Shekh, and went away, whispering, two and two together. The king's servant joined his companion, who told me to be ready, and fear nothing, for he would see me to-morrow night at Beyla.
About half an hour after my return home I was again called to the Shekh, who had only the Moullah and the old Kaiya sitting by him, with two short letters in his hand from Yasine, full of reproaches for his behaviour to me, and declaring with most solemn oaths, that if those letters found me at Teawa, or if I was not gone from thence in peace, be would, before a fortnight was elapsed, be down as an enemy upon Teawa; and unless the Daveina did engage to burn every stalk of corn between that and Beyla as soon as it was in the ear, he would shut Abyssinia against them, and that they should neither eat bread nor drink water in it as long as he was alive and governor of Ras el Feel. These letters mentioned a complaint likewise that had been sent to Shekh Adelan at Sennaar, but by whom they did not say, probably from Ayto Confu, complaining of Fidele's usage to me. Yasine's men, that brought the letters from Ras el Feel to Teawa, were said to be three in number, mounted on camels, or dromedaries, and armed with coats of mail and head-pieces. They refused to come into Teawa, to eat of Shekh Fidele's bread[1], or drink of his water, looking upon him as a declared enemy of Yasine, their master. Fidele with some difficulty at last allowed black Soliman to go to meet them, to persuade them to enter the town; but all to
- ↑ This refusal among the Arabs is a declaration of the most deadly enmity.
