y, one of the
highest points of honour amongst them to risk their fortunes and their
lives in the defence of their dependants who have implored their
protection. But neither law nor justice was of any advantage to us, and
the customs of the country were doomed to be broken when they would have
contributed to our security.

We were obliged to march in the extremity of the hot season, and had
certainly perished by the fatigue had we not entered the woods, which
shaded us from the scorching sun. The day before our arrival at the
place where we were to be delivered to the Turks, we met with five
elephants, that pursued us, and if they could have come to us would have
prevented the miseries we afterwards endured, but God had decreed
otherwise.

On the morrow we came to the banks of a river, where we found fourscore
Turks that waited for us, armed with muskets. They let us rest awhile,
and then put us into the hands of our new masters, who, setting us upon
camels, conducted us to Mazna. Their commander, seeming to be touched
with our misfortunes, treated us with much gentleness and humanity; he
offered us coffee, which we drank, but with little relish. We came next
day to Mazna, in so wretched a condition that we were not surprised at
being hooted by the boys, but thought ourselves well used that they threw
no stones at us.

As soon as we were brought hither, all we had was taken from us, and we
were carried to the governor, who is placed there by the Bassa of
Suaquem. Having been told by the Abyssins that we had carried all the
gold out of AEthiopia, they searched us with great exactness, but found
nothing except two chalices, and some relics of so little value that we
redeemed them for six sequins. As I had given them my chalice upon their
first demand, they did not search me, but gave us to understand that they
expected to find something of greater value, which either we must have
hidden or the Abyssins must have imposed on them. They left us the rest
of the day at a gentleman's house, who was our friend, from whence the
next day they fetched us to transport us to the island, where they put us
into a kind of prison, with a view of terrifying us into a confession of
the place where we had hid our gold, in which, however, they found
themselves deceived.

But I had here another affair upon my hands which was near costing me
dear. My servant had been taken from me and left at Mazna, to be sold to
the Arabs. Bein