THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 677 



*ter many profcffions of his duty and obedience, he put 

 the king in mind, that, at his inveftiture, " The laws of 

 « the country impofed upon him an oath which he took 

 «' in prefence of his majefty, and, after receiving the holy 

 *♦ facrament, that he was not to fuffer any Galla in Begem- 

 " der, but rather, if needftd, die with fword in hand 

 « to prevent it ; that he confidered the contravening that 

 « oath as a deliberate breach of the allegiance which he 

 « owed to God and to his fovereign, and of the truft repo- 

 « fed in him by his country ; that the fafety of the princes 

 « of the royal family, fequeftered upon the mountain of 

 " Wechne, depended upon the obfervance of this oath ; that 

 «' otherwife they would be in conftant danger of being 

 « extirpated by Pagans, as they had already nearly been 

 « in former ages, at two different times, upon the rocks 

 « Damo and Gefhen ; he begged the king, if, unfortunate- 

 ** ly, he could not be reconciled to him, to give his com- 

 « mand to Kafmati Geta, Kafmati Eufebius, or any Abyf- 

 « fmian nobleman, in which cafe he would immediately 

 *' refign, and retire to private life with his old father." 



He concluded by faying, that, " As he had formed a re- 

 « folution, he thought it his duty to fubmit it to the king; 

 ♦' that, if his majefty was refolved to march and lead the army 

 « himfelf, he would retire till he was ftopt by the frontiers of 

 " the Galla, and the fartheft limits of Begcmder ; and, fo far 

 « from molefting the army in their route, the king might 

 " be aflured, that, though his own men fliould be ftraitened, 

 *' abundance of every kind of provifion and refrefhment 

 « fhould be left in his majeily's route. But if, contrary to- 

 »* his wifh, troops of C alia, commanded by a Galla, fliould 

 «' come to take pofTellion of his province, he would tight 



" them 



