THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 443 



riaffes, likewife for the king ; each of the mules was covered 

 with a carpet, and alfo the panniers ; and upon the pack-fad- 

 dle between thefe panniers, did Strates and Sebaftos ride. The 

 mules as well as the loading belonged to the king, and they 

 only were permitted to ride them becaufe they were fick. 

 Strates went firft, and, to fave trouble, the halter of Seba- 

 ftos's mule was tied to Strates's faddle, fo the mules were 

 fattened to and followed one another. Upon firing the gun 

 fo near it, Strates's mule, not ufed to compliments of this 

 kind, ftarted, and threw him to the ground ; it then tram- 

 pled 'upon him, began to run off, and wound the halter a- 

 round Sebaftos behind, who fell to the ground likewife a- 

 mongft fome Hones. Both the mules then began kicking 

 at each other, till they had thrown off the panniers and 

 pack-faddles, and broke every thing that was brittle in them. 

 The mifchief did not end here, for, in ftruggling to get 

 loofe, they fell foul of the mule of old Azage Tecla Haim- 

 anout, one of the kings criminal judges, a very old, feeble 

 man, and threw him upon the ground, and broke his foot, 

 fo that he could not walk alone for feveral months after- 

 wards. As foon as I had pitched a tent for the wounded, 

 and likewife dreffed Tecla Haimanoui's foot, I went to Kefla 

 Yafous, while the two Mahomets proceeded to the Ras with 

 .their money. 



The moment I came into the tent, Kefla Yafbns rofe up 

 end embraced me. He was fitting alone, but with rather a 

 chearful than a deje£©d countenance ; he told me they 

 were all in great concern, till Ayto Adigo's arrival, at a re- 

 port which came from Gondar that we had fought with 

 Guebra Mehedin, and had.all been {lain. I informed him 

 every thing I knew, or had heard, but he had better intel- 



3K2 ligence 



