ful abundance. They had lived, it is true, too magnificently for philofophers, but neither idly nor riotoufly; and he believes never will any Sovereign of Geesh be again so popular, or reign over his subjects with greater mildnefs. Mr. Bruce had practifed medicine gratis, and killed, for three days fucceffively, a cow each day for the poor and the neighbours. He had clothed the high priest of the Nile from head to foot. as alfo his two fons, and decorated two of his daughters with beads of all the colours of the rainbow, adding every other little present they feemed fond of, or that our travellers thought would be agreeable. As for their amiable Irepone, they had referved for her the choiceft of their prefents, the most valuable of every article they had with them, and a large proportion of every one of them; they alfo gave her fome gold; but the, more generous and nobler in her fentiments than they, feemed to pay little attention to thefe that announced to her the feparation from her friends; fhe tore her fine hair, which fhe had every day before braided in a newer and more graceful manner; fhe threw herself upon the ground in the house, and refused to fee our travellers mount on horfeback, or take their leave, and came not to the door till they were already fet out, then followed them with her good wifhes and her eyes as far as fhe could fee or be heard.

Mr. Bruce took his leave of Kefla Abay, the venerable prieft of the most famous river in the world, who recommended him with great earneftnefs to the care of his God, which, as one of our travellers humouroufly ennugh obferved, meant nothing less than he hoped the devil would take him. All the young men in the village, with lances and fields, at tended them to Saint Michael Sacala, that is, to the borders. of their country, and end of Mr. Bruce's little fovereignty.

Ddz

TRAVELS

TRAVELS

TO DISCOVER THE

SOURCE OF THE NILE.

BOOK VII.

RETURN FROM THE SOURCE OF THE NILE TO GONDAR: MR. BRUCE PREPARES TO LEAVE ABYSSINIA.

N the 10th of November 1770, our travellers left Geefh

puffed the abay, under

the church of St. Michael Sacala. The next day, they continued their journey in their former road, and in the afternoon they halted at the house of Shalaka Welled Amlac, with whom Mr. Bruce was well acquainted at Gondar; his house is called Welled Abea Abbo, from a church of Abbo about an eighth part of a mile diftant.

Here Mr. Bruce fettled with his former guide Woldo, to his perfect fatisfaction, and cancelled entirely the memory of some disagreeable things that had paffed. He then configned our travellers very folemnly to Ayto Aylo's fervant, in prefence of Welled Amlac, and then took his leave.

On the 12th of November, having fettled their account with their hoft they fet out from the hofpitable houfe of Shalaka Welled Amlac. At the houfe of Welled Amlac Mr. Bruce was made acquainted with a peculiar custom which prevails through all Maitha and the country. A ftranger, to establish a relationship in every family where he is hofpitably entertained

tertained, is always obliged, without ceremony, with fome young lady of the family. Their landlord accompanied them in person to the ford, and by this, and his readiness to fhew them what he thought worthy of their curiofity, and by his care in ascertaining for them the distances and fituations of places, he gave them a certain proof he was well contented, and therefore that they had nothing to fear.

They gained with difficulty the middle of the river, where the bottom was firm, and there they rested a little. Whilst they were wading near the other fide, they found foul ground, but the water was fhallow, and the banks low and easy to afcend. The river fide, as far as they could fee, was bare and deftitute of wood of any kind, only bordered with thistles and high grafs, and the water tinged deep with red earth, of which its banks are compofed. This paffage is called Delakus, and is paffable from the end of October to the middle of May. Immediately on the top of the hill af cending from the river is the fmall town of Delakus, which gives this ford its name; it is more confiderable in appearance then is the generality of these finall towns or villages in Abyffinia, because inhabited by Mahometans only, a trading, frugal, intelligent, and industrious people.

Their conductor, Welled Amlac, put our travellers in mind of the fervice he had rendered them, and they were not unmindful of him. He had been received with very great re fpect at the last place, and it is incredible with what expedition he swallowed near a pound of raw flesh cut from the buttocks of the animal yet alive. After some horns of hydromel, he paffed to the other fide, where he was received with still more affection, if poffible, by Welleta Michael, and there he began again to eat the raw meat with an appetite as keen as if he had fafted for whole days; he then configned our travellers to Ayto Welleta Michael, his friend, who furnifhed them with a fervant to conduct them on their way, while he himself remained that night at the ford.

