THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 167 
by the drums and trumpets of their whole army. An ac- 
cident happened at this moment, which endangered the 
difcovery of the hidden part of our difpofition, and which 
would thereby have deftroyed the fanguine hopes we had 
of victory, and endangered the fafety of the whole army. 
Upon difplaying the red flag, two mufquets were fired from 
the poft in the face of the hill where Guebra Mafcal lay in 
ambuth. Luckily, at that very inftant, all the king’s drums 
beat, and trumpets founded, a kind of mock alarm, (fuch 
as the pofture-mafters and mountebanks ufe,) in ridi- 
eule of king Theodorus, and his red flag then flying before: 
us. 
: 
IMMEDIATELY upon this, as on a fignal for battle, the 
whole army of Begemder {fet out full gallop, to charge, as. 
at NN, and a-long hundred yards before they joined, they 
received, through the very depth of their fquadron, a clofe 
well-directed. fire from the whole mufquetry of Guebra 
Mafcal, and from the king’s line an inftant after, which 
put them into the utmoft confufion, fo that they in part 
came reeling down upon our line, half wheeled about to 
the left, as men that had loft their way, with their right, 
that is, their naked fides expofed as they turned, their 
fhields being in their left. The fire from Guebra Mafcal was. 
the fignal for our line tocharge, and the heavy-armed horfe- 
men, with their pikes, broke thro’ them with little refiftance, 
the line in the mean while, with horfe and foot, clofed with: 
them, after the mufquets had given them their fire, and. 
then ftaid behind to recharge. Part of their left did not 
ee at all, but wheeled gout, and fled fouthward over 
the plain... 
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