THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 191 



Tesfos took a poft very likely to diflrefs us, as he had 

 more than 300 mufquetry with him. He fat down with 

 horfe and foot in the middle of the valley before us, with 

 part of his mufquetry pofted upon the flcirts of the moun- 

 tain Belefien on one fide, and part on the top of that long, 

 even hill, dividing the valley from the river Mariam. 

 Over his camp, like a citadel, is the rock that proje(5ts into 

 the valley, from which the peafants of Mariam-Ohha had 

 thrown the Hones when we were returning to our camp 

 after the laft battle. Upon this rock Tesfos had placed a 

 multitude of women and fervants, who began to build flraw- 

 huts for themfelves, as if they intended to flay there for 

 fome time, though there was ilill plenty of the female fex be- 

 low with the camp. Indeed, I never remember to have feen fo 

 many women in proportion to any army whatever, no not 

 even in our own. 



If Tesfos had been long in coming, he was refolved, now 

 lie was come, to make up for his loit time, as he was not 

 a mile and a half from our camp, and could fee our horfes 

 go down to water, either at Deg-Ohha or Mariam ; that 

 fame day at two o'clock, his horfe attacked our men at wa- 

 tering, killed fome fervants, and took feveral horfes. This 

 behaviour of Tesfos was taken as a defiance to Kefla Ya* 

 fous in particular, and to the army in general. 



There was no perfon in the w^hole army, of any rank 

 whatever, fo generally beloved as Kefla Yafous ; he was 

 looked upon by the foldiers as their father. He was named 

 by the Ras to the government of Samen, but had failed, as 

 we liave already flatcd, in difpofTefTing Ayto Tesfos, ^^'hofe: 

 diford'^rly march at broad mid -day, fo near our army, the 

 2 oflentatious 



