had often correfponded with him upon the fubjeCt o f hor-
fes for the k in g while I was at Gondar. He was greatly
tormented with the ftone, and by means o f Yafine I had
feveral times fent him foap-pills, and lime, w ith directions
how to make lime-water. I therefore fent a fervant o f mine
with a letter to the Shekh o f Beyla, mentioning my intention
o f coming to Sennaar by the way o f Teawa and Beyla,
and defiring him to forward my fervant to Sennaar, to
Hagi Belal my correfpondent there, and, at the fame time,,
write to fome other friend o f his own, to fee that the k in g ’s
fervant ihould be difpatched to Teawa without delay. This
fervant, with the letters, I committed to the care o f the Shekh
p f the Daveina, who promifed that he would himfe lf fee
him fafe into Beyla; and, by a- particular Providence, all theie
letters and meifengers arrived fafe, without mifcarriage o f
one, at the places o f their dcllination, though we were long-
kept in fufpence before they took eflfe£i,
I w a s now about to quit Ras e l Peel fbr ever; in a firm
perfwafion that I had done every thing man could do to.
infure a fafe journey and good reception at Sennaar, till:
one day I received a vifit from Mahomet Shekh o f Nile-;
which does not mean Shekh o f the river, but o f a tribe o f
that name, which is but a divifion o f the Daveina. To this
Shekh I had (hewn a particular attention in feveral trips he
had made to Gondar, in confequence o f which h e was very
grateful and anxious for my fafety. He told me, that he faw
1 was fetting out perfectly content with the meafures I had
taken for my fafety at Sennaar, and he owned that they
were the belt that human prudence could fuggefi; “ but, fays
he, in my opinion, you have not yet been cautious enough a-
boutTeawa. I know Fidele well, and 1 apprehend your danger
is.
is there, and not at Sennaar.” He then drew a moft unfavourable
picture o f that Shekh, whom he affirmed to have
been a murderer and a thief all his days, and the fon o f a
father no better than himfelf ; that he was o f no religion,
neither Mahometan, Chriftian, nor Pagan, but abfolutely
without fear o f God ; he faid, however, he believed him to
be a great coward ; and therefore the whole o f m y fafety reduced
itfelf to this, Was he really afraid o f Yafine, or not ?
I f he was, that became the beft handle we could lay hold
on ; but if, on the contrary, he was not afraid o f Yafine, or
was perfuaded, as he very well might be by wicked people
about him, that, when once I was out o f the country, Yafine
took no further charge o f me, he doubted very much
I ihould never pafs Teawa, or, at leaft, without fuffering
fome heavy affront or ill-ufage, the extent o f which it was
knpoffible to determine.
T h e s e fenfible fuggeftions made a very ftrong impreffion
on Yafine and me ; Yafine’s firft pofition was, that Fidele was
certainly afraid to difoblige him ; but, allowing the poffi-
bility he was not, he owned he had not fubftituted any ie-
cónd meafure to w hich I could truft. We all regretted that
our friends the Daveina had been fuffe'red to depart w ithout
tak ing me with them by Sim-Sim and Beyla ; but it was now
too late, as the Daveina had for fome days arrived at the
flation the neareft Beyla and the fartheft from us. It was
then agreed, that Nile ihould fend a relation o f his, who was
married to one o f the tribes o f Jehaina Arabs, encamped upon
Jibbel Ifriff near to Teawa, with whom Fidele was at that
time makin g peace, left they ihould burn thè crop about
the town. This man was not to .enter the town o f Teawa
with me, but was to come there the next day, as i f from his
T t a friends