/vv 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Jl he design of the following work is to assemble 
 together all that is most interesting relative to Africa ; 
 to bring whatever may have been described by differ- 
 ent travellers, or mentioned at various times by the 
 same traveller, into one point of view ; and to form 
 the whole into a regular narrative. It appeared to 
 me that these objects would be best attained by cre- 
 ating an imaginary traveller, who should speak in 
 his own person. I am aware that truth and fiction 
 should not be mingled, and I have not mingled them. 
 They are distinct, though they constantly appear 
 together ; the traveller himself being ideal, and all 
 he recounts true, as far as the best authors can be 
 relied upon: 
 
 This method seemed to me to offer many advan- 
 tages. It has enabled me to avoid all discussions, 
 arguments, and contradictions : it has afforded me 
 an opportunity of introducing some observations of 
 my own : it gives to the information it conveys 
 an air of consistency, perspicuity, and originality : 
 it spares the reader the fatigue of referring to autho- 
 rities ; yet, if any choose that labour, he may find 
 that all I have ventured to relate is well authenti-
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 cated. The Travellers from whose works the pre- 
 sent volume has been compiled are: Pococke, Bruce, 
 Niebuhr, Volney, Savary, Sonnini, Denon, Sir Robert 
 Wilson, and Legh, for Egypt ; Horneman, for Fez- 
 zan^ Browne, for Dar Fiir; and Bruce, for Abyssinia 
 and Sennaar. Truth has been my first object; my 
 next has been to select the most important truths, 
 and to arrange them correctly, and geographically ; 
 chronology I have studiously avoided, as it would 
 have destroyed my plan. My third object was to 
 render truth as agreeable as my abilities would allow, 
 and as concise as possible. 
 
 The present volume contains an account of Egypt, 
 and those countries which have been visited from 
 Egypt : it is therefore complete. But it is my in- 
 tention to conduct my traveller home by the Cape of 
 Good Hope, the Coast of Guinea, and the States of 
 Barbary j thus performing the Tour of Africa.
 
 PT 
 
 If 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 Alexandria and Rosetta. 
 
 Page 
 .. 3 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Cairo 21 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Pyramids. Catacombs. Heliopolis. Pilgrims 38 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Damieita. Lakes of Natron 52 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Convent in the Desert 65
 
 vili CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Suez and Faioume • 72 
 
 CHAP. vn. 
 
 Upper Egypt, to Siout 80 
 
 CHAP. Yin. 
 Siout to DencJera 9l 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 Tentyra 98 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 Dendera to Thebes 103 
 
 CHAP. XL 
 Thebes 110 
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 Hot Wind. Esneh. Etfu. Manners of the Arabs. .125 
 
 CHAP. XIII. 
 Asssfian to Ibrim 136 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 FEZZAN. 
 
 Cairo to Mourzouk 151
 
 CONTENTS. IX 
 
 Page 
 CHAP. XV. 
 
 Mourzouk, and Return to Egypt. * 168 
 
 CHAP. XVI. 
 
 DAR FUR. 
 
 Journey to Dar FCir, and Residence there 177 
 
 CHAP. XVIT. 
 Account of Dar Fflr 196 
 
 CHAP. XVIII. 
 Keneh to Cosseir 213 
 
 CHAP. XIX. 
 
 Suakem. Dahalac. MasCiah. Arkeeko 225 
 
 CHAP. XX. 
 
 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 Dixan. Adowa 230 
 
 CHAP. XXI. 
 Axum. Sir^. TheTacazz^. Lamalmon. Gondar..253 
 
 CHAP. XXII. 
 
 Sketch of the History of Abyssinia 264 
 
 CHAP. XXIII. 
 Reception at Gondar 285
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 CHAP. XXIV. 
 
 Provinces, Palaces, Customs, Hunting, and Army of 
 Abyssinia 290 
 
 CHAP. XXV. 
 
 MannerSjCustoms, Animals, and Plants of Abyssinia.303 
 
 CHAP. XXVL 
 
 Lake Tzana. Cataract of the Nile ..318 
 
 CHAP. XXVII. 
 From Gondar to the Source of the Nile 325 
 
 CHAP. XXVIII. 
 The Nile 340 
 
 CHAP. XXIX. 
 
 Prince of Shoa. Chief of Angot. Kin<2; of Ginoiro.352 
 
 CHAP. XXX. 
 Conclusion of Abyssinia 359 
 
 CHAP. XXXI. 
 Teawa 371 
 
 CHAP. XXXII. 
 
 Teawa to Sennaar. History of Sennaar 384
 
 CONTENTS. XI 
 
 Page 
 CHAP. XXXIII. 
 
 Audience of the King of Sennaar, and of Adelan..395 
 
 CHAP. XXXIV. 
 Residence at Sennaar. Account of Sennaar 404 
 
 CHAP. XXXV. 
 
 Sennaar, to the entrance of the Desert of Nubia. .420 
 
 CHAP. XXXVI. 
 
 Desert of Nubia to Terfowey ...437 
 
 CHAP. XXXVII. 
 Desert, from Terfowey to Assouan 444
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 1 AM the son of an English country gentleman of 
 good family and large fortune. The first thing im- 
 pressed upon my mind by my mother was, that I 
 was born to be a great traveller. Whether the hear- 
 ing of this predestination constantly repeated, during 
 my infancy, had any influence in forming my cha- 
 racter, or whether I really came into the world witli 
 an inclination to travel, I must leave to philosophers 
 to determine ; but certain it is that, when I could 
 escape from my nurse, I was found in some field, or 
 on some path where I had not been before. As I 
 grew older, I never saw a hill, but I wished to knov/ 
 what w^as beyond it ; and I never heard of a town, 
 but I formed an idea of it, and fancied myself in it. 
 My father died when I was twelve years of age, 
 and my mother survived him only a year. At twen- 
 ty-one, I found myself rich, independent, bound to 
 my native country by no tie of consanguinity, and I 
 resolved to fulfil my destiny, or gratify my inclina- 
 tion, whichever were the ruling principle, by seeing 
 the world. 
 
 Having resolved upon travelling, I passed three 
 sleepless nights in considering the subject. I had 
 always been partial to Asia. The arts and customs 
 of China, the temples and manufactures of India, 
 the diamonds and pearls with which the thrones and 
 garments of the Asiatic monarchs are covered, had 
 
 B
 
 2 IMTRODUCTION. 
 
 long been powerful stimulants of my curiosity. I 
 then revolved in my mind the forests, lakes, and 
 bears of Canada, the ruins of ancient Mexico and 
 Peru, the meteors of the Andes, ^nd the mines of 
 Potosi. I afterwards recollected that some very sa- 
 gacious persons had decided that one should begin 
 one's travels at home, and I passed one whole night 
 in the resolution of commencing mine by the tour o£ 
 Europe. I then considered Africa: and the Niles 
 and the Negroes, Timbuctoo and Gondar, gold and 
 ostrich's feathers, elephants and elephants* teeth, 
 rhinoceroses and camelopardalises, black ladies with 
 rings in their noses, and brown ladies with bracelets 
 and gaiters of sheep's guts, left me no room for 
 hesitation. 
 
 Having determined upon the Tour of Africa, and 
 made the necessary arrangements for remittances to 
 be forwarded to me at different places, I embarked 
 on board a vessel bound to Alexandria, and arrived 
 at that city in perfect safety. I took no servant 
 with me, choosing to hire attendants in the course 
 of my travels, as occasion might require.
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 LOWER EGYPT. 
 ALEXANDRIA AND ROSETTA. 
 
 Alexander, returning from Lybia to Egypt, 
 was struck with the situation and beauty of two 
 ports. An architect, who accompanied him, traced 
 out the plan of a city, and the first of the Ptolemies 
 built it, and called it Alexandria. Situated on the 
 edge of the Lybian Desert, it was Math out water ; 
 this, Ptolemy was obliged to bring from the Nile, 
 far above, by a canal, which supplies Alexandria to 
 this day. The city was from twenty-one to twenty- 
 four miles in circumference. All that remains of it 
 are two obelisks called Cleopatra's needles, and the 
 subterraneous cisterns ; what is called Pompey's pil- 
 lar having been erected in honour of Severus. 
 
 Cleopatra's Needles are each formed of a single 
 block of granite, 63 feet in height, and 7 feet in 
 breadth on every side, at the base, and covered with 
 hieroglyphics. One of these only is standing ; the 
 other being near it, and prostrate on the ground. 
 They are supposed to have ornamented the gate of 
 the palace of the Egyptian kings ; but the very ves- 
 tiges of ancient ruins are covered many yards deep 
 by rubbish, the remnant of the devastations of later 
 times; and Cleopatra, were she to return to life, 
 would scarcely know where her palace was situated, 
 in this her own capital. 
 
 B 2
 
 4} LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 Pompey's pillar is a column of the Corinthian 
 order, 88 feet 6 inches in height. The shaft is of a 
 single block of granite, 64 feet in height, and 8 feet 
 4 inches in diameter, generally retaining the finest 
 polish. The Arabs have endeavoured to blow ii 
 up, beheving a treasure to be concealed under it. 
 Their ignorance prevented its destruction, and the 
 French tilled up the aperture they had made with 
 cement, fearing that it might, in time, injure the co- 
 lumn. I am ashamed to add, that the English broke 
 the cement away, and even English officers were 
 seen puUing oft" pieces of the pillar to carry home. 
 At length a centinel was placed to guard a monu- 
 ment of antiquity, which had stood unprotected for 
 ages among barbarians. I do not approve of the 
 design of the French to transport Pompey's Pillar 
 intire to Paris ; but I own I think it less reprehen- 
 sible than to carry it to England, piece-meal in one's 
 pocket. The whole Pillar is calculated to weigh 
 1,110,000 pounds, which would freight a vessel of 
 550 tons. 
 
 The present city of Alexandria is inclosed within 
 solid walls, in some places more than 40, in none less 
 than 20 feet high, flanked with a hundred capacious 
 towers, and forming a circuit of about six miles. 
 Beyond these, are a wide extent of sand and dust, 
 and an accumulation of rubbish, among which may 
 be distinguished broken columns, mutilated statues, 
 and fragments of ancient architecture. The present 
 walls and gates are of Saracenic structure, probably 
 not earlier than the thirteenth century^ and many 
 fragments of Alexander's city were employed in this 
 work. Jackals spring over breaches in the wall, in 
 the night, enter the city in quest of prey, and fill it 
 with their cries.
 
 ALEXANDRIA. 5 
 
 There is nothing beautiful or agreeable in the pre- 
 sent Alexandria, except a handsome street of mo- 
 dern houses, where a number of very active and in- 
 telligent merchants live upon the miserable remains 
 of that trade which constituted its glory in the first 
 times. The population of Alexandria, before tlie 
 invasion of the French, did not exceed 6,900 souls, 
 and since that time it is diminished. The houses 
 are white, with fiat terrace roofs ; tlie windows are 
 lattice, of wood or iron ; tlie streets are narrow and 
 crowded. The inhabitants run, rather than walk, 
 and bawl, rather than speak. Turks, Arabians, 
 Copts, Syrians, and Jews, use violent gesticulations 
 and modes of expression, though only making a com- 
 mon bargain. 
 
 We are not to suppose, that the country around 
 Alexandria was always so sterile as it is now; popu- 
 lation produces a sward of grass, which keeps the 
 sand immoveable, till the place is no donger inha^- 
 bited ; canals which attested the power and gran- 
 deur of ancient times, converted deserts into gardens 
 and corn fields. The Turkish spirit of devastation 
 has dried up the reservoirs of water, and recon- 
 verted fertility to barren sand ; but enough remains 
 to show the power of this mighty agent ; small ramifi- 
 cations of water still produce barley and leguminous 
 plants in the plains ; and trees and shrubs still grow 
 by the side of the canal. 
 
 The great pool of water at Alexandria is one of 
 the finest monuments of the middle age, in Egypt. 
 Though one })art be in a tuinous state, and the other 
 in need of repairs, it contains a quantity of water 
 sufficient for the consumption of men and animals 
 during two years. The French arrived in Egypt in 
 the month preceding that in which the water was to 
 be renewed, and found it very good and sweet.
 
 6 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 Saracen doors of sycamore wood remain unaltered, 
 while the iron work of the doors has yielded to time, 
 and disappeared. 
 
 In a mosque without the precincts of Alexandria, 
 built by one of the Califs, was a large sarcophagus 
 of black marble, spotted with green, yellow, and a 
 reddish colour. It would be an oblong square, but 
 that it is rounded at one of the ends. It has no 
 lid, is covered with small hieroglyphical characters, 
 within and without, and has served the Mohamme- 
 dans for their ablutions. This sarcophagus is now 
 in the British Museum. 
 
 Alexandria is placed between the Mediterranean 
 sea on one side and a sea of sand on the other, and 
 in order to arrive at other lands, one must trust the 
 waves or encounter the desert ; most travellers 
 choose the latter, in their way to Rosetta, which is 
 called a journey of twelve hours. About 12 miles 
 from Alexandria, close on the shore and partly in 
 the water, are the magnificent ruins of Canopus, a 
 city founded by the Greeks. Broken columns, 
 blocks of granite, a mutilated colossal statue of a 
 woman, fluted all its length, the hind part of a 
 sphynx ; such are the remains of a city once embel- 
 lished with the most superb inventions of art, and 
 watered by one of the branches of the Nile. The 
 river has retreated; the plains are desert; not a par- 
 ticle of the monuments has preserved its place or it^ 
 position. The town is now Aboukir, famous for the 
 victory of Nelson near its shore ; its governor is a 
 barber ; his deputy a fisherman ; and the French 
 Resident is a Jew, with a salary of three-pence half- 
 penny a day. 
 
 About six miles beyond Aboukir, I arrived at the 
 ferry called Medea, or the passage ; and here it is
 
 ROSETTA. " 7 
 
 supposed that the Delta begins, and the danger of 
 being plundered by the Lybian Arabs ends. ^From 
 Alexandria hither, I saw no vegetable, except some 
 scattered roots of absinthium. From Medea, our road 
 lay through very dry sand, to avoid which I rode in 
 the sea. We then struck off nearly at right angles, 
 and pursued our journey to the East of North. 
 Here eleven small brick towers, placed at proper 
 distances, conducted us through moving sands to 
 Rosetta, which is environed on this side by hills of 
 sand that seem ready to cover it. The Nile bathes 
 its walls on the East, and on the other side of the 
 river is a rich low tract of land, abounding with 
 towns and villages. 
 
 Rosetta runs about three miles in length on the 
 Western side of the Nile. The houses are built with 
 dingy red bricks ; long streets are formed by a double 
 row of shops ; but streets here are not more than 
 two vards wide ; and caravanseras afford to the 
 traveller only four bare walls and water. Rosetta 
 is the favourite halting-place of Christians entering 
 Egypt. They draw their breath with an imaginary- 
 freedom between the two great sinks of oppression 
 and injustice, Alexandria and Cairo. The insults 
 that Europeans experience at Rosetta are slight,* 
 they say, in comparison with those which persecute 
 them at Alexandria, and overwhelm them at Cairo; 
 where Christian and dog are synonymous terms, and 
 the latter is used by a Mohammedan, when lie in- 
 tends no particular affront. It is true that mer- 
 chants, who trade every day with Christians, are 
 more civilized ; but the priests, men of learning, 
 and soldiers, are equally intolerant and rude ; and 
 in a public procession v»hich I saw of the ditlercnt 
 trades of Rosetta, the chief night-man appeared dis- 
 guised as an European.
 
 8 Lower egypt. 
 
 The ground about Rosetta is low, and retains long 
 the moisture it imbibes from the overflowing of the 
 Nile. There are many gardens and mucli verdure 
 in the vicinitv of Rosetta ; but after the rice is 
 reaped, innumerable crowds of gnats issue from the 
 fields, to suck the blood of man, and bite more 
 fiercely than the musquitoes of South America. 
 
 Rats would render Egypt uninhabitable, if men, 
 beasts, and birds, did not hunt them, for food ; for 
 here men eat rats as well as the birds and beasts ; the 
 inundation also destroys great numbers ; but not- 
 withstanding all these drawbacks, such innumerable 
 multitudes issue from the moistened soil, as soon as 
 the Nile has retired, that the Egyptians believe they 
 are the offspring of the earth ; and many of them se- 
 riously affirm that they have seen the unfinished crea- 
 ture, one half flesh, and the other still mud. 
 
 In the time of the Emperor Selim, the guns of 
 the fortress of Rosetta commanded the sea ; they 
 are now at the distance of three miles from it, and 
 the intermediate space is covered with forests of 
 palm trees, and different fruits and vegetables. The 
 wavesof the Nile rolling to, and the wind blowingfrom 
 the North, create, first, a sand bank, then an island, 
 then join it to the main land. This new made 
 ground first produces three or four kinds of sea-weeds. 
 Their decay furnishes a manure which favours the 
 vegetation of reeds. These give a greater elevation 
 and a greater solidity to the soil ; the date tree ap- 
 pears, and by its shade prevents the sudden eva- 
 poration of the moisture, and renders the earth pro- 
 ductive. 
 
 At Rosetta I paid a visit to the Greek Patriarch of 
 Alexandria, from whom I received all the honours 
 bestowed on such an occasion. First, a servant
 
 ROSETTA. 9 
 
 brings a lighted pipe. Then a saucer of sweetmeats 
 is handed about, and a little, in a small spoon, given 
 to every person. Then coftee is served ; after which 
 the servants bring to every one a bason of sherbet, 
 with a handkerchief by way of napkin to wipe with, 
 after he has drunk. When it is time to take leave, 
 rose-water is brought, and sprinkled on the hands 
 of the cuest, who rubs his face with them. This is 
 followed by incense, the smoke of which the guest 
 receives by leaning his head forward, and holding 
 out his garment on each side. This last compliment 
 is a mark of particular respect. In general, the 
 rose-water is ordered when the master thinks it time 
 that the visit should end ; but when the visitor is a 
 superior, the time of his departure is indicated by 
 himself. In these visits every thing is performed 
 with the greatest regularity, and in the most pro- 
 found silence ; the slaves, or servants standing at 
 the bottom of the room, their hands joined before 
 them, watching every motion of their master, who 
 commands them by signs. 
 
 I was afterwards at a public entertainment given 
 by a village above Rosetta. The repast consisted of 
 large loaves ; immense dishes of rice, either boiled 
 in milk, or rich gravy soup ; halves of sheep, and 
 quarters of veal roasted; heads of different animals, 
 boiled ; highly seasoned ragouts ; vegetables, jelHes, 
 sweetmeats, creams, and honey in the comb. All 
 these dainties were crowded together on a carpet, 
 spread on the floor. Water was served in a pot. 
 The chief man of the village, who did the honours 
 of the repast, took the first draught of water, and 
 was the first to taste the different dishes. The hands 
 and lips of the company, during dinner, were wiped 
 with a slice of bread. Napkins were brought after
 
 10 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 dinner, when each person washed his hands ; he was 
 then sprinkled with rose-water, and pipes and coffee 
 were produced. When our repast was ended, our 
 places were occupied by persons of a second class, 
 who were soon succeeded by others. From a motive 
 of religion, a poor beggar was admitted ; next came 
 the attendants ; and lastly, all who chose to par- 
 take; till nothing was left. It was impossible not 
 to be struck with the frank hospitality of our enter- 
 tainers, and the temperance of the guests, who, 
 notwithstanding there was so great a variety of 
 dishes, did not remain more than ten minutes at 
 table. 
 
 At Rosetta, I visited the baths. I entered a large 
 saloon, where people were lying in bed, or rising 
 from bed after bathing. From hence I went through 
 narrow pssages, each becoming gradually warmer 
 than the last, till the steam and heat were almost in- 
 supportable, when I arrived at the room in which 
 were the baths. Numbers of persons were there, 
 some in the bath, others being rubbed all over by 
 the attendants, who wear gloves stuffed with cotton. 
 I had read much of the luxury of these Eastern 
 baths ; but having, myself no desire to try the 
 luxury of being immersed in scalding water, of be- 
 ing kneaded like dough, and having every joint dis- 
 tended and snapped, I confess I did not bathe. 
 The floors were composed of beautiful mosaic pave- 
 ment ; but the heat combined witli various ill smells, 
 was so oppressive, that I wondered any person could 
 remain five minutes in the place. 
 
 There is in Egypt a numerous sect called Saadis, 
 from Saadi, a Syrian saint, who being sent one day 
 for a bundle of sticks, and not being able to find a 
 band to tie it, took up a few serpents, and twisting
 
 ROSETTA* 11 
 
 them togetlier, bound up his sticks with tliis living 
 rope. Every year the Saadis celebrate the festival 
 of their founder by walking in procession through 
 the streets ; each holding in his hand a living ser- 
 pent, and biting and swallowing pieces of it with 
 frightful grimaces and contortions. As I had not an 
 opportunity of seeing this ceremony, I procured, by 
 means of money, a confirmation of the fact in my 
 own apartment at Rosetta. 
 
 A Saadi came, accompanied by a priest of his 
 sect, who carried in his bosom a large serpent, of a 
 dusky green and copper colour, which he was con* 
 timially handling, and after having recited a prayer, 
 he delivered it to the Saadi. I observed that the 
 teeth of the reptile had been extracted : it was how- 
 ever very lively. 
 
 With a vigorous hand the Saadi seized the ser- 
 pent, which twisted itself round his naked arm. He 
 began to appear agitated ; his eyes rolled ; he ut- 
 tered terrible cries ; he bit the animal on the head, 
 and tore off a piece, which I saw him chew and swal- 
 low. On this, his bowlings were redoubled; his limbs 
 writhed ; his countenance displayed the features of 
 madness, and his distended mouth was filled with 
 foam. Every now and then, he devoured a fresh 
 piece of the serpent. Three men endeavoured to 
 hold him ; but he dragged them all three round the 
 room, throwing his arms about with violence, on all 
 sides, and striking every thing within their reach. 
 I cliuig to the wall to avoid him, and wished the 
 madman far av/ay. 
 
 At length, the priest took the serpent from him, 
 and grasping him in his arms, stroked him gently 
 down the back, lifted him from the ground, and 
 recited some prayers. By degrees his agitation dimi-
 
 1^ LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 nished, and then subsided into a state of complete 
 lassitude, which continued a short time. I enter- 
 tain no doubt of the knavery of the priest, and the 
 sincerity of the serpent-eater. The priest pretends 
 to blow his spirit into the Saadi before he delivers 
 the reptile. 
 
 Two of these performers were introduced to Buo- 
 naparte, in the palace which he inhabited at Cairo. 
 " Can you tell me," said he, " whether there are 
 any serpents in this palace ? and if there are, can you 
 oblige them to come out from their retreats ?'* 
 They answered both questions in the affirmative ; 
 and, searching all the rooms, they declared that there 
 was a serpent in the house. They then renewed 
 their search, to discover where he was hidden, made 
 some convulsions in passing before a certain jar, and 
 declared that the animal was there. There, indeed, 
 he was found ; and Buonaparte and a gentleman 
 who was with him looked at each other, and acknow- 
 ledged that the trick was adroitly performed. The 
 teeth of this serpent had not been extracted ; but 
 while the Saadi threatened and exasperated the rep- 
 tile with one hand, he held it on the back of the 
 head with the other. Though the gentleman who 
 attended Buonaparte had not been initiated, he per- 
 formed this part of the miracle himself, to the great 
 indignation of the followers of Saint Saadi. 
 
 The cerastes, or horned viper, is generally from 
 thirteen to fourteen inches in length ; its head is tri- 
 angular and very flat. In the upper jaw it has two 
 canine teeth, hollow and crooked, from which it 
 sheds its poison. This is very copious for so small 
 a creature, being fully as large as a drop of lauda- 
 num from a phial. I have seen at Cairo a man take 
 a cerastes, with his naked hand, from a number of
 
 ROSETTA. IS 
 
 others lying at the bottom of a tub, put it on his 
 bare head, cover it with his cap ; then take it out, 
 put it in his breast, and tie it about his neck like a 
 necklace. I liave seen it then bite a hen, which has 
 died in a few minutes ; and to complete the experi- 
 ment, the man has taken the cerastes by the neck, 
 and, beginning at the tail, has eaten it up, as one 
 would do a carrot. 
 
 Of the lizard kind, the warral is so docile, and 
 appears to be so sensible of music, that I have seen 
 several of them keeping exact time with the der- 
 vishes, in their circular motions ; running and turn- 
 ing over their heads and arms when they turned, 
 and stopping when they stopped. 
 
 At Rosetta I amused myself with discriminating 
 the various inhabitants of Egypt. I fancied I could 
 distinguish in the Copts, who are the original inha- 
 bitants of the country, a description of swarthy Nu- 
 bians, with flat foreheads, eyes half closed, and 
 raised up at the angles, high cheek bones, a broad. 
 Hat, and short nose, a large flattened mouth, placed 
 at a considerable distance from the nose, thick lips, 
 little beard, a shapeless body, crooked legs, and 
 long flat toes. Ignorance, drunkenness, cunning, 
 and finesse, are the moral qualities by which these 
 ancient possessors of Egypt are characterized. 
 
