THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 259 
would, in three days, make Gondar, the metropolis, as de- 
fert and deftitute of inhabitants as he had left the paltry 
‘diftri& of Degwaffa. 
Tue king received all this with great compofure, for he 
had as much fortitude, and as little fear as ever fell to the 
fhare of any man; his misfortune, however, was, that he 
_ had no refources in which he could truft; and the Tigré 
officers about him, more imprudent, and fully as fearlefs as 
he, gave him the fame advices they would have done had 
he been at the head of the army. Ras Michael was more- 
over gone, and Kefla Yafous was at a diftance; thefe two 
were the men for planning and contriving bufinefs, and 
who faved others the trouble of thinking. The reft, fuch 
as Billetana Gueta. Tecla, Guebra Mafcal, and Bafha He- 
zekias, were only fit to be trufted with execution, and 
to proceed according to the letter of the orders they 
might receive, and the confequences of which they could 
not, nor did they wifh to underftand. By being ufed, how- 
ever, to conftant fuccefs in executing plans maturely di- 
gefted by wifer heads, they had acquired a degree of pre- 
fumption which made them very dangerous counfellors to 
a young king, in the prefent cafe, where nothing but the 
egreateft prudence, aflifted by the manifeft interpofition of 
the hand of Heaven, (many examples of which he had al- 
ready proved) could fave him from perdition. | 
Iwas not prefent at the audience, being at Kofcam, but 
his fecretary, to whom I am indebted for every thing that 
paffed in private, in this hiftory, and which otherwife was 
beyond the reach of my knowledge, affured me the king 
anfwered thefe threatenings without any change of coun- 
Kk2 ) tenance 
