400 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
Damot joins Gojam, and it was even faid, that Welleta Ifrael, 
his mother, had been the occafion of this, from her hatred 
to Michael and her attachment to Fafil; the firft caufe 
was fufficiently apparent, the laft had formerly been no 
lefs fo. 
On the 17th, after fun-rife, the king paffed the Nile, and: 
encamped at a fmall village on the other fide, called Tfoom-. 
wa, where his Fit-Auraris had taken poft early in the morn- 
ing. Ihave often mentioned this officer without explana 
tion, and perhaps it may now be right to ftate his duty. 
The Fit-Auraris is an officer depending immediately upon 
the commander in chief, and correfponding with him di 
rectly, without receiving orders from any. other perfon.. © 
He is always one of the braveft, moft robuft, and moft expe-- 
‘rienced men in the fervice; he knows, -with the utmoft ex--- 
actnefs, the diftance of places, the depth:of rivers, the ftate 
of the fords, the thicknefs of the woods, and the extent of 
them ; in a word, the whole face of the country in detail. 
His party is always adapted to the country in which the 
war is; fometimes it is entirely compofed of horfe, fome- 
times of foot, but generally of a mixture of both. He has. 
the management of the intelligence and direction of the 
fpies. He is likewtfe limited to no number of troops. 
fometimes he has 1oco- men, fometimes 200. In time of 
real danger he has generally about 300, all picked from the 
whole army at his pleafure ; he had not now about 50 horfe, 
as it was not yet thought to be the time of real bufinefs or- 
danger. | 
As the poft of Fit-Auraris is a place of great truft, fo-it 
is. endowed with proportionable emoluments. The king’s 
| 3 , | Fite 
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