THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. jg 



No fooner was this intelligence from Gimmel-eddin 

 publifhed, than a kind of frenzy feized the people of 

 Adel ; they ran tumultuoufly to arms, and, with fhrieks 

 and adjurations, demanded to be led immediately a- 

 gainft the Abyflinians, for they no longer defired to live 

 upon fuch terms. 



There was among the leading men of the Moors one 

 Saleh, chief of a fmall diftrict called Cam, by birth a Sher- 

 riffe, i. e. one of the race of Mahomet, and who, to the nobi- 

 lity of his birth, joined the holinefs of his character. He was 

 Imam, as it is called, or high prieft of the Moors, and, for both 

 thefe reafons, held in the greateft eftimation among them. 

 This man undertook, by his perfonal influence, to unite all 

 the Moorifh ftates in a common league. For it is to be ob- 

 ferved, that, though religion was very powerful in uniting 

 thefe Moors againft the Chriftians, yet the love of gain, and 

 jealoufies of commerce, perpetually kept a party alive that 

 favoured the king for their own intereft, in the very heart of 

 the Moorifh confederacies and councils. To overcome this 

 was the object of Saleh, and he fucceeded beyond expecta- 

 tion, as fixteen kings brought 40,000 men into the field un- 

 der their feveral leaders ; but the chief command was given 

 to the king of Adel. 



I must put the reader in mind that I am tranflating an 

 Abyflinian hiftorian. Thefe, then, whom this chronicle 

 ftiles Kings, mufl be confidered as being only hereditary and 

 independent chiefs, not tributary to Abyffinia. Their names 

 are Adel, Mara, Bakla, Haggara, Fadife, Gadai, Nagal, Zuba, 

 Harlar, Hobal, Hangila, Tarlhifh, Ain, Ilbiro, Zeyla, and Efle. 

 Now, when we confider that thefe fixteen kings brought 



E 2 only 



