2o2 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



of excommunication. He was exceedingly eloquent and bold, 

 a great favourite of the Iteghe's, till taken in to be a 

 counsellor with Lubo and Brulhe. He had been very in- 

 ftrumental in the murder of Kafmati Efhte, of which he 

 vaunted, even in the palace of the queen his filler. He was 

 a man of a pleaiing countenance, fhort, and of a very fair 

 complexion ; indifferent, or rather averfc to wine, but a 

 monitrous glutton, nice in what he had to eat, to a degree 

 fcarcely before known in Abyflinia ; a mortal enemy to all 

 white people, whom he clafled under the name of Franks, 

 for which the Greeks, uniting their interefts at favourable 

 times, had often very nearly overfet him. 



The next morning, about ten o'clock, taking Hagi Saleh 

 and Yafine with me, and drelTed in my Moorifh drefs, I 

 went to Ay to Aylo, and found him with feveral great plates 

 of bread, melted butter, and honey, before him, of one of 

 which he and I ate ; the reit were given to the Moors, and 

 other people prefent. There was with him a priefl of Kof- 

 cam, and we all fet out for that palace as foon as we had 

 ate breakfaft. The reft of the company were on mules.. I 

 had mounted my own favourite horfe. Aylo, before his 

 fright at Sennaar, was one of die firft horfemen in Abyfli- 

 nia ; he was fhort, of a good figure, and knew the advantage 

 of fuch make for a horfeman ; he had therefore a curiofity 

 to fee a tall man ride ; but he was an abf'olute ftranger to 

 the great advantage of Moorifh furniture, bridles, fpurs, and 

 ftirrups, in the management of a violent, ftrong, high-met- 

 tled horfe. It was with the utmoft Satisfaction, when we 

 arrived in the plain called Aylo Meydan, that I fhewed him 

 the different paces of the horfe. He cried out with fear 



when 



