THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 365 



trpon the look-out likewife. Thefe, upon feeing Keba Chri- 

 ftos's horfemen, returned immediately to their matter, 

 and told him that they had feen armed men, and concei- 

 ved them to be the foldiers of Keba Chriftos. To this in- 

 telligence Tecla Georgis anfwered, That Keba Chriftos was 

 in the king's palace at Dancaz the 15th of November, and 

 that it was impoflible he then could be fo near with an ar- 

 my, if he had even wings to fly; but that the men they had 

 feen were probably reinforcements that he expected. 



Keba Christos, on the contrary, hearing that the enemy, 

 was at hand, drew up his army in three divisions. The firft 

 confiftedof his own houfehold, the fecond of a body of horfe 

 of the king's houfehold, called the Koccob Horfe, or Star Cavalry, 

 from a filver flar which each of them wears on the front of 

 his helmet ; and the third, of the people of Tigre who had : 

 pined him. In this order he came in fight of his enemy 

 polled upon a fmall height, divided only from him by a 

 narrow plain. Tecla Georgis, convinced now that it was 

 Keba Chriftos, formed his army into two divifions ; the one 

 compofed of a body called Tchcraguas, the other of a body 

 called Sultan ba Chriftos; with thefe was a large corps of Galla 

 which had lately joined them.. 



Keba Christos, now turning to his troops, briefly faid, 

 tt My children, I will not wafte my time nor yours in dif- 

 courfe, or in telling you what you are to do. You have all 

 arms in your hands ; you are good Chriftians; and I can po- 

 fitively aflure you there is not before you one of your ene- 

 mies that is not alfo an enemy to Chrift." Then, placing 

 himfelf before the Koccob horfe, he pulled off his helmet 

 and gave it to his feryant, faying, " By my naked face you 



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