THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 325 



that the fame perfon who finds him mould carry him to 

 his coronation ; for there is a family who have a right to 

 difpute this honour with the firft pofTeflor ; and, therefore, 

 in his way from the wood, they fet upon the people in 

 whofe hands he is, and a battle enfues, where feveral are 

 killed or wounded ; and if thefe laft, by force, can take him 

 out of the hands of the firft finder, they enjoy all the ho- 

 nours due to him that made him king. 



Before he enters his palace two men are to be flain ;: 

 one at the foot of the tree by which his houfe is chiefly 

 fupported ; the other at the threfhold of his door, which is 

 befmeared with the blood of the victim. And,, it is faid, (I 

 have heard this often in Abyffinia from people coming 

 from that country) that the particular family, whofe privU 

 ledge it is to be llaughtered, fo far from avoiding it, glory 

 in the occafion, and offer themfelves willingly to meet it. — >- 

 To return to our travellers — 



The father and the ambafTador, leaving the kingdom of 

 Gingiro, proceeded in a direction due eaft, and entered the 

 kingdom of Cambat, depending flill on the empire of Abyf- 

 finia, and there halted at Sangara, which feems to be the 

 principal place of the province, governed at that time by a 

 Moor called AmelmaL 



On the left of Cambat are the Guragues, who live fn? 

 fome beggarly villages, but moflly in caves and holes m 

 the mountains. The father was detained two days at San- 

 gara, at the perfuafion of the inhabitants there, who told 

 him there was a fair in the neighbourhood, and people 

 \Kould pais in numbers to accompany him, fo that there 



wouidk 



