CHAP .n .
Fa/il's infidious Behaviour— Arrival at Gondar'—Kingpajjcs the Faccaa-
ze— Itegbe and SociniosJly from Gondar.
I SHALL now refume the hiftory o f Abyffinia itfelf, fo far
as I was concerned in it, tor had an opportunity o f knowing,
and this I ihall follow as clofely as pollible, till I begin
my return home through thofe dreary and hitherto-unknown
deferts o f Sennaar, though not the moft entertaining,
yet by far the moft dangerous and moft difficult part
o f the voyage.
It was about the 20th o f Oitober that Woodage Afahel
came with a ftrong body o f horfe into the neighbourhood
o f Gondar, and cut off all communication between the
capital and thofe provinces to the fouthward o f it. This
occafioned a temporary famine, as his troops plundered all
thofe they met on the road carrying provifions to the market.
At firft he refufed to tell what his real errand w a s ;
4 b u t ,
but, a few days after, h aving paffed the low country o f Dem-
bea, he took poft at Dingleber, on the road to Maitfha and
the country o f the Agows, and then he declared his only intention
in coming was to join Fafil, then marching to Gondar
at the head o f a large army ; nor was the caufe o f that
great army, nor the reafon o f Fafil’s coming, .fo fufficiently
known as to free any party entirely from their apprehea-
fions.
S a n u d a , who filled the office o f Ras, and the reft o f that
party, endeavoured to determine Afahel to enter Gondar,
and pay his homage to Socinios, now k in g ; not doubting
but his example would have the effeét o f making others do
the like, and that fo by degrees they might colleét troops e-
nough to make Michael refpeit them, fo far at leaft as to defer
fo r a feafon his march from Tigré. They prevailed, indeed,
fo far as to engage Afahel to enter Gondar on the 28th
o f Oétober, the day that we left it ; fo, by a few hours, and
his taking a low road that he might plunder the villages in
Dembea, we milled a meeting o f the moft dangerous and
moft difagreeable kind. After having made his ufual parade,
and paffed his cavalry in review before Socinios, he had
his public audience, where he faid he came charged by Fa-
fil to declare that he was ready to fet out for Gondar, and
bring with him that part o f the revenue due to the k in g
from the provinces he commanded, provided he had a man
o f fuffiéient truft to leave in his ftead at home ; that therefore
he prayed the k in g to appoint him Woodage Afahel to
command in the provinces o f Damot, Maitfha, and Agow,
in his abfenee.
A f t e r