<G 4 o TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



was perfectly deftitute of water. Ras Welled del'Oul, and 

 fome other principal officers, under the direction of fomc 

 faithful Arabs, efcaped, and, with much difficulty, two days 

 after, joined the king. 



Besides thefe, the army, confiding of 18,000 men, either 

 <perifhed by the fword, by thirft, or were taken prifoners ; 

 all the facred reliques, which the Abyffinians carry about 

 with their armies to enfure victory, and avert misfortune ; 

 the picture of the crown of thorns, called/?/? quarat rafou; 

 pieces of the true crofs ; a crucifix that had on many occa- 

 fions fpoke, (which fhould ever after be dumb fmce it fpoke 

 not that day) ; all thefe treafures of prieftcraft were taken by 

 the Funge, and carried in triumph to Sennaar. Great part 

 of thofe Arabs, who had joined the king in his march north- 

 ward, had now quitted him and attached themfelves to the 

 purfuit of the fugitive remains of Welled de l'Oul's arnry. 

 As thefe Arabs were thofe that lived neareft the Abyffinian 

 frontier, and to whom the king had done no harm, becaufe 

 they had moftly joined him, no fooner was he informed of 

 their treachery, but jufl arrived in their country, and fcarce- 

 ly out of danger from the purfuit of the Funge, Yafous 

 turned fhort to the left, deftroying with fire and fword all 

 the families of thofe that had forfaken him, and fo conti- 

 nued to do till arrived on the banks of the Tacazze. 



The Arabs and Shepherds there, many of -whom had jufl 

 returned from the deftruction of Welled de l'Oul's army at 

 Sennaar, and were rjpw rejoicing their families with the 

 news of fo complete a victory, and that all danger from the 

 Chriftian army was over, were aflonifhed to fee Yafous at 

 the head of a freih and vigorous army, burning and de- 



3 fhoying 



