6s6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



terms during feveral of the lall reigns ; and that perfonal 

 affronts and flights had paffed between the cotemporary 

 princes themfelves. Baady, fon of L'Oul, who fucceeded his 

 father in the year 1733, had been diftinguifhcd by no ex- 

 ploits worthy of a king, but every day had been flained with 

 ac^s of treachery and crueky unworthy of a man. No in- 

 tercourfe had palTed between Yafous and Baady during 

 their refpe(5live reigns ; there • was no war declared, nor 

 peace eflablilhed, nor any fort of treaty fubfifl:ing between 

 them. 



Yasous, without any"*previous declaration, and without 

 any provocation, at leaft as far as is known, raifed a very 

 numerous and formidable army, and gave the command of 

 it to Ras Welled de I'Oul ; and Kafmati Waragna was ap- 

 pointed his Fit-Auraris. The king commanded a chofen 

 body of troops, feparate from the reft of the army, which 

 was to a<5l as a referve, or as occaiion fhould require, in the 

 pitched battle. This he ardently wifhed for, and had fi- 

 gured to himfelf that he was to fight againft Baady in per- 

 fon. Yafous, from the moment he entered the territory of 

 Sennaar, gave his foldiers the accuftomed licence he always 

 had indulged them with, when marching through an ene- 

 my's country. He knew not, in thefe circumftances, what 

 was meant by mercy ; all that had the breath of life was 

 facrificed by the fword, and the fire confumed the refl. 



An univerfal terror fpread around him down to the heart 

 of Atbara. The Shepherds and Arabs, as many as could 

 fly, difperfcd themfelves in the woods, which, all the way 

 from the frontiers of Abyffinia to the river Dender, are very 

 thick, and in fome places almoft impenetrable. Some of the 



Arabs, 



