34 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER. 
As foon as he had heard in how favourable a manner Wood- 
age Afahel had been received, he decamped, taking with 
him 400 horfe and 600 foot,all chofen' men, from Maitiha and 
Damot, and with thefe headvanced , byforcedmar ches,toGons 
dar, where he arrived the 2d of November, to the furprife of 
the whole town and court, for he had already fo often pro- 
mifed, and fo often broken his word, that nobody pretended 
to guefs more about him till they actually faw him arrived. 
That fame evening he waited on the queen, where he made 
a fhort vifit; he paid.a ftill fhorter to the king, and na: 
bufinefs paged at either of thefe meetings. 
Tue king, Seni bau now more than ever confirmed’ 
im the belief of Afahel’s information, becaufe, notwithftand- 
ing that Fafil knew perfe@tly his necefflities, and that for 
feven years he had not paid a farthing to the revenue, he 
ftill had not brought either payment, or prefent of any fort; 
and, inftead of coming with a large army to give battle to 
Ras Michael, he arrived as in peace with {carce a body guard;3: 
and, what feemed ta put the matter beyond all ‘doubt, the 
very night of his arrival, upon coming from \his audience, 
he fet Welleta Selaffé at liberty, and fent him to Tigré to his 
uncle Ras Michael, loaded with many prefents, and with 
every mark of refpect. There were, however, about Soci- 
nios fome people of wifdom enough to counfel him to take 
no notice of this behaviour of Fafil, which feemed to favour 
ftrongly of defiance; and he was wife enough for a fhort: 
time to follow their advice. As he had, by fair means, 
gained Woodage Afahel, he thought he might, By purfuing: 
the fame conduct, fucceed with Fafil itt : 
In. 
