Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 4.djvu/33

THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 17

assisting Kefla Yasous there, and, being joined by all my people, we fell upon the stragglers wherever we found them. You know what a day of rain it was ; we took 17 guns, 12 horses, and about 200 mules and asses laden, and so return- ed home, leaving the rest to Fasil, who, if he had been a man, should have cut you all to pieces the day after." — " And what did you, said I, with these stragglers whom you met and robbed ; did you kill them ?" — " We always kill them, answered Amlac ; we spare none ; we never do a man an injury, and leave him alive to revenge it upon us after; but it was really the same; they were all sick and weak, and the hyæna would have finished them in the morning, so it was just saving them so much suffering to kill them outright the night before ; and I assure you, Yagoube, whatever you may think, I did not do it out of malice." — From this con- versation one may sufficiently guess what sort of a man Wel- led Amlac was, and what were his ideas of mercy.

We passed the church of Kedus Michael at half after nine, on the road to our right. At nine and three quarters our course was N. by W. and, at a quarter after ten, we pas- sed the Coga, a large river. At three quarters past ten our course was north. We passed the church of Abbo a quar- ter of a mile on our right. The country, after we had cross- ed the Jemma, was much less beautiful than before. At twelve our course was N. by W. and at half past twelve the church of Mariam Net, 200 yards to the left ; and here we forded the small river Amlac-Ohha. Every step of this ground put us in mind of our disastrous campaign in May ; and we were now passing directly in the tract of the ever- memorable re- treat of Kefla Yasous and the rear of the army. At a quar- ter after one we halted at a small village of low houses, as it

Vol. IV. G were