©llentatious beating o f the Tigran march upon his kettledrum
as he palled, and his taking poll fo near, were all con-
fidered as meriting chaljifement. That general, however,
though very fenfible o f this bravado, did not venture to
fuggeft any thing in the prefent fituation o f the army, but
all his friends propofed it to him, that fome reproof ihould
be given to Tesfos, i f it was only to raife the drooping
fpirits o f the troops o f Tigré. Accordingly 400 horfe, and
about 500 foot, armed with lances and ihields only, without
mufquetry for fea r o f alarm, were ordered to be ready
as foon as it was perfedtly dark, that is, between feven and
eight o’clock.
T e s f o s having waited the coming o f his baggage, and
arranged his little camp to his liking, was feen to mount,
w ith about 300 horfe, to go to the camp o f Gufho or Powuf-
fen a little before fun-fet, at which time Kefla Yafous was
diltributing-plenty o f meat to. the foldiers. About eight
o’clock they defoended the hill unperceived even by part o f
our camp. Kefla Yafous was governor o f Temben (a province
on the S. W. o f Tigré) immediately joining to Samen,
and the language and dialed: was the fame. The foot were
ordered to take t^e lead, fcatrered in a manner not to give
alarm, and the horfe were to pafs by the back o f the low,
even hill, in the other valley, along the banks o f the river
Mariam, clofe to the water, in order to cut o ff the retreat to
the plain. A great part o f the Samen foldiers were afleep,
whilft a number o f the mules that had been loaded were
firaggling up and down, and fome o f them returning to the
camp. The Temben troops had now infinuated themfelves
among the tents, efpeclâlly on the fide o f the hill.
T he
T he firil circumftanee that gave, alarm was the appearance
o f the horfe, but they were not taken for an enemy,
but for Ayto Tesfos returning. Kefla Yafous now gave
the fignal to charge, hv beating a kettle-drum, and every
foldier fell upon the enemy neareft him. It is impoffible
to defcribe the confufion that followed, nor was it eafy to'
diilinguilh enemies from- friends) efpeeially for us on horfe-
b a c k ; only thofe that fled were reckoned enemies. The
greateft'execution done by:the horfe was breaking the jars
o f honey, butter, beer, wine, 'and flour, and gathering as
many mules together aspolfible to drive them away. Few
o f the enemy came our way towards the plain, but moll
fled up-the h i l l : in an inftant the ilraw huts upon the
rock were fet on fire, and Kefla Yafous had ordered rather
to deftroy the provifions than the men,-fince there was no
reliftance. I palled a large tent, which I judged to be that
o f Ayto Tesfos, which our people immediately cut open ;
but, inftead Of-an officer o f confequence, we faw, by the
light o f a lamp, three or four naked men and women, to-
tally overpowered with drink and fleep, ly in g helplefs, like
fo many hogs, Upon the ground, utterly unconfcious o f
what was palling about them. Upon a large tin platter,
on a bench,-lay one o f the large, horns, perfeftly drained
-o f the fpirits that it had contained; it was one o f
the moll beautiful, for fhape and colour, I ever had feen
though not one o f the largeft. This horn was all my
booty that night. Upon my return to Britain, it was alk-
t-tl o f me by Sir Thomas Dundas. o f Carfe, to ferve for a
bugle-horn to the Fauconberg regiment, to which, as being
partum/anguine, it was very properly adapted. That regiment
being, difbanded foon after, I know not further what came
V o l . IV. b b 0f