THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. m 



the road to Azazo was open to him, he fhould march thro^ 

 Dembea, as if going to Faiil, then turn on the right behind 

 the hills of Kofcam, and make the bell of his way to Ras 

 el Feel, in which government he fhould maintain the llric- 

 teft difcipline, and be particularly careful of the intrigues 

 of Abd el Jeleel, the former governor, whofe application I 

 flaould defeat if I had any intereft, or if the king remain- 

 ed, both which I thought very improbable. I annexed, 

 moreover, this condition, that on his part he fhould be ac- 

 tive and unwearied in procuring information concerning 

 the propereit way of my attempting to reach Sennaar ; I en- 

 joined him alfo to be very circumllantial in all the advices 

 which he fent to me at Gondar ; that they fhould be writ- 

 ten in Arabic, and fent dire6lly to me by my black fervant 

 Soliman,who was with him, and told him that I myfelf fliould 

 join him as foon as poflible. Yafme, with tears in his eyes, 

 protefled againfl leaving me in the dangerous fituation of 

 that night ; he faid we fhould be all cut to pieces as foon as 

 we were in the plain, and that there was not a man of the 

 troops under him who would not rather die with me, than 

 abandon me to be murdered by the hands of thefe faithlefs 

 Chriilian dogs, who never were to be bound by oath or pro- 

 mife. He faid, it would be incomparably fafer, as tliey 

 were all under my command, that I fhould put myfelf at 

 their head, and continue my march to Ras el Feel, where, 

 if I was once an-ived, Ayto Confu's troops, being behind 

 me at Tcherkin, (that is, between me and Gondar), I; 

 might, at my own leifure, folicit a fafe CQndu(5t to Sen- 

 naar. 



I CONFESS this propofal at firfl flruck me as extremely fea- 

 £ible ; but receding on my foiemn promife to the kmg, not 



to 



