THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. i6j 



Am»er, the king's mortal enemy, who had taken upon 

 liimfelf the deftruction of the royal' family, defcended into 

 the province of Sire, and neighbourhood of Tabor, and there - 

 indulged liimfelf in the moil wanton cruelties, torturing 

 and murdering the priells, burning churches and villages ,. 

 hoping by this the king would lofe his temper, and leave 

 his ftrong-hold in the mountain. But hearing at. the fame 

 time, that a large quantity of plate, and other treafure, be- 

 longing to the church Debra Kerbe, had been carried into 

 an ifland in the lake Tzana for fafety, he left the king, and; 

 feized his booty in the lake to a very great amounts 



However, he there fell ill of a fever ; but, on his returns 

 was fo far advanced in his recovery as to refume his fchemes 

 of deitroying the king ; when,. the night of the 10th of Fe- 

 ruary 1538, while he was fleeping in bed in his tent, a com- 

 mon foldier, from what quarrel or caufe is not known, 

 went fecretly and ftabbed him feveral times in the belly 

 with a two-edged knife, fo that he died inftantly, to David's 

 great relief, and much to the fafety of the whole kingdom. - 



It was now 12 years fmce Don Roderigo de Lima had' 

 failed from Mafuah,. carrying with him Zaga Zaab ambaf- 

 fador from the king of Abyfiinia.- This ernbafTy arrived A 

 fafe in Lifb.on, and was received with great magnificence 

 by -king John ; but, as the circumftances of the kingdom : 

 when he left Mafuah were really nourifhing, and ? as the : 

 treatment he met in Portugal was better than he had, ,pro- 

 bably, ever experienced at home, he feems to have been in 

 no hafte to put an ,end to this ernbafTy. On the other fide, 

 the king of Portugal's affairs in. India were arrived at that' 

 2.'. degree. 



