640 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



was perfectly deftitute of water. Ras Welled de I'Oul, and 

 fome other principal officers, under the diredion of fome 

 faithful Arabs, efcaped, and, with much difficulty, two days 

 after, joined the king. 



Besides thefe, the army, confifting of 18,000 men, either 

 pcrilhed by the fword, by thirft, or were taken prifoners ; 

 all the facred reliques, which • the Abyffinians carry about 

 with their armies to enfure vidory, and avert misfortune ; 

 the pidure of the crown of thorns, called/-/^ quarat rafou; 

 pieces of the true crofs ; a crucifix that had on many occa- 

 fions fpoke, (which fliould ever after be dumb fmce it fpoke 

 not that day) ; all thefe treafures of prieftcraft were taken by 

 the Funge, and carried in triumph to Sennaar. Great part 

 of thofe Arabs, who had joined the king in his march north- 

 ward, had now quitted him and attached themfelves to the 

 purfuit of the fugitive remains of Welled de I'Oul's army. 

 As thefe Arabs were thofe that lived neareft the Abyffinian 

 frontier, and to whom the king had done no harm, becaufe 

 they had moftly joined him, no fooner was he informed of 

 their treachery, but juft arrived in their country, and fcarce- 

 ly out of danger from the purfuit of the Funge, Yafous 

 turned fliort to the left, deftroying with fire and fword all 

 the families of thofe that had forfaken him, and fo conti- 

 nued to do till arrived on the banks of the Tacazze. 



The Arabs and Shepherds there, many of whom had jull 

 returned from the defl;ru(5tion of Welled de I'Oul's army at 

 Sennaar, and were now rejoicing their families with the 

 news of fo complete a vidory, and that all danger from the 

 Chriflian army was over, were aftoniflied to fee Yafous at 

 the head of a frcHi and vigorous army, burning and de- 



3 ftroying 



