236 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
fays he, donot belong to Ayto Confu, but to his coufins, the 
fons of Bafha Eufebius. They indeed died in rebellion, but 
our mafter has taken poffeffion of them for the family, 
left the king fhould give them away toa ftranger. Some 
bad news mutt have arrived from Gondar; at any rate, if 
you are afraid, I will accompany you to-morrow paft Dav- 
Dohha. We thanked him for the kind offer, but excufed 
ourfelves from accepting it, as we fully relied upon his in- 
telligence ; and having made him fome trifling prefents, 
about the value of what he brought, though in his eyes 
much more confiderable, we took our leave, mutually fatif- 
fied with each other. From this I no longer doubted that 
the whole was a project of the king to terrify me, and make 
me return. What ftruck me, as moft improbable of all, 
was the ftory of that lying wretch who faid that Ayto Con- 
fu had fent a number of mules to carry away his furniture, 
and trufted the defence of his place to Abba Gimbaro, chief 
of the Baafa. For, firft, I knew well it did not need many 
mules to carry away the furniture which Ayto Confu left 
at Tcherkin in time of war, and when he was not there ; 
next, had he known that any perfon whatever, Shanpallte 
or Chriftians, had intended to attack Tcherkin, he was not 
aman to fight by proxy or lieutenants; he would have 
been himfelf prefent to meet them, as to a feaft, though he 
had been carried thither in a fick-bed. , 
On the 3oth, at half paft fix in the morning we fet out 
from Waalia ; and, though we were perfectly cured of our 
apprehenfions, the eompany all joined in defiring me to go 
along with them, and not before them. They wi#ely added, 
that, in a country like that, where there was no fear of 
God, [could not know what it might be in bie power of - 
3 the 
