THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 279 
My meflage to them was, that if they fhewed the fmall- 
eft appearance of further infolence, either by approaching 
the tent, or flinging ftones that night, the next morning, 
when the horfe I expected were come up, I would burn their 
town, and put every man of them to the fword. A very fub- 
miflive anfwer was fent back, with a heap of lies in excufe’ 
of what they called their miftake. My two fervants co- 
ming foon after, both. of whom, hereafter, were to be in the 
fervice of Ayto Confu, went boldly one to each village, 
to bring two goats, fomie jars of bouza, and to prepare fifty 
loaves of bread for next morning. The goats were difpatch- 
_ed inftantly, fo was the bouza; but when the morning. 
came, the people had all fled from their houfes, without 
preparing any bread. Thefe villages were called Gimbaar. 
They were three in number; each fituated upon the top 
of a pointed.hill, in.a direction from eaft to weft, and made 
a very beautiful appearance from the plain below. They 
belonged to my great enemies, Guebra. Mehedin, and Con,- 
fu, late fons of Bafha Eufebuius... 
On the -other-hand,; as my fervants told me that a’‘mef> 
fenger of the king had paffed that morning without taking: 
any notice of us, I began to fufpect that. it was: fome ftra- 
tagem of his to:frighten. me from purfuing my journey ; 
which, after the letters I had received from Sennaar, and 
which he himfelf had heard read, he never thought I | 
would have undertaken. This I ftill believe might be the 
eafe ; for thefe peafants did not fhew any forwardnefs to: 
do us harm; however, it turned out as unfortunately. for: 
them, as if they really purfued us for. vengeance. . 
As; 
