THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. vee 
- through the winding fandy road up the fteep banks of the 
river, by the fouth end of that low hill, as I have already 
faid. At thefe two places are the two fords of the river, 
which continue paflable even in the rainy feafon, and the 
water at that time ftands in pools below it, till feveral miles 
further it joins the Zingetch Gomara, a larger ftream than 
itfelf, whofe banks are low, and where the ftream is 
fordable alfo; but the banks of the river Mariam continue 
fleep, and run in a fouthern direction. In this valley, at the 
fouth end of this hill near the ford was the engagement be- 
tween Michael with the van, and the Begemder troops, on 
the 16th; at the ford on the north end of this hill, in the 
fame valley, was the fight between the light troops and Kaf 
mati Ayabdar, and the king in perfon, the very fame day ; fo 
that the valley was perfectly known by the enemy, and as 
they had few or no mufquetry, was wifely confidered as not 
fit ground for their purpofes being narrow and commanded 
by hills everywhere. 
On the 19th of May, word was brought that the whole 
rebel army was in motion, and before eight o'clock (reck- 
ened in Abyffinia an early hour for fuch bufinefs) a great 
cloud of duft was feen rifing on the right of the rebels to- 
wards Korreva, and this was the moment the Begemder 
troops got on horfeback in the dufty plain; foon after we 
heard their kettle-drums, and about nine o'clock we faw 
the whole troops of Begemder appear, drawn up at fuch 
a diftance in the plain, above the road up the fteep bank 
of the Mariam, as to leave great room for us to form with 
the road on our left, and a little on our rear ; Michael eafi- 
ly divined Powuffen’s intention, which was to beat us back 
by a fuperior force of horfe, and then making a num- 
U2 ber. 
