252 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



Ras Michael, on the contrary, beheved that it had been taken 

 out by Petros with a view to fell it, and for this reafon he had 

 conftantly refufed him liberty to leave Abyflinia, and had 

 kept him always in fear that fome day or other he would 

 flrip him of all that he had faved. While Michael was be- 

 fieging the mountain Haramat, Petros befeeched me to take 

 L.300 of him, and give him my firfl, fecond, and third bill of 

 exchange upon Meffrs Julian and Rofa, my correfpondents 

 at Cairo, payable a month after fight, to the Maronite Bi- 

 fhop of Mount Sinai, after which he fet out for his own 

 country, in forma pauperis^ and thereby efcaped the rapacity of 

 both Ras Michael and the Naybe of Mafuah. As for the bill, 

 it came duly to hand, and was paid to the bifliop, who would 

 very fain have received for each of the duplicates, and was 

 near being baftinado'd for infilling upon this before the Bey 

 at Cairo. 



A Bill drawn from Gondar is a very great curiofity when 

 arrived in London ; it fliould be now upon the file in the 

 fhop of my very worthy and honourable friends the Meffrs 

 Drummond and Company at Charing- Crofs. It was the on- 

 ly piece of writing of any kind which found its way to its 

 intended deftination, though many had been written by me 

 on different occafions which prefented for Arabia ; fo that 

 I will recommend to all travellers, for the future, to tack bills 

 of exchange to their letters of greareft confequence, as a fure 

 method of preventing their mifcarriage. 



I HAD made a fliew, and with fome degree of oflentation, 

 of fending my gold chain to Cairo by the hands of Metical 

 Aga's fervant, declaring always that it was the only piece of 

 Abyflinian gold I fliould carry out of the country, which I 



^ - ~ was 



