96 ‘TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
king. Whether this was true or not I cannot fay, but that 
this, or fomething fimilar, was the cafe, feemed to be more 
than probable from the behaviour of Gufho afterwards, dur- 
--ing the whole campaign. Amha Yafous did not come to 
take part in the war, he only brought, in imitation of old | 
times, a tribute to the king as a teftimony of the loyalty of 
the faithful province of Shoa; but he was fo interefted for 
the king, after being admitted into intimacy with him, and 
fo pleafed with the fociety of the young noblemen at court, ~ 
that he determined to come back with the command of 
the troops of his father, and in his way force Gufhoto re- 
turn to his duty, if he was not already determined. | 
He had heard, while at Shoa, from fome priefts of Debra 
Libanos, that there was a ftrange white man in favour with 
the king at Gondar, who could do every thing but raife the 
dead; it was among his firft réquefts to the king, to make 
him acquainted with me. The king therefore ordered me 
to wait upon him every morning, and I,on my part, did not 
let flip that opportunity. Infenfibly we came to be infepar- 
able companions. Our converfation fell one day to be upon 
the Abyflinian kings who firft lived at Shoa at the time 
when the kingdom of Adel was a great mart for the Eaft 
Indian trade, before the difcovery of the Cape of Good Hope. 
Hie faid that a book containing their hiftory, he believed, 
was in fome of the churches in Shoa, and that he would 
immediately fend forit. Although I could not help teftify- 
ing my defire of having a book which I had fought for in 
vain through the reft of the provinces of Abyffinia, yet I 
thought it unreafonable to defire a man to fend 300 miles 
merely for the purpofe of getting it; | therefore did not: 
prefs it, being fatisfied with his promife; but as my work 
| would 