They left the ford at five in the evening, and, pursuing their journey north, they paffed the small town of Delākus, continuing along the hill among little fpots of brush-wood, and small fields of corn intermixed,

Maitha,

Maitsha, the place our travellers were now preparing to leave, is governed by ninety-nine Shums, and is an appendage of the office of Betwudet, to whom it pays two thousand ounces of gold. The people are originally of those Galla west of the Abay. Yafous the great, when at war with that people, who, in many preceding reigns, had laid waste the provinces of Gojam and Damot, and especially Agow, when he paffed the Abay, found these people at variance among themselves; and the king, who was every where victorious, being joined by the weakest, advanced to Narea, and, on his return, transplanted these Galla into Maitsha, placing part of them along the Nile to guard the paffes. His fucceffors at different times followed his example; part they fettled in Maitsha, and part along the banks of the Nile in Damot and Gojam, where, being converted to Christianity, at least to fuch Christianity as is profeffed in Abyffinia, they have increased exceedingly, and amounted, at least before the war in 1768, to 15,000 men, of whom about 4000 are horsemen.

Mr. Bruce's fervants and baggage arrived at Gondar, while he himself went to Kofcam, and thus finished their long projected expedition, or journey, to the fountains of the Nile, having, in their return home, made, as it were, the chord of the arch of their former journey, or about ninety-three miles.

It was not till the 23d of November, owing to the troubles that then reigned in the capital of Abyffinia, that Mr. Bruce faw the Iteghé. She fent for him early in the morning, and had a large breakfast prepared: fhe looked very much worn out and indifpofed. When he came first into her presence, he kneeled, with his forehead to the ground. She put on a very ferious countenance, and, without defiring him to rife, faid gravely to her people about her, There, fee that madman, who, in times like thefe, when we the natives of the country are not fafe in our own houses, rafhly, against all advice, runs, out into the fields to be hunted like a wild beast by every robber, of which this country is full." She then made him a fign to rife, which he did, and kiffed her hand. Madam, (faid he) if I did this, it was in confequence of the good leffons your majesty deigned to give me."- "Me! (fays fhe) with furprife, was it I that advised you, at such a time as this, to

put

put yourself in the way of men like Coque Abon Barea, and Woodage Afahel, to be ill used, robbed, and probably murdered ?"- .. No, (faid Mr. Bruce) madam, you certainly never did give me fuch advice; but you must own that every day I have heard you fay, when you was threatened by a multitude of powerful enemies, that you was not afraid, you was in God's hands, and not in theirs. Now, madam, Providence has hitherto protected you: I have, in humble imitation of you, had the fame Chriftian confidence, and I have fucceeded. I knew I was in God's hands, and therefore valued not the bad intentions of all the robbers in Abyffinia,"

Mr. Bruce next proceeds to give the hiftory of the Aby finians during his refidence among them. This fubject employs several sheets; but as they contain only a detail of horrid rebellions, battles, blood and flaughter, and fuch as the readers of this abridgment can be no ways interested in, we shall content ourselves with obferving, that Mr. Bruce feems to have shewn great courage in several instances, and on that account was presented by the king with a large chain of gold, with very maffy links, which he doubled twice, and then put it over Mr. Bruce's neck. The chain confifted of 184 links, each of them weighing 3 1-12 penny weights of fine gold. "It was with the utmost reluctance, (fays Mr. Bruce) that, being in want of every thing, I fold a great part of this honourable diftinction at Sennaar in my return home. It is hoped my fucceffors will never have the fame excufe I had for further diminishing this honourable monument which I have left them."

After the troubles had ceafed, and Ras Michael, of whom we have before spoken, was fent away prifoner from Gondar, the queen returned to Kofcam, where Mr. Bruce paffed a great part of his time; but his health declining every day, he had obtained, with great difficulty, liberty from her to attempt his return home. The king, too, after a hundred exceptions and provifos, had at length been brought to give an unwilling confent.

Capt. Thomas Price, of the Lion of Bombay, had been obliged, by his business with the government of Mecca, to

continue