king. Whether this was true or not I cannot fay, but that
this, or fomething fimflar, was . the cafe, feemed to be more
than probable from the behaviour o f Guiho afterwards, durin
g the whole campaign. Amha Yafous did not come to
take part in the war, he only brought, in imitation o f o ld
times, a tribute to the k in g as a teftimony o f the loyalty o f
the faithful province o f Shda; but he was fo interefted for
the king, after being admitted into intimacy with him, and
fo pleafed with t}ie fociety o f the young noblemen at court,
that he determined to come back with the command o f
the troops o f his father, and in his way force Guiho, to return
to his duty, i f he was not already determined.
H e had heard, while at Shpa, from feme priefts o f Debra
Libanos, that there was a ftrange white man in favour with
the k in g at Gondar, who could do every thing but raife the
dead; it was among his firft requefts to the king; to make
him acquainted with me. The k in g therefore ordered me
to wait upon him every morning, and I, On m y part, did not
let flip that opportunity. Infenfibly we came to be infepar-
able companions. Our converfation fell one day, to be upon
the Abyffiijian kings who firft lived at jShoa at thejtime
when the kingdom o f Adel was a great mart- for the Eaft
Indian trade, before the difcoveryof the Gape o f Good Hope.
He faid that a book containing their hiftory, he believed,
was in fome o f the churches in Shoa, and that he would
immediately fend for it. Although I could not help teftify-.
in g my defire o f having a book which I had fought for in
yain through the reft o f the provinces o f Abyflinia, yet I
thought it unreafonable to defire a man to fend 300 miles
merely for the purpofe o f getting i t ; I therefore did not
prefs it, being fatisfied with his promife ; but as my work
would
would have been incomplete without it, I. aikcd my friend
Tecla Mariam to mention it to him as; from the king. His
anfwer was, “-1 have already promifed to get i t fo r Yagoufae,
the meflenger by this time is in. Amha ra ; depend upon iq
m y father will not fail to Let me have: i t f o r feaai o f miftakd,
I. have difpatched a, very: intelligent man; w h o knows and
has feen the book at Debra Libanos;” . T h e promife was
punctually kept, the book came, and from it I have drawn
the hiftory o f the Adrian, war,, and the reign oft fthofe kings
whoi had not:yet returned to Asxum,, but reigned! in. Schoa».
Qua evening I: inquired o f h im concerning, the ftorjt
whiGh th e Portuguefe heard, ax the diftcovery o f Benin;
that the blacks o f that country had intercourfe with a
Ghriftim inland ftate they acknowledged asi £bvereign,.fioni
which the y procured! the itBvefticure o f their la'nds,. as has
been already mentioned! into the beginning o f this w ork ?
whether any fudai commerce did exift w ith Shoa; at prefenr,
of. i f traces, remained oft it in older, times k i f there was any
other Ghriftian ;or- Jewifh ftare ini his. neighbourhood to
which this defcription could apply * ? H e faid they knew
nothing o f Beni® a t Shoa, nor bad; h e ever heard o f the
name, nor any cuftom o f the kind that I had mentioned,
w hich either then did, or ever had prevailed in Shoa: he
knew o f nocGhriftiah ftate farther to the. ibuthward,.exceptin
g Narea, a great part o f which wa«< conquered' by the
Galla,, who were Pagans. The blacks, that were next to
Shoa; h e faid, were-exceedingly fierce,, warlike, and cruel }
worfe than th e Galla;. and o f the fame kind; w ith the Sham
g a lla in Abyflinia.. T heother nationswere partly Mahometan}
Voc. IV. 1 4 : < N . but
Conquetes des Portu gais , liv . s . p . 4 6 » Laiitan»-