^16 
BELLASSE. 
district closely bordering on his country, was ordered to march 
against him. The force of Hatze was unable to stand a contest in 
the open field ; after a skirmish, in the plain, he fled for refuge to 
the hill. The expedition ended, as usual, in burning the villages, 
and massacring all the helpless inhabitants It seems the chief did 
not consider himself altogether safe in this strong hold, for he com- 
pounded with the Basha, and agreed to submit, and pay a fine of 
five thousand head of cattle; merely however to gain time, for on 
the Ras's sending his people to receive the cattle, he caused them 
to be way-laid and attacked. This brought on a second visit, about 
two years ago, from Basha Guebra Eyut, which ended in seizing 
ten of Negale Hatze's soldiers, whom the Basha carried before the 
Ras. The chief still refused to trust himself in the presence, 
which last year brought on a third attack, that ended as unsatis- 
factorily as the others. The spirit of the rebel remains unsub- 
dued, and he continues to defy all the power of Tigre. He has 
a body of three thousand spearmen under him, but no match- 
locks. We received a goat from the head man of the village of 
Negote, and bread for our bearers, and we killed our two remaining 
cows. 
October 2S. — We left the village of Negote at day break and 
descended about two miles in a north-easterly direction to the plain 
ofBellasse, through which runs a clear but shallow stream. Captain 
Rudland here shot a hooper and a species of lapwing, remarkable 
for a strong spine on the pinion of each wing.* For three miles 
* It is common in Egypt, and, as a German naturalist very gravely informed 
me (who was collecting for the Emperor) is the bird which feeds in the month of the 
crocodile. 
