THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 661 



de I'Oul at their head, and received the young king joas 

 from the hands of the Iteghe his grandmother, and pro- 

 claimed him king, with the ufuat formalities r without any 

 oppofition or tumuk whatever. 



A number of promotions immediately followed ; but it 

 was obferved with great difcontent by many, that the Iteghe's 

 family and relations were grown now fo numerous, that 

 they were fumcient to occupy all the great offices of ftate 

 without the participation of any of the old families, which 

 were the ftrength of the crown in former reigns ; and that 

 now no preferment was to be expected unlefs through fome-. 

 relation to the queen-mother. 



Welled Hawarayat, fon to Michael governor of Tigre, 

 had married Ozoro Altafh, the queen's third daughter, al- 

 moll a child ; and long before that, Netcho of Tcherkin had 

 married Ozoro Either, likewife very young; and Ras Michael' 

 old as he was, had made known his pretentions to Ozoro 

 Welleta Ifrael, the queen's fecond daughter, immediately 

 younger than Ozoro Either. Thefe propofals, from an old 

 man, had been received with great contempt and derifion 

 by Welleta Ifrael, and me perfevered fo long in the derifion 

 of Michael's courtfhip, that it left flrong impreffions on the 

 hard heart of that old warrior, which fhewed themfelves 

 after in very difagreeable confequences to that lady all the 

 time Michael was in power. 



The firft that broke the peace of this new reign was 

 Nanna Georgis, chief of one of the clans of Agows of 

 Damot. Engaged in old feuds with theGalla on the other 

 fide of the Nile, the natural enemies of his country, he could. 



not 



