6 5 2 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



fhed before he brings about the deftruction of his coun- 

 try, which I know in his heart he has been long medi- 

 tating." 



I cannot help mentioning it as an extraordinary circum- 

 itance, that at the time I was at Gondar, in the very height 

 of Suhul Michael's tyranny, a man quarrelled with another 

 who was a fcribe, and accufed him before Michael of ha- 

 ving recorded this fpeech of the king, as I have now ftated 

 it, in a hiftory that he had written of Yafous's reign. The 

 book was produced, the paflage was found and read ; and 

 I certainly expected to have feen it torn to pieces, or hung 

 upon a tree about the author's neck. On the contrary, all 

 the Ras faid was, " If what he writes is true, wherein is the 

 man to blame ?" And turning with a grin to Tecla Haima- 

 nout, one of the judges, he faid, " Do you remember ? I do 

 " believe Yafous did fay lb." The book was reftored to 

 the author, and no more faid of the matter, not even an or- 

 der was given to erafe the paffage. He had no objection to 

 Yafous and to his whole race being prophets ; he had only 

 taken a refblution that they mould not be kings. 



A general filence followed this fpeech of Yafous, infteac! 

 of the acclamations of joy ufual in fuch cafes. The king 

 then ordered Ras Welled de 1'Oul to lead the army on to 

 Gondar, which he did with great pomp and military parade, 

 while the king, who could not forget his forebodings, retired 

 to an ifland,. there to faft fome days in confequence of a 

 vow that he had made. This being finiflied, Yafous return- 

 ed to Gondar ; and, as he was now in perfect peace through- 

 out his kingdom, he began again to decorate the apartments 

 of his palace* A large number of mirrors had arrived at 



i this 



