THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 6jj 



at court, than he was in the field, being a pleafant and a- 

 greeable fpeaker in common converfation ; a powerful and 

 copious orator atcouncil ; his language, whether Amharic 

 or Tigre, (but above all the latter) correct and elegant above 

 any man's at court ; fteady to the meafures he adopted, but 

 often appearing to give them up eafily, and without paflion, 

 when he faw, by the circumilances of the times, he could 

 not prevail : though violent in the purfuit of riches, when 

 in his own province, where he fpared no means nor man 

 to procure them, no fooner had he come to Gondar than 

 he was laviih of his money to extreme ; and indeed he fet 

 no value upon it farther than as it ferved to corrupt men 

 to his ends, 



When he furrendered his treafure at the mountain Sa- 

 mayat, he is faid to have divided it into feveral parcels with 

 his own hand. The greateft fhare fell to the king, who 

 thought he had got the whole ; but the officers who received 

 it, and faw different quantities deftined for the Iteghe and 

 Ras Welled de l'Oul, took care to convey them their fhare, 

 for fear of making powerful enemies. Kafmati Waragna 

 had his part ; and even Kafmati Woldo, though Michael- 

 foon after plundered and flew him. All Gondar were his,, 

 friends, becaufe all that capital was bribed on this occafion. 

 It was gold he only lent them, to refume it, (as he afterwards, 

 did) with great intereft, at a proper time. 



It flill remained in the king's breaft to wipe off his de- 

 feat at Sennaar, as he had, upon every other occafion, been: 

 victorious ; and even in this, he flill flattered himfelf he had; 

 not been beat in perfon. He fet out again upon another 

 expedition to Atbara ; inftead of coafting along the Dender^ 



