198 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER | 
Gufho and Powuffen to try to ftorm our camp, without any 
affiftance from the main army, in order to bring the whole 
to a {peedy conclufion. There had been a time when fuch 
an undertaking would not have been thought a prudent one 
to much better men than any of thofe who now were par- 
ties in it; but our fpirits were greatly fallen, our number, 
too, ath decreafed ; above all, a relaxation of difcipline 
(and defertion, the confequence of it) began to prevail a- 
mong us to an alarming degree. This was generally faid 
to be owing to the defpondency of the Tigré troops upon 
the arrival of Tesfos ; but it required little penetration to 
difcern, that all forts of men were weary of conftant fight- 
ing and hardfhips, for no other end but unjuftly maintain- 
-ing Michael in a poft in which he governed at difcretion, 
to the terror of the whole kingdom, and ruin of the confti- 
tution. 
Tue hill of Serbraxos, when we firft took poft on it, was 
rugged and uneven, full of acacia and other ill-thriving 
trees, and various ftumps of thefe had been broken by-the 
wind, or undermined by the torrents. The great need the 
foldiers had of fuel to roaft the miferable pittance of bar- 
ley, (which was all their food) had cleared away thefe in- 
cumbrances from the fide of the hill, and the conftant re- 
fort of men going up and down, had rendered the furface 
perfectly fmooth and flippery ; fo that our camp did not 
appear as placed fo high, nor nearly fo inacceffible as it — 
was at firft For this reafon, Ras Michael had ordered the 
foldiers to gather all the ftones on the hill, and range them 
in imall walls, at proper places, in a kind of zig-zag, under . 
vhich the foldiers lay concealed, and with their fire-arms 
) otected the mules which went down to drink. Michael 
4 had. 
