n umbe r; they received the difcharge o f his, whole nuifquc—
try in two vollies, fo near that I fcarce believe there was one
fhot that did not take place on man or horfe, A great cry
from the bank at the fame time added, to their panic, which,
was anfwered b y the k in g ’s troops, who immediately charged
them as before, as they wheeled h a lf round to the left;.
They were purfued, for a fmalf diftance, by fome o f the
troops that had not engaged in the morning, and it was
eafy to perceive their diforder was real, and that they were
not likely to rally. By this laft difcharge, Powufien was
flightly wounded, and his men were p lainly feen hurrying
him off the field. In i lic very inflant the rebels turned their
backs, Kefla Yafous ordered all the troops, horfe and foot, to
file off down the narrow road into the valley, behind the-
heavy-armed horle, who kept their ground.hefore the road,
and there to join the king.
For- my part, I thought the affair was over, when, l'aft o f
all, we, too, with our heavy horfes, defcended the road„
where we found Guebra Mafcal, (whofe aftivity was
above all praife) drawn up on our right along the foot o f
the bank, (with a large pool o f water in his front) flanking
the valley, the k in g drawn up in the. narrOweft part o f it,,
and juft engaged with the troops o f Lafta and Begemder,.
that had gone round by the jundiion-of the rivers.- Thefe
had loft, as we afterwards heard, much time in giving their
horfes water. They were, however,, the more refreihed
when they did come, and though they had received a fire
from the troops on the round hill, and from thofe polled
on the rocky ground, on the other fide o f the valley, they
had beat the k in g and Engedan back, and wounded h im ;
in the thigh.
A t this time the Koccob horfe,>and Yafine with his Moors
(who had the charge o f the road above till all the troops
were gone) arrived, being as it were fhut out frsm the army,
who were engaged at thé other fide o f the h ill, Kefla
Yafous, after defcending through the winding road into the
valley, ordered Guebra Mafcal to pafs the pool, and ftand
at the bottom o f the winding road, for. fear the enemy
fihould enter at the valley on the -king’s right, where the.
river ran, and fo-cut us off from our camp.
T his fpace he was then occupying-when Yàfine, firft, and
afterwards, our black horfe, arrived. He had, it feems, cried
out to me before from the fide o f the pool, but I,had not
then heard him. He now, however,, repeated, Where, are .
you going, Yagoube ? To-dfejfaid l, fu r lify j.it is thebufinefs
o f the day. He then added; Kefla Yafous has croffed over
behind Balha- Hezekias, and fallen into the k in g ’s reaF,
You know well,.faid l, our poll is.in his front. Then follow
me, cried Mafcal, for by G- -d I. fay you fh a lln o t take one
ftep to-day, but I w ill go five before you. So faying, he advanced
very haftily, and. when he faw the Begemder; colours
retreating before the king, he poured in a volley,,
which, though at a confiderâbLe diftance, turned all to a.
perfeft. flight..
We entered' upon the* fmoke, jiift before the Shoft.
horfe, with no lofs, and very little refiftance, and came;
juft into the place which we occupied in the moming.-
Though the flight of the rebels was. apparently, real, Kefla.
Yafous would not f u f f e r a purfuit into the plain, but advancing
fingly before us, began to form immediately ; the-
mufquetry were planted on. each fide o f the valley as far
; ■' ’ - ' ’ " ■ up