192 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER | 
oftentatious beating of the Tigran march upon his kettle- 
drum as he pafled, and his taking poft fo near, were all con- 
fidered as meriting chaftifement. That general, however, 
though very fenfible of this bravado, did not venture to. 
fuggeft any thing in the prefent fituation of the army, but 
all his friends propofed it to him, that fome reproof fhould. 
be given to Tesfos, if it was only to raife the drooping 
{pirits of the-troops of Tigré. Accordingly 400 horfe, and 
about 500 foot, armed with lances'and fhields only, without 
mufquetry for fear of alarm, were ordered to be ready 
as foon as it was perfectly dark, that is, between feven and 
eight o'clock. 
Esros having waited the coming of his baggage, and 
arranged his little camp to his liking, was feen to mount, ~ 
with about 300 horfe, to go to the camp of Gufho or Powuf- 
fen a little before fun-fet, at which time Kefla Yafous was 
diftributing plenty of meat to the foldiers. About eight. 
o'clock they defcended the hill unperceived even by part of 
our camp. Kefla Yafous was governor of Temben (a pro- 
vince on the S. W. of Tigré) immediately joining to Samen, 
and the language and dialect was the fame. The foot were 
ordered to take the lead, fcattered in a manner not to give 
alarm, and the horfe were to pafs by the back of the low, 
even hill, in the other valley, along the banks of the river 
Mariam, clofe to the water, in order to cut off the retreat to’ 
the plain. A great part of the Samen foldiers were afleep, 
whilft a number of the mules that had been loaded were 
ftraggling up and down, and fome of them returning to the 
camp. The Temben troops had now infinuated themfelves 
among the tents, efpecially on the fide of the hill. - 
