492 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER
I that called drink ! Selafle adroitly continued, " He knows you are curious in horns, and fent you this, defiring me firft to get it filled at the Iteghe's with good red wine, which I have done ; and now, Hallo ! Drink ! Englishman !" He then added in a whifper, when the fervant had fhut the door, " I'll tell it you all after flipper, when the houfe is quiet, for I fleep here all night, and go to Tigre to-morrow morn- ing."
The time being come, he informed me Ras Michael and Fa-fil had made peace ; Welleta Michael, the Ras's nephew, taken by Fafil at the battle of Limjour, had been the medi- ator ; that the king and Michael, by their wife behaviour, had reconciled Tigre as one man, and that the Ras had ifllied a proclamation, remitting to the province of Tigre their whole taxes from the day they paffed the Tacazze till that time next year, in confideration of their fidelity and fervices ; and this had been folemnly proclaimed in feveral places by beat of drum. The Ras declared, at the fame time, that he would, out of his own private fortune, with- out other afEftance,, bear the expence of the campaign till he featccl the king on his throne in Gondar. A kind of madnefs, he faid, had feized all ranks of people to follow their fovereign to the capital ; that the mountain Haramat flill held out ; but that all the principal friends, both of Za Menfus andNetcho, had been up with the governors of that fortrefs offering terms of peace and forgivennefs, and de- firing they would not be an obflacle in the king's way, and a hinderance to his return, but that all terms had been as yet refilled ; however, fays he, you know the Ras as well a3 I, he will play them a trick fome of thefe days, winking with his eye, and then crying out, Drink !
I ASKED
