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126 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
his poft in the town, as well as for his fighting without. 
his orders. Confu, with great fubmiffion and addrefs at 
the fame time, excufed his leaving his poft, from the repeat-. 
ed information he had received that a decifive battle was 
to be fought that day, and knowing the Ras’s want of 
horfe, he could not ftay at Gondar, and keep his idle, when | 
the fate of fo kind a father, (as the Ras had been) and that 
of a mother, to whom he owed every thing, was depend- 
ing. He faid it would be more agreeable to him to die by 
the hands of the executioner of the camp, as an example 
for difobedience of orders, than furvive with the refle¢tion 
that he had been voluntarily abfent from fuch an occafion. 
As for engaging with Afahel Woodage that day, he ‘aid he 
had no intention of that kind; that he knew not who he 
was when he attacked him, and only endeavoured to hin- 
der him frem harraffing the rear of the army, and deftroy- 
ing the provifions: That when he charged him firft, Wood- 
age was among the women, loaded with bouza, flour, and 
fpirits, which were coming to the Ras, and great part of 
which he had intercepted, as the Ras would find. Michael 
could not help laughing at this lait part of the excufe, but 
went away, and, in his converfation that evening, gave Con- 
fu the higheft praifes for his conduct and Wk but 
faid nothing of his fault. | 
ENGEDAN was next arraigned for fighting without orders. 
He, too, anfwered with great humility, That when he faw 
the infantry run down the hill, with their matches lighted, 
_ he thought it was the Ras’s intention to relieve Confu by 
the moft effectual means poflible; but at any rate he could 
never, with arms in his hands, ftand looking on, while his 
Eoubne -german and companion was miaflacred by Galla. 
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