THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 165 



already faid, the whole line of our infantry ; this will be 

 eafily underftood by confulting the plan w^here K H, 

 G G, F, and I, reprefent the difpofition that I have now def- 

 cribed. 



It was full half an hour after the king had formed be- 

 fore the army of Begemder made any motion. The Ras 

 firft faw them from the hill, and made a fignal, by beating 

 his drums and blowing his trumpets ; this was immediately 

 anfwered by all the drums and trumpets of the left wing, 

 and for the fpace of a minute, a thick cloud of dufl; (like the 

 fmoke of a large city on fire) appeared on the fide of Korreva, 

 occafioned, as the day before, by the Begemder troops mount- 

 ing on horfeback ; the ground where they were encamped 

 being trodden into powder, by fuch a number of men and 

 horfe palling over it fo often, and now raifed by the mo- 

 tion of the horfes feet, was whirled round by a very moder- 

 ate breeze, that blew fleadily ; it every minute increafed 

 in darknefs, and alTumed various Ihapes and forms, of towers 

 caftles, and battlements, as fancy fuggefted. In the middle, 

 of this great cloud we began to perceive indiilin6lly part of 

 the horfemen, then a much greater number, and the figure 

 of the horfes more accurately defined, which came moving 

 majeJlically upon us, fometimes partially feen, at other times 

 concealed by being wrapt up in clouds and darknef^ ; the 

 vvhole made a moll; extraordinary, but truly picSlurefque ap- 

 pearance. 



I WAS £0 flruck with this, that I could not help faying 

 to Billetana Gueta Ammonios, who commanded the horfe 

 under me, Is not that a glorious fight Ammonios ! who, 



that 



