33 6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



Three days the army within the mountain held out 

 without complaining; but, in the evening of the third day, 

 fome monks and hermits {holy men, the abettors of this re- 

 bellion) came to Af Chrillos to remonftrate, that there were 

 feveral convents and villages in the mountain, alfo fmall 

 fprings, and barley enough to anfwer the neceffities of the 

 ordinary inhabitants, but were not enough for fuch an ad- 

 ditional number which had taken forcible poflemon of the 

 wells, and drank up all the water, to the immediate danger 

 of the whole inhabitants perifliing with thirft. 



To this Af Chriftos anfwered, That the reducing the 

 mountain, and the taking Emana Chrillos, was what was 

 given him in commiffion by the king, to attain which end 

 he would carefully improve all the means in his power. He 

 was forry, indeed, for the diflrefs of the convents in the 

 mountain, but could not help it ; nor would he fufFer one 

 of them to remove or come down into the plain, nor would 

 he discontinue blockading the mountain while Emana 

 Chrillos was there and alive. No other alternative, there- 

 fore, remained but the delivering up Emana Chriftos. His 

 army would have fought for him againfl a common enemy, 

 but againfl thirft their fliields and fwords were ufelefs. 



Af Christos, with his prifoner, forthwith proceeded to 

 join the king, and palled the Nile into Begemder. At crof- 

 fing the river Balhilo, they were informed of the defeat and 

 death of Julius and the Abuna. The mefTenger had alfo 

 letters for Emana Chriftos, whom the king did not know to 

 be yet prifoner : among thefe was one from Sela Chriftos, 

 in which he upbraided his brother with his unnatural trea- 

 fon, and allured him fpeedily of a fate like that of Julius. 



Emana 



