586 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER
rather without a rider, and this I had obferved the night I went to the cataract from Goutto. Sitting on the king's faddle, or in his feat at Gondar, is high-treafon; and Woldo thought, at all times, but now efpecially, that his mafter was infe- rior to no king upon earth. I even attributed to that laft expedition at Goutto his filence and apparent licknefs ever fince ; but in this laft circumftance I found afterwards that I was miftaken : be that as it would, my plan was very dif- ferent from Woldo's as to the horfe, he was become a fa- vourite, and I was refolved, in the courfe of my journey, to improve his talents fo, that he mould make a better appear- ance on his return to Gondar, than he did when I received him from Falil at Bamba. I compounded, as I conceived, with Woldo's fcruples, by laying afide Fafil's faddle, which was- a very uneafy one, befides, that it had iron rings in- stead of ftirrups ; in fhort, as this horfe was very beautiful, (as many of the Gallahorfes are) and all of one colour, which was of lead, without any fpot of white, 1 hoped to make him an acceptable prefent to the king, who was pailionate- ly fond of horfes. Here it may not be improper to obferve, that all very great men in Abyfiinia choofe to ride horfes of one colour only, which have no diftinguifhing mark where- by they may be traced in retreats, flights, or fuch unlucky expeditions : It is the king alone in battle who rides upon a horfe diftinguifhed by his marks, and that on purpofe that he may be known.
There were many villages in this valley which feemed to have efcaped the havock of war, nor had they that air of po- verty and mifery fo apparent in all the other habitations we had feen. We were pointing nearly eaft fouth-eaft, when we paffed the fmall river Googucri, which, like all the others 3 on
