150 FRAVELS TO DISCOVER. 
of his beafts: that none of them had been at Gondar be- 
fore the attempt, except the affaffin, who had formerly lived 
there fome years, but whether with Hagos, or any other, 
he did not know, nor did he ever hear him pronounce the 
name of Hagos, nor fee any ftranger, whom he did not 
know, converfe with him: that they all three had.lain the 
laft night at the church of Serbraxos: but he further de- 
clared, that the perfon apprehended fpoke the Amharic lan- 
guage as well as his own, contrary to what the sarap ue 
all along pretended. 
Tuts declaration, which I heard from the king’s fecretary, 
word for word as it was given, threw all the council into 
great confufion, the more fo, that, being gently talkedto,and 
food given him after his examination, at night the aflaffinhad 
again repeated what he before faid about Gufho, and that 
Fafil, too, was acceilory to the attempt. And what made 
this labyrinth of lies ftill more intricate was, that it was 
certainly known that Hagos, his brother, had conftantly 
lived with Cogue Abou Barea, in Kuara, fromthe time Ras 
Michael had put his brother to death at Gondar. It was 
intended therefore totry the effect of further torture in the 
morning, to make him confefs the truth. His guard, how- 
ever, having fallen afleep, or gone out of the tent, he was. 
found ftrangled by the running noofe that was left round 
his neck; nor was any further light ever thrown upon this 
affair at any time after; but it was generally believed the 
attempt had been made at the inftigation of fome connec: | 
tion of the Iteghé, and there were fome who went fo fag 
as to name Welleta Ifrael. 
 ‘Eariy 
