THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 253 
the camp, from whence they never returned, and leaving 
the Abuna on foot, to find his way back to his houfe, at 
Kedus Raphael, from the top of which, as from a caftle, he 
wifely poured-out his excommunications, againft an army, 
compofed entirely of Pagans, without one Chriftian among 
them. 
Ir is here a proper period to finith the hiftory of Aby‘ii- 
nia, as I was no further prefent at, or informed of the pub- ~ 
lic tranfactions which followed. My whole attention was 
now taken up in preparations for my return through the 
_ kingdom of Sennaar and the defert. Neither fhall Itake up 
the reader’s time with a long narrative of -leave-taking, or 
what pafled between me and thofe illuftrious perfonages 
with whom I had lived. fo. long in the moft. perfect and cor- 
dial friendfhip. Men of little, and. envious minds, would. 
perhaps think I was compofing a panegyric upon’ myfelf,. 
from which, therefore, I moft willingly refrain.. But the fe- 
veral marks of goodnefs, friendfhip, and efteem, which’ I 
received at parting, are confined within my own breaft,. 
where they never {hall be effaced, but continue to furnifh. 
me with the moft agreeable reflections, fince they were the 
_fruit alone of perfonal. merit, and of honetft, fteady, and up- 
right behaviour. All who had attempted the fame journey 
hitherto, had met with difappointment, difgrace, or death 3: 
for my. part, although I underwent every fort of toil, dan- 
ger, and all manner of hardthip, yet thefe were not con- 
fined to myfelf. I fuffered always honourably, and in 
common with the reft of the ftlate; and when fun-fhiny 
days happened, (for fun-fhiny days there were, and very: 
brilliant ones too) of thefe Iwas permitted frecly to partake; 
and the moft diftinguifhed characters, both at court and in 
the 
