THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 17 



afTifling Kefla Yafous there, and, being joined by all my 

 people, we fell upon the ftragglers wherever we found them. 

 You know what a day of rain it was ; we took 1 7 guns, 1 2 

 horfes, and about 200 mules and afles laden, and fo return- 

 ed home, leaving the reft to Fafil, who, if he had been a man, 

 fliould have cut you all to pieces the day after." — " And 

 what did you, faid I, with thefe flragglers whom you met 

 and robbed ; did you kill them ?" — " We always kill them, 

 anfwered Amlac ; we fpare none ; we never do a man an 

 injury, and leave him alive to revenge it upon us after; but 

 it was really the fame; they were all fick and weak, and the 

 hycena would have finiflied them in the morning, fo it was 

 juft faving them fo much fufFering to kill them outright 

 the night before ; and I affure you, Yagoube, whatever you 

 may think, I did not do it out of malice." — From this con- 

 verfation one may fufficiently guefs what fort of a man Wel- 

 led Amlac was, and what were his ideas of mercy. 



We paffed the church of Kedus Michael at half after 

 nine, on the road to our right. At nine and three quarters 

 our courfe was N. by W. and, at a quarter after ten, we paf- 

 fed the Coga, a large river. At three quarters paft ten our 

 courfe was north. We palTed the church of Abbo a quar- 

 ter of a mile on our right. The country, after we had croll^ 

 €d the Jemma,was much lefs beautiful than before. At twelve 

 our courfe was N. by W. and at half paft twelve the church 

 of Mariam Net, 200 yards to the left ; and here we forded the 

 fmall river Amlac-Ohha. Every ftep of this ground put us 

 in mind of our difaftrous campaign in May ; and we were 

 nowpaffing dire(5lly in the tradt of the ever- memorable re- 

 treat of Kcfla Yafous and the rear of the army. At a quar- 

 ter after one we halted at a fmall village of low houfes, as it 



Vol. IV. G were 



