and conftantly fretted the cheek and nofe, when either the
man or thehorfe were in motion; and therefore I always
fubftituted a black fdk net, which concealed my colour better,
and for the reft o f my face I committed it to the care o f
Providence.
T h is body o f horfe was able to make their w ay through
all the cavalry in Abyfiinia, i f they had been drawn up a-
gainft them with equal fronts ; for every horfeman fat immoveable
upon his faddle, and aCted moft p owe rfu lly b y
his weight alone, and was perfectly mafter o f his perfon
alfo by the breadth and ffiortnefs o f his ftirrups ; whereas
the Abyflinian horfemen were placed moft difadvantageouf-
ly , their head and body naked, their faddle fmall, and o f
no fupport to them, their ftirrup-leathers long, and no ftirrups
to put their foot in ; but being conftantly afraid Of
their horfe fa llin g upon them, the only hold w h ich they
had was the outfide o f an iron ring, which they grafped between
their great and fécond toe, fo that they had no
ftrength from their ftirrups, whilft their foot was always
fwelled, and their toes fore and galled;
Of the thoufand Shoa horfe about 60 had deferted ; the reft
were a ll in good order, each armed with their lances about
ten feet long, and two light javelins, their ihafts being o f
cane, which they threw at a great diftance ; the lance they
never loofed out o f their hand ; as for their ftirrups and
faddle, they were o f the fame bad conftruCtion as thofe o f
the Abyflinians in general, and this reduced them nearly
to a footing with them.
T he
T he horfemen o f the k in g ’s army were about 7000, moft.
ly very indifferent troops; fo that his whole mufter was.
nearly 7000 mufqueteers, 25,000 foot, armed with lances
and fhields, and about 7500 horfemen ; in round numbers
about 40,000 men. It is not poflible, I believe, to know,
with greater precilion, the number, fuch is the confufion o f
barbarous armies on thefe occaftons, and fuch the inclination
o f their leaders to magnify and increafe their quotas.
Befides thefe, Ayto CoRfu and Sanuda were left with about
600 men each, to proteCt Gondar from flying, p illaging
parties, and to keep the communication open between the
army and the capital, from whence the provifions were to
be fupplied.
T his army was fumifhed w ith a number o f excellent of-
fleers, veterans o f noble families,, who had fpent their
whole life in war, which we may fay, for thefe laft 400
years, has never ceafed to lay defolate this unhappy country
; the principal were Ras Michael, who, arrived at the a g e
o f feventy-four, had palled the laft 50 years o f his life in a
courfe o f continued victories, Atiham Georgis, and Gue-
bra Chriftos, uncles by the mother's fide to the k in g ; Kefla
Yafous, in the fu l l vigour o f life; who , though unhappily
born in a country plunged in ignorance, and w h e re
there is no education, pofiiefied every quality that became
a man, whether a foldier, ftatefman, citizen, or fr ien d ; Wel-
leta Michael, mafter o f the houfehold to the k in g ; Billeta-
na Gueta Tecla ; Balha Hezekias, and Guebra Mafeal, tw o
principal officers o f his mufquetry, and a great number o f
others o f equal merit, known better in the camp than at the
co u r t; Aylo, andEngedan, two fons o f Kafmati Effite; Ayto
Confu, ion o f Ozoro Either, all young men, employed gene-
4 ra lly