THE SOURCE OF THE NILS. 9 t 



to him. But the Ras returned for anfwer, that the Nabye 

 mould keep them to be his chaplains ; as he hoped, fome 

 day, he would be converted to the Chriftian faith himfelf ; 

 if not, he might fend them to Arabia with the reft ; they 

 would ferve to be carriers of wood and drawers of water ; 

 and that there flill remained at Damo enough of their kind 

 to carry on the trade with Dixan and Mafuah. 



This ftory I heard from Ras Michael himfelf, at his grand- 

 daughter's marriage, when he was feafting, and in great 

 fpirits. He, and all the company, laughed heartily ; and al- 

 though there were in the room at leaft two dozen of priefts, 

 none of them feemed to take this incident more ferioufly 

 than the reft of the company. From this we may guefs at 

 the truth of what the Catholic writers advance, with regard 

 to the refpecl and reverence mown to the priefthood by the 

 government and great men in Abyffinia. 



The prieft of Axum, and thofe of the monaftery of Abba. 

 Garima, are equally infamous with thofe of Damo for this 

 practice, which is winked at by Ras Michael, as contribu- 

 ting to his greatnefs, by furnifhing fire-arms to his province 

 of Tigre, which gives him a fuperiority over all Abyflinia, 

 As a return for this article, about five hundred of thefe 

 unfortunate people are exported annually from Mafuah to 

 Arabia ; of which three hundred are Pagans, and come 

 from the market at Gondar ; the other two hundred are 

 Chriftian children, kidnapped by fome fuch manner as this 

 we have fpoken of, and in times of fcarcity four times that 

 number. The Naybe receives fix patakas of duty for each one 

 exported. Dixan is in lat. 14 57' 55" North, and long. 40* 

 7' 30'' eail of the meridian of Greenwich. 



M z From 



