THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 311 



ment, or that part of the palace where it is ; there is another 

 called Jan Bet, or the elephant's boujc, that gives the name to 

 another regiment ; another called Werk Sacala, or the gold 

 boufe, which gives its name to another corps ; and fo on with 

 the reft ; as for the horfe, I have fpoken of them already. 



There are four regiments, that feldom, if ever, a- 

 mounted to 1600 men, which depend alone upon the king, 

 and are all foreigners, at leaft the officers ; thefe have the 

 charge of his perfon while in the field. In times when the 

 king is out of leading-firings, they amount to four or five 

 thoufand, and then opprefs the country, for they have great 

 privileges. At times when the king's hands are weak, they 

 are kept incomplete out of fear and jealoufy, which was 

 the cafe in my time ; — thefe have been already fufficiently 

 defcribed. 



Three proclamations are made before the king marches. 

 The firfl is, " Buy your mules, get ready your provifion, 

 and pay your fervants, for, after fuch a day, they that feek 

 me here fliall not find me." The fecond is about a week 

 after, or according as the exigency is prefling ; this is, " Cut 

 down the kantuffa in the four quarters of the world, for 

 I do not know where I am going." This kantuffa is a ter- 

 rible thorn which very much molefts the king and nobility 

 in their march, by taking hold of their long hair, and the 

 cotton cloth they are wrapped in. The third and lafl pro- 

 clamation is, " I am encamped upon the Angrab, or Kahha ; 

 " he that does not join me there, I will chaftife him for 

 " feven years." I was long in doubt what this term of fe- 

 ven years meant, till 1 recollected the jubilee-year of the jews, 



with 



