dy to mount on horfeback, befeeched the Ras to a llow them
to go down into the plain to the afliftance o f Confu ; but
the old general, without leaving o ff his game,*faid, “ I dò
ftriétly forbid one o f you to ftir ; Confu has broke my orders
to-day, and brought himfelf into a fcrape by his own folly;
let me fee him get out o f it by his courage and conduit, and
thereby fet the army a better example than he yet has
done.”— “ Sir, faid I, at leali Ration fome mufquetry on the
fmall hill, at.the edge o f the plain, that,'if Confu is beaten,
I may not have the mortification o f feeing Yafine, and
the new troops o f Ras el Feel, (who were in their proper poll)
and have all my baggage and provifions, maffaCred before
m y eyes b y thefe cowardly barbarians.” I fpoke this in
the utmoft a n g u ifh ,w h e n the Ras lifted up his head with
a ghaftly kind o f laugh, and faid, “ Right, well do fo, Ya-
goube.” Though this was but an imperfeft permifilon, I’
ran down to the ftation with fuch halle that I fell twice in
m y way, and was confiderably hurt, for the ground wass
rocky, and the grafs flippery.
A l t h o u g h I had only waved my cloak, and’ cried come-
on firs, a large number o f matchlocks o f Ozoro Efther’s,
and the k in g ’s, haftened immediately to the ground. Gon-
fu by this time had charged, and after a flout refiftance
beat Woodage back into the p lain; Woodage, however, again
faced about, and after fome refiftance, Confu in his turn
was driven back in evident diforder, and puflied almoft in
upon the poft, where our foldiers had made ready their
mufquets, to fire i f they came a ftep nearer. At this inftant
a body o f about 30 or 40 horfe (the commander we afterwards
knew to be Ayto Engedan) came up fu ll gallop from
the right, and ftopt the Galla in their purfuit, Confu’s men
rallied
rallied upon this afliftance, and Afahel Woodage retired ina direction
p alling elofe under the fepulchre, Engedan and Confu-
keeping at a moderate pace on his left between them and the-
army, and forcing them down, as it were, to the trap th e y
knew was laid for them. They were yet a long fhot from
the cedars that furrounded the fepulchre, when a volley
was difcharged at them from among the trees, where Michael
had polled his 400 men, which, though, it did little-
or no execution, terrified Woodage Afahel’s men fo much,
that Confu and Engedan, charging in that inftant as upon
a fignal, they all difperfed through different parts o f the-
field, and their leader after them: Joas’s Edjow, indeed,
would not fall back a ftep upon the volley, but, after an ob~
ftinate refiftance, they were broken by fuperior numbers,,
and forced to retreat before an enemy, fo overcome with,
fatigue and wounds, as to be unable to purfue them.
T he whole o f this engagement failed near an hour b y
my watch. One hundred and thirteen o f Woodage Afahel’s
men were flain upon the fpot, and their bloody trophies
brought and thrown before the king. On Confu’s fide about
70 were killed and wounded ; he himfelf received two
wounds, one a large flelh wound in the hip, the other more
flight upon the head, both. of. them- at the very beginning o f
the engagement..
N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g the natural hardnefs o f his hearr,
and that the misfortune which had happened was in immediate
difobedience-of orders, Ras Michael ihewed great
fenfibility at hearing Confu was wounded-; he came immediately
to fee him, a.vifit not according to etiquette, and
gave him.a.llighter reproof than was expeited fo r leaving
. his.