THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 6 77 



ter many profeflions of his duty and obedience, he put 

 tfte King in mind, that, at his inveftiture, " The laws of 

 ** the country impofed upon him an oath which he took 

 a in prefence of his majefty, and, after receiving the holy 

 u facrament, that he was not to fuffer any Galla in Begem- 

 w der, but rather, if needful, die with fword in hand 

 " to prevent it; that he confidered the contravening that 

 " oath as a deliberate breach of the allegiance which he 

 " owed to God and to his fovereign, and of the trufl repo- 

 " fed in him by his country ; that the fafety of the princes 

 " of the royal family, fequeftered upon the mountain of 

 " Wechne, depended upon the obfervance of this oath ;.that 

 " otherwife they would be in conftant danger of being 

 " extirpated by Pagans, as they had already nearly been 

 " in former ages, at two different times, upon the rocks 

 " Damo and Gefhen ; he begged the king, if, unfortunate- 

 " ly, he could not be reconciled to him, to give his com- 

 " mand to Kafmati Geta, Kafmati Eufebius, or any Abyf- 

 " finian nobleman, in which cafe he would immediately 

 u refign, and retire to private life with his old father." 



He concluded by faying, that, " As he had formed a re- 

 " folution, he thought it his duty to fubmit it to the king; 

 " that, if his majefty was refolved to march and lead the army 

 " himfelf, he would retire till he was flopt by the frontiers of 

 " the Galla, and the fartheft limits of Begemder ; and, fo far 

 " from molefting the army in their route, the king might 

 " be afTured, that, though his own men fhould be ftraitenedj 

 * 4 abundance of every kind of provifion and refrefhrnent 

 " fhould be left in his majefty's route. But if, contrary to 

 " his wifh, troops of Galla, commanded by a Galla, fhould 

 ** come to take poffeffion of his province, he would fight 



"■them-- 



