THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ly- 



"Your mafter, Welled Amlac, with your leave, fald I." 

 "Yes, miile too, faid he, by force, but he never fhiU be my 

 mailer by inclination, after murdering Kafmati Eflite. He 

 calls me his brother, and believes me his friend. You faw 

 one of his wives, whom he leaves at my lioufe, lad. 

 nightv but I hope ftill to fee him and his Galla flaugh- 

 tered as the cow in my houfe was yefterday." " I am 

 furprifed, faid I, your houfe was fpared, and that Ras 

 Michael did not burn it in either of his paffages through 

 Maitfha." — " In 1769, replied he, I was not with Fafil at Fa- 

 gitta, and the Ras pafTed the Nile above this far beyond the 

 Kelti; after which I returned with him to Gondar. In Gin- 

 bot *, Falll informed us that Amhara and Begemder were 

 come over to him. When then all Maitlha joined Fafil, I went 

 with my people to meet Michael at Derdera, as I knew he 

 mull pafs the Nile here oppofite to Abbo, and Begemder 

 and Amhara would then be behind him, or elfe try to crofs • 

 at Delakus, which was then fwollen with rain, and unford- 

 able : but apprehenfive left, marching ftill higher up ■ 

 along the Nile to find a ford, he might burn my houfe in 

 his way, I myfelf joined him the night before he knew of. 

 PowuiTcn's revolt, and he had it then in contemplation to 

 burn Samfeen. The next morning was that of his retreat 

 and he chofe me to accompany him acrofs the Nile, dill con- 

 fidering me as his friend, and therefore, perhaps, he would 

 have done no harm to my houfe." — " So it was you, faid I, 

 that led us that day into that curfed clay- hole, which you 

 call a ford, where fo many people and beafts were maimed 

 and loft ?" — ^He replied, " It was Fafil's fpies that firft perfuad- 



ed 



* The ift of GInbot is the 26th of our Ajril. 



