THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. - 447 
ordered the church to be plundered, and took the fuperior, 
and two of the leading men of the monks, away with him 
to Gondar; feveral of the others were killed and wounded, 
without provocation, by the foldicrs, and the reft difperfed 
through the country. 
Prince Grorce hadi fent immediately in the morning to 
put mein mind that I had promifed, in the king’s tent at 
Lamgué, under Emfras, to ride with him in his party when 
in Maitfha. He commanded about two hundred and fifty 
chofen horfe, and kept at about half a mile’s diftance on the 
right flank of the army. told the king the prince’s defire; 
who only anfwered, dryly enough, “Not till we pafs the 
Nile; we do not yet know the ftate of this country.” Imme- 
diately after this, he detached the horfe of Siré and Se- 
rawé, and commanded me with his own guards to take pof- 
feffion of the ford where the Fit-Auraris had croffed, and to 
fuffer no mule or horfe to pafs till their arrival. 
THERE were two fords propofed for our paflage; one op- 
pofite to the church Bofkon Abbo, between the two rivers 
Keltiand Arooffi, (on the weft of the Nile,) and the Koga 
and: Amlac Ohha from the eaft; it was faid to be deep, but 
paflable, though the bottom was of clay,and very foft; the 
other ford propofed was higher up, at the fecond cataract of 
Kerr. It was thought of confequence to chufe this ford, as 
the Kelti, (atfelf a large and deep river) joined by the Brann, 
which comes from the weftward of Quaquera, brings, in the 
rainy feafon, a prodigious acceflion of water to the Nile; yet, 
below this, the guides had advifed the Kas to pafs, and many 
found it afterwards a found bottom, very little deeper, with 
level ground on both fides, We arrived about fourson the 
: bank 
