4 oo TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



Damot joins Gojam, and it was even faid, that Welleta Ifrael, 

 his mother, had been the occafion of this, from her hatred 

 to Michael and her attachment to Fafil ; the firft caufe 

 was fufficiently apparent, the laft had formerly been no 

 lefs fo. 



On the 17th, after fun-rife, the king pafled the Nile, and 

 encamped at a fmall village on the other fide, called Tfoom- 

 wa, where his Fit-Auraris had taken poll early in the morn- 

 ing. I have often mentioned this officer without explana- 

 tion, and perhaps it may now be right to ftate his duty. 

 The Fit-Auraris is an officer depending immediately upon 

 the commander in chief, and correfponding with him di- 

 rectly, without receiving orders from any other perfon. 

 He is always one of the braveft, mofl robuft, and mofl expe- 

 rienced men in the fervice ; he knows, with the utmofl ex- 

 actnefs, the diflance of places, the depth of rivers, the ftate 

 of the fords, the thicknefs of the woods, and the extent of 

 them ; in a word, the whole face of the country in detaill 

 His party is always adapted to the country in which the 

 war is ; fometimes it is entirely compofed of horfe, fome- 

 times of foot, but generally of a mixture of both. He has 

 the management of the intelligence and direction of the 

 fpies. He is likewife limited to no number of troops ; 

 fometimes he has 1000 men, fometimes 200. In time of 

 real danger he has generally about 300, all picked from the 

 whole army at his pleafure ; he had not now about 50 horfe, 

 as it was not yet thought to be the time of real bufinefs or 

 danger. 



As the pod of Fit-Auraris is a place of great truft, fo it 

 is endowed with proportionable emoluments. The king s 



3 lit- 



