THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 3 i 5 



tachment to them, would have been great advantages in the 

 hands of the fathers. Every Abyflinian would have encou- 

 raged them at the beginning of this million ; and, if once 

 they had firmly eftabliihed themfelves in a country of fo 

 difficult accefs, they might have bid defiance to prince Faci- 

 lidas, and the persecution that deflroyed the progrefs of the 

 Gatholic faith in that reign. 



From Gonea, in fix days they came to the refidence of 

 Benero, the fovereign of the country ; fince the conqueft 

 and converfion under Melee Segued, he is called Shum. 

 The ambaflador and Fernandes were received by the Bene- 

 ro with an air of conflraint and coomefs, though with ci- 

 vility. They found afterwards the caufe of this was the in- 

 finuationof a fchifmatic Abyflinian monk, then at the court 

 of that prince, who had told him that the errand of the am- 

 baflador and miilionary to India was to bring Portuguefe 

 troops that way into Abyllinia, which would end in the de- 

 Itruction of Narea, if it did not begin with it. 



Terrified at a danger fo near, the Benero called a coun- 

 cil, in which it was refolved that the ambaiTador mould be 

 turned from the direct road into the kingdom of Bali, to a 

 much more inconvenient, longer, and dangerous one ; and, 

 the ambaflador hefitating a little when this was propofed 9 

 the Benero told him plainly, that he would not fuller him 

 to pafs further by any other way than that of Bali. 



Bali was once a province belonging to Abyllinia, and 

 was the firft taken from them by the Galla. It is to the 

 north- eafl of Narea, to the weft of the kingdom of Adel, 



R r 2 which 



