THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ux 
faithful to the inftruGtions of his mafter, and was indepen- 
dent of every perfon elfe. He applied to Mahomet Adulai, 
(a perfon kept by Ras Michael as a fpy upon the Naybe, and 
in the fame character by Metical Aga); and Adulai, that 
very night, difpatched a trufty meflenger, with many of 
whom he was conftantly provided. This runner, charged 
with our difpatches, having a friend and correfpondent of 
his own among the Shiho, paffed, by ways beft known to 
himfelf, and was fafely efcorted by his own friends till the 
fifth day, when he arrived at the cuftomhoufe of Adowa, 
and there delivered our difpatches to our friend Janni. . 
Ar Cairo, as I have already mentioned, I met with my 
friend father Chriftopher, who introduced me to the Greek 
patriarch, Mark, This patriarch had told me, that there 
were of his communion, to the number of about twenty, 
then in Abyffinia; fome of them were good men and be- 
coming rich in the way of trade; fome of them had fled 
from the feverity of the Turks, after having been detected 
by them in intimacy with Mahometan women; but all of 
them were in a great degree of credit at the court of Abyf- 
finia, and poffefling places under government greatly be- 
yond his expectation. To thefe he wrote letters, in the man- 
ner of bulls from the pope, enjoining them, with regard te 
me, to obey his orders ftrictly, the particulars of which I 
fhall have occafion to fpeak of afterwards. 
Janni, then at Adowa in Tigré, was a man of the firft 
character for good life and morals. He had ferved two 
kings of Abyflinia with great reputation, and Michael had 
appointed him to the cuftomhoufe at Adowa, to fuperintend 
the affairs of the revenue there, while he himfelf was occu- 
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