THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 209 



I returned to the Moors town, leaving Aylo with the 

 queen. In the afternoon I heard Welleta Selaffe was dead ; 

 and at night died her father, Welled Hawaryat. The con- 

 tagion from Mafuah and Adowa had fpread itfelf all over 

 Gondar. Ozoro Ayabdar, daughter of Ozoro Altafli, was 

 now fick, and a violent fever had fallen upon Kofcam. The 

 next morning Aylo came to me and told me, the faith in 

 the faint who did not eat or drink for twenty years was 

 perfectly abandoned fince Welled Hawaryat's death : That 

 it was the defire of the queen, and Ozoro Eflher, that I mould 

 tranfport myfelf to Kofcam to the Iteghe's palace, where 

 all their children and grandchildren, by the different men 

 the queen's daughters had married, were under her care. 

 I told him, " I had fome difficulty to obey them, from the 

 pofitive orders I had received from Petros to flay in the 

 Moors town with Hagi'Saleh till the Ras fhould arrive; that 

 Kofcam was full of priefls, and Abba Salama there every 

 day ; notwithflanding which, if Petros and he fo advifed me, 

 I would certainly go to do any poflible fervice to the Iteghe, 

 or Ozoro Eflher." 



He defired half an hour's abfence before he gave me an 

 anfwer, but did not return till about three hours after- 

 wards, and, without alighting, cried out at fome diflance, 

 " Aya,come, youmufl go immediately." "I told him, that new 

 and clean clothes in the Gondar fafhion had been procured 

 for me by Petros, and that I wifhed they might be fent to 

 his houfe, where I would put them on, and then go to Kof- 

 cam, with a certainty that I carried no infection with me, 

 for I had attended a number of Moorifh children, while at 

 Hagi Saleh's houfe, mofl of whom happily went on doing 

 well, but that there was no doubt there would be infection 



Vol. III. D d in 



