THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. i6$ 



you are a man." " Look at me, you drunken flave, faid I» 

 armed, or unarmed, and fay, it is not a boafl if I count 

 myfelf at all times a better man than you. Away to your 

 hiding - hole again, and for your life appear within my, 

 reach. Away ! you are not now, as the other day, before the 

 king." The man cried out in a tranfport of impatience, " By 

 G--d, you don't know what I mean ; but here they all come, 

 ftand firm, if you are men ;" and faying this, he ran nimbly 

 oflF, and hid himfelf below the bank, with his lighted 

 match in one hand, and all ready. 



ir is proper, for connexion's fake, though I did not my- 

 felf fee it, to relate what had happened to the king, who had 

 purfued the Bcgemder horfe to a very confiderable diftance, 

 and was then at S S in the plan, when the whole army of 

 the rebels that had not engaged, obferving the refiflance 

 made by PowulTen, and part of the divifion which they had 

 left, turned fuddenly back from their flight, and at R R 

 nearly furrounded the king and his cavalry, whom they 

 had now driven to the very edge of the fteepell part of the 

 bank of the Mariam. Kefla Yafous's arrival, indeed, and 

 his exerting himfelf to the utmoft, fighting with his own. 

 hand like any common foldier, had brought fome relief; 

 yet as frefh horfe came in, there can be little doubt at the 

 end, that the king muft have been either flain or taken 

 prifoner, if Sertza Denghel, a young man of Amhara, a re- 

 lation of Gufho, and who had a fmall poft in the palace, 

 had not difmounted, and offered to lead the king's horfe 

 down the fleepeft of the banks into the river. To this, how- 

 ever, he received an abfolute refufal. " I fliall die here this 

 day, fays the king, but wJiile I have a man left, will never 

 turn my back upon the rebels." Sertza Denghel hearing 



Vol. IV. Y this 



