THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 3-03 



known that Michael and his army were to be made prifon- 

 ers, that the rebel army increaied to above 60,000 men ; 

 cowards and brave, old and young, veteran foldiers and 

 blackguards, all came to be fpettators of that defirable e- 

 vent, which many of the wifefl had defpaired of living to 

 fee. I believe the king's army never amounted to 26,000 

 men ; and, by defertion and other caufes, when we retreated 

 to Gondar, I do not fuppofe the army was 16,000, moftly 

 from, the province of Figre. Fafil, indeed, had not joined ; and 

 putting his army of 1 2,000 men, (I make no account of the 

 wild Galla beyond the Nile) I do not imagine that any king 

 of Abyffiaia ever commanded 40,000 effective men at any 

 time, or upon any caufe whatever, exclufive of his houfe- 

 hold troops. 



Their {landards are large flaves, furmounted at the top 

 with a hollow ball ; below this is a tube in which the ilaif 

 is fixed ; and immediately below the ball, a narrow ftripe 

 of lilk made forked, or fwallow-tailed, like a vane, and fel- 

 dom much broader. In the war of Begemder we firft faw co- 

 lours like a flag hoifted forking Theodorus. They were red, 

 about eight feet long and near three feet broad ; but they 

 never appeared but two days ; and the fuccefs that attended 

 their firft appearance was fuch that did not bid fair to bring 

 them into fafhion. 



The (landards of the infantry have their flags painted 

 ■two colours crofsways — yellow, white, red, or green. The 

 ho-rfe have all a lion upon their flag-, fome a red, fome a 



green, 



* The firft invention is attiibuted to the Pomiguefe. 



