45 8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



to that of being imprifoned for life in a cave in the ifland 

 of Dek. 



As for the province of Sire itfelf, he declared all the 

 inhabitants and nobility, degraded from their rank, and 

 all lands, whether feus from the king, or held by any 

 other tenure, were confifcated, refumed by, and re-united to 

 the crown. He then . reduced the whole province from a 

 royal government to a private one, and annexed it to the 

 province of Tigre, whofe governor was to place over it a 

 Ihum, or petty officer, without any eniigns of power. And, 

 laft of all, he gave the government of Tigre to the Ras Fe- 

 res, or matter of the horfe, in room of Kafmati Claudius de- 

 graded and banifhed, 



The many ftriking examples which the king had lately 

 given, one clofe upon the other, of his own perfonal bravery, 

 his impartial juftice, his fecrecy in his expeditions, and the 

 certain vengeance that followed where it was deferved, his 

 punifhment of the Zeegam, his expedition againfl the Shan- 

 galla, his affair with the Naybe Mufa, and his behaviour to 

 the cowardly Claudius and daftardly nobility of Sire, fully 

 convinced his fubj eels of all degrees, that neither family, 

 nor being related to the crown, nor the ftrength of their 

 country, nor length of time fmce they offended, nor indeed 

 any thing but a return to and continuance in their duty, 

 could give them fecurity under fuch a prince. Thus ended 

 the campaign of the Dobenah, fpoke of to this day in Abyf- 

 fmia as the greatelt warlike atchievement of any of their 

 kings. Twenty-iix thoufand men are faid. to have perifhed 

 by thirfl when the king took pofTeffion of the water at 

 Tzaada Amba. And yet,, notwithftanding the fmall-pox 



which, 



