Ill YRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



bis breach of promife made before the mountain of Hara- 

 mat, that he was to levy no taxes upon that province for 

 fcven years, (but which he was now doing with the great- 

 eft rigour before one had expired) difcontented them all. 



The return of Welleta Michael and Kefla Yafous from 

 Saraen, with about 6000 men, had coniiderably ftrength- 

 ened his army ; added to this, 2000 more, who came volun- 

 tarily, from their love to Kefla Yafous, from Temben, where 

 he was governor ; thefe were picked men, partly mufque- 

 teers ; there was nothing equal to them in the army. 



GusHo was advanced to Minziro. Powuflen had his 

 head-quarters at Korreva, not above fixteen miles from 

 Gondar. The whole plain to the lake was covered with 

 troops. The weather was unfeafonably cold, and confider- 

 able quantities of rain had fallen from the 23d of February 

 to the 29th of March. The rebels had begun to lay wafte 

 Dembea, and burnt all the villages in the plain from fouth 

 to weft, making it like a defert between Michael and Fafil, 

 as far as they dared venture to advance towards either. 

 This they did to exafperate Michael, and draw him out 

 from Gondar ; for they had moft of them great property 

 i-n the town, and did not wilh to be obliged to fight him 

 there. He bore this fight very impatiently, as well as the 

 conftant complaints of people flying into the town from the 

 depredations of the enemy, and flripped of every thing. 



The king often afcended to the top of the tower of his 

 palace, the only one to which there remains a flair, and 

 there contemplated, with the greateft difpleafure, the burn- 

 ing of his rich villages in Dembea. One day while he 

 I was 



