i6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



ed him to pafs there, or at Kerr. I kept him to the place 

 ■where you pafTcd; you would have all periflied at Kerr. This, 

 to be fure, was not a good ford, nor pafTable at all except in 

 fummer, unlefs by fwimming ; but fo many men crolling 

 had made it ftill worfe ; befides, do you remember what a 

 llorm it was ? — what a night of rain ? O Lady Mariam, al- 

 ways a virgin, faid I, while they ftruggled in the mud and 

 clay. O holy Abba Guebra Menfus Kedus, who never ate or 

 drank from his mother's womb till his death,willyou not open 

 the earth, that all this accurfed multitude may defcend alive 

 into hell, like Dathan and Abiram ?" — A kind and charitable 

 prayer ! — " I thank you for it, Welled Amlac, faid I ; firft, for 

 carrying us to that charitable ford, where, with one of the 

 ftrongeft and ableft horfes in the world, I had nearly pe- 

 riflied : — and, fecondly, for your pious wifli, to difpofe of us 

 out of the regions of rain and cold into fo warm quarters in 

 company with Dathan and Abiram !" 



"I DID not know you was there, fays he ; I heard you 

 had flaid at Gondar in order to bring up the black horfe. 

 I law a white perfon* with the Ras, indeed, who had a good 

 hanjar and gun, but his mule was weak, and he himfelf 

 fecmed fick. As 1 returned I could have carried him off 

 in the night, but I faid, perhaps it is the brother of Yagoube, 

 my friend and phyfician ; he is white like him, and for your 

 fake I left him. 1 was much with you white people in the 

 time of Kafmati Eflite." — " And pray, faid I, what did you 

 after we palled the Abay ?" — " After I faw that devil Ras Mi- 

 chael over, faid Welled Amlac, I returned under pretence of 



allifting 



' This was Francifco, who was Cck. 



