Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 3.djvu/490

 466 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

treafon towards him ; that, inflead of keeping their word,,, they had left him to engage the King and the Ras's whole force at a time when they knew the greateft part of his Galla troops were retired to the other fide of the Nile, and could be affembled with difficulty : That if the Ras by chance had crofTed at Delakus, as Kefla Yafous had done, in- Head of embarramng his army among the rivers of Mait- fha, and croffing the Nile at that moll dangerous place near Amlac-Ohha, (a paffage never before attempted in the rainy feafon) the confequence would have been, that he mull have either fought at great difadvantage with an inferior army againft the Ras, or have retired to Metchakel, leaving his whole country to the mercy of his enemies. Fafil decla- red his refolution never again to appear in arms againft the king, but that he would hold his government under him, and pay the accuftomed taxes punctually : he promifed al- io, that he would renounce all manner of connection with Gufho and Powuffen, as he had already done, and he would take the field againft them next feafon with his whole force, whenever the king ordered him. The mellengers conclu- ded, with deliring the Ras to give Fafil his grand-daughter, Welle ta Selafie, in marriage, and that he would then come to Gondar without diftruft.

At the audience they had of the king the fame night,, they added, That Fafil could not truft Ras Michael, he broke his word fo often, and had fo many refervations and eva-. lions in his promifes.

The Ras, though he did not believe all this, made no dif- ficulty in agreeing to every thing that they defired. He promifed the grand- daughter; and, as an earneft of his be- lieving