had no poll, and in this .he fpoke the truth, but confefièd’
that he had been fent b y Abba Salam'a^to bring the Itcheguê
and the Abuna to meet him the day o f excommunication«
at Dippafeye. It was further unluckily'proved againiit him, ,
that he was prefent with his brother at plundering the
homes in the night-time when the man was killed ; add
upon this he was* fentenced to be immediately hangéd ;
the court then broke up and went to breakfaft. All this had
palled in lefs than two hours ; it was hot quite eleven o’clock
when all was over, but Ras Michael had fworn he would,
not tafte bread till Abba Salama was hanged, and on fuchi
occafions he never broke his word.
I m m e d i a t e l y after this lait exécution the kettle-drums:
beat at the palace-gate, and the erier made this proclamation,*“
That all lands and villages, which are now, or have
been given to the Abuna by the king, ihall revert to the-
k in g ’s o\yn ufe, arid be fubjeft to the government, or the Gan-,
tiba o f Dembea, or fuch officérs as the k in g ihall.after appoint
in the provinces where they are fituated,”
I w e n t home, and my houfè being but a few yards from-
the palace, I palled the two unfortunate people hanging
upon the fame branch ; and, fu ll o f the cruelty o f the fcene
I had witneffed, which I knew was but a preamble to m u ch
more, I determined firmly, at all-events, to quit this country.,
* T he next morning came on the trial o f the unfortunate-
Guebra Denghel, Sebaat Laab, and.Kefla Mariam ; the Ras
claimed his right o f trying thefe three at his own houfe, as
they were all- three fubjeéls.,o f his government o f Tigré.
4 ' G u e b ra .
Guebra Denghel bore his hard fortune with great unconcern,
declaring, that his only reafon o f taking up arms.a-
gainft the k in g was, that he fiaw no oth’e i way o f preventing
Michael’s tyjanny, and monftrous thirft o f money and .
o f power : that the Ras was really king, had fubverted* the
conilitutiori, annihilated all difference o f rank and perfons7
and transferred the efficient parts o f government into- the
hands o f his own creatures. He wifhed-the k in g , mi^ht
know this was his only motive for rebellion, and that urtlefis
it had been to. make this declaration, he would not have
opened his mouth before fo partial and unjuit a judge ,as
he cdnfidered M ichael to be.
B u t Welleta Selafie, his daughter, h earing thesdanger h e r
father was in, broke fuddenly out o f Ozoro Eilher’s^apart-
ment, which was contiguous ; and, coming into the crionfcil-.
room at the inftant her father was condemned to die', threw
herfelf at the Ras’s feet with every mark andexpreffion o f
the moil extreme forrow. 1 cannot, indeed, j-epeat what her
expreffions were, as I was-not prefent, and I&hapk God That
I was n o t ; I believe they are ineffable by any mouth but
her own, but they were perfectly upfuccefsful. Tire old
tyrant threatened her with immediate deasth, fpurnedyher
away with his foot, and in her hearing ordered h e r father
to be immediately hanged. Welleta Selafie, in a fity^or feint,
w hich refembled death, fell fpeechlefs to the ground ; th f
father, forgetful o f his own fituation, flew to his dauglltef’s
affiftance, and they were both d ragged out at feparate doprs,
the one tp death, the other to after fufferings, greater than
death itfelfi
F o r t u n e '