through craggy mountains, where they he all, killed
b y rolling ilones upon them, without their even feeing
the ir enemiy. Strange, ftrange, laid I, (fpeakmg to my-
felf) that any party ffiould be So audacious as to take poll
in the k in g ’s front, at fix miles difiance, and put themfelves
between him and the capital : I am fure they heartily de-
ferve to be cut in pieces, and fo they certainly will. Where
is Ayto Confu I It was anfwered by Yafine, That he was
gone forward to the mouth o f the pafs to reconnoitre if,
and would meet us there. We marched on accordingly,
acrofs the plain, about h a lf a mile ; but I was furprifcd to
fee all my attendants, that I had picked up by the way.
laughing, excepting Yaline’s men, and that none o f the
reft made horfe, mule, or gun ready as i f they were in daur
g e r ; fo that I began now ftrongly to fufpedl feme trick
o n the part o f Confu, as he was much given to jeft and
fport, b a n g a very young mam
A l i t t l e before we came to the mouth o f the pafs, a
foldier came to us and aiked who we were? was
anfwered, it was Yafine, Ayto Confu’s fervant at Ras el Feel.
T o which it was replied, he knew no foch perfon, He
Was fearcely g o n e w h e n another arrived with the fame queftfon.
I began to he impatient, as the fun was then growing
v e r y h o t; and anfwered, It was Yagoifoe, foe white map,
'th e k in g ’s friend a#d fervant. I was again anfwered, No
fetch perfon could pafs there. The third time, being interrogated
by one whom I knew to be Ayto Confu’s-fervant,
Y a f i n e anfwered,¿it is Yagouhe, the k in g ’s governor o f Ras
e l Feel, with the flave Yafipe, the moor, come to do the k in g
homage, and to die for him, i f he commands, in the piifift
o f his enemies, We were anfwered, He is wefepmp : npon
which
I U L O W U iv L .Ii U f 1 x l 11 JN 1 Xa ill.
which the fervant, going back, brought a drum, and beat
it upon the rock, crying, as in a proclamation, “ Yagoube
is Governor o f Ras el Feel, Commander o f the k in g ’s black
horfe, Lord o f Geelh, andGentleman o f the k in g ’s bed-chamber.”
Here this farce, foe contrivance o f Ayto Confu, ended.
With him were many more o f the k in g ’s fervants, my
old acquaintances, and we all fat down by a fpring-well,
under the lhade o f the rock, to a hearty breakfaft prepared
for us by Ozoro Either.
A f t e r this was finiihed with a great deal o f chearful-
nefs, and being ready to get on horfeback, we faw a man
running towards us in great fpeed, who, upon his arrival,
aiked us where the k in g was, and i f we were his Fit-Aura-
ris ? To this we made him no an fw e r;. but, layin g hold o f
him, obliged him to declare his errand. He faid that he
was a fervant o f Negade Ras Mahomet, o f Dara, who had
apprehended Ayto Confu, brother o f Guebra Mehedin o f
whom I have fpoken at large, (never for any good) and that
he had brought him along with him. This mifcreant
whom we had found out to be the principal a&or and per-
fuader o f the robbery o f my houfe, while in a drunken frolic
with foe wretched Socinios, was now in his way before the
kin g, where, i f all his delinquency had been known
he would infallibly have loft his eyes, his life, or both He’
was nephew to the Iteghe, as has been already mentioned,
ion to her brother Bafoa Eufebius, and confequently coufin-
german to Ayto Confu himfelf, who, with great diffidence,
.aiked me i f I could pardon his couiin, and allow him to be
delivered out o f Mahomet’s hands, which, ill as he deferved o f
me I very readily complied with; forlwou ldnotfor the world
VOL, IV , H
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