the troops to refrelh themfelves; for h e was that day reioS-
ved to try the fortune o f another battle.-. To this, however^
it was r e p l i e d by all the. principal-officers, That the army
was ftarving, therefore a refreffiment at this time was out
o f the queftion, and that fighting was as much fo ; for Gu-
fho, having fent to the Abuna and to the King, had folemn-
ly excommunicated his whole army if- any. harm, was oft-
fered to t h e m in perfon-or baggage, i f they marched direffc-
ly back to Gondar that night, as they had o f .their-own accord
before intended ; and that the army was refolved, therefore,
as one man, to- return.; and, if, the Ras did not agree
to it, there was great fear they would difband in the night,,
an d ’ leave him in: the hands of-the enemy, without terms.
The Ras was now obliged.to.make a virtue o fne ceffity; and,
it: was given in orders,.that the armyfcould be ready to decamp
at eight in ,the evening, hnt nobody ihould ftrike-
their tent-before that hour on pain-of death. The old. g e neral
was affiamed to .b e fe en ,fo r the firft time flying before
his enemies..
Iir was plain to be read' in everybody’s countenance;,
that this refolution was agreeable to them all. I confefs,,
however, that I thought:the meafure a very dangerous one,,
confidering how much blood the kin g’s army had fo lately
fpilt, and the ordinary prejudices univerfally. adopted in
that, country* allowing to every individual the right o f retaliation.
Before I ftruck my. tent,. I called Yafine to me,
and told him that Ayto Confu, being wounded and a pri-
fbner, myfelf neceflarily obliged to . attend th& king, and.
the event: o f that night’s . retreat unknown to any body, I.
thought he could do neither himfelf nor me any further
fervice by flaying where, he/was ; that therefore, fo long as
the.
the road to Aza zo was open to him, he ihould march thro’
Dembea, as i f going to-Fafil, then-turn- on the right behind
the hills o f Kofcam; and make the beft o f his way to Ras
el Feel, in which government he-ihould maintain the ftric-
teft difciplincj and be particularly careful o f the intrigues
o f A bd el-Jeleel, the forme r governor,.whole application I.
ihould. defeat i f I had- any intereft, or i f the k in g remained,
. both, which I thought very improbable. T annexed,
moreover, this condition, that on his part he ihould be active
and unwearied in procuring; information. concerning
the propereft way of-my attempting-to reach Sennaar ; I enjoined
him alfo to be ve ry circumftantiaL in-all the advices
which he fent to me at Gondar ; that thfey ihould be written
in Arabic, andfent direilly to me by my black fervant
Soliman,who was with him, and told him that I m yfelf ihould
join him as foon as poffibh. Yafine, with.tears in his eyes,
protefted' againft. leaving me in the dangerous fituation o f
th a tn ig h t ; he faid we ihould be all cut to pieces as foon as
we were in the plain; and that there, was not a man o f the;
troops under him who would not-rather die w ith me, than
abandon me to be murdered by the hands o f thefe faithlefs -
Ghriftian dogs, who never were" to .be bound by oath.or pro-
mife. He faid, it; would be. incomparably fafe r,. as they
were all under m y command, that .I ihould put my felf a t -
their head, and.continue my, niarch to Ras el Eeel, where,,
i f 1 was onee arrived; Ayto Gonfu’s troops, being-behind':
me at Tcherkin, (that is, between me and Gondar),. I ;
might, a t my own leifure, folicit a fafe conduct to Sen-
naar.
I c d n t e s s this propofal at f i r f t ftruck me as extremely fea* ■
fible,; but refleiting on my folemn promife to the king, nop
tQS