54 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



tention of the king of Abyffinia ; who, fheathing his fword, 

 took a bow in his hand, and, as my hiftorian fays, choofing 

 the broadeit arrow he could find, ftruck this young hero 

 through the middle of his neck, fo that, half being cut 

 through, his head inclined to one moulder, and foon after 

 he fell dead among his horfe's feet. 



This fight was one juft calculated to ftrike fuch an army 

 as this with terror. They immediately turned their backs, 

 and, unluckily falling in with the two detachments march- 

 ing to the king's relief, they were all cut to pieces to the 

 number of 5 000 ; a great proportion of which were women 

 and aged perfons, unfkilled in war, further than as they 

 were prompted by a long fufferance of injuries, accumula- 

 ted now to a mafs, that made them weary of life. My hi- 

 ftorian further fays, that three only of the Moorifh army 

 efcaped. On the king's fide many principal officers were 

 killed ; and there was fcarce one horfeman that was not 

 wounded, Amda Sion, therefore, when fpeaking of this 

 campaign, after his return, among his nobility at Shoa, ufed 

 to fay, " Deliver me from fighting with old women ;" allu- 

 ding to this battle, where he was in the greateft danger. The 

 fate of the unfortunate king of Wypo was particularly hard. 

 He had lately married the king of Adel's daughter ; and it 

 was the Haying for him, and his marriage, that loft the fa- 

 vourable opportunity of fighting the Abyfhnians, when the 

 army was in dcfpondency upon the king's being taken ill 

 of the fever. 



The next campaign the king began, by a march firft to 

 Saffogade, where he aflifted at the celebration of the feaft of 

 St John the Baptift; and h^ gave orders, that day, to raze all 



2 the 



