154 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
the fake of relieving them; I, therefore, left the fever and: 
them to fettle accounts together, without any wife inter=. 
fering. 
At Siré we heard the good news that Ras. Michael, on 
the 1eth of this month, had come up with Fafil at Fagitta, 
and entirely difperfed his army, after killing 10,009 men.. 
This account, though not confirmed by any authority, ftruck 
all the mutinous of this province with awe ; and every man: 
returned to his duty for fear of incurring the difpleafure of 
this fevere governor, which they well knew would in- 
ftantly be followed by more than an adequate portion of. 
vengeance, efpecially againft thofe that had not accompa-. 
nied him to the field.. 
On the 24th, at feven o’clock in the morning, we ftruck: 
our tent at Siré, and paffed through a: vaft plain. All this day; 
we could difcern no mountains, as far as eye could reach, but: 
only fome few detached hills, ftanding feparate on the plain,, 
covered with high grafs, which they. were then burning, to. 
produce new with the firft rains. The country to. the: 
north is altogether flat, and perfe@ly open; and though we: 
could not difcover one village this day, yet it feemed to be: 
well-inhabited, from the many people we faw on different 
parts of the plain, fome at harveft, and fome herding their 
cattle. The villages were mtn h concealed from. us. om 
the other fide of the hills.. 
Ar four o’clock, we alighted at Maifbinni at the botton» 
of a high, fteep, bare cliff of red marble, bordering on pur- 
ple, and very hard. Behind this is the fmall viilage of 
Maifbinni; and, on the fouth, another ftill higher hill, 
