m y as he was to Ras Michael, he would not venture to
take- an aélivè part againft him, till the king’ s affairs were
plainly going to ruin. I have already mentioned, that the
laft thing Michael did was to fend Kefla Yafous, Bafha He-
zekias, and Welleta Michael, to difpoffefs him o f his ftrong-
hold if poffible, and in this they had failed. But now that
Tesfos faw there was no probability that Michael ihould
be able to retreat to Tigré, he came at laft to join Gyfho,
b ringing with him only about a tboufand men, having left
a ll his pofts guarded againft furprife, and ftrong enough to
cut off all recruits arriving from Tigré. Nothing that had yet
happened ever had fo bad effieft upon Michael’s men as
this appearance o f Tesfos. It was a little before mid-day
when his army appeared, and from the hills above marched
down towards the valley below us, not two mufquet-
ihot-from our camp.
T hough Samen is really «mi the weft o f the Tacazze,' and
confequently in the Amharic divilion o f this country, yet,
on account o f its vicinity to Tigré, the language and cuf-
tonas are moftly the fame with thofe o f that province.
There is a march peculiar to the troops o f Tigré, which,
when the drums o f Tesfos beat at palling, a dcfpondency
feemed to fall on all the Tigran foldiers, greater than i f
ten t-houfand men o f Amhara had joined the rebels. It
was a fine day, and the troejps, fpread abroad upon the face
o f the hill, not only fhewed more in number than they
really were, but alfo more fecurity than they were, in poinf
o f prudence, warranted to do, when at fo fmall a diilance
from fuch an army as -oiirs.
Teseqs
T e s ì o s took a poft very likely to diftrefs us, as he had'
more than 300 mufquetry with him. He iat down withi
horfe and foot in the middle o f the valley before 11s, with-
part o f his mufquetry polled upon the ikirts o f the mountain
Beleffen on One fide, and part on thè top o f that long,;
even 83® dividing; the valley from the river Mariam.
Over his camp, like a-citadel, is’ the rock that projeéts into-
the valley, from which the peafants o f Mariam-Ohhi had
thrown the Hones when we were returning to our camp
after thè laft battle. Upon this rock Tesfos had placed a.
multit ude o f women and fervants, who-began to build ftraw-
huts for themfelves, as i f they intended to ftay there for
fbme time, though there was ftill plenty o f the female fex below
with the camp. Indeed, I never remember to havefeen fi>
many women in proportion to any army whatever, no not;
even -in-out own..
Ip Tesfos had been- long in coming, he was refolved, now
he was come, to make up for his loft time, as he was not
a rrrile and a h a lf from our camp, and Could fee our horfes
go down to water, either at Deg-Ohha or Mariam ; that
fame day at two o’clock, his horfe attacked our men at watering,
killed ibme fervants, and took feveral horfes-. This
behaviour o f Tesfos was taken as a defiance to Kefla Yafous
in particular, and: to the army in general.
T h e r e was no perfon ih the whole army, o f any rank
whatever, fo generally beloved as Kefla Yafous ; he w^s
looked upon by the foldiers as their father. He was named-
by the Ras to the government o f Samen, but had failed, as-
we have already ftated, in difpofifeiiling Ayto Tesfos,’ whofe-
diforderly march at broad mid-day, fo near our army, the-
2. ' oftentatious.