492 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



I that called drink ! Selafle adroitly continued, " He knows 

 you are curious in horns, and fent you this, defiring me firft 

 to get it filled at the Iteghe's with good red wine, which 

 I have done ; and now, Hallo ! Drink ! Englishman !" He 

 then added in a whifper, when the fervant had fhut the 

 door, " I'll tell it you all after flipper, when the houfe is quiet, 

 for I fleep here all night, and go to Tigre to-morrow morn- 

 ing." 



The time being come, he informed me Ras Michael and 

 Fa-fil had made peace ; Welleta Michael, the Ras's nephew, 

 taken by Fafil at the battle of Limjour, had been the medi- 

 ator ; that the king and Michael, by their wife behaviour, 

 had reconciled Tigre as one man, and that the Ras had 

 ifllied a proclamation, remitting to the province of Tigre 

 their whole taxes from the day they paffed the Tacazze till 

 that time next year, in confideration of their fidelity and 

 fervices ; and this had been folemnly proclaimed in feveral 

 places by beat of drum. The Ras declared, at the fame 

 time, that he would, out of his own private fortune, with- 

 out other afEftance,, bear the expence of the campaign till 

 he featccl the king on his throne in Gondar. A kind of 

 madnefs, he faid, had feized all ranks of people to follow 

 their fovereign to the capital ; that the mountain Haramat 

 flill held out ; but that all the principal friends, both of Za 

 Menfus andNetcho, had been up with the governors of that 

 fortrefs offering terms of peace and forgivennefs, and de- 

 firing they would not be an obflacle in the king's way, and 

 a hinderance to his return, but that all terms had been as 

 yet refilled ; however, fays he, you know the Ras as well a3 

 I, he will play them a trick fome of thefe days, winking 

 with his eye, and then crying out, Drink ! 



I ASKED 



