been kept prifoner. He was brought before the k in g in
the fame equipage he arrived, and being interrogated who
he was, anfwered with great boldnefs, that he was Socinios,
fori to k in g Yafous, fon o f Bacuffa ; that he had not fought
to be made king, but was forced by the Iteghe and Sanuda;
this every one knew to be true. Soon after his mother
was examined; but denying now what ihe had formerly
fwom, that ihe ever had any intimate connexion with the
late k in g Yafous, Socinios was fentenced to death; but b eing
in his manners, figure, and converfation perfeitly defpdca-
ble, the k in g direited he fhould ferve as a flave in his k i t chen,
whence he was taken, fome time afterwards, and h a n g ed
for theft.
On the 21ft o f June, the Iteghe arrived from Gojam, and.’
all the people o f Gondar flocked to fee her without the
town. Gulho had met her at Tedda; and, at the fame time
that he welcomed her, told her, as from the king, that it
was his orders that neither Palambaras Mammo, nor Likaba
Beecho, were to enter the town' with her. This flie confi-
dered as a very high affront, and the work o f Guflio, not
the k in g ’s orders. She upbraided Guflio with avarice;
pride, and malice, declared him a greater tyrant than Michael,
without his capacity, forbidding him to appear any
more before her, and with great difficulty could be prevailed
to go on to Kofcani inftead o f returning to Gojam. It is
impoffible to conceive the enthufiafm with which the fight
o f the old queen infpired all forts o f people. Guflio had no
troops, the k in g as few , being left even without a fervant
in his palace. Then was the feafon for mifchief, had riot
Fafil been hovering with his army, without declaring hist
.approbation
approbation or difapprobation o f any thing that had been
done, or was doing.
A b o u t the end o f June he came at once to Abba Samuel
Without announcing h im fe lf before hand, according to his
ufual cuftom, and he paid his firft vifit to the Iteghe, then
a fhort one to the king, where I faw h im : he was very facetious
with me, and pretended I had promifed him. m y
horfe when I returned from Maitfha, which. I excufed, by
obferving the horfe was out o f town. Well, well, fays he,
that fhall not fave you ; tell me where he is and I will fend*
for him, and give you the beft m ule in the a rmy in exchange,
and take my chance o f recovering h im wherever he is. With
all my heart, replied I ; you will find him perhaps in the ;
valley o f Serbraxos, at the foot i f the hill, oppofite to the
fouth ford o f the river Mariam. He laughed heartily at
this, fhook me by the hand at parting, faying, Well, well,
for all this you fhall not want your mule.
: T he k in g was exceedingly pleafed at what had pgffed ancj
fold, “ I wifh you would tell me,Yagoube, how you reconcile’
all thefe people to you. It is a fecret which w ill be o f much
morp importance to me than to you. There is Guflio now
for example, fo proud o f his prefent fortune,' that he fcarce-
ly will fay a civil word to me ; and Fafil has brought me
a lift o f his own fervants, whom he wants to make mine
Without aiking my leave, (Adeda Tacca Georgis, whom he
named to be Rt-Auraris to the king, as he had done formerly
when he wanted to quarrel with Socinios, Gubena to be
Cantiba, and fome others), yet he never fees you come into
the room but he begins immediately jo k in g and pleafant
«onverfation.
® 11 2 Afxjta