5 68 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



impalpable powder, whilft the grain and plant die without 

 ever ihewing a tendency to germinate. 



We left the king, Ouftas, after detecting a confpiracy, 

 ready to fall upon fome fettlement of Shangalla. This he 

 -executed with great fuccefs, and furrounded a large part of 

 the nation called Baafa, encamped under the trees fufpect- 

 ing no danger. He put the grown people to the fword, and 

 took a prodigious number of children of both fexes captive* 

 He was intending alfo to pufh his conqueft farther among 

 diefe favages, when he was called to Gondar by the death 

 ■of his prime minifler and confident, Ras Fafa Chriflos. 



Besides his attention to hunting and government, the 

 king had a very great tafte for architecture, which, in A- 

 byflinia, is a very popular one, though fcarcely any thing is 

 built but churches. In the feafon that did not permit him 

 to be in the field, he beftowed a great deal of leifure and 

 money this way ; and he was, at this time, bufy erecting a 

 magnificent church to the Nativity, about a mile below 

 Gondar, on the fmall liver Kahha. 



But the feafon of hunting returning before he had finim- 

 ed it, he left it to repair to Bet Malo, a place in the Kolla, 

 where he had built a hunting-feat, not far diftant from the 

 Shangalla, called Baafa. Here he had a moil fuecefsful 

 hunting-match of the buffalo, rhinoceros, and elephant, in 

 which he often put himfelf in great danger, and diftin- 

 guifhed himfelf in dexterity and horfemanfhip greatly a- 

 bove any of his court. He returned upon news, that per- 

 sons, whom he had fecretly employed, had apprehended 

 Betwudet Bafile, and his fon Claudius, who had cfcaped 

 2 when 



