552 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



The Daveina being Arabs, who conftantly live in tents, 

 bear a mortal enmity to all who inhabit villages, and, as 

 occafion offered, had dellroyed, flarved, and laid wafte the 

 greatefl part of Atbara. They had been outlawed by the 

 government of Sennaar for having joined Yafous II. upon 

 the expedition againft that kingdom. They had ever fince 

 been well-received by the Abyffinians, lived independent, 

 and in perpetual defiance of the government of Sennaar. 

 They had often threatened Teawa, but had given the Shekh 

 of Beyla an afTurance of friendfliip ever fince Yafine had 

 married a daughter of that Shekh, 



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The flrength of Teawa was about 25 horfe, of which 

 about ten were armed with coats of mail. They had about a 

 dozenof firelocks, very contemptible from the order in which 

 they were kept, and flill more fo from the hands that bore 

 them. The refl of the inhabitants might amount to twelve 

 hundred men, naked, miferable, and defpicable Arabs, like 

 the reft of thofe that live in villages, who are much infe- 

 rior in courage to the Arabs that dwell in tents : weak as 

 its ftate was, it was the feat of government, and as fuch a 

 certain degree of reverence attended it. Fidele, the Shekh 

 of Atbara, was reputed by his own people a man of courage ; 

 this had been doubted at Sennaar. Welled HafTan, his father, 

 had been employed by Naffer the fon, late king of Sennaar, 

 in the murder of his father and fovereign Baady, which 

 he had perpetrated, as I have already mentioned. Such was 

 the flate of Teawa. Its confequence was only to remain 

 till the Daveina fliould refolve to attack it, when its corn- 

 fields being burnt and deflroyed in a night by a multitude 

 of horfemen, the bones of its inhabitants fcattercd upon 

 4 the 



