Tesfos had fired, arid then to run in upon him, they difdain-
ed that precaution, hut coming fpeedily upon him, part: o f
them threw down the Hones under which h e was concealed,
and part attacked him: irt the hollow; and; while:
much intent upon the fuccels o f Woodage Afahel; he-
was in a moment overpowered and diflodged'; and, being;
twice wounded, with great difficulty he efcaped. Seventeen
o f his match-locks were- brought into the camp;,
and with them a man o f great family in Samto, a relation:
or friend o f Kefla Yafous. This perfon, after having been
regaled' with the beil that was in, the camp, and cloath—
ed anew after their cuilom,: was fent back the fame:
night to Ayto Tesfos, with, this ihort meflage, “ Tesfos had:
“ better be upon his rock again, i f my bays can beat hiim
“ upon the plain at broad noon-day.”
C o q d e A b o u B a e e a , after having attempted.feveral’times:
to afcend the hill, was beaten back as ofi;en, and obliged to:
defift. On the k in g ’s fide only eleven men were killed. The:
lofs o f the enemy was varioully reported. Sixty-three men:
only, and feveral horfes o f thofe with-Woodage Afahel, were:
M f upon the fide o f the hill, after the fire Of near 1000 m u f-
quets— fo contemptible is the moll dangerous weapon in an:
ignorant and timid hand. That night the body o f mufqueteers
called Lalla, part o f the k in g ’s houfehold, (in number,
about 300 men) deferted: in a body. One o f the worft con-
fequences o f that day’s engagement was, that the enemy,,
when in pofieffion o f the foot o f the hill, had thrown a
great number o f dead bodies, both, o f men and bealls,,
into Deg-Ohha, which therefore now was abandoned altogether
by our troops, To make up for this, Ras Michael,
that very evening, advanced 2000 men upon the end o f the
lo n g hill, immediately below him, which poll was never
molelted after, fo that our bealls had water in greater plen-1
ty and fafety than when they were a t a lefs confiderable
diltance.
B e l o w the north-well fide o f the hill, where it was a
ileep precipice, two or three pools o f water were found retaining
all their original purity, out of the reach or know- .
ledge o f the enemy, in the bed o f the torrent which fur-
rounded the north fide o f the moun tain : the defcent was
very difficult for bealls, hut thither I went feveral times on
foot, and bathed myfelf, efpecially my head, in very cold
water, which greatly ftrengthened my eyes, much weakened
from the blow I had received.
C c 2 C H A P .