THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 189 



while the fecretary faid, " Yagoube, the king does you this 

 great honour, not as payment of pail fervices, but as a pledge 

 that he will reward them if you will put it in his power." 

 Upon this I kifled the ground, and we were both recon- 

 du6lcd to the Ras, with ourinfignia ; and, having kifled the 

 ground before him, and then his hands, we both had leave 

 to retire. He feemed very bufy with people arrived from 

 without ; he only lifted up his head, fmiled, and faid. Well, 

 are you friends now ? We both bowed without anfwer, and 

 left the tent. 



The chain confifted of 184 links, each of them weighing 

 3-Vdwts of fine gold. It was with the ucmofl relu6lance 

 that, being in want of every thing, I fold great part of this 

 honourable diftinction at Sennaar in my return home ; the 

 remaining part is ftill in my pofleffion. It is hoped my 

 fucccfTors will never have the fame excufe I had, for fur- 

 ther diminifliing this honourable monument which I have 

 left them» 



About a few hours after this, a much more intereftin^ 

 fpeclacle appeared before the whole camp. Ay to Tesfos, go- 

 vernor of Samen under Joas, had never lard dcv/n his arms,, 

 nor paid any allegiance to the prefent king or his father, 

 but had conilantly treated them as ufurpers, and the Ras 

 as a rebel and parricide. He had continued in friendfhip 

 with Fafd, but never would co-operate or join with him, 

 not even when he was at Gondar as Ras. He lived in the 

 inacceffible rock, (called the Jev,^s Rock) one of the higliell 

 of the mountains of Samen, where he maintained a large 

 number of troops, with which he overawed tlic whole ncigh- 

 bouiingcountry,andmade perpetual inroads intoTigrc. Ene- 

 my 



