THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 259 



wolild, in three days, make Gondar, the metropoHs, as de- 

 fert and deftitute of inhabitants as he had left the pakry 

 diltrid of DegwafTa. 



The king received all this with great compofure, for he 

 had as much fortitude, and as little fear as ever fell to the 

 iliare of any man ; his misfortune, however, was, that he 

 had no refources in which he could truft ; and the Tigre 

 officers about him, more imprudent, and fully as fearlefs as 

 he, gave him the fame advices they would have done had 

 he been at the head of the army. Ras Michael was more- 

 over gone, and Kefla Yafous was at a diilance ; thefe two 

 were the men for planning and contriving bufinefs, and 

 who faved otliers the trouble of thinking. The reft, fuch 

 as Billetana Gueta Tecla, Guebra Mafcal, and Baflia He- 

 zckias, were only fit to be trufted with execution, and 

 to proceed according to the letter of the orders they 

 might receive, and the confequences of which they could 

 not, nor did they wifli to undcrftand. By being ufed, how- 

 ever, to conftant fuccefs in executing plans maturely di- 

 gefted by wifer heads, they had acquired a degree of pre- 

 fumption which made them very dangerous counfellors to 

 a young king, in the prefent cafe, where nothing but the 

 p-reateft prudence, af?iiled by the manifeft interpofition of 

 the hand of Heaven, (many examples of which he had al- 

 ready proved) could fave him from perdition. 



I WAS not prefent at the audience, being at Kofcam, but 

 his fecretary, to whom I am indebted for ever)^ thing that 

 paffed in private, in this hiftory, and which otherwife was 

 beyond the reach of my knowledge, alTured me the king 

 anfwered tiiefe threatenings without any change of coun- 



K k 2 tenance 



