THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 623 



These houfes are compofed of the frail materials of the 

 countr)% wood and clay, thatched with ftraw, though, in the 

 infide, they are all magnificently lined, or furniflied. They 

 have likewife magnificent names, which we have mention- 

 ed already. Thefe people, barbarous as they are, have al- 

 ways had a great tafte for magnificence and expence. AH 

 around them was filver, gold, and brocade, before the 

 Adelan war, in which they loft the commerce of that coun- 

 try, by lofing their connection with India. 



The next night the foldiers of Elias made their lodg- 

 ments fo near the walls, that, with fiery arrows, they fet one 

 of thefe houfes, called " Werk Sacala," within the fquare, 

 in flames ; but Welled de I'Oul, with the Toluma Galla, 

 fallying at that inftant, furprifed Elias's foldiers, not expedl- 

 ing fuch interruption, and put the greateft part of them to 

 the fword, fetting on fire the houfes that were near the pa- 

 lace, till part was entirely burnt to the ground. The next 

 night, an attempt was made upon the gate to blow it up 

 with gunpowder ; but, before it was completed, the two 

 rebels employed in the work were fhot dead from the wall^. 

 and their train mifcanried. 



On the 25th of December they burned a new houfe in 

 the town built by the king, called Riggobee Bet. Thefe fre- 

 quent fires had turned the minds of people in general very 

 much againfl Hezekias the rebel. The night after, there 

 was another great fire in the king's houfe ; Zeffan Bet, and 

 another large building, were defl:royed by the rebels, as was 

 the church of St Raphael. Gondar looked like a town that 

 had been taken by an enemy, and battles were every day 

 fought in the ftreets, with no decifive advantage to either 



^ party. 