 After the Copts, come the Arabs, the most nume- 
 rous of the inhabitants of modern Egypt. They are 
 lively, and have a penetrating physiognomy. 
 
 Their eyes, which are sunk in, and over-arched, 
 ,are replete with vivacity and character. Their 
 beard is short, and hanging in filaments ; their lips 
 are thin and open, displaying fine teeth ; their arms 
 are fleshy. They are more active than handsome, 
 and more muscular than well-shaped.
 
 14< LUWER EGYPT. 
 
 Three classes of these people, are, however, to 
 be distinguished. First, the Arab shepherd, who 
 resembles the description I have given. Next, 
 the Bedouin Arab, on whom a more exalted inde- 
 pendence, and the state of warfare in which he lives, 
 have bestowed a greater degree of ferocity. Lastly, 
 the Arab cidtivator, the most degraded of the three, 
 in consequence of the state of bondage in which he 
 is held, the most varied in person and character, 
 and the most corrupted. The two latter classes are 
 sprung from the preceding one, that of the Arab 
 shepherd. 
 
 The Turks are more dignified, and their shape is 
 more delicate. Their thick eye-lids allow but little 
 expression to the eyes; the nose is thick; the mouth 
 and lips handsome ; the b^ard long and bushy; the 
 complexion less swarthy, and the neck plump. Their 
 gestures are dull and heavy, and their gait solemn. 
 
 The Jews are in Egypt what they are every where; 
 hated, without being dreaded ; despised and perse- 
 cuted, without being expelled ; plundering others, 
 without becoming rich themselves ; and useful to 
 others, without any incentive but their own interest. 
 Whether their proximity to their own country may 
 have better preserved their characteristic features 
 here, than elsewhere, I know not ; but it is certain 
 that those among them who are young and handsome 
 bear a strong resemblance to the head which Painting 
 has handed down to us of Jesus Christ. 
 
 The distinguishing marks of another race of men, 
 who are very numerous in Egypt, are strongly de- 
 lineated. These are the Barabras, or people from 
 Nubia. Nature, in an economical mood, has denied 
 them every superfluity. They have neither flesh nor 
 fat, but simply nerves, muscles, and tendons, of
 
 ROSETTA. 
 
 15 
 
 great elasticity, but not great vigour. They perform 
 by activity and address what others effect by strength. 
 Their skin is of a shining jetty black, exactly similar 
 to the appearance of the antique bronzes. They 
 have not the smallest resemblance to the Negroes of 
 the western part of Africa. Their eyes are deep set 
 and sparkling, with the eye-brows hanging over. 
 The nose is pointed, tlie nostrils large, the mouth 
 wide, the lips of a moderate thickness, and the hair 
 and beard in small quantity, and hanging in little 
 locks. They are wrinkled betimes ; but this, and 
 the whiteness of their beard, are the only indications 
 of age observable among them ; every part of the 
 body remaining slender and muscular as in their 
 youth, and their limbs retaining their agility to the 
 last. Their physiognomy is cheerful, and they are 
 lively and well disposed. Such as are domestics are 
 faithful to their masters, and much attached to them. 
 Many are employed to guard magazines and stores. 
 They are clad in a piece of white woollen cloth. 
 They gain but little, and subsist upon less. 
 
 The French officers who were prisoners among 
 the Bedouin Arabs, considered the hardships they 
 suffered during their captivity, rather as the conse- 
 quence of the mode of living of these people, than 
 as the result of their barbarity. The labour required 
 of them was neither cruel nor excessive, having 
 only to attend on the women, and to load and drive 
 the asses and camels. x\t that time the Arabs 
 were obliged to remove continually ; the camp equi- 
 page was kept packed up, and less than a quarter 
 of an hour was sufficient to set the cavalcade in 
 motion. This equipage consisted of a mill to grind 
 the corn and coffee, a round iron plate on which 
 to bake fiat cakes, a large coffee pot and a small
 
 16 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 one, a few goat-skins to ho]d water, a few sacks of 
 corn, and the tent cloth, in which all these articles 
 were wrapped up. A handful of roasted corn, and a 
 dozen dates, was the customary ration on days of 
 marching, with a small allowance of water, which, 
 on account of its scarcity, had been applied to other 
 purposes before it was used as a beverage. These offi- 
 cers, however, experienced no ill treatment, and 
 harboured no resentment against the Bedouins, whose 
 wretched condition they had only shared. 
 
 A French officer had been several months a pri- 
 soner with an Arab Sheik, when the camp was sur- 
 prized in the night by a body of French cavalry, 
 and plundered of every thing, the Sheik himself 
 having barely time to escape. On tlie following day 
 he produced a cake which he had carried with him, 
 and, presenting the half of it to Iiis prisoner, he said, 
 " I do not know when we shall have any more food, 
 but it shall not be said that I refused to share my 
 last morsel with one whom 1 look upon as my friend.' 
 One circumstance happened, however, which 
 places the Arab character in a different point of 
 view. A French officer was taken prisoner by the 
 Arabs, in crossing a ditch, at a very small distance 
 from the army. A price was demanded for his ran- 
 som ; the captors disputed respecting their several 
 shares, and, to end the contest, tliey blew out his 
 brains. 
 
 The Turk is always smoaking. He sits on his 
 sofa, or in the shade, and slowly washes down every 
 four or five whiffs of tobacco with a gulp of coffee. 
 The tube of his pipe is long, and made of the rarest 
 and sweetest scented wood ; the top is frequently 
 enriched with precious stones ; the part which goes 
 into the mouth is of yellow amber j the cup is of fine
 
 ROSETTA. 17 
 
 baked clay. The purse tliat contains the tobacco 
 is of silk, richly embroidered, and hangs always at 
 his girdle. The tobacco used by the Turks is mild, 
 and never occasions them to spit, which would be 
 looked upon as an indecency in the presence of per- 
 sons entitled to respect. Of coffee, forty berries 
 make one cup, and their cups are extremely small. 
 The coffee is boiled three times successively, drawing 
 it off' the fire between each time, and then poured out. 
 
 The Turk seems to meditate, and thinks of nothing. 
 He never stirs from one place to another without 
 some object to put him in motion, and the moment 
 he has attained his object he sits down. To go out 
 and return, without any apparent inducement, he 
 considers as an act of folly. It is only those people 
 who think, that require to have the operations of 
 the mind relieved by those of the body. 
 
 All the customs of the Turks seem to invite to 
 repose. Their divans, which are contrived for a 
 recumbent posture, and from which it requires an 
 effort to rise ; their long garments, which impede 
 walking ; their gloves, which stretch nearly eight 
 inches beyond the fingers ; their turban, which pre- 
 vents their head from stooping ; their pipe, which 
 lulls them with its smoak; conspire to destroy activity 
 and imagination. Even those persons who are obliged 
 to work for a livelihood dislike every occupation that 
 keeps them standing : the joiner, carpenter, black- 
 smith, farrier, all work sitting, and tlie mason raises 
 a minaret in the same attitude. 
 
 The Jews are obliged to be distinguished by their 
 head-dress, their shoes, and the tufts of hair left 
 growing by their ears. They suffer loads of petty 
 persecutions with insensibility, if there be left them 
 any means of advancing their interest. They do 
 
 c
 
 18 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 not rob with manly intrepidity and open violence ; 
 but they are dextrous, sly, and low deceivers. 
 
 The Egyptian women of the common class conceal 
 their faces under a black cloth veil, in which two 
 holes are cut for the eyes; and take greater pains 
 to hide the nose and mouth, than any other part 
 of their persons. Their dress, particuknly in the 
 country, consists only of a kind of large tunic, open 
 from the arm-pits downwards, on each side, with 
 very wide sleeves ; and they discover, occasionally, 
 fine slender limbs. Their complexion is of a dusky 
 brown. They walk with great ease and security, and 
 carry their burdens with some degree of elegance. 
 
 Of the better sort of females, I have seen but two. 
 The first was the wife of a rich merchant, to whom 
 I was introduced by her husband. She was fair, 
 and her beauty was accompanied by a soft tinge of 
 melancholy, which I thought was assumed to impress 
 me with the idea that she was superior to the magi 
 nificence that covered and surrounded her. Her 
 hands were uncommonly delicate and beautiful. 
 The other lady was a native of Egypt, and married 
 to a Frank, or European. She was handsome, good- 
 natured, ingenuous, of engaging manners, but not 
 very discreet. 
 
 Large black eyes are a distinguishing mark of 
 beauty ; and to make them appear larger and blacker, 
 the ladies of Egypt tinge the eye-brows and eye- 
 lashes, and mark the corners of the eye with black 
 lead, reduced to a subtil powder, and prepared with 
 some oily and odoriferous substance. If large black 
 eyes be essential to female beauty, red fingers and 
 nails are not less so. These, as well as the soles of 
 the feet, are dyed with henna. The powder of the 
 dried leaves is made into a paste with water, and
 
 ROSETTA. 19 
 
 rubbed upon the parts intended to be coloured; they 
 are then wrapped in linen, and at the end of two or 
 three hours the colour is sufficiently impressed upon 
 the skin. The application is renewed about once a 
 fortnight, except upon the nails, where the dye re- 
 mains much longer, though women wash both hands 
 and feet, several times a day, with soap and luke- 
 warm water. The fingers are wrapped round at equal 
 distances with thread, to prevent the dye from taking 
 effect ; so that when the operation is finished, they 
 are marked to the nails with rings of red. It should 
 seem that the ancient Egyptians dyed their nails ; 
 as those of the mummies are commonly of a reddish 
 hue. The flowers of the henna are remarkably fra- 
 grant, but when brought very near, they become 
 disagreeable ; the colours from the leaves may be 
 varied, from a lively red, to orange colour, or yellow. 
 Great quantities of the shrub grow near Rosetta. 
 
 When the eyes and hands are properly coloured, 
 to complete a beauty, she must have a smooth and 
 polished skin, and be as fat as possible. 
 
 Dogs are reckoned unclean animals, and have no 
 habitation but the streets, where they are persecuted 
 and held in abhorrence. Aware of the opinions of 
 the Mohammedans concerning them, they are care- 
 ful not to touch the clothes of the passengers ; the 
 Mohammedan, on his part, is equally careful to 
 keep the skirt of his robe out of the way of the dog. 
 Without having any thing committed to their charge, 
 the dogs are the voluntary guards of the city and 
 merchandize. They form themselves into separate 
 tribes, which have hereditary limits that they do not 
 transgress. If one should pass into a different quarter, 
 he would be assaulted by a troop of the canine in- 
 habitants, and would iiiul it difficult to make his 
 retreat. c 2
 
 20 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 The Moliammedans are fond of cats, which are 
 not excUided even from the mosques. There are cats 
 in most of the houses of Egypt. In the mansions of 
 the rich, they are seen reposing on the cushions of 
 their masters, who stroke and caress them. It is 
 said that Mohammed was so fond of his cat, that, 
 being called away while she was sleeping on his 
 sleeve, he cut it off, rather than disturb her. I am 
 sorry he did not allow a dog to take possession of 
 his other sleeve. 
 
 The horses, the buffaloes, having experienced 
 friendly treatment, are docile and tractable. Man 
 makes of dependent quadrupeds what he pleases ; 
 and the flocks and the camels of a Bedouin repair at 
 night to the tent of their master, knowing that they 
 are a part of his family. I am myself acquainted 
 with a cow, belonging to a poor cottager in my 
 own country, which roams about the highways for 
 food, and when she is satisfied, stands at the door of 
 her mistress, with half her body in the dwelling. 
 She is not permitted to enter wholly ; but I am per- 
 suaded that nothing is wanting but an invitation 
 and a lock of hay to induce her to take her place 
 at table.
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 CAIRO. 
 
 1 HAVE remained ignorant of several things during 
 a great part of my life, because they were too well 
 known to be described. To prevent this circumstance 
 from happening to another, in the present instance, 
 I shall observe that Egypt is nothing more tlian the 
 Vale of the Nile. The river runs from South to 
 North, and annually overflows its banks. As far as 
 this inundation reaches, or can be carried, the soil 
 is a fat black mould, which ordinarily yields from 
 twenty-five to thirty grains of corn for one ; in extra- 
 ordinary seasons fifty for one; and it has been known 
 to yield a hundred and fifty. On the East and West 
 of this supply of water, is a dry sand, known by the 
 general name of Desert ; and beyond this are the 
 boundaries of the Vale : a chain of nuked rocky 
 mountains on the East, which begins at Cairo, some- 
 times receding and leaving a plain of about a league 
 in breadth, at others, opposing its barrier to the 
 stream ; and a range of barren hills on the West, 
 which rises with less abruptness, and leaves a larger 
 space between its base and the river. 
 
 This valley is divided into Lower and Upper 
 Egypt, by an imaginary line drawn across it, above 
 Cairo, the capital. Below Cairo, the river divides 
 into two streams ; the Western brancli entering the 
 Mediterranean Sea at Rosetta, and the I'^astcrn at 
 Damietta; and the two branches diverging from each 
 other as they run, leave a space of about seventy
 
 2'2 LOWER pGYPT. 
 
 miles between the two mouths ; but tliis is a road 
 seldom travelled, on account of the robbers with 
 which the country is infested. The land thus in- 
 closed between the two branches of the river and the 
 sea, forms a vast triangular plain called the Delta. 
 It is sprinkled with innumerable towns and villages, 
 which are built upon small eminences that raise them 
 above the inundation. 
 
 In few words, Egypt is a flat plain, intersected by 
 a river and canals ; it is under water during three 
 months ; verdant and boggy for three others ; and 
 dusty and full of cracks the remainder of the year. 
 On this surface are a number of brick and miid- 
 walled villages ; half-naked and sun-burnt peasants ; 
 buffaloes and camels ; sycamore and date trees 
 thinly scattered; lakes, cultivated fields, and vacant 
 grounds of considerable extent. And, over all, a 
 burning sun darting his rsiys from an azure sky with- 
 out clouds, and winds constantly blowing, though 
 not always with the same strength. 
 
 The Nile when free from inundation is no where 
 more than 7^)0, or less than 100 yards in breadth. 
 Its depth is from one yard to eight. 
 
 Hoar frosts and ice are unknown in Egypt. 
 
 Great quantities of rice are raised in the Delta. 
 Banks are raised round the rice fields, to retain the 
 water of the inundation, and aqueducts are formed 
 to supply them with more ; as it is necessary to the 
 thriving of the plant that its root be continually 
 soaked in water during a certain time. Rice is six 
 months in the ground before it readies maturity. 
 It is separated from the stalk by a machine with 
 three rows of small wheels of solid iron, which is 
 drawn by tv/o oxen, in a circular direction, over a 
 pjle of rice. The grain is then spread to dry, and
 
 CAIRO. 23 
 
 tlinxcd by men, who walk by the side of each other ; 
 each turning it over with one foot as he walks. It 
 is then stripped of its husk by a nnill, winnowed, whi- 
 tened, salted, and carried to market. 
 
 In years of a plentiful inundation, the proprietor 
 of rice grounds obtains a profit of fifty per cent. 
 As soon as the rice is reaped, the husbandman scat- 
 ters on the surface of the ground the seed of a beau- 
 tiful kind of trefoil which is called barsim. The 
 soil needs neither ploughing nor digging; being still 
 humid enough for the seed to sink to a sufficient 
 depth. This trefoil yields three successive crops, 
 before it again gives place to the rice. Barsim, 
 green, or dried, is the most common and the most 
 succulent food of domestic animals. 
 
 The houses of an Egyptian viUage are built of 
 mud, even the roof, and they resemble an oven in 
 shape, ^yithin, is only one apartment, generally 
 about ten feet square. The door does not admit of 
 a man's entering upright ; but, as the bottom is dug 
 about two feet lower than the surface of the ground, 
 an erect posture is possible, when in the room. A 
 mat, some large cans to hold water, which it is al- 
 ways the business of the woman to fetch, a drinking 
 pitcher, a rice pan, and a coffee pot, are all the 
 utensils. Yet in these huts the people are not se- 
 cure from oppression. If a man be suspected of 
 having money, on the information of a spy, or ati 
 enemy, he is summoned before the Bey; a sum is 
 demanded, and, if he deny that he possesses it, he 
 is thrown upon his back, and receives two or three 
 hundred blows on the soles of his feet. 
 
 All the vilhmcs are surrounded with hio'h mud 
 walls, flanked with small towers of the same material, 
 to protect them from the Bedouins. The corn of
 
 24 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 each village is placed in a magazine without the 
 walls ; each individual making his own stack, and 
 preserving a path round it. Men, attended by dogs, 
 guard this valuable deposit during the night. 
 
 The peasants of Egypt are labourers, to whom no 
 more is left than what is barely sufficient to sustain 
 life. The rice and wheat they gather are carried to 
 the table of their masters, and nothing is reserved 
 for themselves but dora, or Indian millet, of which 
 they make a bread without leaven, and bake it over 
 a fire made of the dung of animals. This, with wa- 
 ter and raw onions, makes their ordinary food ; a 
 little cheese, sour milk, honey, or a few dates, are 
 their luxuries. Their clothin<>: is a shirt of blue li- 
 nen, and a clumsv black cloak, and their head-dress 
 a cloth cap, with a roll of red woollen round it. 
 
 It is unlawful to eat or drink, during the month 
 of the Ramadan, from the risinsj to the settina: of 
 the sun. The poor man labours all day without 
 food, and eats and sleeps at night. The rich man, 
 in every place, can either elude the laws, or render 
 them less oppressive: he sleeps duripgthe day, when 
 he may not eat, and feasts and revels through the 
 night. As soon as the sun is set, dancing, music, 
 and spectacles appear in the streets, and atone for 
 the abstinence of the day. 
 
 At Rosetta I embarked on the Nile for Cairo ; and 
 i counted fifteen villages on the Western side of the 
 river, in the space of the first twelve miles : the 
 country on the Eastern side appeared an uncultivated 
 morass. By the time I arrived at Teran(^% I had 
 counted more than a hundred villages, on both sides 
 of the Nile, and the country was a clean, well-cul- 
 tivated, unbounded plain. 
 
 DesLik, a large village on the East of the Nile, has
 
 CAIRO. 2.5 
 
 a mosque in wliich two Imndred thousand persons 
 pay their devotions twice a year. The greatest mi- 
 racle performed by Ibrahim, the patron saint, is, 
 that he suspends the jealousy of the Mohammedans 
 during the time his festival lasts, and allows the wo- 
 men a liberty by which they are said to profit to the 
 fullest extent. 
 
 Near thirty British soldiers were drowned by bath- 
 ing in the Nile, on their way to Cairo. 
 
 Cairo is situated on the East of the Nile, and at a 
 small distance from it; the two suburbs of Bulak and 
 Misr el Attike form two points of contact with the 
 river ; the former being the port for Lower Egypt, 
 the latter for Upper. Boats crowd the river, and fer- 
 tile gardens are interspersed between the houses, 
 and between the suburbs and the city. 
 
 Cairo is nine miles in circumference. Within this 
 space are contained a number of gardens, courts, va- 
 cant groinids, and ruins. The gates of the city are 
 numerous ; two of these, at the northern extremity, 
 are splendid monuments of Saracenic architecture j 
 of the walls, only fragments remain. Cairo, or more 
 propcrlyspeaking,Kahira,wasfoundedintheyear9'52. 
 
 The streets of Cairo are unpaved and narrow; but 
 inconveniences would attend their being wider. 
 Two long streets run through the city parallel with 
 the river. The greater number of houses are built 
 with stone, and are two, or sometimes three, stories 
 high. The ground floor is either a shop, or has no 
 windows to the street; the upper stories have latticed 
 windows ; a few have paper windows, and some of 
 the rich have windows of glass. There are more, 
 than three hundred mosques in Cairo, and there are 
 large and sumptuous reservoirs in various parts of 
 the city, where water is given to passengers.
 
 26 LOWEtl EGIPT. 
 
 The Canal which goes througii the city trom 
 North to South is, for the greater part of the year, a 
 public receptacle of all kinds of filth and offal ; before 
 the rise of the Nile, it is cleaned out, and becomes a 
 street ; and lastly, being filled with the increase of 
 the river, it is a canal, covered with boats. It is 
 said to be the work of the Pharaohs, and according 
 to the Arabian historians, its bed is cased with mar- 
 ble. Whatever be the bed, the covering is a thick 
 coat of mud, the work of ages. The pleasure boats 
 of the great, which are used both on the Nile and 
 the canal, on the increase of the river, are light and 
 elegant, and have from four to eight rowers each. 
 Those for the women are covered with wainscot; 
 those for the men are covered at top, and open, or 
 latticed on the sides. 
 
 The general rise of the Nile remains the same as 
 in ancient times, about twenty-four feet. When it 
 has attained this height, the people cry, "Wafaa 
 Allah !'* God has given enough. The bank of the 
 canal is then broken down, and the water is admitted 
 into the city of Cairo. The ri^e is from the end of 
 June to the beginning of September. The motion 
 of the Nile does not exceed three miles an hour. 
 Though the water is muddy, it is not unwholesome. 
 The soil near the river is a pure black mould, free 
 from stones, of a very tenacious and unctuous 
 nature. 
 
 The squares are vast irregular places, and are 
 most of them large lakes during the inundation of 
 the Nile ; and first stinking marshes, and then fields 
 or gardens, when the river has retired to its bed. 
 Crowds of men, of different nations, post through 
 the streets, jostle one another, and dispute the way 
 with the horse of the Mameluk, the mule of the man
 
 CAIRO. 27 
 
 of iaw, the camels which supply the place of 
 carts, and the asses which serve instead of hackney 
 coaches. The terraces of the houses are covered 
 with kites and crows, whose screams and croakings 
 mingle with the tumult of the populace. The inha- 
 bitants are estimated at three hundred thousand. 
 
 All the streets of Cairo have gates, which are shut 
 at night; but a porter attends to open them to those 
 who appear with a light in their hand, and can give 
 a satisfactory reason for desiring to pass. 
 
 The houses of the rich are commonly surrounded 
 by a court. Within the house, is a large hall, as 
 lofty as the building, paved with marble, and having 
 in the centre a marble bason of water. On the top 
 is a small dome, opening on the North side with a 
 funnel, into which the wind rushes, and combines 
 witli the marble and the water to render the air cool 
 and refreshing. One of our snug brick houses, with 
 red tiles, would be intolerable at Cairo. 
 
 The government of Egypt is in the hands of 
 twentv-four Bevs, who before their arrival at that 
 dignity, have been the slaves, soldiers, and followers 
 of the preceding Beys, under the title of Mameluks. 
 
 When a Bey dies, tiie surviving Beys elect ano- 
 ther ; or rather the most powerful of them, but the 
 number is never complete. The revenue of one of 
 the inferior Beys may be about 300 purses, or 
 16,000/. and that of an opulent Bey from 30,000/. to 
 .•50,000/. The revenue of Murad Bey more than 
 doubled the latter snm. Justice is ever open to the 
 fnfluei>ce of gold. Two Syrian Christians, who had 
 successively been farmers of the customs, quarreled. 
 One of them went to the Bey and said, " The city 
 is not wide enough for me and such a one ; you 
 must put one of us to death ; if you will put him to
 
 28 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 death, here are a thousand sequins." The money 
 was accepted, and the obh'gation instantly performed. 
 On the marriage of the daughter of Ibrahim Bey, he 
 understood that a company of female singers who had 
 been singing through the day and a great part of the 
 night, in the principal square of the city, had been 
 very successful, and he sent for the leader to his 
 house. She obeyed the summons with alacrity, ex- 
 pecting a handsome gratuity, or, at least, a hand- 
 some compliment, on the occasion. His first question 
 was, " How many half sequins did you collect yes- 
 terday ?" " About ten thousand," she replied. 
 *' Pay me eight thousand then," said the Bey, '* and 
 I will give you a note for that sum on my secretary." 
 The money was paid, and the woman was turned 
 out of the house, but the note on the secretary was 
 mentioned no more. 
 
 Fatme, the daughter of the famous All Bey, and 
 the wife of the magnificent Murad, was much re- 
 spected by all the Beys : even her husband always 
 stood reverently in her presence. AVhen a Bey was 
 appointed to a government, he paid a visit to this 
 old lady, who never failed to give him good counsel. 
 " Do not pillage the people,'* said she, " they were 
 always spared by my father." 
 
 Cairo is well supplied with Romish ecclesiastics ; 
 here are Jesuits, Capuchins, Cordeliers, and Fathers 
 and Brothers of the Society for the Propagation of 
 the Faith. These monks are ail eager to make pro- 
 selytes, and sometimes succeed so far as to convert 
 some schismatic Christian of the East. The govern- 
 ment tolerates these modern apostles, because a 
 quarrel generally ensues between the convert and 
 the society he has left, and the Bey finds it necessary 
 to fine both parties: sometimes he examines the
 
 CAIRO. 29 
 
 affair to the bottom, and exacts a considerable sum 
 from the monks. 
 
