Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, Volume 2 (of 5): In the years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772 and 1773Bruce, James
History
Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, Volume 2 (of 5): In the years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772 and 1773
Bruce, James
Egypt -- Description and travel; Ethiopia -- Description and travel; Ethiopia -- History; Natural history -- Ethiopia; Nile River
The king, upon the first noise of the musquetry, advanced quickly with
his horse, and met the Galla, in the height of their confusion, flying
back again into the plain. Here they fell an easy sacrifice to the
fresh troops led by Yasous, and to the peasants, exasperated by the
havoc they before had made in the country. Of the enemy, about 6000
men fell this day on the field; a few were brought to Gondar, and, in
contempt, sold for slaves. Few on the king’s side were slain, excepting
those that fell with Demetrius, the account of whose death the king
heard without any signs of regret:--“I told the man (says the king)
that he should shew himself and retire; if I wanted a victory I would
have led the army in person; I march against the Galla, not as a king,
but as an executioner, because my aim is to extirpate them.”
Although Yasous was stedfast in his own opinion as to his religion, or,
as it may be more properly called, the disputes and quibbles with the
monks concerning it, yet he suffered each sect to enjoy its own, and,
probably, in his heart he perfectly despised both.
The monks, however, were far from possessing any such spirit of
toleration. They considered the deposing of Acab Saat, Constantius,
and the Itchegué Tzaga Christos, as a declaration of dislike the king
entertained towards their party. They bore with great impatience and
indignation, that Abuna Sanuda, who was once their zealous partizan
in the time of Hannes, should now suddenly change his sentiments, and
declare implicitly for those of the king, and thereby increase both the
number and the consequence of their adversaries. They declared that
they would suffer every thing rather than live under a king who shewed
himself so openly a favourer of Debra Libanos, though it was now but
their turn, having in the last reign had a king more partial, and more
attached to St Eustathius, than ever Yasous was to any set of monks
whatever.
The ringleaders in all these seditious declarations were Abba Tebedin,
superior of the monastery of Gondga, and Kasmati Wali of Damot, by
origin a Galla. These two turbulent men, having first drawn over to
their party the Agows and province of Damot, passed over the Nile
to Goodero and Basso, whom they joined, and then proclaimed king
one Isaac, grandson of Socinios a prince, who was never sent to the
mountain, but whose predecessors, being at liberty when Facilidas
first banished his brothers and children to Wechné, had fled to the
Galla, and there remained in obscurity, waiting the juncture which now
happened to declare his royal descent, and offer himself for king.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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