THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 229- 



^however, there might ftill be an enemy behind him, and 

 that he ihould be hemmed in between both, he refolved to> 

 pafs, but did it in fo tumultuous a manner that the king's 

 army had no trouble but to {laughter thofe who arrived at 

 the oppofite bank. Great part of the cavalry, feeing the 

 fate of their companions at the ford, attempted to pafs a- 

 bove and below by fwimming : but, though the river was 

 deep and fmooth, the banks were high, and many were 

 drowned, not being able to fcramble up on the other fide. 

 Many were alfo deftroyed by ftones, and the lances of Sert- 

 za Denghel's men, from the banks above ; fome palled, how- 

 ever, joining Mahomet, and leaving the reft of the army to 

 attempt a paflage at the ford, crofted with the utmoft fpeed 

 lower down the river without being purfued, and carried 

 the news of their own defeat to Adel. 



The whole Moorifh army perifhed this day except the: 

 horfe, either by the fword or in the river; nor had the Moors 

 received fo fevere a blow fince the defeat of Gragne by Clau- 

 dius. The king then decamped, and took poll at Zarroder, 

 on the frontiers of Adel, with a defign to winter there and 

 lay wafte the country, into which he intended to march as 

 foon as the rfair weather returned. But it was the misfor- 

 tune of this great prince, that his enemies were fituated at 

 the two moil diftant extremities of the kingdom.. For the 

 Galla attacked Gojam on the weft, at the very time he pre- 

 pared to enter Adel on the eaft. Without lofs of time,,how- 

 ever, he traverfed the whole kingdom of Abyflinia, and came 

 up with the Boren Galla upon the river Madge, but no ac- 

 tion of confequence followed. The Galla, attempting the 

 king's camp in the night, and finding themfelves too weak 

 to carry it x retreated immediately into their own country. 



While 