 One of the Beys acquires the title of Sheik el 
 Belled, Chief of the City ; in other words, Tyrant 
 without controul. The Beys harass the governors 
 of provinces and towns with their demands, and 
 these in their turn oppress the country by their ex- 
 rictions ; the profits of agriculture are brought to 
 Cairo to feed the fury and avarice of the Beys ; and 
 the husbandman ceases to till the ground. 
 
 The streets of Cairo have frequently been tlie the- 
 atre of bloody contests between rival Beys and their 
 partizans, while the inhabitants, certain of expe- 
 riencing the same vexations, whoever might be the 
 conqueror, took no part in tlie dispute. The trades- 
 man did not quit his shop, and the mechanic worked 
 coolly at his door, not caring which side obtained 
 the victory ; and the contending parties, certain 
 that the people would remain neuter, did not molest 
 them. 
 
 The splendor and prodigality of those in power is 
 contrasted with the frightful poverty of the body of 
 the people. The intermediate class carefully con- 
 ceal acquired wealth, and only use it clandestinely. 
 The Beys are equally ignorant, fanatic, and super- 
 stitious with the dregs of the people ; not one of 
 either can read or write. 
 
 A strong resemblance may be traced between the 
 features of the modern Copts, and those of the ancient 
 mummies, statues, and paintings of the Egyptians ; 
 the Coptic language is forgotten. The Copts are 
 Christians, but they have adopted many of the Mo- 
 hammedan customs. They are an acute, subtil, and 
 industrious people. The women have interesting 
 features, large black eyes, and a genteel form.
 
 30 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 Hired servants of the great have their food pro- 
 vided by their master, receive clothes occasionally, 
 and get what they can by extortion ; for which the 
 lowest menial has some opportunity. 
 
 Europeans are not allowed to wear the dress of 
 the Mohammedans without some mark to point them 
 out to infamy. They are obhged to wear a high 
 hairy cap, which exposes them to inevitable insults, 
 when they venture out of the quarter of the city as- 
 signed to them. Mounted on an ass, the Frank is 
 obhged to look before and behind him ; and if a 
 Mameluk, a priest, or a man in office pass him, he 
 alights and stands still, with his right hand placed on 
 his breast, till the haughty Mohammedan be gone by, 
 and then mounts to repeat the same ceremony in a 
 few minutes. If accident, or attention to his own 
 affairs, make him regardless, a set of domestics, 
 armed with stout sticks six feet long, and with sleeves 
 tucked up to the arm-pits, attend men in power, and 
 recal the attention of the Frank to this duty by smart 
 blows. One French merchant, whom I knew at 
 Cairo, had his leg broken in this manner ; and ano- 
 ther, whom I knew likewise, his neck. 
 
 The horses of the Mameluks are of the finest 
 Arabian breed, and are often purchased at the price 
 of 150/. or 200/. sterling. The price of an Arabian 
 horse whose pedigree was attested, was from 500/. 
 to 800/. to the French ; and there were very few 
 seen during their stay in Egypt. The mouths of 
 the horses of the Mameluks are not filled with iron : 
 a small simple bit, and a single rein of light Morocco 
 leather, are sufficient to guide them at the rider's 
 pleasure. The bows of the saddle are so elevated, 
 that the horseman is supported up to the middle, 
 before and behind.
 
 CAIRO. SI 
 
 The Egyptian horses are as beautiful as the Ara- 
 bian : but they are inferior in strength. They are 
 often sixteen hands high, and shaped Hke an ante- 
 lope, and the stateliness of their step is admirable. 
 They are wonderfully tractable, and do not seem to 
 know that they can kick. They walk well, never 
 trot, gallop with great speed, and stop short in a 
 moment. The great men keep from fifty to two 
 himdred horses each. 
 
 A horse is never allowed to enter a stable till he 
 be grown cool, and have recovered his breath : till 
 then, he is walked about. In the stable his head is 
 at liberty, and without any kind of halter. His 
 shoes are light, and do not turn down at the ends. 
 
 To try the tempered blades of Damascus, a large 
 pillow stuffed with feathers is set on a prop, about 
 the height of a man, without any thing to keep it 
 steady, so that the slightest touch would throw it 
 down ; and this the sword, to be reputed of excel- 
 lent quality, must cut in two at a single stroke. 
 
 Badly fed, worse attended, oppressed by heavy 
 burdens, and ill treated by blows, the ass of our 
 country is a wretched slave, He is made the em- 
 blem of dulness and stupidity, though he is in reality 
 gentle, patient, and temperate. The asses of Egypt 
 have vigour and beauty ; their foot is sure, their 
 step light, and their paces are quick and easy. More 
 hardy than horses, and less difficult with regard to 
 the quality and quantity of their food, they are pre- 
 ferred for long journies across the deserts. 
 
 In the principal streets and squares of Cairo, asses 
 stand for hire, ready bridled and saddled ; and the 
 person who lets one, accompanies his ass, running 
 behind to goad him on, and crying out to those on 
 foot to make way. When the rider alights, he
 
 32 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 draws the rein tight, and fastens it to a ring on the 
 fore part of the saddle, which confining the head of 
 the beast, is sufficient to make him remain quietly 
 in his place. It is said there are 40,000 asses kept 
 in Cairo. Asses in Egypt are regularly rubbed down 
 and washed, like horses. 
 
 Goats are driven about the streets of Cairo every 
 mprning in small flocks, and people see the milk 
 drawn from them, as they wish to purchase it. 
 
 Dogs reside in the streets of Cairo, and know 
 their own boundaries, as at Rosetta. They bark at 
 an enemy throughout the whole of their division ; 
 when they give him up to the bowlings of those who 
 come to receive him. Lice are so common that even 
 the Beys make no scruple of taking them from their 
 persons in public ; and fleas are so numerous that 
 the shirts of the British officers, were, in twelve hours, 
 covered with a thousand spots. 
 
 Egypt is the country of the one-eyed and the blind. 
 Of a hundred persons whom I have met in the streets 
 of Cairo, twenty have been quite blind, ten wanting 
 an eye, and twenty have had their eyes red or ble- 
 mished. During the stay of the English army in 
 Egypt, 160 soldiers became totally blind, and 200 
 irrecoverably lost one eye. This is occasioned by 
 the air being impregnated with nitrous particles, and 
 by the acrid and burning dust. The indiflerence 
 with which the people support this dreadful calamity 
 is not less astonishing. 
 
 The plague never originates in Egypt ; but may 
 always be traced, immediately, or remotely, to Con- 
 stantinople. Experience, the most indisputable of 
 all evidences, attests the salubrity of the air of Egypt 
 except as it regards the eyes. 
 
 The Almee, or dancing girls, are always attended
 
 CAIRO. 33 
 
 by an old man and woman, who play on musical in- 
 struments, and superintend the conduct of the girls, 
 taking care that they are chaste, unless they re- 
 ceive a sufficient sum for being otherwise. The 
 forms of the Almee are elegant ; their faces are ex- 
 pressive, but not beautiful; I have seen a couple of 
 these ladies swallow large glasses of brandy as if 
 it had been lemonade. 
 
 There are story-tellers, who, with wonderful rea- 
 diness, go through innumerable varieties of adven- 
 tures resembling the Thousand and One Nighta. 
 There are wits, who contend against each other in 
 similitudes. " Let us wrestle in similies," says the 
 challenger. "What is your similitude ?" demands 
 the other. " You are like the city ass, look sleek, 
 and carry dung." Some of these unexpected simi- 
 lies are laughable, and some have real wit. A prize 
 is given to him who holds out the longest. On tlie 
 much-frequented road from Cairo to Boulack, half 
 naked poets, their heads covered with a rush cap, 
 compose extempore verses in honour of each passen- 
 ger, whom they suppose likely to give them a little 
 money. Sometimes two of these form a dialogue on 
 the spot, upon the virtues of a man unknown and 
 unseen before. Their eulogies consivSt of common- 
 place phrases, uttered with great volubility. 
 
 On a marriage at Cairo, the bride, completely 
 veiled, and supported by two women, walks under 
 a canopy to the house of the bridegroom. The 
 apartments of the women are furnished with the 
 finest and most costly articles ; those of the men in a 
 plain style of neatness. The Mameluks breakfast 
 before sun-rise, make their second meal at ten, and 
 third about five in the afternoon. A large dish of 
 pilau, a soup made with barley or rice and goat's 
 
 D
 
 34 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 iiesh, is placed in the middle, and small dishes of 
 meat, iish, and fowls, surround it. The meat is 
 cut small before it is dressed; the beverage is 
 water, and coffee is served immediatelv after. 
 Fire is only employed in cookery ; the effects of 
 cold being sufficiently obviated by warmer cloathing. 
 
 The common bread is unleavened, and in the 
 form of a little flat cake ; it is slightly baked, and 
 the crust is soft, whence it is heavy and hard of di- 
 gestion. In cities, a finer bread is made, which is 
 either covered with carraway seeds, that give it a 
 slight aromatic taste ; or sprinkled with sesamum, 
 an oily grain, that gives it the flavour of a hazle nut. 
 These two are considered as delicacies. 
 
 Dates are pounded and kneaded into solid cakes, 
 for the use of caravans, travelling through the de- 
 serts. Pieces of these, diluted in water, aftbrd nu- 
 tritious food, and a refreshing beverage. These 
 masses are so hard that they must be cut with a 
 hatchet. 
 
 The onions of Egypt, which were one of the 
 causes of the regret of the Children of Israel on 
 quitting that country, are milder than those of Eu- 
 rope ; neither stinging the mouth with their pungent 
 taste, nor making the eyes water when they are cut. 
 They are sold in the streets of Cairo, raw, and 
 dressed, for the merest trifle ; and the labourer who 
 earns about seven farthings a day, buys as much 
 bread, and as many onions as he can eat, and has 
 something to spare. 
 
 Bouza, an intoxicating fermented liquor, made of 
 dried, or parched barley, is much drunk by the com- 
 mon people. 
 
 In Cairo, Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, are 
 the days of the public divan, and the general days of
 
 CAIRO. 35 
 
 business. On Fridays tliey go to their mosques at 
 noon ; but though it is their clay of devotion, they 
 never abstain from business. The other three days 
 of the week they call Benish days, from the garment 
 of that name, which is not a habit of ceremony. On 
 these days they go out early in a morning, with their 
 slaves, to public places called Meidans, at some dis- 
 tance from the city, where there is a sort of open sum- 
 mer houses, and amuse themselves with seeing their 
 slaves ride, shoot, and throw the javelin, while they 
 themselves are smoking and drinking coffee. When 
 they are at home, they pass the time from 12 o'clock 
 till 4 in the women's apartment, and from the time 
 they go to supper till the next morning. The wife 
 who owns the apartment in which the husband 
 chooses to dine, prepares the dinner, or directs and 
 inspects it ; but never eats with him, having her own 
 provisions served, perhaps at the same time, in ano- 
 ther room. A great man, who has four wives, has 
 five kitchens, one for each, managed by her own 
 slaves or servants, and a large one for himself when 
 he does not dine in the harem, and for the servants 
 and slaves of the family. When a man is in his 
 harem, particularly if he be a great man, it must be 
 business of extraordinary importance that can call 
 him out. 
 
 The seclusion of women, originating in the desire 
 of man to guard the creature he conr!dered as his 
 property, has by long habit become a part of de- 
 cency ; and so far from complaining of it as an in- 
 jury, women are tenacious of it as a mark of respect. 
 '^ I consented to become your wife," said a woman 
 to her husband, in my hearing, " that I miglit re- 
 main in private in my own family; not to be sent to 
 market, to meet the eyes of all the world !" 
 
 D L>
 
 S6 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 Both Turks and Egyptians are frugal in their man- 
 ner of living ; the latter seldom eat meat. The great 
 men have fifty or sixty slaves, and as large a number 
 of servants, besides dependents ; yet the cxpence of 
 their table is small : they are at a great expence, 
 however, in clothing their slav'es. 
 
 The coffee-houses at Cairo are not frequented by 
 the best company; but those of a middle rank, who 
 have nothing to do, frequently pass whole days in 
 them, and send for provisions. In some coffee- 
 houses, there is music at certain hours, in others, a 
 man recites some history, or Arabian tale. 
 
 The inhabitants of this country build as little as 
 possible, and repair less. If a wall threaten to come 
 down, they prop it up ; if it fall in, it only makes 
 the fewer rooms in the house, and they quietly 
 arrange their carpets by the side of the ruins ; if, 
 at last, the house fall altogether, they either aban- 
 don the spot, or they remove the rubbish to as small 
 a distance as possible. This is the cause that 
 in almost every town in Egypt, and particularly in 
 Cairo, the traveller sees heaps of rubbish scattered 
 about, for which he cannot account. 
 
 Some trace of the care of the ancient Egyptians in 
 the preparation of the dead remains in this country. 
 They use various methods to free a corpse from all 
 impurities ; and then carry it on a bier, head-fore- 
 most", to the place of interment, preceded by priests, 
 reciting passages of the Koran, and followed by wo- 
 men, who are hired to shed tears and utter lamenta- 
 tions. A small pillar of stone, with a turban on the 
 top, points out the place where the head reposes; 
 and to this mark the friends of the deceased repair 
 every Friday, to repeat their sorrows. 
 
 The repositories of the dead are not mingled witli
 
 CAIRO. S7 
 
 the habitations of the living ; but are large separate 
 enclosures, without the limits of the town. The ce- 
 metery of the Mameluks is an example of Arabian 
 elegance. On quitting the heaps of rubbish which 
 environ Cairo, the stranger is astonished to see ano- 
 ther town, built wholly of white marble, where edi- 
 fices raised on columns, and terminated by domes, 
 or by painted, carved, and gilt palanquins, form a 
 striking picture. 
 
 Every trade and profession at Cairo has its Sheik, 
 or leader. 
 
 There is at Cairo a great manuflicture of linen 
 cloth, made of the fine flax of Egypt. 
 
 The Egyptians use the dung of their domestic 
 animals for fuel, and little girls go about the streets 
 and highways, gathering dung for this purpose. 
 It is mixed with chopped straw, and the com- 
 pound is made into cakes, which are dried in the 
 sun, and burnt by the poorer sort of people, whose 
 vaulted huts have no chimnies. A soot, very rich 
 in salts, is thus produced, which fastens to the top 
 of the room : it is afterw^ards put into bottles, and 
 sublimated by heat ; and the substance in the neck 
 of the bottles is sal ammoniac. 
 
 Water is drawn out of the river for the purposes 
 of agriculture, either with buckets, or by the Per- 
 sian wheel, and lodged in capacious cisterns. Pulse, 
 or fruits, are generally planted in rills, and when 
 they require water, the plugs in the bottom of the 
 cisterns are struck out, and tlie water is conducted 
 from one rill to another by the gardener, who stops 
 and diverts the torrent, by turning the earth against 
 it with his foot, and opening a new trench to receive 
 it with his mattock. This method was practised 
 here in the days of Moses, who tells the Children of
 
 ^8 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 Israel that the land whither they are going is not 
 like the land of Egypt which they icatered with 
 their foot, but that it drinketh water of the rain of 
 heaven. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 PYRAMIDS, CATACOMBS, HELIOPOLIS, PILGRIMS. 
 
 v^AN it be imagined that 1 saw Cairo, so as to de- 
 scribe it minutely, before I had examined the Pyra- 
 mids of Egypt? No, I saw Cairo first; I love me- 
 thod ; and 1 have described Cairo first ; but I has- 
 tened to the pyramids on my arrival at that city. 
 The pyramids are twelve miles from Cairo, and on 
 the Western side of the river; I sailed through fields 
 by the trenches of the inundation, and after tacking 
 often through the cultivated country, I landed on 
 the borders of the desert, a mile and a half from the 
 pyramids. These prodigious monnments of hunmn 
 industry are discovered at thirty miles distance: 
 when we stand within three, we imagine ourselves 
 at their feet, and when we reach them, we are lost 
 in wonder that so diminutive a creature as man 
 should have been their architect. These huge and 
 heavy structures, however, attest less the genius of 
 a people than their slavery to their monarch, 
 
 The great pyramid of Geeza is 600 feet m height, 
 and the base 700 on every side. The French have 
 ascertained the foundation, which is of solid rock. 
 The stones with which it is built are from five to 
 thirty feet long, and from three to four high : they
 
 PYRAMIDS. 39 
 
 have all been laid' in mortar, and they are not of 
 marble, but of freestone. The ascent requires reso- 
 lution and strength, eacli stone being about four feet 
 high, and receding from that below it about three. 
 The British soldiers continually went up and down 
 these steps, without any accident. The summit of 
 the pyramid is about sixty feet square : Bruce's 
 name, and many others, are carved on the stone, and 
 on this singular platform the French scavans dined. 
 A line stretched from the top to the bottom of the 
 pyramid would touch the angle of every step. It is 
 calculated that the stone contained in this pyramid 
 would build a wall five inches thick, three feet high, 
 and four hundred and fifty miles long. 
 
 I ascended a small heap of sand and rubbish, 
 which leads to the opening made in the pyramid. 
 This entrance is on the North side, and about sixty 
 feet from the base. By what indication it was dis- 
 covered is now unknown, for it is in the third layer 
 of stone from the outside of the pyramid, and must 
 have been concealed by the other two. Here begins 
 the first passage. It is 60 paces in length ; but as 
 our steps are obstructed by rubbish, and by sand 
 that is daily drifted in by the North wind, it is very 
 inconvenient to proceed, and the length may per- 
 haps be called I6O feet. The direction of this pas- 
 sage lies towards the centre, and sloping towards the 
 base of the pyramid ; at the extremity, two large 
 blocks of granite 'form a partition to this mysterious 
 passage. 
 
 This obstacle appears to have perplexed those who 
 undertook the research of the pyramid. P^ndeavours 
 have been made to cut a passage through the solid 
 stone; but this having been found impracticable, an 
 entrance has been made by working upwards for '2'J
 
 40 LOV/ER EGYPT. 
 
 feet, by the side of the granite blocks. Here the be- 
 ginning of the first sloping staircase was discovered. 
 It runs upwards for 120 feet ; it is steep and narrow, 
 made of calcareous stone, cemented with mortar: and 
 it is mounted by notches cut in the ground, and by 
 resting the hands against the sides. At the top of this 
 passage is a landing-place about 15 feet square; and 
 within it, just on the right of the entrance, is a per- 
 pendicular opening about 24 inches by 18, to which 
 travellers have given the name of the well. From 
 the irregularity of this opening, and from a stone 
 which has been thrown down soon stopping, it has 
 been imagined that this has been an attempt at a 
 search, which has failed. I believe it, but I am not 
 so thoroughly convinced that the attempt might not 
 have succeeded, if it had been pursued. The sepul- 
 chres at Thebes have perpendicular openings which 
 lead to vaulted passages beneath ; and who shall say 
 that the well of the pyramid of Geeza had not such 
 a purpose? or who shall say that it might not lead 
 to a subterraneous passage, which opened to the 
 light of day at some distance, and formed the secret 
 entrance to, and exit from, the pyramid ? 
 
 On a level with the landing-place, is a horizontal 
 passage, I70 feet long, running directly to the cen- 
 tre of the pyramid. At the end of this is a room 
 known by the name of the Queen's chamber. Jt is 
 eighteen feet two inches long, and fifteen feet eight 
 inches wide; the height is uncertain, for the floor 
 has been turned up by the avidity of the searchers 
 for treasure ; one of the side walls has been worked 
 into, and the rubbish has been all left on the spot. 
 This chamber is made of fine calcareous stone, neatly 
 put together, and has no ornament, or inscription 
 whatsoever.
 
 PYRAMIDS. 41 
 
 Returning from the Queen^s chamber to the land- 
 ing-place of the well, and climbing up a few feet, 
 you come to the bottom of a magnificent passage, 
 immediately over the other, and like that, leading to 
 the centre of tiie pyramid ; but rising on an inclined 
 plane, instead of being horizontal. This grand pas- 
 sage is 180 feet in length, and 6 feet 6 inches in 
 breadth ; but in this must be included two parapets, 
 each 19 inches in diameter, and pierced every three 
 feet and a half by oblong holes. The side walls of 
 this passage rise perpendicularly for 12 feet, and 
 then Ibrm a sloping roof of an excessively high pitch; 
 not by a regukir angle, but by eight successive pro- 
 jections, each 6 feet in height, rising above the 
 other, and approaching the corresponding projection 
 on the other side, till the roof is shut in. The cen- 
 tre ot the roof is every where 60 feet from that part 
 of the floor immediately under it. 
 
 You ascend this passage by means of pretty regu- 
 lar, but modern footings cut in the floor, and, at the 
 top, you find a small platform, in which is a thick 
 block of granite, imbedded in the solid building, 
 that was intended for ever to conceal the entrance 
 into the principal chamber, which is behind it. 
 Avarice conquered, where curiosity might ever have 
 failed; and after mining through 13 feet of solid 
 granite, an entrance was discovered three feet three 
 inches square. This entrance is facing the grand 
 passage, corresponding with the entrance into the 
 Queen's chamber, and about 100 feet above it. 
 
 At the further end of tlie principal chamber, to 
 the right in entering this sanctuary, is a chest, of a 
 single piece of granite, which is all that this prodi- 
 gious edifice is known to inclose. The chest is 6 
 feet 11 inches long, 3 feet wide, and three feet 1
 
 4i^ LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 inch and a half high : it is fixed so strongly in the 
 floor, that a number of persons who were with me 
 were not able to move it. It formerly had a lid. 
 As no centinel was placed to guard this sarcophagus, 
 many pieces of it were broken and carried off' by the 
 English 5 and if they had been permanently esta- 
 blished in Egypt, I am not certain whether the 
 whole pyramid might not have arrived in England, 
 in the form of remembrances, and presents to friends. 
 
 The chamber is of the same material as the chest, 
 half polished, and without cement. Here terminates 
 the interior of this edifice, in which the work of 
 man appears to rival the gigantic forms of nature. 
 
 The time of the building of the great pyramid is 
 well authenticated by history. It was erected by 
 Cheops, about 140, or 160 years after the building 
 of Solomon's temple, or 860 years before Christ. It 
 is added, that the building took up twenty years, 
 and that one third of the inhabitants of Egypt were 
 employed, by forced service, in hewing, transport- 
 ing, and raising the stones. 
 
 An Arabian historian acquaints us that this pyra- 
 mid was opened about a thousand years ago, by the 
 Calif al Mamon, and that towards the top was found 
 a chamber, in which was a hollow stone. On this 
 stone was a statue like a man, and within the stone 
 was a man, with a breast-plate of gold set with jew- 
 els, and a sword of inestimable value : at his head 
 was a carbuncle as big as an eggy shining like the 
 light of day, and upon him were written characters, 
 which no man understood. Of this history, the time 
 of opening the pyramid, the monarch by whose 
 order it was executed, the figure, and the hollow 
 stone, may be true, and the stone still remains to give 
 evidence in its favour j the breast-plate, the sword,
 
 PYRAMIDS, SPHYNX. 4o 
 
 and the luminous carbuncle, may very safely be turaed 
 over to the Arabian Tales. 
 
 There are three pyramid? at Geeza, and in the 
 latter part of the eighteenth century, one of the 
 Beys, in search of treasure, attempted to open the 
 smallest, on the same side, and at the same height 
 on which {he largest had been opened; but, after 
 forcing out two or three hundred stones, with con- 
 siderable labour and expence, he relinquished his 
 enterprize. 
 
 About two hundred yards from the great pyramid, 
 and to the east of it, is the Sphynx. It is cut out 
 of the solid rock ; and the French have uncovered 
 more of the figure than had been seen for centuries 
 before. Tliough the proportions of the sphynx are 
 colossal, the outline is graceful ; the expression of the 
 head is mild and tranquil ; the features are feminine 
 and African ; the mouth and lips have a softness and 
 delicacy of execution truly admirable ; they seem 
 real life and flesh. Art must have been at a high 
 pitch, when a head displaying so much simplicity, 
 and such a character of nature, was formed. The 
 height of the sphynx is 26 feet ; but the feet of the 
 figure are still covered with sand : the back seems 
 intended to represent that of a lion ; its length is 
 not exactly ascertained, but, from what can be seen, 
 it is probably 60 feet. The circumference of th.e 
 head is twelve feet ; it is hollow witiiin, as is proved 
 by a narrow excavation in the crown of the head 
 which penetrates nine feet deep ; hoW' much further 
 it goes is unknown, as the bottom is at present filled 
 w^ith rubbish, but the neck is supposed to be solid. 
 It is imagined that the priests concealed themselves 
 in the head, and delivered their oracles through the 
 mouth of the figure.
 
 M LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 The pyramids of Saccara are not ten miles from 
 these of Geeza, yet the common way is to go five 
 miles from Cairo before we cross the Nile, and pro- 
 ceed by the towns of Mohannon and Metrahenny, 
 which last place is only three or four miles from 
 Saccara. Saccara itself is a poor village at the foot 
 of the western hills. Having letters of recommend- 
 ation to the Sheik of this village, he took me to a 
 causeway thirty-five feet v>'ide, made with large 
 stones, which led by a short ascent to a sandy plain 
 four or five miles in breadth, extending to higher 
 hills ; on the brow of a hill the pyramids are built. 
 The three northern ones are three or four miles 
 north of Saccara ; the others run as far as eight or 
 nine to the south. The former are never visited by 
 travellers ; they appear to be about the size of the 
 pyramids of Geeza. 
 
