking the workmen building the church of Abba Anto-- 

 nius at Gondar, he was taken luddenly ill, and, fufpeding 

 fome unwholfomenefs or vDitchcraft in his palace, he order- 

 ed his tent to be pitched without the town till the apart- 

 ments fliould be fmoaked with gunpowder. But this was 

 done fo carelefsly by his fervants, that his houfe was 

 burnt to the groimd, which was looked upon as a very bad 

 omen, and made a great impreilion upon the minds of the 

 people. 



The 27th of January it was generally underftood that the 

 king was dangeroufly ill, and that his complaint was every day 

 increafmg. Upon this the principal officers went, according to 

 the ufual cuftom, to condole with and comfort him. This 

 was at leall what they pretended. Their true errand, how- 

 ever, was pretty well known to be an endeavour to afcer- 

 tain whether the ficknefs was of the kind likely to continue, 

 till meafures could be adopted with a degree of certainty to 

 take the reins of government out of his hand. 



The king eafily divined the rcafon of- their coming.. Ha- 

 ving had a good night, he ufed the ftrength that he had 

 thereby acquired to roufe himfelf for a moment, to put on 

 the appearance of health, and fliew himfelf, as ufual, enga- 

 ged in his ordinary difpatch of buiinefs. The feeminggood 

 countenance of the king made their condolence premature^ 

 Some cxcufe, however, for fo formal a vifit, was neceffary ; 

 but every apology was not fafe. They adopted this, which 

 they thought unexceptionable, that hearing he was fick, 

 which they happily found he was not, they came to propofe 

 to him a thing equally proper whether he was fick or well ; 

 that he v/ould, in time, fettle the fucceffion upon his fon 



4 C 2 Fafil, 



