THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 53 



and foot. This was not my intention ; I had fet out un- 

 armed, attended only by two Abyilinian fervants on horfe- 

 back, but without lance or Ihield, and in this manner I in^ 

 tended to prefent myfelf to the king as one of the fuite of 

 Ayto Confu: but all my endeavours were in vain ; and I 

 faw that, making the beft of my way, and profiting of the 

 early time of the morning, was the only method left to a- 

 void increafmg my retinue. I muft own the good difpofition 

 of thefe people to me, and the degree of favour they report- 

 ed me to be in, and, above all, Ozoro Efther's afTurances 

 had given me great comfort ; for feveral people of no au- 

 thority, indeed, had prophefied that Ras Michael would be 

 much offended at my having thrown a carpet over the 

 body of Joas, and at my not having gone to Tigre with 

 him. 



I PASSED the three heaps of ftones under which lie the' 

 three monks who were Honed to death in the time of Da- 

 vid IV. ; and at the bottom of the hill whereon Hands the 

 church of Abbo, I was met by Yafme, and about 20 horfe^ 

 men, having on their coats of mail, their helmets upon their 

 heads, and their viziers down ; their pikes perpendicular, 

 with their points in the air, fo that by one motion more, 

 placing them horizontally in their refts, they were pre- 

 pared to charge at a word. I afked Yafme what was the 

 meaning of his being in that equipage in fuch hot weather, 

 when there was no enemy ? He replied. It was given him 

 in, orders from Ayto Confu laft night ; and that, with regard 

 to an enemy, there was one that had feized the pafs of Sem- 

 ma Confu, and obllinately refufed to let us through, un- 

 iefs we forced them. Sure, faid I, Ayto Confu knows, that 

 heavy armed- men on horfeback are not fit to force paffes 



through 