 Most of the pyramids to the south of Saccara are 
 narrower from north to south than from east to west. 
 One of these is called by the Arabs, the pyramid 
 with steps. I computed this to be 300 feet to the 
 north, 275 to the east, and 150 feet high. It is 
 formed of steps, 11 feet broad, and 25 deep. As 
 it is much ruined at the angles, I ascended it at that 
 on the north east, and descended at the north west; 
 it measured at the top 50 feet 6 inches to the north, 
 and 22 feet 6 inches to the east. The outside casing 
 was of hewn stone, twenty rows to each step, each 
 row 1 foot 3 inches in depth. Several pyramids ap- 
 pear to be round at the top. 
 
 What the Arabs call the large pyramid to the 
 north, because it is to the north of another nearly 
 as large, is about 7OO feet to the north, which is 
 the size of the greatest pyramid at Geeza. It wants 
 20 feet of this measure to the eastj the top is 20 feet
 
 rYRAMIDS. - 45 
 
 to the North, and 15 to the east ; there are 156 
 steps, from 2 to 3 feet in depth, and about 2 feet 
 in breadth ; and the pyramid has about 345 feet of 
 perpendicular height. On the north side, about one 
 third of the way up, is an entrance three feet and a 
 half wide, and rather more than four feet deep. I 
 went into the pyramid by this passage, which is 
 steep, and has holes cut, as rests for the fetst: it 
 was with great difficulty w^e made our way for the 
 last twenty-five feet, the passage being almost filled 
 up with sand : at the end I came into a room 22^ 
 feet long, and nearly 12 feet wide. At the height 
 of 10^ feet, a row of stones projects into the room 
 5 inches on each side ; and in the same manner 
 twelve rows project, one above another, so that the 
 top is probably not more than a foot in breadth. On 
 the right of this room, is one that resembles it ex- 
 actly; and in both-, at the further end, in the middle 
 of the fifth and sixth tiers of stone from the top, is 
 a door leading to a small room over each of the 
 others. These upper rooms I did not seCj but I 
 was informed bv a G^entleman who had contrived 
 a ladder by wliich he ascended to them, that 
 they are of smooth white stone, of excellent work- 
 manship. 
 
 About a mile to the south east of this pyramid, is 
 that called by the Arabs, the great pyramid to the 
 south, which is about GOO feet on every side, and 
 335 in height. This pyramid appears to have been 
 cased all the way up, and is built of very good hewn 
 stone within, as is discoverable in those parts where 
 the facing is broken away. The lower parts are 
 much destroyed on all sides, but not sufficiently so 
 to admit of our ascending to the top ; or even to an 
 aperture at the twelfth tier from the ground, which
 
 46 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 probably leads to a passage that has not been opened. 
 The celebrated catacombs or mummy pits of Sac- 
 cara extend far under ground. The method of de- 
 scending into these is disagreeable. Arabs are the 
 conductors, and they bring the adventurer to some 
 holes in the earth, down one of which he is let about 
 thirty yards, by means of a rope slung about his body; 
 loose stones from the top and sides, to his great an- 
 noyance, descending with him. On reaching the bot- 
 tom, he is shewn an opening like an oven, which he 
 enters with his legs first, and lying flat upon his face. 
 This passage is about twenty yards in length, totally 
 dark, and so low as not to admit of the smallest 
 bend of the person. When a man has shoved through 
 it, he finds himself in a vaulted room, of which 
 there are great numbers; these allow him to stand 
 upright. 
 
 The catacombs have been so often disturbed that 
 nothing has preserved its primitive situation. There 
 arc still remaining an infinite number of earthen 
 pots, closed by a strong cement. When one of these 
 is broken, sometimes the bill and bones of the ibis 
 appear ; but in general only a lump drops out of 
 what is apparently cinders, but is really the cloth in 
 which the body of the sacred bird was inclosed : the 
 feathers are always perfect. 
 
 Little square boxes, painted either with symbolical 
 figures or hieroglyphics, are found in these catacombs, 
 having the figure of a dog, a hawk, or an owl, of 
 solid wood, fixed upon the lid. A person who had 
 been present at the first opening of a vault, informed 
 me that one of these boxes was placed at the foot 
 of each mummy, and that it contained, in miniature, 
 the instruments and utensils which belonged to the 
 trade or occupation of the deceased. These boxes,
 
 CATACOMBS, MUMMIES. 47 
 
 and whatever else is of wood in the catacombs, are 
 of sycamore. Behind the boxes, my informer added, 
 w^ere small images of baked earth, painted in differ- 
 ent colours, and arranged round the pedestals of the 
 mummy chests, or coffins. 
 
 It is now become extremely difficult to procure a 
 mummy ; I was present, however, at the opening of 
 one, the composition of which was as follows. 
 
 A coffin made of boards, fastened together with 
 pins, the interstices filled with linen and fine plaster; 
 a face of wood, carved and painted, nailed on the 
 head. Four folds of cloth over the head, the upper 
 one painted blue. Under these, a composition of 
 what appeared to me to be gum, and cloth burnt by 
 the heat of the substance which had been applied to 
 it; this was about half an inch in thickness. Under 
 tliis was a coat of gum or bitumen about as thick as 
 a wafer; and under that the skin. The hinder part 
 of the head was filled with bitumen, the body having 
 been laid on the back when the bitumen was poured 
 in by the nose. The bitumen had penetrated into 
 the very bone of the skull, particularly into the mid- 
 dle part, wliich is the most porous. 
 
 The body was bound round with a bandage of 
 linen about three quarters of an inch broad; under 
 this were four folds of clotli ; under these was a 
 bandasce two inches broad, which was followed bv 
 eight successive ones of the same breadth; and 
 under all these bandages was a crust of linen about 
 an inch thick, burnt almost to ashes, but adhering 
 together by means of the gummy substance with 
 which it was pervaded, and which had probably re- 
 duced it to that state. The bones of the arms were 
 placed across the breast, the hands lying towards the 
 lace. From the hips to the feet were eight different
 
 4^8 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 bandages, and under these, linen, an inch thick, 
 consumed, as before, by the heat of the drugs. 
 
 Few, or none, of the muscular parts were pre- 
 served, except the thighs, and these crumbled to 
 powder on being touched. The head rested on 
 two wooden blocks. The outer bandages of linen 
 did not appear to have been besmeared with gums : 
 upwards of fifty yards of the exterior part was, upon 
 unfolding it, as strong to appearance as if just taken 
 from the loom ; yet even this, after having been 
 a fe*w days exposed to the air, was easily rent to 
 pieces. 
 
 A more costly coffin than the one I have described 
 was hollowed out of two pieces of wood in the form 
 of the body ; in one of which it was placed, and w'ith 
 the other, covered. The outside of the chest was 
 cut into the form of the body when swathed ; it was 
 then wrapped in a linen cloth, which was afterwards 
 covered with a thin plaster, and painted with differ- 
 ent devices. The bodies, after being embalmed 
 and swathed, were also plastered and painted in the 
 same manner *. 
 
 * A lady of the highest respectability, and the most undoubted 
 veracity, gave the editor of these Travels the following account of 
 a mummy, said to be the body of Cleopatra. 
 
 Being at Antwerp in the year 1772, the lady was told that a mer- 
 chant of that city, had a large sum of money owing him by another 
 merchant, who, being unable to pay, had absconded, and settled 
 in Egypt. From thence the debtor had sent the creditor, as a pre- 
 sent, what he considered as the most valuable thing in the world, 
 the embalmed body of Cleopatra. The merchant was proud of ex- 
 hibiting so precious a relic j numbers of people went to see it, and 
 this lady among the rest. 
 
 The body was lying in a chest or coffin. The face was uncovered, 
 and had never been otherwise. The skin was copper coloured ; the 
 flesh was not sunk ; the features were handsome. There was no ap- 
 pearance of death having been occasioned by disease or pain ; but
 
 MUMMIES, IIELIOPOLIS. 49 
 
 The curiosity of travellers is a considerable profit 
 to the Arabs. While a party of English officers, 
 who had been visiting the catacombs, were sitting 
 in the house of the Sheik at Menf, which is within 
 two hundred yards of those ancient receptacles of 
 the dead, some Arabs entered with a basket of rari- 
 ties for sale. They were carefully covered with a 
 linen cloth ; and when this was removed, the basket 
 was found to contain four human heads, three of 
 which retained their eyes and a beautiful set of teeth ; 
 three arms, with hands ; two legs, with feet ; and 
 one foot separate. On all the hands and feet, the 
 nails were perfect, and the sinews distinct. 
 
 Menf is Memphis. The j^rabs point it out to this 
 day as the site of the city of the Pharaohs. The 
 pyramids of Geeza and Saccara undoubtedly deter- 
 mine the limits of the ancient capital of Egypt : the 
 former being its necropolis, or city of the dead, on 
 the North, and the latter on the South. 
 
 From Cairo I visited the ancient Heliopolis, now 
 called Mattareah, which is little more than three 
 miles East of the Nile. Here I saw the ruins of a 
 
 the expression was that of a female in health and asleep. A cap of 
 silver, not solid, but fillagree, or woven, was placed on the head. 
 The lady saw it taken off, and, according to her recollection, there 
 was hail', but not long hair. The body, arms, and legs were 
 swathed all together, and tlie lady believed that the bandages were 
 painted. 
 
 The merchant said, that on some prince, to whom he had shewn 
 it, having expressed a doubt of its being the identical body of Cleo- 
 patra, he was so indignant that he had cut through the bandages 
 on the breast, and discovered the puncture made by the asp. True 
 it was that the bandages had been cut; for the lady saw the inci- 
 sion that had been made, which was about eight or nine inches in 
 length ; and a gentleman who was with her privately put his hand 
 into it, and drew out some dried herbs, which he gave to the lady, 
 and which emitted a strong and lasting perfume. 
 
 E
 
 50 LOWER EG-iTT. 
 
 sphynx, of bright yellow marble, about 22 feet hr 
 length, with stones that seemed to have made a part 
 of three others. I also saw an obelisk, of red gra- 
 nite, finely polished, 67 feet 6 inches above the 
 ground, and 6 feet on every side at the base, in ex- 
 cellent preservation, and covered with hieroglyphics. 
 There was doubtless another obelisk to the North of 
 this. The country about Heliopolis is supposed to 
 have been the land of Goshen. 
 
 At Cairo I saw the caravan of pilgrims arrive from 
 Mecca. It is well known that Mohammed com- 
 manded every one of his followers to perform this 
 pilgrimage once in his life, if possible. Some per- 
 sons go several times ; but they are commonly such 
 as make a profit by trade, or subsist upon alms by the 
 way. There is a saying, " If a man have been once 
 to Mecca, take care of him; if twice, have nothing 
 to do with him ; and if three times, remove out of 
 his neighbourhood." Extraordinary sanctity, in any 
 religion, is, I believe, seldom assumed without the 
 sacrifice of some other virtue : if honesty remain 
 firm, charity frequently gives way. 
 
 it is said that 40,000 people go annually in this 
 caravan. The journey to Mecca, and back to Cairo, 
 takes up a hundred days, twelve only of which are 
 allotted for the stay at Mecca. Some women of con- 
 sequence rode in a sort of litter, made of lattice, 
 resting on two poles, and carried by two camels, 
 one following the other. Men of consequence rode 
 on a saddled camel. Inferior persons rode on camels 
 loaded with their carpets and other necessaries. Some 
 camels carried two persons, by means of a basket on 
 each side, with a top like the head of a cradle, and 
 a bottom like a panier ; the latter containing all the 
 necessaries, and the pilgrims sitting cross-legged on 
 the cover. And a multitude walked on foot.
 
 riLGRlMS. 51 
 
 The mendicant devotees were so worn out by fa- 
 tigue, that they all bore a resemblance to each other, 
 being as meagre as the countries through which they 
 had passed are barren, and as much decayed as pri- 
 soners who had been long in a dingeon. Opinion 
 renders man the strongest of all animals. What, but 
 the powerful force of opinion, could support him du- 
 ring so long and so painful a journey ! His object 
 is the sacred title of Hadgi, and the privilege of re- 
 lating to admiring auditors all that he has seen, and 
 has not seen. 
 
 I have been informed that every pilgrim at Mecca 
 is obliged to kill a sheep : by which I suppose is 
 meant every pilgrim who has a sheep, or can pro- 
 cure one ; for 1 hardly think the obligation can ex- 
 tend further ; however this be, mutton was certainly 
 never more plentiful : the exact number of sheep 
 slaughtered on a particular day I have forgotten ; I 
 believe my Mohammedan friend said millions ; but 
 as I have not been at Mecca mvself, I do not affirm 
 it as a fact.
 
 5t LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 DAMIETTA, LAKES OF NATRON. 
 
 J. HE usual method of travellers in Egypt fs to 
 embark on the Nile at Cairo, and proceed to Upper 
 Egypt. Many of these gentlemen have digressed 
 to the right and to the left occasionally ; but some 
 have wanted opportunity, and others money, to 
 accomplish it wholly. My plan was to leave nothing 
 behind me unseen; and youth, health, and riches, 
 enabled me to pursue it, wherever it was practicable. 
 I therefore embarked on the Nile, and returned 
 towards the North. 
 
 The point of the Delta, which divides the river 
 into two streams, is only ten miles below Cairo ; the 
 branch of Rosetta bends to the West ; that of Da- 
 mietta preserves its Northern direction, and carries 
 with it the greater quantity of water. I proceeded 
 on the branch of Damietta, and in three days and 
 a half I arrived at that city. 
 
 Villages are much more frequent on the Eastern 
 than on the Western branch of the Nile. Below 
 Atril they are so near each other that the borders of 
 the river appear like a continued town, interrupted 
 only by gardens and woods. I visited two of these 
 villages, which were not worth the pains I took to 
 walk through them. The bazars were dark and nar- 
 row ; the streets dirty and crooked ; the houses, 
 some of brick, some of mud, and many falling to 
 ruin without being repaired j the people wretched,
 
 DAMIETTA. 6$ 
 
 and plainly shewing that it was not for themselves 
 they cultivated the rich lands around them. 
 
 Semenhout, on the Western bank of the Nile, is a 
 well-peopled commercial town of the middle size ; 
 the bazars are well supplied with merchandize, and 
 the houses are all of brick. Here we provided our- 
 selves with pigeons, poultry, and excellent fresh 
 butter. 
 
 After sailing two hours, we perceived the mina- 
 rets of Mansoura, at which place 1 went on shore. 
 It is a tolerably large town, but without any forti- 
 fication ; the streets, as usual, are narrow ; and the 
 houses, as in other towns of the same importance, 
 are of brick. One quarter is half in ruins. Syrian 
 Christians, who are established here, carry on the 
 chief trade, of which the principal articles are rice 
 and sal ammoniac. 
 
 Having walked through Mansoura, I visited the 
 canal which bounds it on the North ; it is broad and 
 deep. Below Mansoura the villages are less fre- 
 quent than above it. Here we met twenty boats, 
 each laden with two hundred hives of bees, which 
 were employed in making honey during the voyage. 
 
 Damietta forms a vast crescent on the Eastern 
 border of the Nile, and from one extremity of the 
 crescent, the eye takes in the whole extent. It is 
 larger than Rosetta, and is said to contain 80,000 
 souls. The ancient city of Damietta stood four or 
 five miles lower down the river, and its ruins yet re- 
 main at the village of Esbe ; but, on account of its 
 having been often attacked by Europeans, the Sul- 
 tans of Egypt demolished it in the 12th century, and 
 built the city where it now stands. The soil of 
 Egypt has so far advanced into the Mediterranean 
 Sea, that the ancient Damietta is now three miles 
 from the shore, and the modern seven and a jialf.
 
 54 LOWER ECYPT. 
 
 Damietta is situated upon a tongue of land, from 
 two to six miles in breadth, formed by the Nile on 
 the West, and the lake Menzale on the East, and in- 
 tersected by rivulets in every direction, which render 
 it the most fertile tract in Egypt The bazars of 
 Damietta are filled with merchants ; the okals or 
 khans, exhibit the stuffs of India, the silks of Syria, 
 sal ammoniac, and pyramids of rice. The houses^ 
 particularly those near the river, are well built, and 
 have saloons constructed on the terraced roofs. 
 Many large mosques, with lofty minarets, are scat- 
 tered about the city. 
 
 A multitude of barks and small vessels continually 
 fill the port of Damietta. The commerce is chiefly 
 carried on by the Christians of Aleppo and Damas- 
 cus : the indolent Turk allows them to grow rich, 
 and contents himself with squeezing them from time 
 to time. 
 
 The land of Damietta commonly yields eighty 
 bushels of rice for one, and other produce in the 
 same proportion ; and every season presents flowers, 
 fruits, and harvests. Here is found in abundance 
 the reed with which the orientals write, and the pa- 
 pyrus with which the ancient Egyptians made their 
 paper. The latter is a triangular rush, about eight 
 or nine feet high, of the thickness of one's thumb, 
 and with a tufted head. Here also the lotus rears its 
 stem above the waters, opens its large cup of light 
 blue, or dazling white, and seems the monarch of 
 aquatic plants. 
 
 The country round Damietta is full of villages, 
 most of which manufacture the fine linen of Egypt ; 
 and, in particular, beautiful napkins, fringed with 
 silk, which, in visits of ceremony are presented, to 
 wipe the mouth after eating sweetmeats, or drinking
 
 DAMIETTA. 55 
 
 sherbet. Sherbet is only given by great men. It 
 is composed of the juice of citron, sugar, and water, 
 in wliich a perfumed paste made of the line fruits of 
 Damascus has been dissolved ; a few drops of rose- 
 water are generally added. 
 
 The villages near Damietta are commonly encir- 
 cled by trees and fruits of various kinds ; and the 
 citrons and oranges hang over the hut of the labourer. 
 I have penetrated through these shades, by winding 
 paths, till I have found myself on the banks of the 
 lake Menzak\ A mile from Damietta is a wood of 
 orange trees more than thirty feet high, planted in 
 straight lines, which is the public resort of the inha- 
 bitants. The united branches of the trees intercept 
 the rays of the sun. 
 
 The w\ater of the lake Menzal6 is fresh during the 
 inundation of the Nile, and salt when that has sub- 
 sided. It contains islands which no modern traveller 
 has seen. About 1200 boats are constantly fishing 
 upon its waters; 2000 persons are fishing throughout 
 the year, and millions of birds are living upon fish ; 
 yet there is no sensible diminution of their numbers. 
 The waters of the lake Menzal6 are covered with 
 wild geese, ducks, teal, divers, cormorants, herons, 
 snipes, cranes, swans, pelicans, and flamingoes. It 
 is easy to name the principal kinds of birds that are 
 seen on the lake, but it is impossible to conceive the 
 multitude. As far as the eye can reach, the waves 
 are covered with them ; innumerable flocks are de- 
 scribing vast circles in the air, and thousands are 
 taking flight on the approach of the fishermen, and 
 seekiuij^ refui^e in the desert. 
 
 I shoukl have wished to explore a lake once sa. 
 famous for the great cities on its banks, and still 
 preserving magnificent remains ; but the inhabitants
 
 56 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 being, by their situation, little amenable to justice, 
 are to be dreaded equally by land and by water, and 
 plunder all travellers without distinction ; I was 
 therefore obliged to content myself with seeing an 
 immense surface of water ; islands in the distance ; 
 trees and villages on the borders ; boats fishing or 
 rowing; and the continual movement of the birds. 
 
 On my return from Damietta, I went on shore at 
 the port of Great Mahalla, on the eastern side of 
 the river ; and rode, together with my attendants, 
 on hired asses, to the city, which is about four miles 
 distant. It is large, tolerably well built of brick, 
 and the capital of a province. The next day I set 
 out for Baalbeit, a village four or five miles to the 
 south east of Great Mahalla, where there are great 
 remains of a temple, the most costly in its materials 
 of any in Egypt. As well as I could trace out the 
 foundation, it appears to have been about 200 feet 
 long and 100 feet wide. The walls seem to have 
 been 10 feet thick, and are built on the outside with 
 grey granite, and on the inside with fine red. Most 
 of the stones were ten feet long and five deep and 
 broad. The columns, all broken to pieces, were 
 of red granite, and four feet in diameter, and the 
 capitals were the head of Isis. It was with deep 
 regret I saw portions of these hewn into mill stones. 
 I conjectured that there might have been four rows 
 of twelve pillars each, in this temple; but what com- 
 manded my attention more, was the exquisite sculp- 
 ture of the hieroglyphics. The figures of the Egyp- 
 tian deities and priests, about four feet high, had 
 an air that excited my greatest admiration. I ob- 
 served several pieces of very fine and uncommon 
 marbles, which probably were the remains of statues 
 that had adorned the temple.
 
 DAMIETTA. 57 
 
 On my rjeturn to Cairo, I sailed down the western 
 branch of the Nile to Rosetta, and proceeded to 
 Aboukir, intending from thence to visit the lakes 
 of Natron, and the convents of the Copts, which are 
 situated in the desert beyond the western mountain 
 wall of Egypt. My attendants were a Nubian, two 
 Egyptians, and two Janisaries ; and having agreed 
 with Hussein, an Arab Sheik, who undertook to 
 furnish a horse for myself, and camels for my people 
 and baggage, we directed our course to the south 
 east, crossing a sandy plain entirely destitute of 
 inhabitants; and after travelling about twenty miles, 
 we arrived at the camp of my guide and protector, 
 where I was expected. Hussein's tent was prepared 
 for my reception. It was spread with carpets manu- 
 factured by the women of his family, and a few fag- 
 gots covered with carpets served as cushions. The 
 domestic animals, which are accustomed to share the 
 tent of a Bedouin, had been all dismissed, except 
 one young ox. 
 
 The tents of the Bedouins are low, of much greater 
 length than breadth, and entirely open on one of the 
 sides, which is placed contrary to the wind : they 
 are made of a stuiT fabricated of camel's hair. The 
 tent of Hussein was distinguished from the others 
 by a large plume of black ostrich feathers placed on 
 the summit. Hussein was a cultivator of the ground, 
 and this was his home. He inhabited a fertile spot, 
 on which horses, camels, sheep, and a few oxen, 
 were grazing. 
 
 A live sheep, intended for the supper of my little 
 party, was brought me to Hussein's tent, which was 
 become mine, the young ox, only, being allowed a 
 place in it, and my servants and soldiers being ac- 
 commodatSd in other tents. I spared the life of the
 
 58 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 poor sheep, and supped on delicious milk and ex- 
 cellent little crisp cakes; the women continually 
 pressing me to eat. On retiring to rest, I found that 
 my kind hosts had left other animals in the tent be- 
 sides the young ox. Fleas worried me so incessantly 
 that I did not sleep. The ground and the carpets 
 were covered with them, and I could not but admire 
 the insensibility of the Arabs who could sleep in 
 such company. 
 
 Our second day's journey lay on the banks of the 
 canal of Alexandria. On our side, were some small 
 tracts of cultivated land ; on the opposite, a hne of 
 villages ranged with the canal, at a small distance 
 from it. At a large village on our side, an order 
 from one of the Beys commanding all his subalterns 
 to protect and assist me, procured me a dinner from 
 the Sheik el Belied, or Chief of the Town. In the 
 afternoon we proceeded along a plain everywhere 
 embellished by cultivation, and on which a few little 
 hills seemed planted on purpose to break the unitbrm- 
 ity, and add to the beauty, in the evening we arrived 
 at Guebil, a village on the v/estern bank of the canal 
 of Alexandria, and, like all I had seen, built of mud. 
 
 On the third day we crossed the canal of Alex- 
 andria, opposite to Guebil, without wetting our 
 shoes, and reached Damanhour at ten o'clock in the 
 morning. The road between these two places led 
 through fields of clover, and beans in blossom. 
 Damanhour is the capital of a province, which is 
 one of the finest countries in the world. 
 
 Nothing can convince the natives of this country 
 that Europeans travel among them to examine anti- 
 quities, animals, and plants. They can comprehend 
 but one motive strong enough for such fatiguing re- 
 searches, the discovery of gold. They believe that
 
 DAMIETTA. 59 
 
 the Europeans possess an art which they call the art 
 of ivriting well, by means of which they can attract 
 treasures to the surface of the earth, however deep 
 they may be buried. My fame had reached Daman- 
 hour before me ; I passed for an adept in the super- 
 natural ait of ivriting well; and a merchant of the 
 place came to me in secret at my caravanserai, and 
 offered to enter into partnership with me. He pro- 
 posed to be at all the expence of conducting me 
 wherever there were ruins, and of digging among 
 them, on condition that he should have half the 
 treasures I caused to rise out of the ground. I 
 laughed at the project, and dismissed the merchant, 
 without convincing him of its impracticability. 
 
