THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 307 
phant or rhinoceros. Nobody would touch the carcafe of 
the boar after it was dead, being an animal which is con- 
fidered as unclean. 
AMMONiOSs was a man of approved courage and conduét, 
and had been in all the wars of Ras Michael, and was pla- 
ced about Ayto Confu, to lead the troops, curb the prefump- 
tion, and check the impetuofity of that youthful warrior. He 
was tall, and aukwardly made; flow in {peech and motion, 
fo much as even to excite ridicule; about fixty years of age, 
and more corpulent than the Abyflinians generally are; in 
a word, as pedantic and grave in his manner as.it is pof- 
fible to exprefs. He {pent his whole leifure time in reading 
the fcripture, nor did he willingly difcourfe of any thing 
elfe. He had been bred a foot-foldier; and, though he 
rode as well as many of the Abyflinians, yet, AGiaeey long 
Girmapleathers “with iron rings at the end of Bion into 
which he put his naked toe heats inftead of firrups, he 
had no ftrength or agility on horfeback, nor was iis bridle 
fuch as could command his horfe to itop, or wind and turn 
fharply among trees, though he might make a tolerable 
figure ona plain. 
_A Boar, roufed on our right, had wounded a horfe and 
a.footman of Ayto Confu, and then efcaped. Two buffaloes 
were found by thofe on the right, one of which wounded a 
horfe likewife. Ayto Confu, Engedan, Gucbra Mariam, 
and myfelf, killed the other with aa fhare of merit, with- 
out being in any fort of danger. All this was in little more 
than an hour, when our fport feemed to be at the bef; 
our horfes were confiderably blown, .nct tired, and though 
we were beating homewards, ftill we were looking very 
Org 2 keenly 
