THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 493 
T AsxED him if any notice had been taken of the carpet 
I had procured to cover the body of Joas, and hoped it had 
given no umbrage. He faid, “No; none at all; on the cons 
trary, the king had faid twenty kind things upon it; that 
he was prefent alfo when a prieft told it to Ras Michael; 
who only obferved, Yagoube, who is a ftranger in this coun. 
try, is fhocked to fee a man taken out of his grave, and 
thrown like a dog upon the bare floor. This was all Mi- 
chael faid, and he never mentioned a word on the fubject 
afterwards ;” nor did he, or the king, ever {peak of it tome 
upon their return to’Gondav.. 
Tue Iteghé, too, had’ much commended me, fo did all 
the nobility, more than the thing deferved ; for furely com- 
mon humanity dictated thus much, and the fear of Michael, 
which I had not, was the only caufe that fo proper an ac- 
tion was left in a ftranger’s power. Even Ozoro Efther; 
enemy to Joas on account of the death of her hufband Ma 
riam Barea, after [had attended her one Sunday from church 
to the houfe of the Iteghé, and when {he was fet down at 
the head of a circle of all thofe that were of diftinction at 
the court, called out aloud to me, as I was pafling behind; 
and pointing to one of the moft honourable feats in the 
room, faid, Sit down there, Yagoube; God has exalted you 
above all.in this-country, when he has put it in your power, 
though but a ftranger, to confer charity upon the king of 
it. All was now acclamation, efpecially from the ladies ;. 
and, 1 believe, I may fafely fay, I had never in my. life been. 
a.favourite of fosmany at one-time. 
I pisPpATcHED Guebra Selaffé with a meflage to the King. 
that I was refolved.now to try once more. a journey to the: 
‘ head: 