 The city of Damanhour is large, but ill built ; 
 almost all the houses being of mud or bad bricks. 
 It is the centre of a traffic in cotton, which grows 
 in the fine and spacious plains around it. This being 
 collected, beaten, carded and spun at Damanhour, 
 furnishes employment for the greater part of the 
 inhabitants. 
 
 On the fourth day of our journey we proceeded 
 south east and south to Nagresh, where the inhabit- 
 ants could hardly be prevailed upon to admit us into 
 their houses, believing we vvere come to plunder 
 them ; and when we were admitted, I could hardly 
 conceive how a people so wretchedly poor could be 
 afraid of being robbed. It seems that they were at 
 war with the inhabitants of a larger village in the 
 neighbourhood, whom they suspected of a design to 
 attack them ; and not an hour of the night passed 
 without the women coming to our door for refuge, 
 with loud cries that the robbers were coming. At 
 Nagresh there were twelve villages in sight. 
 
 On the fifth day of our journey, we passed through
 
 60 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 a town called Beeban, in which is held, every Mon- 
 day, a considerable market for camels and other 
 beasts. It was now the market, and we had some 
 trouble to make our way through it, from the great 
 throng of men and cattle. Hussein intended we 
 should pass the night at a village called Hon^ze, 
 but the inhabitants were not of the same mind. 
 They shut their doors against us, and we were 
 obliged to have recourse to threats to gain admission. 
 Honeze is on the line of separation between fertile 
 plains and barren desert; and the miserable inha- 
 bitants are perpetually exposed to the depredations 
 of the Arabs, and the extortions of their own go- 
 vernment. 
 
 On the sixth day we entered one of those desolate 
 regions that divide habitable lands from each other, 
 and are, themselves, the continual abode of drought 
 and sterility. Hussein was well experienced in 
 journies of this sort. Memory still paints him in my 
 imagination, walking, instead of riding on his camel, 
 wdth his hands behind him, traversing the bare 
 plains, where no mark appeared to direct his steps, 
 with as much tranquillity as I should have passed the 
 mile-stones on a turnpike read in England. 
 
 These tracts of sand and stone in which not a par- 
 ticle of vegetable mould is seen, rise with a gentle 
 ascent, which forms, first eminences, then hills, and 
 at length mountains. For two or three leagues at 
 the beginning of the ascent, the ground was covered 
 with a thick bed of fine moveable sand, into which 
 both men and beasts sunk as they w^alked. We then 
 found spaces covered with pebbles, at first rare, after- 
 wards more frequent, as the land became more ele- 
 vated. When we reached the summit, the fine sand 
 was seen no more j the stratum being solid, and
 
 LAKES OF NATRON. 6l 
 
 strewed with pebbles of various shapes and colours. 
 In the narrow recesses of the hills were scattered a 
 few thorny shrubs. - 
 
 We travelled South-west all the day, and at night 
 slept on the sand, under a dew so copious as to leave 
 us in the same state that heavy rain would have 
 done. We suffered greatly from cold, but did not 
 kindle a fire, lest we should have been discovered by 
 the Arabs. 
 
 Our seventh day's journey brought us to the lakes. 
 We had travelled about forty or forty-two miles, 
 from the beginning of the desert, on a gradual as- 
 cending slope, which had brought us to the top of 
 the Western wall of Egypt. Beyond the chain of 
 mountains which forms this barrier, and parallel with 
 it, at the distance of from nine to twelve miles, runs 
 another, which are perpendicular from their sum- 
 mits down to more than half their height, and, be- 
 low this, are gentle declivities of fine loose sand. 
 These two ranges of hills form a deep valley, which 
 is furrowed by narrow channels still deeper, running 
 in the same direction as the hills. In the bottom of 
 this valley, at the foot of the farther, or Western 
 range of hills, are the Lakes of Natron. 
 
 Natron is an alkaline earthy salt. It is uncommon 
 to meet with it pure: for besides the earthy matter 
 "Nvhich is almost always mixed with it, it is generally 
 united with marine salt, Glauber's salt, and a small 
 degree of vitriolic tartar. 
 
 In the season when the water is most abundant, 
 the two lakes are united in one, and occupy a space 
 of several leagues ; at other periods, they are only 
 ponds of no great extent. Mlien the two lakes se- 
 parate, and their waters retire, the soil they had 
 covered is loaded with a sediment, which becomes
 
 62 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 chrystallized and hardened by the sun. In those 
 places that have been sHghtly wet, the salt resembles 
 flakes of snow ; where the water has remained long, 
 the layer is thick. It is said that the water is at 
 some times covered with a crust of natron strong 
 enough to bear a camel ; when I saw it, it was clear. 
 
 The natron is separated from the ground with iron 
 instruments, and carried on camels to Terrana, 
 v,^here it is shipped on the Nile, and conveyed to 
 Cairo and Rosetta. It is delivered at either of those 
 cities at from 2.?. to 2*. 6d. the hundred weight. 
 Twelve hundred and fifty tons are gathered annually, 
 and more might be obtained. It is principally used 
 in bleaching thread or cloth ; two hundred pounds 
 weight of which requires one hundred pounds of the 
 common natron, and from sixty to eighty pounds of 
 lime. Natron is also used in dying, in making glass, 
 in the preparation of leather, in pastry, in preserv- 
 ing meat, and in giving poignancy to snuff. 
 
 Having traversed the borders of the lakes, which 
 are overshadowed by shrubs, plants, and reeds, we 
 proceeded on a sand covered with hardened natron, 
 till we arrived within a short distance of a large 
 square edifice in which a few Coptic monks live, 
 shut up from the world. No path leads to it; no 
 tree grows near it, there is no apparent entrance 
 to it. 
 
 When we were about five or six hundred paces 
 from the convent, Hussein advanced to procure us 
 admissions, when a troop of Bedouins, nearly a hun- 
 dred in number, rushed from behind the walls. 
 Some of the Arabs detained Hussein and seized his 
 musquet, the main body galloped towards me, and 
 stopping suddenly, at the distance of a hundred 
 yards, divided themselves into four bands j three of
 
 LAKES OF NATRON. 63 
 
 wliich took tlieir stations on each side and behind 
 me, while the fourth remained in front. My sol- 
 diers \vere disconcerted at this movement, and flung 
 down their arms : mine were no longer of any use, 
 and they followed : in the twinkling of an eye, mo- 
 ney, garments, effects and provisio!is, were all taken 
 from us, and spread upon the sand. I was stripped 
 to my vest and drawers, and my people to their 
 shirts. 
 
 The Arabs began to divide tlie spoil with obstre- 
 perous noise, and I was advancing towards the mo- 
 nastery in search of Hussein, when I was seized by 
 the arm by the Chief of the Arabs, whose face was 
 as black as that of a negro. He led me back into 
 the midst of the troop, without speaking ; and I 
 imagined that he was either going to deprive me of 
 the garments his people had left me, or of my life. 
 How great was my surprize then to see him collecting 
 my clothes, and effects, returning my purse and re- 
 storing my arms. 
 
 It appeared that after a long dispute, Hussein had 
 got up behind one of the Arabs, who detained him, 
 and having been conveyed into the midst of the 
 troop, had addressed the Chief in the following 
 manner : " Sheik, you have stripped a man who 
 has put himself under my protection ; a man who 
 has eaten with me, who has slept under my tent, 
 and for whose safety I have pledged my head ; take 
 my life, or restore all that belongs to my brother." 
 The black Chief, whose name was Abdallah, con- 
 sented to the restitution, which was performed with 
 a fidelity truly admirable ; the Chief coming to ask 
 me if any thing were yet missing, and on my nam- 
 ing any article, moimting on a little eminence and 
 crying, •« such a thing is not restored: let it be
 
 64 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 brought." On this, it was instantly produced and 
 given to me. 
 
 Hussein insisted upon my counting in his presence 
 the sequins that had been taken from me, and I 
 found the number exact. Abdallah then insisted on 
 my riding his horse to the monastery, while he at- 
 tended me on foot ; and some of his people paid 
 the same compliment to my attendants. When we 
 came near the walls, we saw baskets of bread, and 
 wooden dishes of lentils, let down by ropes ; and, 
 seating ourselves in a circle on the ground, we dined 
 with those people who had lately been our enemies. 
 The repast finished, they accosted me with cor- 
 diality, and thanked God that no injury had be- 
 fallen me. 
 
 At parting, the Chief of the Arabs asked me for 
 some remuneration ; observing that he had been at 
 much trouble to procure the restoration of my pro- 
 perty, and had retained none of it. I was preparing 
 to give him some of my sequins, when Hussein flew 
 in a passion, and protested that I should not pai;t 
 with a single medin (one penny and two thirds) ; 
 and he watched me so closely that it was not in my 
 power to do so. 
 
 Abdallah then demanded of me a written attes- 
 tation that I had met with him in the desert, that 
 he had taken nothing from me, and that I was satis- 
 fied v/ith his conduct. Here something might have 
 been said on both sides ; but I had no hesitation in 
 choosing the most favourable. A certificate to the 
 purport he desired, written in Arabic, was, at his 
 request, let down by the Monks ; and I most will- 
 ingly signed it with my name. Abdallah carefully 
 put up this §,ood bill, and, wishing us a safe journey, 
 left us.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 CONVENT IN THE DESERT. 
 
 We had now a long dispute with the Monks of 
 Zaidi el Baramous. They were at first very scru- 
 pulous with regard to admitting me at all ; and after- 
 wards insisted that I should be drawn up by a rope, 
 instead of being allowed to enter at a small portal 
 with an iron wicket. I was a young traveller, and I 
 objected to the indignity of being drawn up like a 
 bucket from a well ; and Hussein swore he would 
 have shelter for his camels, or he would bring an 
 armed force to the monastery which should extermi- 
 nate all its inhabitants. The last argument was un- 
 answerable, and the wicket was opened. The diffi- 
 culty now was to get in the camels ; as the entrance 
 was much too low : it was, however obviated by 
 their being severally tied, neck and heels, and 
 dragged through upon a mat. For my part, I knew 
 not which to admire most, the perseverance of the 
 Arab, which accomplished the introduction of a 
 large animal through a small aperture ; or the pa- 
 tience of tlie camel, which suffered itself to be 
 dragged along by repeated jerks. 
 
 Nioht came on before we and our beasts had ar- 
 rived within the inclosure of the monastery. The 
 Monks conducted all of us, except Hussein, into 
 their chapel to hear their evening service, which we 
 thought too long ; and then gave us a supper of rice, 
 boiled in water, which we thought too short. 
 
 F
 
 66 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 The day after our arrival at the monastery, Hus- 
 sein reminded me of the trouble he had had in extri- 
 cating me out of the hands of Abdallah and his troop, 
 and said it would be no longer in his power to an- 
 swer for my safety. He concluded by saying that 
 he should return immediately, and would take me 
 with him if I chose it; but that' I must determine 
 without delay. My determination was as prompt as 
 he could wish. I had not come to the Monastery 
 of the Desert to leave it immediately ; and Hussein, 
 chagrined at my resolve, embraced me affectionately, 
 and left me shut up within four walls, without either 
 of us knowing how I should get out. 
 
 The Monastery of Zaidi el Baramous is inclosed 
 by lofty walls, in whicJi was originally formed a 
 grand entrance ; but this is built up with stone, like 
 the rest of the edifice ; except the small aperture at 
 the bottom, througli which we entered ; and even 
 that is only opened when the Monks receive their 
 provisions, which come by caravans from Cairo. 
 Within the walls, there is a small fortress, surrounded 
 by a ditch, over which there is a draw-bridge. To 
 this the Monks retire if the Arabs force the outward 
 wall. In general they are upon friendly terms with 
 the Arabs, and supply them with water and provi- 
 sions, when their predatory excursions bring them 
 near the Monastery ; but they told me that Hussein, 
 my faithful Hussein, had been formerly the leader 
 of the most powerful band in the country, though 
 he had for some years led a peaceful life ; and that 
 about ten years ago, he had broken through the 
 outer wall, })illaged the Monastery, and obliged 
 them to intrench themselves in their citadel. 
 
 Within the fort, is a chapel, a reservoir for rain- 
 water, a storeliouse for provisions, and every thing
 
 CONVENT IN THE DESERT. 67 
 
 necessary for enabling the Monks to sustain a long 
 blockade. Here too are books in the Coptic lan- 
 guage, a compound of Greek and the remains of the 
 ancient Egyptian: and though the Monks never 
 read them ; though they lie in heaps on the ground, 
 mouldering in dust, and preyed upon by insects ; 
 they will not part with them. 
 
 The cells of the Monks, which are vaulted and 
 very low, are built round the court, and level with 
 the ground. In the centre of the inclosure, they 
 have hollowed out a small space, on which they have 
 scattered some earth j and in this are a few trees and 
 plants that thrive tolerably w^ell. 
 
 I was soon weary of living in the desert with Cop- 
 tic Monks. Their countenances were ugly, mean, 
 and broad ; their stature short ; their persons filthy 
 and disgusting ; their worship confused and discord- 
 ant ; their manners rude; and their dress a long, 
 dirty, black shirt, differing but one shade from the 
 hue of tteir faces. 
 
 There were only three fathers in the Monastery 
 and a few brethren ; but some of the Coptic farmers 
 come occasionally, and bring, with their devotion, a 
 part of tlie means of subsistence lor the Monks. The 
 whole of the inhabitants amounted to twenty-three 
 persons. Tliey all ate together, and their fare was as 
 bad as possible ; biscuit made with the flour of lentil?, 
 rice and lentils boiled in salt and water, vile cheese, 
 and sometimes a little houev. Their sole beverage was 
 brackish and ill-tasted water. A peasant had shot a 
 ilamingo on the banks of the Natron Lakes, and 
 presented it to me. The bird is bad enough; but 
 by us, who had lived some days in rigorous absti- 
 nence, it was considered as a delicacy. My people 
 hastened to roast it ; but before we could taste a 
 
 F 2
 
 68 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 morsel, the monks seized it, like so many beasts of 
 prey, and our bird disappeared in a moment, under 
 the nails and teeth of these hooded jackals. 
 
 One morning, the bell at the gate of the Monas- 
 tery was rung violently, and we saw a troop of seven 
 Bedouins arrive. They had shewn much distrust 
 and anxiety in approaching the walls, having learned 
 that strangers were within. The Monks lowered 
 down some provisions ; and while the Bedouins were 
 eating, I put on the robe and head-dress of a friar, 
 and mingled among the Copts on the walls, to hear 
 the conversation that passed. 
 
 The Arabs said, they had been informed that 
 Sheik Hussein had been there with camels, and they 
 wished to know on what account. One of them had 
 ridden round the walls the evening before, and had 
 seen upon them a person with a red shawl wrapped 
 round his head ; they believed there were Franks in 
 search of treasures, and they were desirous to meet 
 with them. 
 
 The honest Monks invented various stories to mis- 
 lead the Arabs, which it was evident they did not 
 credit; however, they rode away as soon as they 
 had finished their repast, and we saw them no more. 
 I had sent one of the peasants that were in the 
 Monastery to Terrana, where I had been informed 
 there was a camp of Bedouins, to engage them to 
 conduct us to that place, and to bring with them 
 beasts for us to ride. On the fifth day of our resi- 
 dence among the Copts, ten of these Bedouins ar- 
 rived, well armed, with a camel and some asses. 
 
 On taking leave of my villainous hosts, I proposed 
 to make them a present, and I asked the superior 
 what sum would be acceptable to him. He told me 
 that, in the iirst place, I must bestow something on
 
 CONVENT IN THE DESERT. 69 
 
 the Monastery ; secondly, on the embellishment of 
 the chapel; thirdly, on the poor; and lastly, on him- 
 self. I enquired what he thought might be sufficient 
 for these several purposes ; and after a few moments* 
 calculation, he answered, that as the Monastery 
 wanted white-washing all over, he supposed the 
 whole would require five or six hundred sequins. 
 This was a modest requisition for five days' lodging, 
 and board on lentils, rice, and water ; however, I 
 made him an offer in return. My purse contained 
 only twelve sequins, which I tendered to the Supe- 
 rior. His calculation and mine were wide of each 
 other ; he flew in a passion that it would not be easy 
 to describe, loaded me with invectives, and swore 
 by all the saints of his church that I should soon re- 
 pent my ingratitude. He invoked heaven against 
 me, and said it would send him some Arabs, whom 
 he would dispatch after me, with a commission to 
 be his avengers. At this, I could not keep my tem- 
 per ; and I darted through the wicker, lest I should 
 have knocked the rascal down. 
 
 As I was going to mount the ass intended for my 
 riding, the Superior sent to intreat me to give him 
 the twelve sequins I had offered. I delivered them 
 to the messenger, and immediately saw^ the Monk 
 putting up his prayers for my prosperous journey, to 
 that heaven, which he had, a few minutes before, 
 invoked for my destruction. 
 
 We travelled south south-east for six miles, 
 through deep passes, parallel with the great hills, 
 and covered with a fine sand. We then entered a 
 second Monastery, called Zaidi Sourian, which we 
 found w'as constructed on the same plan as that we 
 had left ; but the buildings were more commodious, 
 and the Monks less dirty, stupid, and ferocious.
 
 70 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 The Superior wiis turned of thirty, and without any 
 beard. In a country where a man is respected in 
 proportion to the length of his beard, the total want 
 of such an ornament was a severe mortification, and 
 the Monk earnestly intreated me to instruct him in 
 the means of acquiring such an embellishment to his 
 chin. 
 
 The garden of these Monks is something larger and 
 better cultivated than that of the otliers ; and in one 
 of the courts is a monstrous tamarind tree, which 
 the Copts consider as the effect of miraculous veger 
 tation. A certain Saint Ephrem leaving his stafi' at 
 the door of a brother hermit, it instantly took root, 
 put forth branches, and quickly became this enor- 
 mous tamarind tree. To heighten the miracle, the 
 Monks affirm that it is the only tamarind tree in 
 Egypt ; and the conclusion of the story is equally 
 true with the beginning. Tlie water of the well is 
 better than that of the other Convent; a few trees 
 overshadow a part of the inclosure, and attract some 
 small birds; while the rugged aspect of nature at 
 Zaidi el Baramous frightens away every creature that 
 has breath. Zaidi Sourian is only two miles from 
 the Lakes of Natron. 
 
 I departed from the Monastery the next morning 
 at three o'clock, having bestowed on the Monks 
 all I had, some pieces of silver, and being firndy re- 
 solved not to set my foot within another of their re- 
 treats. I had no money left to pay for my entertain- 
 ment, and I knew there was nothing in them worth 
 visiting. TJiere were two more. The first of these, 
 Amba Bishoi, was only a few paces from that I liad 
 quitted; and the Monks stood at the gate, soliciting 
 me to enter, and promising to shew me tlie body of 
 a saint, as fresh and rosy as if he were aliye, I de«
 
 CONVENT IN THE DESERT. 71 
 
 clined the invitation, and they were greatly offended 
 at my want of respect for their saint ; in other 
 words, disappointed of the money they expected to 
 receive for my visit. The other monastery is called 
 Amba Monguar, and is dedicated to St. Macarius ; 
 but we directed our course to the Eastward, and, 
 passing the Southern extremity of the Lake, we left 
 it full three miles on our right. 
 
 We kept on our way the wliole of the day and all 
 the night, and at five o'clock in the morning, we ar- 
 rived at a village on the western bank of the Nile. 
 The camp of my conductors was close to this village ; 
 the Sheik brought me to his tent, and the women 
 immediately set before us the repast of hospitality. 
 
 I had informed the Sheik at our first interview 
 that I could not pay him for the journey till I had 
 been at Cairo for a fresh supply of money: his an- 
 swer was, that he was not only willing to trust me, 
 but had money at my service. I did not consider 
 that this offer was made me by an Arab, and I 
 thought of it no more. Our meal was no sooner 
 over, however, than my host, taking his purse from 
 a small coffer which stood in a corner of the tent, 
 and presenting it to me, said, "I know that rascally 
 monk at Zaidi el Baramous has taken all your gold. 
 The letters you have would procure all you want 
 from the Cashef of Wardan ; but I cannot bear that 
 a man with whom I have eaten, should apply to a 
 dog of a Mameluk for assistance. Take this money; 
 if you refuse it, I shall think that you disdain a 
 friend because he is one of the people of the desert." 
 That I might not offend my c^enerous host, I took a 
 few patakas, which he would not suffer me to count 
 in his presence ; nor would he listen to me, when I 
 promised to repay him.
 
 72 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 Ill three days, I had been at Cairo, and returned 
 to the tent of the generous Sheik, who was astonished 
 to see me so soon. I obliged him to take the money 
 I owed him, and added to it some yards of cloth ; 
 and while I was partaking of his frugal repast, he 
 sent a sheep, and other provisions to my boat, withr 
 out my knowledge. I parted with this worthy Arab 
 with gratitude and admiration, and again sailed up 
 to Cairo. 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 SUEZ AND FAIOUME. 
 
 W HEN large caravans travel in these countries^ 
 they have at their head a chief, whose office it is to 
 guide them, to regulate the time of their departure, 
 the length of their journies, and their rest, and to 
 treat with the princes who may exact duties for the 
 liberty of passing through their dominions. Small 
 caravans have no such guide. The chief merchant 
 in the party proceeds and halts as he pleases, and 
 the rest follow his example. When there is no mer^ 
 chant considerable enough to possess this influence, 
 the Arab who owns the greatest number of beasts of 
 burden conducts the caravan. - 
 
 My next excursion was to Suez, which is three 
 days journies, or from sixty to seventy-seven miles, 
 South-East of Cairo ; and I joined a caravan which 
 consisted only of forty loaded camels. Their drivers 
 were few, and armed with broken guns, and rusty
 
 SUEZ. 73 
 
 or pointless sabres. My.self and a few Sheiks, to 
 whom most of our camels belonged, were completely 
 armed, and rode upon dromedaries, and my attend- 
 ants were chiefly mounted on horseback. 
 
 There are four roads from Cairo to Suez. The 
 first and most northerly, passes by mountains called 
 Hauhebi, and by Adjeroute. The second, by the 
 valley of Tearo Said, by a narrow defile called Hara- 
 mentelah, and by Adjeroute. The third, the road 
 of the pilgrims, from Birket el Hadgi, the Lake of 
 the Pilgrims, which is about eight miles from Cairo, 
 ascends low hills on the east, continues along them, 
 and comes into the second road at Tearo Said. The 
 fourth, and most southern road, runs to the south of 
 those hills on which are the two last 
 
 Birket el Hadgi is a considerable lake, which re- 
 ceives its waters from the Nile. On its banks are 
 several villages, and a number of ruinous country 
 houses. The pilgrims encamp near it ibr a few 
 days, on their setting out for, and return from 
 Mecca. From this place to Adjeroute, which is 
 within about ten miles of Suez, the country is a de- 
 sert ; neither houses, water, nor the smallest spot of 
 verdure being visible. The great road consists of a 
 number of parallel paths, formed by the camels, 
 which travel in files. 
 
 On the third day, we reached Adjeroute, where 
 is a caravanserai and a well, now in a ruinous state; 
 then Bir Suez, two deep wells, surrounded with 
 walls, and shut up by strong gates, to exclude the 
 Arabs from the water, which, though bad, is preci- 
 ous to the inhabitants of Suez ; and at the distance 
 of two miles further, we arrived at Suez itself. 
 
 The city of Suez stands upon the western side, 
 but not quite at the western extremity of the Ara-
 
 74 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 bian Gulph. It is not surrounded by walls, but the 
 houses are built so closely togetlier, that there are 
 only two passages into the city : that towards the 
 sea is open ; that towards the country is shut by a 
 very insufficient gate. The town is small and thinly 
 inhabited ; the houses are of unburnt brick, and 
 many of them in a ruinous state. From their ter- 
 raced roofs, the eye surveys a sandy plain, on the 
 north-west; the white rocks of Arabia on the east; 
 and the sea on the south ; but not a single tree, or 
 the smallest spot of verdure. The country around 
 is one bed of rock, slightly covered with sand; and 
 gardens, fields and meadows, are entirely unknown 
 at Suez. 
 
 Fish is the only article of provisions plentiful 
 here ; all the other necessaries of life are brought 
 from Cairo or from Asia. Meat is scarce ; bread is 
 of an inferior quality ; butter and milk are supplied 
 in small quantities by the Arabs. At Suez there is 
 not a single spring of water : that at Bir Suez is 
 scarcely good enough for cattle, though it is drawn 
 twice a day for their use ; the water of the Wells of 
 Moses, on the other side of the Gulph, is worse, and 
 at a greater distance ; the only water that can be 
 drank, and it is still very bad, is brought in skins, 
 by the Arabs, from the Wells of Naba, on the oppo- 
 site side of the Gulph, and more than five miles 
 distant from Suez. When the Arabs of Tor are dis- 
 satisfied with the governor or inhabitants of Suez, 
 they threaten to bring no more water, and forbid 
 them to approach the Wells of Naba. As the exe- 
 cution of these threats would reduce the city to 
 extremity, all means are used to pacify the Arabs. 
 
