310 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
green, and fome a white lion. The black horfe have a yel- 
low lion, and over it a white ftar upon a red flag, alluding 
to two prophecies, the one, “ Judah is a young lion,” and 
the other, “ There fhall come a ftar out of Judah.” This 
had been difcontinued for want of cloth till the war of Be- 
gemder, when a large piece was found in Joas’s wardrobe, 
and was thought a certain omen of his victory, and of a 
long and vigorous reign. This piece of cloth was faid to 
have been brought from Cairo by Yafous II. for the cam- 
paign of Sennaar, and, with the other ftandards and colours, 
was furrendered to the rebels when the king was made. 
prifoner. | 
Tue king’s houfehold troops fhould confift of about 8000, 
infantry, 2000 of which carry firelocks, and fupply the place- 
of archers; bows have been laid afide for near a hundred 
years, and are only now ufed by the Waito Shangalla, and; 
fome other barbarous inconfiderable nations.. 
THESE troops are divided into four companies, each un» 
der an officer called Shalaka, which anfwers to our colo=. 
nel, Every twenty men have an officer, every fifty a fecond, 
and every hundred a third; that is,every twenty have one offi- 
cer who commands them, but is commanded likewife by an 
officer who commands the fifty ; fo that there are three of- 
ficers who command fifty men, fix command a hundred, 
and thirty command. five hundred, ever whom is the Sha- 
laka; and this body they call Bet, which fignifies.a hou, or 
apartment, becaufe each of them goes by the name of one cf 
the king’s apartments. For example, there is an apartment. 
called Anbafa Bet, or the 4on’s houfe, and aregiment carrying 
that name has the charge of it, and their duty is at that apart. 
4: ment 
