THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 214 
tance, for confequences that might otherwife follow, there 
are common foldiers chofen for that purpofe, and for which 
they are not the more efteemed. This, however, I will con- 
fefs to you, that when either the king’s horfes or mine went 
down. to Deg-Ohha to water, and never but then, I fat upon 
the rock above, and did all in my power to proteé them, 
and the men who were with them, and to terrify the enemy 
who came to moleft them, by fhewing the extenfive range of 
our rifle guns ; and that very day when Ayto Tesfos arrived, 
fome of his troops having driven off the mules, among 
which were two of mine, I did, I confefs, with my own 
hand fhoot four of them from the rock, and at laft obliged 
the reft to keep at a greater diftance; but as for Woodage 
Afahel, I difown having had arms in my hand the day he 
entered the camp, or having been abfent, till late in the 
evening, from the king’s perfon.” 
-Now, all this is very well, continued Gufho; who killed 
Theodorus, or the man at Serbraxos ; who killed Ayto Tes- 
fos’s men, is no object of inquiry ; Deg-Ohha was within 
the line of the king’s camp, and they that wanted to deprive 
him of this poffeflion, or the ufe of it, did it at their peril. 
If you had fhot Ayto Tesfos himfelf, attempting to deprive 
you of water for the camp, no man in all Amhara would 
- have faid you did wrong; but I am very much pleafed 
with what you tell me of Woodage Afahel. The fhort, yel- 
-low man, who breakfafted with you, was one of thofe two 
‘who accompanied Woodage Afahel when he was {hot, 
and is a friend of mine; he brought word that he was 
killed by a frank, and the leaden bullet fix’d it upon 
Wow... 
Dd2_- | Tus 
