THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 407 



with our fervants ; and plundered them, as belonging to 

 the king and the Ras. 



I was, for fome minutes, in the utmoft aftoniihment at 

 this torrent of bad news. Whether the others knew more 

 than I, it is impoffible to fay ; diffimulation, in all ranks of 

 thefe people, is as natural as breathing. Guebra Mehedin 

 and Confu were the Iteghe's two nephews, fons of Bafha 

 Eufebius her brother, a worthlefs man, and his fons no bet- 

 ter. They were young men, however, whom I faw conti- 

 nually at the queen's palace, and to whom I mould have 

 gone immediately without fear, if I had known their houfes 

 had been in my way, and they happened to be near Lebec 

 at the hot wells ; notwithftanding their rank, they were of 

 fuch diffipated manners, that they were of no account, but 

 treated as caftaways in the houfe of the queen their aunt, 

 and never, as far as I knew, had entered into the pre- 

 fence of the king. I had often ate and drank with them, 

 however, in the houfe of Ayto Engedan, their coufm- 

 gennan, who was gone off with Welleta Ifrael his aunt, at 

 the paffage of the Nile as before mentioned. They had beat 

 Strates, who was their intimate acquaintance, violently ; as 

 alfo two others of my fervants, to make them confefs in 

 what package the gold was. They had taken from them 

 alfo a large blunderbufs, given me by the Swedifli conful, 

 Brander, at Algiers ; a pair of piitols, a double-barrelled 

 gun, and a Turkifh fword mounted with iilver, which, as 

 there was then no profpecT: of their being immediately 

 needed, were fen t forward with the baggage. 



Netcho and Adigo, and all prefent, agreed that the 

 •whole was a nation, and that, fuppoling the account to be 



true. 