 The English army marched from Suez to Cairo 
 in the month of June, when the Kamseen wind pre^
 
 SUEZ. 15 
 
 vails. The tlicrmometer was foiuul to be from 86° 
 to 116, and once it was supposed to have been 140. 
 Water became thick and full of maggots, and occa- 
 sioned vomiting and pains in the bowels : the offi- 
 cers drank Madeira, and the soldiers mixed spirits 
 with the puddle. Salt meat was thrown away, for 
 fear of increasing thirst; fresh meat would have been 
 rendered useless by the heat ; dried meat was not 
 known ; and flour was not thought of. 
 
 Some of the men were seized with giddiness and 
 loss of sight,— others fell down, gasping for breath, 
 and calling out for drink. While tormented with 
 thirst, they were perpetually deluded with the ap- 
 pearance of a vast lake of water before their eyes, 
 and in the dark they fancied they saw men, horses, 
 and camels moving ra})idly before them. No man 
 had tasted a morsel of food from the time of leaving 
 Suez, till they reached the springs of el Hanka, 
 twelve miles short of Cairo, which took up thirty-four 
 hours. Two horses broke loose near the wells, and 
 drank till they died. The way was hard sand for 
 forty miles, rising ground for ten, and deep heavy 
 sand for twenty. During the whole march, no 
 vegetation whatsoever, no bird, nor beast, had 
 been seen. 
 
 Another excursion which I made was to Faioume, 
 a city sixty miles south-west of Cairo, The cara- 
 vans go once a week from Cairo to Faioume ; but 
 as the Cashef, or governor of the province, was going 
 thither, I obtained the privilege of accompanying 
 him. I had the honour of supping with this officer 
 the night before our departure, and I recommended 
 myself to his good graces by a present of some spi- 
 rituous liquors, witli which I took care he should be 
 well supplied.
 
 76 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 South of Metrahenny we stopped to rest, and I 
 had my carpet spread at some distance from the 
 Cashefj but lie invited me to come to him, and I 
 shared his repast of hrend, raw onions, and a sort 
 of pickled cheese. We passed the night in a grove 
 of palm trees, and I received another invitation 5 
 but before '.^e began our supper, a great Sheik en- 
 tered the tent; and as I thought it probable that 
 the Cashef might neither like to be seen in the com- 
 pany of a Christian, nor drinking brandy, I retired 
 to my place, whither he sent me a part of his repast. 
 On the following day we ascended the low sandy 
 hills on the south-west, and passing over an uneven 
 desert, and afterwards a sandy plain, we arrived at 
 Tamich. We passed tlie night at the large village 
 of Sennours, where the governor of the place had 
 prepared a great supper for the Cashef. 
 
 A coarse brown woollen cloth being spread nearly 
 the whole length of the room, cakes of bread were 
 laid all around it, and about ten dishes, repeated 
 six or seven times, were placed along it. These 
 contained pilaw, a small sheep boiled whole, a lamb 
 roasted whole, fowls roasted, meat roasted, and 
 stewed in soup, sweet flummery, &c. The Cashef 
 sat at the head of the table, and all the great people 
 took their places at the same time. I might have 
 placed myself among them, but being determined 
 not to do any thing without direction, I remained 
 upon the sofa, and when the person on the Cashef's 
 right hand rose, the Cashef called me to his place, 
 and shewed me great attention, which was more 
 honourable for me than if I had taken a lower seat 
 at first. There was a continual succession of persons, 
 till the poor came in, and ate up all ; for the Arabs, 
 when they make a feast, call in their neighbours,
 
 FAIOUME. 77 
 
 and afterwards the poor, till nothing remains, and 
 the next day they return to their mean fare. 
 
 On the morning of the third day, we had a grand 
 collation, set out in the same manner as the supper. 
 This consisted of the best bread, made with butter, 
 fried eggs, honey, green salt cheese, olives, and 
 several other small things. 
 
 We were here in the fertile })rovince of Arsinoe, 
 which is said to have been the most beautiful spot 
 in Egypt. We pursued our journey, and came to 
 Baiamout. To the north of the village there are 
 ruins on each side of the road, which I found, on 
 examination, to be those of two pyramids. We 
 arrived at Faioume through heaps of ruins of the 
 ancient city of Arsinoe. Here, and by the two 
 pyramids, I saw people sifting the sand, to find seals 
 and medals. 
 
 Faioume stands near the great canal of Yusef, 
 which proceeds from the Nile to the lake Maeris. 
 The town is two m.iles in circumference, but very 
 ill built, the houses being chiefly of unburnt bricks. 
 It is on the decline, though still populous. It is 
 the residence of the Cashef, or governor of tiie pro- 
 vince, and of several rich persons, who own viihiges 
 in the neighbourhood ; there are also sixty Arabs in 
 the town, who have the title of Sheik. There is at 
 Faioume a large manufacture of the mats that are 
 used in Egypt to lay upon the floors. It is sur- 
 rounded by gardens ami cultivated grounds, and 
 has been famous for rose water, but the cultivation 
 of roses is going to decay. Thic vicinity produces x' 
 
 very fine grapes. 
 
 At Faioume I had an apartment given me in the 
 Cashefs house, and had a table served every day in 
 my own room. Sometimes the Cashef invited mc
 
 78 LOWER EGYPT. 
 
 to dine with him, when the brandy went plentifully 
 round, and the great man diverted himself by jesting 
 with two or three of his dependents ; for in private, 
 the Turks can lay aside their gravity, and display as 
 much levity as the Europeans. 
 
 About three miles to the south-west of Faioume 
 is a remarkable obelisk of red granite. The lower 
 part is divided into fourteen columns of hierogly- 
 pliics, and above these are four rows of human figures, 
 six in each row, and eighteen inches high. The 
 obelisk is forty-three feet high and six feet six inches 
 by four feet two, at the base. We afterwards came 
 to the great canal of Joseph, which is about a hun- 
 dred yards broad, with cliffs on the east forty feet 
 high, and on the west thirty. 
 
 1 he large village of Nesle is close to the canal ; 
 and lierc the Caimacan, to whom I had a letter from 
 the Cashef, agreed with a Sheik to provide me 
 camels to carry water and provisions, and an escort 
 of Arabs on horseback, to the lake Maoris. 
 
 After two hours travelHng, the desert begins. Ruins 
 covered with sand, and stones scattered around, mark 
 the site of the ancient labyrinth, said to have con- 
 tained 1500 rooms above ground, and as many be- 
 neath, and to have been erected by twelve contem- 
 porary kings, when the government of Egypt was 
 divided into so many parts. 
 
 Tlie temple of the labyrinth is 165 feet long, and 
 SO broad. The upper story is chiefly gone. As 
 the building now remains, it is 33 feet high. The 
 length is divided into four rooms, which I imagine 
 were near 20 feet high. They have door-ways sur- 
 mounted with double cornices and the winged globe, 
 and are covered with stones of sucli a length as to 
 be laid from wall to wall. Beyond these are narrow 
 apartments.
 
 FAIOUME. 79 
 
 The lake Maeris is said to be four days' journies 
 in circumference: some travellers make it fifty miles 
 in length and ten in breadth; others between twenty 
 and thirty in length, and nearly six in breadth. All 
 have depended upon the information of the Arabs, 
 for no European has made its circuit. There are 
 no villages near it, and its western banks are under 
 the dominion of Arabs, who suffer no person to travel 
 thither, unless under tlieir immediate protection. 
 When I saw it, the lake was much retired within 
 its banks ; it is therefore possible that both accounts 
 may approach the truth, — the one at the time of the 
 inundation of the Nile, the other after it has subsided. 
 Several fishermen, in miserable boats, are employed 
 upon the lake. 
 
 I could not prevail upon my Arabs to venture to 
 the edge of the water ; but, finding me determined 
 to go alone, they sent one of their company after 
 me. There is a gentle descent to the banks of the 
 lake, after which it was half a mile to the water, 
 first on a slaty ground, and then on a deep slimy 
 mud, incrusted with a thin cake of salt. I waded 
 through this with much difficulty, and reached the 
 water, which was almost as salt as the sea, and (;f 
 a disagreeable muddy taste. It is observed that the 
 water is not so salt towards the part where it enters 
 from the Nile. 
 
 I now returned to Nesle, from which I had been 
 distant nearly twenty miles, and passed the night at 
 the house of the Caimacan, ha\ ing been eighteen 
 hours in continual motion. At Nesle I treated with 
 the Arabs to conduct me to the two great pyramids 
 of Davara, which 1 had seen about ten or twelve 
 miles to the South of Faioume, but whicli could only 
 be approached from this }>lace, on account of the
 
 so UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 canal being between. They declined the under- 
 tdkinu:, but assured me they were only built witli 
 imbuint brick. 
 
 From Nesle I returned to Faioume, and from the 
 latter place, with the caravan, to Cairo, where we 
 arrived in four davs. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 UPPER EGYPT, TO SIOUT. 
 
 I NOW embarked upon the Nile, and turned my 
 face to the south, prepared to visit all the accessible 
 part of Upper Egypt. In the course of my reading 
 I had observed the advantages gained by a distin- 
 guished traveller by the practice of physic. Consi- 
 dering, therefore, a knowledge of medicine not only 
 as desirable for my own health, which must neces- 
 sarily be endangered by a variety of climates and 
 situations, but as a passport among half-civilized 
 nations, I had made myself acquainted with the 
 most common diseases and their remedies. I had 
 brought with me some chests of valuable drugs, and 
 I now assumed the character of a physician, and 
 the habit of a Turk. My eyes were black, my com- 
 plexion was brown, my beard was by this time re- 
 spectable, and was thriving apace. 
 
 A chain of mountains on the east begins at Cairo. 
 On the peak of these is the monastery of the Chain, 
 so called because the monks can only procure sup- 
 plies of water, and other necessaries, by means of a
 
 Benesoukp'. 81 
 
 long chain attached to a windlarss, which they let 
 down to the river. The monks swim into the stream 
 to request alms of the passengers in boats, and, by long 
 habit, they advance against the current like fishes. 
 
 The houses of Upper Egypt are of a square form, 
 and pigeon-houses are raised over their roofs, which, 
 at a distance, have the appearance of architectural 
 ornaments, and give the villages a pleasing look ; 
 but on a nearer approach, one sees mud v/alls and 
 the livcrv of wretchedness. 
 
 A small town on the eastern side of the river, 
 called Benesouef, is about ninety miles from Cairo, 
 and the largest in that space. The houses are built 
 of bricks. The convents of St. Anthony and St. 
 Paul are situated in the desert, little more than seven 
 miles from the Red Sea, and a small day's journey 
 from each other. They are visited from Bouche, a 
 little below Benesouef, but I did not visit them, 
 having declined the acquaintance of Egyptian monks. 
 Anthony and Paul were contemporary saints, and 
 lived in the time of the Roman Emperors. Each 
 convent contains a church, with a belfry and a 
 small bell, a mill, a tower v/ith a draw-bridge, where 
 are kept the books and the provisions ; a large garden, 
 with apricots, olives, and other fruits ; a grove of 
 palm trees, and springs of water not quite fresh. The 
 whole is surrounded by a high wall, and the only 
 admittance is by a window. The monks are forbid- 
 den to eat meat or smoke tobacco in the convent^ 
 which prohibition they ingeniously evade by eating 
 and smoaking in the garden. It is probable that 
 in these convents are the only bells in Egypt. 
 
 From Benesouef I quitted my boat, and travelled 
 along the western bank of the Nile. The country 
 between the river and the canal of Yusuf is one of 
 the richest in the world. 
 
 G
 
 8^ UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 Oxyrinclius, once a metropolis surrounded by a 
 fertile plain, and six miles from the Lybian range of 
 hills, has disappeared beneath the sand; and the 
 new town, Benesech, has been obliged to retreat 
 from this desolating invader, leaving to its ravages 
 house after house ; and the inhabitants must at last 
 be driven beyond the canal Yusuf. The inundation 
 of sand often overwhelms the country, changes its 
 fertility to barrenness, drives the labourer from his 
 house, covers up its walls, and leaves no other mark 
 of vegetable life than the tops of a few palm trees. 
 Indolence and tyranny have also contributed to the 
 encroachment of the sands upon parts once covered 
 by vegetable mould ; but such sands as are recently 
 spread over the soil are not deep, and would yield 
 to cultivation as soon as the waters could reach them. 
 These are easily distinguishable from the others : 
 they have not the same reddish and fiery appear- 
 ance ; they have not the same depth ; they are 
 not fluctuating, and the foot that treads them feels 
 the solic' earth beneath. Perhaps the lands that 
 agriculture could reclaim might amount to one fourth 
 of those at present in cultivation. 
 
 From 100 to 115 miles above Cairo, mountains of 
 sand and perpendicular rock advance close to the 
 river on the east, and form straits dangerous to nar 
 vigation. Soon after, the eastern chain of moun- 
 tains were cut perpendicularly, and appeared like a 
 loftv wall constructed bv the hand of art : the wes- 
 tern shore presented cultivated fields, and numerous 
 habitations. 
 
 Women carry at once from the Nile three earthen 
 vessels filled with water : a very large one on the 
 head; a smaller one on the back, held fast by 
 a rope which passes round the forehead; and a
 
 MINIET, HERMOPOLIS. 83 
 
 smaller still on the left shoulder, held by the right 
 hand. 
 
 Nearly 150 miles from Cairo, on the western bank 
 of the river, is Miniet, a city of imburnt brick houses, 
 cemented with earth, and narrow streets, in which 
 we tread on dust. The house of the governor, and 
 a few others, are built of stone. Here are merchants, 
 bazars, and crowded streets. Heaps of rubbish and 
 pillars of granite standing, broken, and overtlnown, 
 indicate that Miniet occupies the place of some more 
 ancient city. Beyond Miniet the country was rich 
 and abundant, and the villages so numerous that 
 from the middle of the plain I reckoned twenty-four 
 around me. 
 
 The French commander, Desaix, arrived too late to 
 prevent one of these from being pillaged ; nothing 
 remained in the houses, and the inhabitants had fled 
 into the fields. Desaix invited them to return. "Why 
 should we return to our houses?" said the Arabs, 
 coldly : ** Are not Hhe deserts now as good as our 
 homes ?'* The French had nothing to reply to these 
 observations. 
 
 As I approached the eminence on the eastern side 
 of the Nile on which is situated the celebrated portico 
 of Hermopolis, I saw with delight its gigantic outline 
 in the horizon. This v/as the first monument which 
 gave me an idea of the ancient Egyptian architecture. 
 A peasant who should be taken from his cottage, and 
 placed before such a building as this, would believe it 
 could not be the work of beings like himself; The por- 
 tico of Hermopolis consists of six magnificent pillars 
 in front, and six of the same behind, supporting a flat 
 roof; with architrave and frieze still complete; one 
 stone only remains of the cornice. To try these 
 massive columns by any known rules of architecture 
 
 & 2
 
 84- UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 would be vain. They are reeded, banded, orna- 
 mented with hieroglyphics; and the whole of the 
 building is noble, simple, and grand, beyond expres- 
 sion. 
 
 Within three or four hundred yards of the portico, 
 enormous blocks of stone may be seen, half buried 
 in sand, and regular architecture beneath them; 
 these appear to form an edifice containing columns 
 of granite, just rising above the present level of the 
 soil. Further on, but still connected with the frag- 
 ments of the great temple of Hermopolis, is a mosque 
 in which are a number of columns of moderate size, 
 retouched by the Arabs : then comes the village of 
 xichmounein, containing about 5,000 inhabitants. 
 
 The diameter of the pillars of the portico is 8 feet 
 10 inches : the whole portico is 120 feet in length ; 
 its height is 60. The architrave is composed of five 
 stones, each 22 feet long, and the frieze of as many. 
 The only remaining stone of the cornice, which is in 
 the centre, is Si feet. The stones are freestone, of 
 the fineness of marble, and have no cement, or mode 
 of union, except the perfect fitting of their respect- 
 ive parts. All the roofs are adorned with a wreath of 
 painted stars of an Aurora colour, on a blue ground. 
 
 From Achmounein I visited the remains of An- 
 tinoe, a city built by the Romans. The extensive 
 site is strewed with fragments, of which the most 
 remarkable is a gateway supported by fluted pillars. 
 But, may I confess it? I had seen an Egyptian por- 
 tico ; and Roman architecture shrunk before the 
 comparison. 
 
 There are caverns in the sideof the mountain, which 
 the present inhabitants of the country, not compre- 
 hending that human art and strength could make such 
 excavations, ascribe to the devil. The missionaries,
 
 BENEADI, MANFELOUT. 85 
 
 believing the devil incapable of performing so pious 
 a work by the instigation of his own evil spirit, say 
 that he was compelled to it by holy exorcisms ; and 
 the Coptic legends give the laborious task to a few 
 devout hermits. 
 
 Beneadi is a town two miles in length, and con- 
 taining 1^2,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the 
 verge of the desert. The French plundered the 
 town, and, among other booty, they took a great 
 number of women, partly residents in the place, 
 and partly slaves, brought by a caravan from Dar- 
 fur. Those to whose share they fell in the division 
 of the spoil, sold them in open market. From one, 
 they passed to another, rising in value with every 
 change of master ; till at last they were purchased 
 by their fathers, husbands, or former masters. Meek 
 and. modest, they submitted with resignation to their 
 lot, and were reinstated in their domestic relations 
 without any questions being asked. 
 
 Manfelout, on the western side of the river, is a 
 considerable city. The streets are broader and hand- 
 somer than those of Miniet; the country around pro- 
 duces abundance, and fruit trees and palm trees 
 shade its walls. The acacia seems to be an indige- 
 nous tree in the Thebaid. From the male proceeds 
 the gum Arabic and gum Senegal, upon incision 
 with an axe. It is the tree of all deserts, from the 
 northernmost parts of Arabia, to the extremity of 
 Ethiopia, and the banks of the Senegal; and its 
 leaves are the general food of camels. Manfelout is 
 a mile from the river, and a mile in circumference. 
 
 Between Achmounein and Manfelout, the moun- 
 tains on the west are about sixteen miles distant 
 from the Nile ; while those on the east are not three. 
 At Manfelout the whole valley is about eight miles 
 in breadth.
 
 86 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 Siout is fifteen miles from Manfelout, and is the 
 largest city of Upper Egypt. It is situated on an 
 artificial mount on the western side of the river, 
 and nearly two miles distant from it. No antiqui- 
 ties are found at Siout ; but the Lybian chain of 
 hills, from which it is distant little more than a mile, 
 exhibits such a vast number of sepulchral excava- 
 tions, that there needs no other proof of its having 
 been the site of some very ancient and considerable 
 city. 
 
 I had travelled from Cairo between two ranges, 
 but I had never yet set my foot upon an Egyptian 
 mountain : I hastened to explore that above Siout. 
 I found it formed of horizontal strata of calcareous 
 stone, divided at intervals by large flints, which 
 seem to be the bones that hold together this mould- 
 ering flesh, and prevent its total destruction.. The 
 decomposition of the softer parts is daily taking 
 place. The salt air, which penetrates every part of 
 the calcareous surface, makes it dissolve in streams 
 of sand, which first are collected in heaps at the 
 foot of the rock, and afterwards are carried away by 
 the winds ; encroaching gradually upon the culti- 
 vated country. It appears to me that a great part 
 of the lands on the eastern side of the Nile, be- 
 tween Cairo and Achmim, will soon become desert, 
 from the quantity of sand detached from the moun- 
 tains. 
 
 The rocks above Siout are excavated into a vast 
 number of caverns, some with passages leading to 
 different apartments. All the inner porches of these 
 grottoes are covered with hieroglyphics. Months 
 would be required to read them, if one knew their 
 language ; and it would take years to copy them. 
 One thing I saw, by the little day-light that enters
 
 STOUT. 87 
 
 the first porch ; that all tlie scrolls, the wavy lines 
 and other elegant ornaments employed in the Greek 
 architecture, were here executed with great deli- 
 cacy. The richness of decoration in the interior 
 part forms a striking contrast with the exterior, 
 which is only the rough, naked rock. 
 
 I saw, in one of the caverns, consisting of a sin- 
 gle apartment, a number of graves cut in the rock, 
 in regular order. They had been ransacked ; but I 
 found several fragments of their contents, such as 
 linen, hands, feet, and loose bones. In another, 
 the first chamber had only an ornamental moulding 
 over a flat arch ; but from thence to the farther end 
 of the innermost apartment, all the walls were co- 
 vered with hieroglyphics, and the ceilings with 
 painted and sculptured ornaments. On the smooth 
 surfaces of the doors were large human figures, which 
 w^ere repeated on the solid jambes. These caverns 
 form very spacious halls, nearly thirty feet in height, 
 which receive light and air through holes made in 
 the rock ; and have wells dug in a square form, the 
 depth of which is unknown. 
 
 I made some stay at Siout, where I practised phy- 
 sic, and had the honour to be called in by Daoud, 
 the Commandant of the city; but I found that the 
 science of medicine in Egypt was very different from 
 that understood in England. The people reduce all 
 diseases, except such as are visible on the skin, 
 into three classes, proceeding from the bile, the 
 blood, and the cold. A physician is to feel the 
 pulse of his patient, and from this ho is to judge 
 of the nature of the disorder ; for he is not al- 
 lowed to ask any questions. It is true he may re- 
 ceive some assistance from the complexion of the 
 patient ; he may ascribe the yellow to bile, the
 
 88 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 red to inflammation, and the pale to cold j but if he 
 were to inquire into particulars, he would be dis- 
 missed as an ignorant blockhead; and if he ventured 
 to prescribe an injection common in Europe, he 
 would be fortunate if he escaped with his life. 
 
 If a man in power die under the care of a foreign- 
 er, the physician is regarded as an assassin. He 
 should shun an honour so perilous ; but if he cannot 
 escape it, he must either cure his patient, or expect 
 to die himself. If he administer a remedy that 
 proves troublesome to the great man, he is ordered 
 in, is obliged to remain during the operation of 
 the medicine, and is told that his head must an- 
 swer for any ill consequences. In the moments 
 of pain, looks of fury are darted at him ; and the 
 wretched physician, more disordered than the sick 
 man, awaits, in mortal agonies, the event of a me- 
 dicine of whicli he cannot ensure the success. 
 
 Daoud, liaving proved my skill as a physician, 
 believed that I must be a dealer in magic, and that 
 the secret treasures of the earth, obedient to my 
 voice, would jump into my pocket. A mosque in 
 Siout being universally believed to cover riches of 
 this description, he sent for me, and ordering me to 
 discover tlie hidden gold, he offered to share it with 
 me. All I could say to undeceive him was vain ; I 
 was obliged to accompany him into the mosque, 
 where, after a pretended examination, I assured him 
 that the report was false, and that no treasure ex- 
 isted beneath it. 
 
 This idea, which is general in these countries, is a 
 ramification of the subterranean chambers filled with 
 gold and precious stones, of the Arabian Tales. 
 
 While I remained at Siout, a caravan of Nubians 
 were on the eve of departure from that city for Sen-
 
 siouT. 89 
 
 naar. They were tall and well made, and their skin 
 was of a beautiful shining black ; they wore a beard 
 and whiskers. The Kabir, or leader of the caravan 
 was a very handsome man, with a long thick beard, 
 which, as he was advanced in years, was of a perfect 
 white, and produced a singular contrast with the jet 
 black of his person. 
 
 Those Nubians who carry on commerce, speak Ara- 
 bic ; but among themselves they have a particular 
 idiom. They wear a long shirt of grey cloth, the 
 sleeves of which are turned up to the arm-pits, leav- 
 ing the arms intirely bare. They have usually several 
 small leathern pockets fastened to the bend of the 
 left arm, in which they keep money, tobacco, and 
 other things. To the bend of the right arm is fixed 
 a poniard with a sheath of leather. On their journey 
 they are likewise armed with a long sabre. They 
 are bare-headed, and they dress their hair, or v;ool, 
 with great care. I saw some whose curls were 
 arranged like a periwig. 
 
 The greater number of the inhabitants of Manfe- 
 lout and Siout are Copts. They manufacture blue 
 cloths, in which they carry on a considerable com- 
 merce ; and being the only people in the country 
 who can read and write, they are the secretaries and 
 stewards of rich and powerful men. They under- 
 stand how to make an advantao^eous use of tlie con- 
 fidence and incapacity of their employers ; but they 
 have the wisdom to keep their wealth within doors. 
 
 One of the opulent Copts of Siout insisted upon 
 giving me a dinner. The interior of his house was 
 genteel and commodious j every thing announced a 
 man at his ease. The repast was served with pro- 
 fusion, and excellent date brandy was conthmally 
 presented in small glasses from Venice. Females
 
 go UPPER EGYI^T. 
 
 were as invisible in the house of this Christian as in 
 those of the Mohammedans. It is custom, not reli- 
 gion, that immures the women of the East. The 
 Copts take their meals in the same manner as the 
 Turks and Arabs. They are seated, with their legs 
 crossed, around a table with one foot, in the form of 
 a large circular tea-board, and take out of the differ- 
 ent dishes, small pieces with the fingers of the right 
 hand. The left, being reserved for their ablutions, 
 must not touch provisions. This also reminded me 
 of one of the Arabian Tales, in which a vouno- man 
 affronts a whole company by feeding himself with 
 his left hand ; having, unknown to them, lost his 
 right. 
 
