nies. The caufe was never properly known; fome- attributed
it to the je a lo u fy o f Ozoro Efther, others alledged;
that Ihe had taken poifon from apprchenlion o f falling into
the hands o f Ras Michael:: whatever was the truth, her fer-
vants certainly told me, that fee had confefled {he had taken
poifon, and not till the pain became violent, and then fee-
turned afraid, would fee confent to have an exprefs fent to
Ozoro Efther, to. bring me from the camp. 1 had unluckily
left it before to attend Ayto Co r fu ,’ neither is it probable I
could have been o f any fervice, as the poifon fee had taken
was arfenici This accident detained me that whole day, fo
that,ihffiead o f returning to the a rm y ,! w ent to Ay to Gonfus
at Koicam, where 1 found another meffepger in fearch o£
irte.
TUX k in g ’s Mahometan was returned from'Sennaar, and!
-frith him S oilman my fervant, who brought me anfwers to-
the letters I had written ; 'they had come by Bey la to Ras el
Bed, b y ’Sim 'Sim, and the weftem defcrts, the way-to Teawa
being m u c h infefted b y gangs o f Arabs, and Gafijar horfe,,
W h o murdered'every body they’found in their. Way. They,
brought with them only- twelve hoiffis, eighteen coats o f
mail, and about thirty libd*; thefe weremoftly returns made-
b y rhc 'principal members o f government to the preterits
the k in g had fent them, for every body at Sennaar now f e t
too great a value upon the armour, and horfes, to part safe
y with them, On account o f the unfettled ft-ate -o'f the:
times, the hiftdry o f which we feall give afterwards..
. M y .
•T h e fe are leather Co«» quilted wM cotton,gfedmilead o f coats o f mail;.both man an *
k u f c are coveted with, them, and thej give to both ¡nmonftons affiearaoc*.
My letters informed me that the whole k in g d om 'o f
Sennaar was in arms, that Naffer (who had depofed his father
by the help o f two great brothers, Mahomet Abou Ca-
lec, and Adelan) was. upon the point o f trailing his life and
kingdom to the event o f a battle with thefe two. officers.
I was, moreover, conjured, with all the earneftnefs, as L
thought, o f a, truly honeft man, that I would by no means
undertake the journey I intended ; that- to come from Ras :
el Feel to Sennaar, was, for a white man like me, next to
an abfolute impoffibility, connecting the danger o f the way
with the great hardfeips from the exoéffive heat o f the climate,
and want o f food and water; that even arrived at
Sennaar, i feouîd be in the utmoft danger from the foldiery,
and the k in g ’s flaves, under no fubordination o r government
; and that, even i f I was happy enough to efcape
thefe, the wkarft ftill remained, and no human power could
convoy or protetft me;, in my remaining journey to Egypt,
tbrocngh th e great deferr. X: was therefore begged to lay
a ll fu ch intention ailide as impoffible, and either ftay where
I- was, o r rtturn by Tigré; Mafuah, and Arabia, the way by
w hich I firft entered Ahyffinia. This was the fevereft o f
a il blows tome, and threw me fo r fame time into the lowed:
defpandency,i>m it did not change m y Fefohttion, which;
was already taken, n ot to turn »to the right or the left, h u e
either compleat m y journey to Syene, the frontier of.
Egypt, by Sennaar, and Nubia, o r perife in the attempt..
I n o w refolved to proceed immediately to- the camp, tak
in g twenty horfe from Sañuda, and twenty from Confu,,
to efcort the coats o f mail and horfes ifrom. Sennaar. I fet:
out that evening with Mahomet the k in g ’s fervant, by thfr
road o f Semai» Confu, and arrived about nine o’clock in the.-
camp*