392 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
_ Tue Daveina being Arabs, who conftantly live in tents, | 
bear a mortal enmity to all who inhabit villages, and, as 
occafion offered, had deftroyed, ftarved, and laid wafte the 
greateft part of Atbara. They had been outlawed by the 
government of Sennaar for having joined Yafous IL. upon 
the expedition againft that kingdom. They had ever fince 
been well-received by the Abyffinians, lived independent, 
and in perpetual defiance of the government of Sennaar. 
They had often threatened Teawa, but had given the Shekh 
of Beyla an affurance of friendfhip ever fince Yafine had 
married a daughter of that Shekh, | 
Tue ftrength of Teawa was about 25 horfe, of which 
about ten were armed with coats of mail. They had about a 
dozen of firelocks, very contemptible from the order in which 
they were kept, and ftill more fo from the hands that bore 
them. Thereft of the inhabitants might amount to twelve 
hundred men, naked, miferable, and defpicable Arabs, like 
the reft of thofe that live in villages, who are much infe- 
rior in courage to the Arabs that dwell in tents: weak as 
its flate -was, it-was the feat of government, and as fuch a 
certain degree of reverence attended it. Fidele, the Shekh 
of Atbara, was reputed by his own people a man of courage ; 
this had beemdoubted at Sennaar. Welled Hafian, his father, 
had been employed by Naffer the fon, late king of Sennaar, 
in the murder of his father and fovereign Baady, which 
he had perpetrated, as I have already mentioned. Such was 
the ftate of Teawa. Its confequence was only to remain 
till the Daveina fhould refolve to attack it, when its corn-— 
fields being burnt and deftroyed in a night by a multitude. 
of horfemen, the bones of its inhabitants fcattered upon 
4 the 