 The people of this country sometimes make up 
 from various dishes, a large ball, which they cram 
 into a mouth widely distended for that purpose. 
 The poultry and boiled meats are torn to pieces 
 with the hands and nails ; the roast meats are cut 
 small before they are put upon the spit, and are 
 excellent. 
 
 The table does not afford an opportunity for con- 
 versation : people seat themselves only to eat, and 
 they swallow as fast as they can. They are not men, 
 whom the pleasure of society assembles; but ani- 
 mals, whom hunger collects round their food. The 
 grease runs out from each side of their mouths ; and 
 their stomachs send forth frequent fumes, which they 
 make as long and as loud as possible. Each rises 
 from table when his appetite is satisfied ; no want 
 of politeness attaching to him who rises when others 
 are seated, or remains when others have risen. 
 
 With Orientals, it is neither ridiculous nor irksome 
 to be silent. They go into company to be diverted, 
 not to labour ; and they esteem effort in conversa- 
 tion a vain toil.
 
 SIOUT. 91 
 
 A species of hemp is made into a paste, and mixed 
 with honey, pepper and nutmeg. They swallow 
 pieces of this comfit, about tlie size of a nut, which 
 procure for them a sort of pleasing intoxication, a 
 delicious stupor, in which gay dreams and agreeable 
 reveries supersede the faculty of thinking, 
 
 Siout is about 270 miles above Cairo, and may 
 contain 25,000 souls. The number of villages I 
 distinguished between the two cities were, on the 
 western side of the Nile 228, on the eastern IfiO. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 SIOUT TO DENDERA. 
 
 RAVELLING from Siout to the south, we found, 
 at the distance of every mile and a half, small monu- 
 ments of hospitality, with wells, at which we could 
 allay the thirst of men and animals. These arc built 
 by pious and charitable individuals, and are called 
 Caravanserais in the desert. The edifice generally 
 consists of a cistern, the first motive of the institu- 
 tion, a watering trough, a fountain, two chambers, 
 and an open gallery; the furniture, of some pots and 
 mats. It has no owner, and there is none to levy 
 contributions for the use of it. It belongs, for the 
 time, to the first occupier ; and this is not attended 
 with inconvenience in a country where tra\ ellers are 
 few, and journies of any length are always performed 
 in large parties.
 
 92 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 In crossing the desert on the west of tlie Nile, we 
 passed a Coptic monastery called the White Con- 
 vent, from the colour of the stone with which it is 
 built. The erection of this building is attributed to 
 Helena, tlie mother of Constantine, and, to judge by 
 the plan, this is probably true. It is situated on the 
 edge of the desert, but commanding a view of the 
 rich country. The exterior of the edifice is very 
 simple. The cornice and the gates resemble the 
 Egyptian style ; and this resemblance is augmented 
 by the long flat top, and the sloping angles ; for this 
 building of the fourth century, like those of twenty 
 centuries before it, partakes somewhat of the pyra- 
 midal form ; all the angles sloping upwards, and 
 making; the summit smaller than the base. 
 
 To the south of Siout, I crossed the river to see 
 a beautiful portico at Gawa Kebir^, on the eastern 
 side. It is composed of eighteen columns in three 
 rows, supporting a flat roof, with a cornice, which is 
 covered with hieroglyphics. The plinths of the co- 
 lumns are square ; the shafts have hieroglyphics in 
 three compartments, one over another ; the capitals 
 are not unlike balustrades. Vast stones are seen 
 about this portico ; one, 30 feet long, and 5 broad j 
 another 21 feet long and 8 broad. 
 
 Opposite to Taahta, which is a town on the west- 
 ern side of the Nile, about thirty-six miles south of 
 Siout, is a mountain called Jibbel Heredy, from a 
 Turkish saint, who was transformed into a snake, 
 has lived several hundred years, and is to live for 
 ever. An enlightened European traveller very 
 gravely says he does not believe it : on such a sub- 
 ject every man must judge for himself. 
 
 A little to the south-west of this mountain, I came 
 to x'Vchmim, a city about a mile to the east of the
 
 ACHMIM. dd 
 
 river. It is large and well situated; but the moun- 
 tains, which encircle it on three sides, render the lieat 
 intolerable. The streets are broader and straighter 
 than in most of the Arab towns, and the bricks at 
 the corners of the houses are burnt. Chemmis was 
 the Egyptian, and Panopolis the Greek, name of this 
 city. Remains of the ancient city are still to be seen 
 near the modern town. Enormous masses of stone, 
 marked with Egyptian hieroglyphics, and Greek 
 inscriptions, are overthrown and scattered. 
 
 At Achmim is a monastery of Italian monks, of 
 the Society de Propaganda Fide ; from the Superior 
 General of which mission at Cairo, I had a letter, 
 recommending me to every assistance in their powcr. 
 A coxcomb of a monk heard me with disdain, read 
 the letter of his superior with a smile of contempt, 
 and reclined on his sofa without speaking or looking 
 at me. 
 
 Fearing to lose my patience, I quitted the monk, 
 and descended to the court-yard of the convent, 
 where my baggage had been thrown down, and was 
 still lying. I sent to seek a lodging in the city ; 
 and as the search was tedious, I remained, waiting 
 the event, till the afternoon, without seeino; anv 
 person belonging to the house ; nor did any one 
 make his appearance when my camels were loaded, 
 and I left the place. I afterwards had a letter, in 
 which it was said in Italian, that if my Illustrious 
 Lordship had not been received with tlie honours 
 due to my condition, it was a mistake. It appeared 
 clear to myself, beyond the possibility of mistake, 
 that I had not been received at all. 
 
 At Achmim I dined with a Copt called MuUm, or 
 Master^ Suliman. His sons-in-law and other rehi- 
 tions waited at table, for sons will at no time sit
 
 94} UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 down before tlieir parents in this country, unless 
 thev are three or four times desired to do so. 
 
 The lands in the environs of Achmim are remark- 
 able for fertility, and produce some of the finest 
 corn in Egypt. 
 
 From Achmim I visited Girge [pronounced Jirga] 
 to the south of the former city, and on the opposite, 
 or western side of the Nile. It is a modern town, 
 about a quarter of a mile from the river, the banks 
 of which are here steep and lofty. It is as large as 
 Miniet, but less than Siout, and less beautiful than 
 either. It is only interesting as being the capital of 
 the Said, or Upper Egypt ; the residence of the 
 governor, who is one of the Beys ; as being situated 
 half way between Cairo and Syene, the southern 
 extremity, or about 300 miles from each ; and in a 
 very rich territory. The country on both sides of 
 the Nile, from Achmim to Girge, is one continued 
 grove of palm trees, in which are villages at a small 
 distance from each other. The Copts maintain a 
 bishop here, and the Arabs have an emir. 
 
 At Girge I met with a Nubian prince, brother to 
 the King of Darfur, who was bringing to Cairo gold- 
 dust and elephant's teeth, to barter for coffee, sugar, 
 shawds, cloth, lead, iron, senna, and tamarinds. This 
 young man was lively, gay, impetuous, and clever, 
 all of which qualities were shewn in his physiognomy. 
 His colour was deeper than bronze ; his eyes very 
 fine, and well set ; his nose small, and somewhat 
 turned up ; his mouth very wide, but not flat ; and 
 his legs, like those of all the Africans, bowed and 
 lank. 
 
 He told us that Timbuctoo was to the south-west 
 of his country, that its inhabitants came to trade 
 with his people, and were six months on their journey
 
 girge'. 9.5 
 
 to Darfur, where they purchased the articles he took 
 back from Cairo, in exchange for gold-dust. He 
 added, that in his language Timbuctoo was called 
 The Paradise, and that the inhabitants were small 
 of stature, and mild in disposition. He further 
 told us, that in his country the succession of the 
 royal family was elective, and that after the death 
 of a king, the civil and military chiefs chose from 
 among his sons, him whom they thought most worthy 
 to succeed him. This interesting stranger was per- 
 fectly well inclined to tell us all he knew, and ex- 
 pressed himself with great ease and energy. 
 
 It is surprising how much the Egyptians do with 
 their fingers, the instruments to which they are com- 
 monly reduced ; and with their feet, which wonder- 
 fully assist their hands. As workmen, they have one 
 recommendation, which is, that they are patient and 
 unassuming, and ready to repeat their work till it is 
 done to the satisfaction of their employer. They 
 are eminently sober, and as active on their legs as 
 couriers. 
 
 The Felahs, or country people, are Egyptians, not 
 Arabs, though some of the villages are in the pos- 
 session of the Arabs. The Felahs are a slothful and 
 ignorant people, but artful and cunning. They are 
 chiefly employed in tilling the ground. 
 
 Above Girge the climate sensibly alters. Though 
 below that city the sun asserts his empire while he 
 is present, his place, when he has quitted the horizon, 
 is not supplied by the drying heat of the narrow 
 valley of the Thebais. 
 
 On the afternoon of the day after I left Girge, I 
 arrived at Furshout, which is situated in a large 
 plain sown with wheat, and nine miles from the foot 
 of the western mountains. There are likewise plan-
 
 96 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 tations of bugar canes on the banks of the river. At 
 Furshout is another colony of Italian monks, and I 
 was provided with the same recommendation to them 
 which had been of so little use to me at Achmim ; 
 but this time I left my servants and baggage without 
 the city, and proceeded to the convent alone. A 
 servant refused mc admittance ; and when I desired 
 him to deliver my letter from the Superior General 
 at Cairo, he would not take charge of it. Weary 
 of applying to monks, I tore the letter, and left the 
 convent. 
 
 I sent one of the people of the country, who at- 
 tended me, to seek for a lodging. I waited for his 
 return more than three hours, exposed to excessive 
 heat, and an atmosphere filled with dust ; when my 
 indignation giving way to my wants, I sent to the 
 monks to request they would point out a house 
 which I might be permitted to enter. The Superior 
 returned with my servant, and begged me to accept 
 of his. I did not refuse the offer, and I found the 
 exterior, at least, of courteous hospitality. 
 
 On quitting Furshout, I embarked upon the Nile, 
 and was going to push the boat from the shore, when 
 the Caslief of Basjoura, a neighbouring town, de- 
 tained it for his own use. I had met at Furshout a 
 merchant whom I had known at Cairo, and who of- 
 fered to conduct me to an Arab prince, whose little 
 city was six miles distant from the Nile. I fovmd 
 him alone, in one of his gardens, seated under the 
 shade of orange trees which perfumed the air, and 
 on the brink of some little rills which cooled it. 
 
 The moment the prince perceived me at a distance, 
 he stood upright, and when I quitted him he did the 
 same, which was a rare mark of respect. I solicited 
 his interposition in my favour. He made me eat
 
 SAHET. 97 
 
 some delicious grapes, and drink lemonade, and he 
 sent immediately to the Cashef, who relinquished 
 the boat in consequence of his message. I presented 
 the Arab prince with some bottles of liqueurs, some 
 medicines, and some Cairo brandy ; and in return, 
 he furnished me with letters to several Arab Sheiks, 
 and ordered provisions to be sent on board my boat. 
 
 When I reached the shore, it appeared that though 
 I had happily got rid of the master, 1 had yet to dis- 
 pute with the man. A Mameluk, who commanded at 
 the port, under the Cashef of Basjoura, now wanted 
 my boat, and made us get on shore, and ordered 
 our baggage to be landed. I shewed him the letters 
 of the Beys. He said he laughed at all the Beys ; 
 they were only masters at Cairo, but he was master 
 at Sahet, the port of Furshout. 
 
 When I had sent for mv camels, intendintK to load 
 them and proceed by land, this great man informed 
 me that for a sequin he would give up the boat. I 
 assured him that I would not give him a medina. 
 He then reduced his demand successively to a 
 pataka, half a pataka, and a quarter of a pataka, 
 which last, at his earnest entreaty, I gave him. 
 
 Some hours had passed in this altercation, and in 
 that time the Cashef had been informed of the pro- 
 ceedings of his deputy, and had sent him a reprimand, 
 with an order to restore the money he had extorted. 
 He entered my boat as humble as he had before been 
 insolent, and left it very well pleased, for I allowed 
 him to carry otl' the fourteen pence. 
 
 At some distance beyond Sahet, I first saW' a cro- 
 codile. He was motionless in the middle of tlie 
 river, his head only appearing above the water. 
 
 II
 
 m 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 TENTYRA. 
 
 JJeNDERA is a considerable town at this day, 
 situated about half a mile to the west of the river, 
 and covered with thick groves of palm trees. An 
 Emir, or Prince of the Arabs, governs the town 
 and the country around it, paying a tribute to the 
 Beys. 1 presented to him letters from the Beys, 
 and from his neighbours the Sheiks of Furshout, and 
 of the orange grove, and met with a most gracious 
 reception. He offered me the means of visiting the 
 remains of Tentyra in safety ; and on one of his 
 people expressing some distrust of my motives for 
 exploring these ruins, he said, " The ancestors of the 
 Franks were the possessors of these countries, and 
 respect for the memory of their forefathers is their 
 motive for examining the monuments they have left." 
 The following morning I found the Emir and his 
 son, with three beautiful horses, waiting to conduct 
 ttie to the ancient city of Tentyra. 
 
 Tentyra was built on the borders of the desert, 
 on the lowest level of the Lybian chain, the foot of 
 whicli is washed by the waters of the inundation of 
 the Nile, at the distance of three miles from its bed. 
 The ruins extend about a mile from east to west, 
 and half a mile fjom north to south. 
 
 In the midst of a gloomy heap of ruins and rub- 
 bish, I saw a gate, built of enormous masses, and 
 covered with hieroglyphics 5 and through this gate
 
 TENTYRA. 99 
 
 I had a view of the temple. Nothing can be more 
 simple, or better composed, than the few lines that 
 form this architecture. Order and simplicity are 
 the principles which were followed by the Egyptians, 
 and they have carried them to sublimity. At this 
 point they have stopped, and have been so careful 
 to preserve the unity of design, that though they 
 have loaded the walls with bas reliefs, inscriptions, 
 and scientific and historical representations, not one 
 of these rich additions intersects a single line of the 
 general plan. The sumptuous decorations, which 
 appear to the eye when close to the building, vanish 
 at a short distance, and leave to view only the grand 
 elements of architectural composition. 
 
 What power, what riches, what superfluity of 
 means, must a government possess, that could erect 
 such an edifice, and find within itself artists capable 
 of conceiving and executing such a design ! Never 
 did the labour of man shew me the human race in 
 such a splendid point of view ! In the ruins of 
 Tentyra, the Egyptians appeared to me to be giants! 
 
 On casting my eyes on the cielings, I perceived 
 zodiacs, planetary systems, and celestial hemispheres, 
 in tasteful arrangement. I saw the walls covered 
 with groupes of pictures, exhibiting the religious 
 rites of these people, their labours in agriculture and 
 the arts, and their moral precepts. I observed the 
 Supreme Being everywhere depicted by the emblems 
 of his attributes ; and I had but a few hours to ex- 
 amine what it had been the work of ages to execute. 
 Every part is so equally finished that they seem all 
 to have been done by the same hand. There ap- 
 pears neither negligence, nor more exalted genius ; 
 uniformity and harmony })revail throughout. 
 
 h2
 
 100 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 There are four sorts of hieroglyphics. I ima- 
 gine the two most ancient to be those that are only 
 simple outlines, eitlier scratched or cut very deep ; 
 the next in age, those in a shallow relief, raised 
 above the surface; and those which belong to a more 
 improved ^ra, and are executed perfectly at Tentyra, 
 such as are hollowed, and in the middle of the hollow 
 the figure rising in relief to the level of the outline. 
 
 The temple of Tentyra is broader in every angle 
 at the base than at the top, and perfectly flat on 
 the roof The mud huts of the village of Demichalat, 
 on the left bank of the Rosetta branch of the Nile, 
 are still of the same form. 
 
 The temple of Tentyra is in the form of an oblong 
 square. The front is 132 feet in length, the sides 
 nearly 2.55. The front is elevated 70 feet above the 
 ground; but at the back, accumulated heaps of sand 
 and rubbish have formed a gentle ascent to the top. 
 Enormous pillars, 21 feet in circumference, sustain 
 a large vestibule. Their capitals are formed of four 
 human heads with bats' ears, placed back to back 
 against each other. These are surmounted by a 
 square block, wdiose front projects beyond the heads, 
 and has some resemblance to a pannel. The roof 
 is formed of large stones, laid from one pillar to 
 another, or on two partition walls. Some of these 
 masses are 18 feet long and 6 broad. 
 
 The interior of the edifice is divided into several 
 halls, the walls of which are covered with hierogly- 
 phics, and symbolical figures, and the columns have 
 their share. In an apartment nearly square, a hu- 
 man figure of monstrous proportions and attitude 
 runs along three sides of the cieling; the body filling 
 the middle side ; the thighs, legs, and feet forming 
 one angle wath the body, and the arms, hands, and
 
 TENTYRA. 101 
 
 fingers another, filling two of the other sides of the 
 room. Every side is of equal length, and each more 
 than eleven feet. The head han"s down between 
 the upper part of the arms. 
 
 The celestial planisj)here occupies part of the ceil- 
 ing of this apartment, which is built over the nave 
 of the great temple. IJehind this room is a second, 
 which receives light only through the door, and is 
 covered with most interesting, and admirably exe- 
 cuted representations. Those on the ceiling appear 
 to relate to the heavenly bodies, and those on the 
 walls have probably some reference to the earth, air, 
 and water. The earth is universally represented by 
 the figure of Isis, who was the presiding divinity at 
 Tentyra, whose head it is which forms the capitals 
 of the columns, and whose figure appears in every 
 part. 
 
 There are neither doors nor hinges to those gates 
 which once concealed the mysteries of the priests, 
 and perhaps the treasures of the state. The cham- 
 bers consecrated to eternal night, and impervious to 
 strangers, were left open when Cambyses had vio- 
 lated the sanctuaries and ciirried off the treasures. 
 
 The colours of the ancient Egyptians are incorpo- 
 rated with the stone in a manner that our researches 
 have not enabled us to discover, nor our knowledge 
 of the arts to imitate. The cieling of the temple of 
 Tentyra retains a bright azure, and the figures in 
 relief upon it, a beautiful yellow, which leave our 
 freshest colours at a distance. 
 
 A village of wretched huts had been built on the 
 roof of the temple, as a basis more firm than the 
 moving sands or marshy soil in the vicinity; but this 
 was now deserted, and its ruins of hardened mud 
 formed a singular contrast with the magnificen 
 temple of Tentyra.
 
 102 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 At Deiidera I saw hundreds of crocodiles. If the 
 Tentyrites were as keen hunters of crocodiles as 
 ancient historians say, they could no where have 
 better sport than before their own city. The pre- 
 sent inhabitants heed them not ; for they drive their 
 flocks and herds into the river, where they stand for 
 hours ; and vvomen who fetch water, remain in it, 
 up to their knees, for a considerable time. 
 
 The habits of the crocodile are unknown in Egypt. 
 I have seen these animals from three to twenty- 
 eight feet in length ; and have been assured by per- 
 sons Vv'orthy of credit that they had seen one of forty. 
 They are by no means so ferocious as is pretended. 
 The small boat in which I sailed on the river was 
 often surrounded by crocodiles, on a level with the 
 water ; and they sav^^ us pass by with indifference, 
 discovering neither fear, nor any hostile intention. 
 The noise of a musket shot was alone able to dis- 
 turb their tranquillity. Their favourite resorts are 
 the low islands of the river, where they lie basking 
 in the sun, asleep, and motionless as so many logs. 
 Daring, even to imprudence, the French soldiers set 
 them at defiance ; and I myself bathed daily in the 
 Nile, regardless of a danger which I never knew 
 verified by a single fact. 
 
 I had seven young crocodiles brought me, which 
 were hatched two days before ; they were eleven 
 inches long, and their teeth very sharp. The Egyp- 
 tian who shewed them to me said that they were 
 about fi.fty in number ; but that he could seize no 
 more, because the mother arrived, and was eager to 
 attack him. General Belliard had a young croco- 
 dile in his possession, which was only six inches in 
 length, and already began to shew its native ferocity. 
 It lived four months, without eating, or appearing
 
 DENDERA. 103 
 
 to suffer; without growing larger, or becoming 
 leaner ; and to the last, it was as untractable as 
 ever. 
 
 At Dendera I first saw the doom palm, wliich 
 differs from the date palm in liaving from eight to 
 fifteen stems, instead of a single one. Its fruit is 
 attached by clusters to the extremities of the prin- 
 cipal branches, from whence proceed numerous tufts 
 which form the foliage of the tree. 
 
 At Dendera the valley of Egypt is not above five 
 miles in breadth. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 DENDERA TO THEBES. 
 
 On the western bank of the Nile, about twenty-two 
 miles above Dendera, is the town of Ballas, famous 
 for the manufacture of earthen jars, which are sent 
 down the river on rafts. These are made of a fine, 
 compact, soapy marl, and are sold so cheap that 
 they are sometimes used to construct the walls of 
 houses; but their general use is to contain the water 
 of the Nile; which, for drinking, is put into these 
 jars with a few sweet almonds, slightly bruised : and 
 in a few hours all the heterogeneous matter settles 
 to the bottom, leaving the water clear and limpid. 
 When it has been thus purified, it is poured into 
 small drinking-cups, formed of clay, dried, but not 
 baked or glazed; through the pores of which it trans-
 
 104? UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 udes, and is, by this continued evaporation, kept 
 admirably cool. 
 
 The jars of Ballas have two handles, and the bot- 
 tom almost terminates in a point, so that they can- 
 not stand upright. This inconvenient form has de- 
 scended from remote antiquity ; for a jar exactly 
 similar was found by a European traveller among the 
 ruins of Tentyra ; and I have seen jars represented 
 of the same form, standing on the same tripods, and 
 employed for the same purpose, in hieroglyphical 
 paintings. 
 
 Nine miles above Ballas, and on the same side 
 of the Nile, is situated a small town called Negad^, 
 where there is a manufacture of blue cloths, which 
 difilises a degree of comfort over the place. I had a 
 letter from one of the Beys to Ismain Abou Ali, an 
 Arab Prince, who was then encamped near Negade 
 and I presented myself before his tent the morning 
 after my arrival. 
 
 Ismani was a little old man, very ugly, and quite 
 infirm, wrapped in a woollen great coat, very dirty, 
 and torn to tatters, which he half unfolded every in- 
 stant to spit upon his cloaths. His beard, which must 
 have been blanched by time, was dyed red with henna, 
 which, added to his wrinkled and faded visage, pro- 
 duced a hideous effect. He was sitting in his open 
 tent ; a concourse of Arabs, and inhabitants of the 
 country, standing before him. He listened to them 
 with attention, while he was dictating to his secre- 
 taries, and gave his decisions with surprising clear- 
 ness and regard to justice. 
 
 I remained some time before the tent, and when 
 Ismain had dispatched the most important affairs, he 
 asked me in a tone of voice not very prepossessing, 
 who I was. I approached him, and delivered the
 
 negade'. 105 
 
 letter of the Bey. When he had read it, he extolled 
 the kindness of his friend in having sent him a phy- 
 sician who was able to cure all his disorders ; and it 
 appeared they were not a few. The most pressing, 
 however, and that which was to be attacked first, 
 was tlie weakness attendant upon age. To lose no 
 time in effecting a cure of such im})ortance, the old 
 Arab proposed to take me with him, in a tour he 
 was making tlu-ough his different lands, and said he 
 would begin with my restoratives by the way. 
 
 After the prince had communicated his plan, he 
 resumed the course of his business, and I retired to 
 the shade of a grove of trees, where a sumptuous 
 dinner was served up for me, and where my favour 
 with the prince procured me numerous attendants. 
 But the commands of Ismain occupied my mind. 1 
 was conscious that I did not possess the ffift of mira- 
 cles, and I knew that nothing else could enable me 
 to satisfy him. One way only remained j the prince 
 was asleep, and I returned to jXegad6. 
 
 On awaking, the thoughts of the prince were un- 
 fortunately turned towards me, and he cried with 
 all his miglit, " Fen hakem T " Where is the physi- 
 cian ?" When he was informed that 1 was at Ne- 
 gade, he ordered me to be sent for, saying, that as 
 the Bey had sent me to him, I was his, antl must 
 not quit him. Sheep, and provisions of every kind, 
 followed the messenger. 
 
 It would have been imprudent to refuse to obey 
 the call of Ismain : I therefore only begged his per- 
 mission to remain at Negade a few^ days ; hoping in 
 that time to discover some method of makin"; mv 
 escape from the dangerous honour of being physician 
 to an Arabian prince. 
 
