Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 3.djvu/491

 THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 467

lieving the reft, the king's two nagareets were brought to the door of the tent, where, to our very great furprife, we heard it proclaimed, " Fafd is governor of the Agow, Maitfha, Gojam, andDamot; profperity to him, and long may he live a faithful fervant to the king our mailer !" — This was an extraordinary revolution in fo fmall a fpace of time. It vas fcarce 43 hours fmce Fafd had laid a fcheme for drowning the greater part of the army in the Nile, and cutting the throats of the refidue on both fides of it; it was not twenty- four hours, fince he had met us to fight in open field, and now he was become the king's lieutenant-general in four of the moil opulent provinces of Abyffinia. This was pro- duced, however, by the necefhty of the times, and both par- ties were playing at the fame game who mould over-reach the other. Fafil's meffengers were magnificently cloathed, and it was firft intended they mould have gone back to him ; but, after refleaion, another perfon was fent,thefe two chu- fing to go to Gondar with the king to remain hoftages for Fafil's word, and to bring back his inveftiture from thence to Bure. The whole camp abandoned itfelf to joy.

Late in the evening Ozoro Efther came to the king's tent* She had been ill, and alarmed, as Ihe well might, at the paflage of the Nile, which had given her a more delicate look than ordinary; fhe was drcflcd all in white, and I thought I feldom had fecn fo handfome a woman. The king, as I have mentioned, had fent ten oxen to Ras Michael, but he had given twenty to Ozoro Either ; and it was to thank him for this extraordinary mark of favour that iTie had come to vifit him in his tent. I had for fome time pad, indeed, thought they were not infenfible to the merit of each other. Upon her thanking the king for the diftinclion

5N2 he