552 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



Ihed before he brings about the deftrudlion of his coun- 

 try, which I know in his heart he has been long medi- 

 tating." 



I CANNOT help mentioning it as an extraordinary circum- 

 llance, that at the time I was at Gondar, in the very height 

 of Suhul Michael's tyranny, a man quarrelled with another 

 who was a fcribe, and accufed him before Michael of ha- 

 ving recorded this fpeech of the king, as I have now ftated 

 it,. in a hillory that he had written of Yafous's reign. The 

 book was produced, the pafTage was found and read ; and 

 I certainly expected to have feen it torn to pieces, or hung 

 upon a tree about the author's neck. On the contrary, all 

 the Ras faid was, " If what he writes is true, wherein is the 

 man to blame ?" And turning with a grin to Tecla Haima- 

 nout, one of the judges, he faid, " Do you remember ? I do- 

 "believe Yafous did fay fo." The book was rellored to 

 the autlaor, and no more faid of the matter, not even an or- 

 der was given to erafe the paflage. He had no objedlion to, 

 Yafous and to his whole race being prophets ; he had only 

 taken a refolution that they fliouid not be kings.. 



A GENERAL fdence followed this fpeech of Yafous, inftead' 

 of the acclamations of joy ufual in fuch cafes. The king 

 then ordered Ras Welled de I'Oul to lead the army on to 

 Gondar, which he did with great pomp and military parade, 

 while the king, who could not forget his forebodings, retired 

 to an ifland, there to fail fome days in confc(]uence of a 

 vow that he had made. This being finiflicd, Yafous return- 

 ed to Gondar ; and, as he was now in pcrfed peace through- 

 out his kingdom, he began again to decorate the apartments 

 of his palace. A large number of mirrors had arrived at 



i this 



