divers figns, which we could not, neither did we endeavour
to underftand. Another Ihot, aimed at the trees a-
bove them, ihewed they were ftill within our reach, upon
which they difperfed, or fat down among the buihes, for
we faw them no more, "till pitching our tent upon the
plain below two o f their villages ; it feemed they were un-
eafy, for they had difpatched a man naked, and without
arms, who, Handing upon the rock, cried out in the language
o f Tigré, that he wanted to come to us. This I
abfolutely refufed, that Ire might not fee the fmallnefs o f
our number, crying out to him to get farther off, or we
would inftantly fhoot him. There was no occafion to repeat
the admonition. From the rock where he Hood, he
flid down like an eel, and appeared again at a cohfider-
ablè diftance, Hill making a fign o f wanting to fpeak with
us.
W h i l e refting on the banks o f the fiver Mogetch, we had
beén overtaken by two men, and two women, who were
driving two loaded aflès, and were going to Tcberkin; they
had deiired leave to keep company with us, for fear o f danger
on the road. I had two Abyffinian fervants, but they
were not yet come up,'attending one o f the baggage mules
that was lame, as they faid; but 1 believe, rather-bufied
with fome engagements o f their own in the villages. We
were obliged then to have recourfe to one o f thefe ftranger
women; who tinderftood the language o f Tigre, and undertook
readily to carry our meflfage to the ftranger, who
was ftill very bufy making figns from behind a tree, without
coming one ftep nearer.
4
My meflage to them was, that i f they Ihewed the fmall-
eft appearance o f further infolence, either by approaching
the tent, or flinging ftones that night,, the next morning,
When thehorfe I expeited were come up, I would burn their
town, and put every man o f them to the fword. A very fub-
millive anfwer was fent baek,.with a heap o f lies in excufe
o f what they called their miftake. My two fervants coming
foon after, both o f whom, hereafter, were to be in the
fervice o f Ayto Confu, went boldly one to each village,
to bring two goats, fome jars o f bouza, and to prepare fifty
loaves o f bread- for next morning. The goats were difpatched
inftantly, fo was the b ou za; but when the morning
came, the people had all fled from their houfes, without
preparing any bread. Thefe villages were called Gimbaar,
T h e y were three in n um b e r; each fituated- upon the top
a f a pointed: hill, in a diredtion from eaft to weft, and made
a very beautiful appearance from the plain below. They
belonged to m y great enemies, Guebra Mehedin, and Confu,
late fons o f Baflha Eufebius..
On the other hand, as my fervants told me that a mef-
ien g e r o f the k in g had palled that morning without taking
any notice o f us, I began to fufpeit that it was fome ftra-
tagem o f his to frighten me from purfuing my jo u rn e y ;
which,, after the letters I had received from Sennaar, and
which he himfe lf had, heard read, he never thought I
would have undertaken. This I ftill believe might be the
cafe ; for thefe peafants did not fliew any forwardnefs to
do us h a rm ; however, it turned out as nnfortunately fo r
them,,as i f they really purfued us. for vengeance.
As,