The lad went forwards and
backwards many times; but, apart from the presents be received from
us, I do not believe he ever even got a salt for so constantly
exposing his life; a few more men, who had friends and acquaintances
on the road, managed also to pass through. All of them were very
useful to us, as they also carried the correspondence between us
and Mr. Flad, and, beings well rewarded, could be trusted with the
most dangerous letters. We thought it even good fun to make the
King's messenger our medium of communication between our friends
in his camp and ourselves, often on treasonable matters.
Soon after reaching Bet Hor, Theodore issued a proclamation to the
rebel districts of Dahonte and Dalanta, offering full amnesty for
the past, and pledging himself, "by the death of Christ," that he
would neither plunder nor ill-use them, should they return to their
allegiance. For some days both districts refused, as Gobaze had
promised to come and defend them; but the people of Dalanta, on seeing
that, far from giving them any help, Gobaze was himself getting
out of the way of Theodore, thought that, after all, it was perhaps
better to accept the latter's offer, and, as they could not help
themselves, trust to his pledged word. Dahonte, however, remained
in its rebellion, and proposed to resist by force of arms any attempt
on the part of Theodore to plunder the province.
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