16 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
ed him to pafs there, or at Kerr. I kept him to the place 
where you pafled; you would have all perifhed at Kerr. This, 
to be fure, was not a good ford, nor paflable at all except in 
fummer, unlefs by f{wimming; but fo many men crofling 
had made it {till worfe; befides, do you remember what a 
ftorm it was ?—what a night of rain? O Lady Mariam, al- 
ways a virgin, faid I, while they ftruggled in the mud and 
clay. O holy Abba Guebra Menfus Kedus, who never ate or 
drank from his mother’s womb till his death, willyou not open 
the earth, that all this accurfed multitude may defcend alive 
into hell, like Dathan and Abiram ?”—A kind and charitable 
prayer !—“I thank you for it, Welled Amlac, faid1; firft, for 
carrying us to that charitable ford, where, with one of the | 
ftrongeft and ableft horfes in the world, I had nearly pe=- 
rifhed :—and, fecondly, for your pious with, to difpofe of us 
out of the regions of rain and cold into fo warm quarters.in 
company with Dathan and Abiram !” 
“I pip not know you was there, fays he; I heard: you 
had,ftaid at Gondar in order to bring up the black horfe: 
I {aw a white perfon* with the Ras, indeed, who had a good 
hanjar and gun, but his mule was weak, and he himfelf 
feemed fick. As | returned I could have carried him off 
in the night, but I faid, perhaps it is the brother of Yagoube, 
my friend and phyfician ; he is white like him, and for your 
fake I left him. 1 was much with you white people in the 
time of Kafmari Efhté.”—— And pray, faid I, what did you 
after we pafled the Abay ?”——“ After I faw that devil Ras Mi- 
chael over, faid Welled Amlac, I returned under pretence of 
afflifting 
* This was Francifco, who was fick. 
54° 