 The Superior of the Convent of Negad^ had been
 
 106 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 informed of the intentions of Ismain Abou Ali re- 
 specting me ; and as he had himself been his physi- 
 cian, he perceived with uneasiness that the post was 
 destined for another. While I was perplexing my- 
 self to find out some expedient which might rescue 
 me from the favour of a prince, whom it did not 
 suit me to follow or to serve, the monk was direct- 
 ing all his thoughts to the same object. He went 
 secretly to Isma'm, and assured him that I was not a 
 physician, but a soldier in disguise ; that my reme- 
 dies might poison, instead of curing him ; and that 
 he himself had lately discov'ered some medicines 
 which could not fail to restore him to health and 
 vigour. 
 
 Had such a representation as this been made to 
 one of the Beys, it had probably cost me my head ; 
 but an Arab, whom I had served in quality of a phy- 
 sician, and who related to me the story, told me that 
 Ismain heard it with apparent indifference. I heartily 
 rejoiced at the service that the hypocritical monk 
 had rendered me, and he never lavished his atten- 
 tions so plentifully upon me as after his vile defama- 
 tion. 
 
 When 1 presented myself before the tent of Is- 
 main, he made me sit by his side, while the monk 
 stood unheeded before him ; but he no longer urged 
 my stay. I acted as if I had not been claimed as 
 his physician ; only requesting his letters of protec- 
 tion to the different Sheiks under his command. He 
 ordered fliese to be made out immediately ; and I 
 left to the reverend physician the task of restoring 
 him to youth, and pursued my travels in Upper 
 Egypt. 
 
 The Franks are despised in Lower Egypt ; but are 
 considered with horror in the Said. Missionaries
 
 tiiebaTs. 107 
 
 "came from Italy to preacli against the Copts, to 
 call tliem heretics, and to damn them without pity : 
 they naturally incurred the hatred of the Copts, wlio 
 now imagine that all Europeans come to their coun- 
 try to insult them. 
 
 The men of Thebais are still grosser and more 
 barbarous than those of Lower Egypt, and as we 
 advance to the south, their skin becomes more 
 dusky. The catholic women, like the Turkish and 
 Coptic, conceal their faces with a thick veil, and 
 are cloistered up in their own houses. They are 
 distinguished from the Mohammedan, by wearing 
 one, or more, hoops of gold or silver through the 
 nostrils, which are pierced for that purpose. Some 
 of these hoops are very large, and have small orna- 
 ments of gold added to them. 
 
 The Beys and Cashefs have each a name given 
 them, which is either an honourable title or a nick 
 name ; and which, as it is changed according to 
 circumstances, may be alternately glorious or ridi- 
 culous. 
 
 Produce of every kind is greater in Upper, than 
 in Lower Egypt. The sower follows the plough, and 
 scatters in the furrow just as much grain as is neces- 
 sary; without leaving, as is the custom of English 
 farmers, any for the birds. The plough covers it, 
 in tracing another furrow, and not a single grain h 
 lost. 
 
 Tlie rams of Upper Egypt are large, and are 
 loaded with a thick fleece. Their skins are used for 
 beds by most of the Egyptians. One of these skins, 
 long and broad enough to serve a man as a mattrass, 
 sold for the value of twenty shillings; while such an 
 animal alive, bitt divested of its fleece, sold only 
 for six.
 
 108 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 Both man and beast are cruelly tormented by flies. 
 No idea can be formed of their obstinate rapacity in 
 fixing on the human body. It is in vain to drive 
 them away ; their perseverance wearies out the most 
 patient spirit. The houses of the Egyptians are also 
 filled with a multitude of bugs, whose bites are ex- 
 ceedingly painful. Covered over with these vile in- 
 sects, they sleep profoundly ; their hard thick skin 
 being an invulnerable shield ; wliile that of an Eu- 
 ropean is no defence against the merciless attacks. 
 
 An insect not less disgusting annoyed me during 
 the whole of my journey through Upper Egypt ; the 
 inhabitants, even of the better order, are covered 
 with lice. When they are bitten by one of these, 
 they take it carefully, and place it on the sofa upon 
 wliich they are sitting, from whence it soon crawls 
 either to their own person again, or to that of ano- 
 ther. Whatever precaution I could take, I was 
 obliged to submit to the torments inflicted by these 
 hateful insects, which are here large and uncom- 
 monly voracious. 
 
 From Negade, I crossed the Nile to Keneh, a vil- 
 lage on the edge of the desert, opposite to the defile 
 wliich leads to the port of Cosseir, on the Red Sea ; 
 and from Keneh 1 proceeded southward to Kous, 
 w hich is also situated at the entrance of an opening 
 of the desert, leading to the same place. In my 
 \vay between these two towns, I observed on my left 
 the ruins of Coptos, famous in the fourth century 
 for its commerce with the East. Heaps of ruins 
 point out the extent of the city; and all that re- 
 mains of it is as dry and uninhabited as the desert on 
 the border of which it is situated. The country on 
 the south of Kous is still beautiful ; and its nume- 
 rous gardens, and immense plantations of melons.
 
 KENEII, KOUS. 109 
 
 must render it delicious to thirsty travellers, who 
 have crossed the desert from Cosseir. In the middle 
 of the square at Kous appears the summit of a large 
 and well-proportioned gate, sunk in the ground to 
 the cornice. This fragment seems larger than all 
 the rest of the town. 
 
 Ken eh has succeeded Kous, as Kous succeeded 
 Coptos, in the route of the Red Sea. It has this 
 advantaire over both, that it is on tlie bank of tlie 
 Nile, as well as at the entrance into the desert ; but 
 it has never been so flourishing as either; because it 
 ditl not exist till after the commerce of India had 
 been diverted by the discovery of the Cape of Good 
 Hope. Its trade is now contined to the great cara- 
 van which passes from Upper Egypt, the Wahs, and 
 a part of Nubia, to Mecca. 
 
 When the Mokha coffee arrives from Cosseir it is 
 so fragrant that one of my trunks which was tilled 
 with it retained the perfume for years ; but to have 
 it in this state, it must not go to Cairo; or even 
 pass into the hands of the merchants of that city, 
 who are waiting to receive it at Keneh and Kous. 
 These people mix it with the coffee of the West In- 
 dies ; at Alexandria it undergoes a second mixture ; 
 and in Europe a third ; so that the Mokha coffee of 
 the shops is about two thirds of West Indian growth, 
 and one third the genuine coffee of Yemen. At 
 Kous, I bought unadulterated Arabian coffee for 
 ten-pence halfpenny a pound. 
 
 On leaving Kous, I again embarked on the Nile ; 
 and in making a sharp turn round the point of a pro- 
 jecting chain of mountains, I discovered, all at once, 
 the site of the boasted city of Thebes, in its whole 
 extent. This ancient and celebrated city is about 
 410, or 430, miles from Cairo.
 
 110 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THEBES. 
 
 xxT a glance, Thebes presents, on the right, mouii- 
 tahis, excavated and sculptured ; on the left, tem- 
 ples, which, viewed at a distance, appear like so 
 many rocks. The situation of Thebes is as fine as 
 can be imagined, and the extent of its ruins con- 
 vinces the spectator that fame has not magnified its 
 size; for the breadth of Egypt not being sufficient 
 to contain it, its monuments rest upon the two chains 
 of mountains which are contiguous ; while its tombs 
 occupy the vallies on the west, which penetrate into 
 the desert. 
 
 The ruins of Thebes extend about nine miles 
 along the river ; and east and west on both sides 
 of the river, a breadth of about seven miles and a 
 half. The Nile is here about 300 yards broad ; the 
 circumference of Thebes therefore must have been 
 about 27 miles. The largest portion stood on the 
 eastern side of the river. 
 
 Karnac is a miserable village on the eastern side 
 of the Nile, built on a small part of the site of a sin- 
 gletemple of Thebes, which ancient historians, who 
 saw it in its ruined state, seem to have described in 
 its present condition. It is the largest ruin in the 
 world. At Karnac, not only quarries, but moun- 
 tains, are piled together, and hewn out into massive 
 proportions. The temples at Karnac and Luxor
 
 KARNAC. Ill 
 
 were probably built in the early part of the Egyptian 
 glory, when colossal edifices were the first conside- 
 ration of opulence, and when it was not yet known, 
 as it was afterwards at Tentyra, that perfection in 
 the arts displays a grandeur independent of magni- 
 tude. The finest objects at Karnac are the obelisks, 
 and some of the ornaments of the outer gates ; but 
 it must be granted that the plan was noble. 
 
 The ruins of the temple of Karnac extend nearly 
 half a mile in length. There are eight grand en- 
 trances, to three of which were avenues of sphinxes, 
 and to one of these entrances are four grand gates, 
 placed successively behind each other. These gates 
 consisted each of two prodigious masses of masonry, 
 of a pyramidal form, with an entrance between the 
 two. The first gate is of red granite, finely polished, 
 and beautifully ornamented with hieroglyphics ; on 
 each side of this, there seems to have been colossal 
 statues of granite, three of which remain, though 
 one is without a head. The second gate is much 
 ruined. The third has hieroglyphics all round ; and 
 here are the remains of a colossal statue of white 
 marble, the head of which is five feet broad. The 
 fourth gate is a heap of ruins, among which are some 
 pieces of a statue of red granite ; the trunk seven 
 feet and a half broad. 
 
 Of the hundred columns of the portico alone of 
 this temple, the smallest arc seven feet and a half 
 in diameter, and the largest are twelve. The portico 
 itself is 170 feet in height, and 200 in breadth. Great 
 part of the effect of this edifice, however, is lost by 
 its present degraded state. The sphynxes have been 
 wantonly mutilated, with a few exceptions which 
 barbarism has spared. From these it is easy. to dis- 
 tinguish that some had the head of a woman, others,
 
 112 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 that of a lion, a ram, a bull, Sec. The avenue which 
 leads from Karnac to Luxor, and which is nearly a mile 
 and a half in extent, contains a constant succession 
 of these chimerical figures, on the right and on the 
 left, together with fragments of stone walls, of small 
 columns, and of statues. This was in the centre of 
 the city. 
 
 The immense tem})le at Karnac is so full of fallen 
 stones that in many points of view it appears like a 
 work yard, wherein vast materials for building are 
 collected, and only a part of the edifice is begun to 
 be raised. The bas reliefs are probably some of the 
 most ancient productions of the art of sculpture. 1 
 saw, among others, a hero, perhaps a Pharaoh, a 
 Memnon, an Osymandyas, or a Sesostris, combating 
 his enemies from his chariot, conquering them, lead- 
 ing them captive, and presenting them to his divinity. 
 
 I found that twenty -five minutes were required to 
 encompass these buildings on horseback, on a full 
 trot ; and I am convinced that a week's application 
 would not be too much to construct a plan of the 
 edifices comprehended in this circuit. Within it 
 was contained, not only the great temple, but three 
 other edifices entirely distinct from it, each having 
 its own gates, porticos, courts, avenues, and boundary 
 wall. These may all, from their distribution, be 
 regarded as appendages to the great temple. Pro- 
 bably the vast circuit of these buildings was occupied 
 by numerous colleges of priests, the depositaries of 
 the science and the power of the country. 
 
 The taste and ornaments of later times may bow 
 down before these prodigies of Egyptian architec- 
 ture ; I could almost have bowed down before them 
 myself. 
 
 From Karnac, I proceeded to Luxor, by the avenue
 
 LUXOR. 1 13 
 
 of sphynxes which connected the two temples, and 
 wliich I could trace for more than half the distance. 
 No city whatever makes so proud a display on ap- 
 proaching it as the wretched village of Luxor, where 
 two or three thousand souls have taken up their re- 
 sidence on the roofs, and beneath the colonnades, 
 of a temple of Thebes. 
 
 The temple of Luxor is not so large as that of 
 Karnac, but it is in a better state of preservation. 
 The stone is of a rich golden colour. The most 
 gigantic parts consist of fourteen columns that are 
 31 feet in circumference, and now^ about that height 
 above the ground, including the capital ; and of 
 two statues of granite at the outer gate, with two 
 obelisks in front of them. The statues are buried 
 up to the middle of the arms, and are still, including 
 a high cap, thirteen feet and a half above the ground ; 
 so that if the figures are standing, they must be about 
 .50 feet in height ; if sitting, about 34. These colossi 
 are of ro,se-coloured granite, and are much worn and 
 decayed ; but the parts which remain shew that they 
 had been completed in the most laboured manner. 
 The custom of piercing the ears was practised by the 
 ancient Egyptians, as the ears of these statues still 
 bear the impression. 
 
 The two obelisks are probably the finest in the 
 world. They are also of rose-coloured granite, 
 which has retained its polish, and is incomparably 
 beautiful. They are still 70 feet above the ground, 
 and to judge by the depth to which the figures ap- 
 pear to be covered, we may reckon about 30 buried 
 in the sand, making in all 100 feet. They are seven 
 feet and a half on every side at what is now their 
 base. Their })reservation is perfect ; the hierogly- 
 phics with which they arc covered are cut deep, and 
 
 I
 
 114 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 in relief at the bottom, and shew the bold hand of a 
 master, and a beautiful finish. 
 
 The temple of Luxor was erected at different 
 times, and it is surprising that the successive archi- 
 tects have been able to preserve the vast^ even in 
 the subordinate works of this mighty edifice. It is 
 'evident that the gate is of older date than the statues 
 and obelisks which are placed before it. 
 
 As I was sitting on the ruins, contemplating the 
 objects before me, the Sheik of Luxor asked me 
 whether it was the English or the French that had 
 erected the temple. 
 
 The heat was so intense that my feet were scorched 
 through my shoes ; and the very stones were so hot, 
 that in gathering some cornelian agates, which are 
 here found in abundance, I was obliged to throw 
 them into my handkerchief as hastily as if they had 
 been hot coals. 
 
 1 now crossed the Nile to examine Thebes on the 
 western side of that river, and complete the circuit 
 of the ancient capital of the world. Adjoining the 
 village of Medinet iVbou, at the bottom of the 
 mountain, is a vast edifice, which I imagine to be 
 of the highest antiquity, from the extreme simplicity 
 of its ornaments, the irregularity of its outline, and 
 the coarseness of its sculpture. It is covered with 
 hieroglyphics cut six inches deep, without any relief. 
 In the fourth century the Christians added four rows 
 of pillars, and converted it into a church. The 
 body of the temple is 200 feet in length. 
 
 At the second temple, two square pyramidal but- 
 tresses stand on the sides of an immense gate ; and 
 upon the inner wall are engraved, in two bas reliefs, 
 the victorious combats of a hero, whose enemies are 
 twenty-five times smaller than himself. At some
 
 MEDINET ABOU. 115 
 
 paces from this gate are the remains of an enormous 
 Colossus, which is broken off about the middle of 
 the trunk. The head is 6 feet broad, and 11 long, 
 including the neck ; the ear is 3 feet long. The 
 breadth of the shoulders is 25 feet, which would 
 give about 75 for the whole height. The figure is 
 exact in its proportions, the style is indifferent, the 
 execution perfect, the parts that are left still preserve 
 their polish. One foot remains, which has been 
 broken off, and is in perfect preservation. In the 
 second court are the fragments of two statues of 
 black marble, the heads of which are three feet and 
 a half long. 
 
 This ruin, which is situated on the slope of the 
 mountain, is so well preserved in the parts which 
 are still standing, that it appears more like a new 
 and unfinished building than one gone to decay. 
 Several columns are seen to their very bases : their 
 proportions are grand ; but the style, though purer 
 than that of the first temple of Medinet Abou, is 
 not comparable to that of Tentyra. 
 
 By the help of candles I penetrated into the dark- 
 est recesses of the temple of Medinet Abou, and I 
 discovered three small rooms, covered with bas reliefs, 
 that had never seen the light. At the further end 
 of the third, was a kind of stone cupboard, the hinges 
 of which were still remaining. In such a place, in 
 a room which was the innermost of three, and closed 
 by three doors as strong as walls, one might have 
 hoped to find some curious treasure ; but I found 
 nothing. 
 
 In the plain my attention was arrested by two 
 large statues in a sitting posture, called the statues 
 of Memnon. They are on a pedestal, or plinth, 
 entirely plain j the pedestal to the north is 30 feet 
 
 i2
 
 116 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 by 17; that to the south, 33 feet by 19 ; and they 
 are about 30 feet apart. The statues are in the pro- 
 portion of from 50 to 65 feet in height. All that 
 remains of them shews a severity of style and a 
 straightness of position. The bas reUefs and small 
 ■figures clustered round the seat of the southernmost 
 of these figures, are not without elegance and deli- 
 cacy of execution. 
 
 Between these statues was tlie iUmous one of 
 Osymandyas, the largest of all the colossal figures. 
 When Osymandyas caused this august resemblance 
 of himself to be placed here, he had an inscription 
 engraved on the pedestal, in which he defied the 
 power of man to destroy it. The two statues still 
 standing are doubtless those of the mother and son 
 of this prince ; that of the king himself has disap- 
 peared. The hand of time, and that of revenge for 
 the vain defiance, seem to have united for its de- 
 struction ; but the persevering eye of the lover of 
 the arts, now accustomed to discriminations of this 
 kind, discovered some portions of the figure in a 
 shapeless block of granite which lies between the 
 two statues, and is undoubtedly the remains of 
 Osymandyas. These figures must have adorned the 
 gate of some large edifice, the ruins of which are 
 buried under the soil. 
 
 On the ancles and legs of the northern statue, are 
 many inscriptions in Greek and Latin. Some of 
 these are epigrams in honour of Memnon ; but the 
 greater number are the names of ancient and illus- 
 trious travellers, who came to hear the sound the 
 statue was supposed to utter at sun-rising, and their 
 testimony that they had heard it. However these 
 votaries of Memnon might be mistaken in the sound, 
 they certainly were in the statue ; this being un-
 
 THEBES. 117 
 
 questionably tlie representation of one of the family 
 of Osymandyas. This statue has been broken oft' at 
 the elbows, and has been built up with five tiers of 
 stones ; the other is formed of a single stone. 
 
 The necropolis of Thebes is situated on the lower 
 range o^ the Lybian mountains, on an arid and deso- 
 late spot. Double and triple galleries for the recep- 
 tion of the dead, have been dug out on three sides 
 of a sqiuire on the inclined plane of the mountain ; 
 the fourth side, which is tlie lower, has not been 
 touched. There are regular entrances to the gal- 
 leries of this subterranean city, and behind the gal- 
 leries arc sepulchral caves. These excavations attest 
 the immense population of ancient Thebes ; tliey 
 are almost innumerable, and the three sides that 
 they occupy of the square, are each nearly a mile 
 and a half in length. At present they are the abode 
 of the inhabitants of Kournu, and their numerous 
 flocks. 
 
 Whenever the French army passed the caves of 
 Kournu, they were saluted with javelins, showers of 
 stones, and voUies of musquetry. At length the 
 French general determined to punish the assailants. 
 He intended to surprize them, but was discovered; 
 and he saw the Sheik, followed by his people and 
 their flocks, taking refuge in the desert. The French 
 began to besiege each cave by lighting a fire before 
 the entrance ; they were resisted by stones and jave- 
 lins ; and the greater number of these retreats com- 
 municating with each other, the besiegers could only 
 take four men, four women, eight children, and 
 three hundred head of cattle. 
 
 Those who had fled into the desert wanted provi- 
 sions, those who remained in the caverns wanted 
 water ; the French sprang a mine, and the hihabi-
 
 118 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 tants of the caves began to parley. It was like treat- 
 ins: with beinffs in the bowels of the earth : for the 
 terms of accommodation were shouted through the 
 rocks. They agreed, however, and peace was after- 
 wards estabHshed between the hostile parties. 
 
 I was so fortunate as to gain the confidence of 
 some of these Troglodytes, and under their guidance 
 I penetrated the mysterious passages and windings 
 of their subterranean labyrinths. 
 
 The first caverns were constructed without any 
 magnificence. They consisted of a double gallery 
 supported by pillars ; and behind this, of one, and 
 often two, rows of apartments, tolerably regular. 
 As the height of these grottoes increased, they 
 became more richly decorated with painting and 
 sculpture, which was not surpassed by those which I 
 afterwards saw in the desert, that are supposed to 
 have been the sepulchres of the ancient kings. The 
 sarcophagi here are less magnificent, and the situa?- 
 tion of the caverns less secluded ; as these imme- 
 diately overlook the grand edifices of the city. 
 
 The sculpture in the caverns of Kournu was more 
 highly finished than any I had seen in the temples ; 
 and I stood in astonishment at the perfection of the 
 art, and the obscurity of the place in which it was 
 exercised. Here I could judge of the style of these 
 people in subjects that were neither hieroglyphic, 
 historical, nor scientific ; for these were representa- 
 tions of small scenes taken from nature, in which 
 the stiff profile outlines of the Egyptian artists were 
 exchanged for natural attitudes. Groupes of per- 
 sons were given in perspective, and cut in deeper 
 relief than I should have imagined any substance 
 but metal could have been wrought. I saw here bas 
 reliefs representing sports ; such as rope-dancing,
 
 CAVERNS OF KOURNU. 119 
 
 and asses taught to play tricks, and rear on their 
 hind legs. It required the presence of mummies to 
 give one the idea that these excavations had ever 
 been the depositaries of the dead. 
 
 After passing the apartments adorned in this ele- 
 gant manner, we entered long and gloomy passages, 
 which wound backwards and forwards in numerous 
 angles, and seemed to occupy a great extent of 
 ground. These were without any decoration ; but 
 they sometimes opened into chambers covered with 
 hieroglyphics; and sometimes narrow paths branched 
 from them which led to deep perpendicidar pits, 
 which we descended by resting our arms against the 
 sides, and fixing our feet on steps that were cut in 
 the rock. At the bottom of these pits, we found 
 other ornamented apartments ; and below these a 
 new series of perpendicular pits and horizontal 
 rooms ; and lastly, after ascending a long flight of 
 steps, we arrived at an open place, on a level with 
 those we had first entered. 
 
 In the evening my guides and I parted, satisfied 
 with each other, and with an appointment to meet 
 the next morning. 
 
 The following day I was conducted to new galler- 
 ies and new apartments, which were less winding 
 than the others, and enjoyed day-light, a pure air, 
 and a fine prospect. These were not different from 
 the others in point of decoration. The rock was 
 coated with a smooth stucco, on which were painted, 
 in every colour, subjects of funeral processions. The 
 figures of the gods were represented as being carried 
 on litters by priests, with banners waving over their 
 heads, and followed by personages bearing golden 
 vases of different forms, coffers of various construc- 
 tion, loaves of bread, and victuals of several kinds.
 
 120 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 Women marched in order, playing npon musical 
 instruments ; one groupe was composed of three 
 singers following each other ; one with a harp, one 
 with a sort of guitar, the other, judging from the 
 attitude, on a wind instrument which was obliterated. 
 
 Several fragments of mummies were brought me. 
 I promised an unlimited reward to any person who 
 should procure me one untouched ; but the Arabs 
 sell at Cairo the resinous substance which they find 
 in the head and body of the mummies, and it is not 
 possible to prevent their committing this violence. 
 
 A fine mummy which had been thus opened was 
 brought me ; and I was going to express my indig- 
 nation against those by whom it had been violated, 
 when I perceived in its right hand, and resting on 
 its left arm, a roll of papyrus on which was a manu- 
 script that I could never have seen without the 
 mummy had been unswathed. The ancient Egyp- 
 tians then had written books, as well as sculptured 
 wails ! I had perhaps the oldest book extant ! I 
 hardly dared to touch my treasure; I could not trust 
 it out of my sight ; and all the cotton of my bed was 
 employed to wrap it up. 
 
 I made another search in the caverns of Kournu, 
 in hopes of finding an unrifled mummy, and of dis- 
 covering the manner in which they were placed 
 in the tombs. After many painful and fruitless re- 
 searches, we arrived at a hole before which were 
 scattered numerous fragments of mummies. The 
 aperture was narrow, and we looked at each other 
 to ask whether we should venture in. We struck a 
 light, and entered, crawling on our hands and knees; 
 and having crept nearly a hundred yards, over a heap 
 of dead and half decayed bodies, the vault became 
 more lofty and spacious, and was decorated with a 
 considerable degree of care.
 
 CAVERNS OF KOURNU. 121 
 
 We found that this sepulclire had already been 
 searched ; and that those who had entered it having* 
 used burning bushes for h'ghts, as is still the custom 
 of the Arabs, had set fire, first to the linen, and then 
 to the resin of the mummies ; causing such a com* 
 bustion as to split some of the stones, and blacken 
 the sides of the cave. We could observe, however, 
 that this vault had been the burying place of two 
 persons of consequence, whose figures, about sevQn 
 feet in height, and holding each other by the hand, 
 were sculptured in embossment. Above their heads 
 was a bas relief representing two dogs, in a leash, 
 lying on an altar, and two figures kneeling. Besides 
 this apartment, there were lateral ones, unornament- 
 ed, and filled with corpses, embalmed with more or 
 less care, as they might probably have been the re- 
 lations, and even servants of the principal persons. 
 
 Many bodies, swathed up, but without any coffin, 
 were lying in regular order, close to each other : 
 and I here discovered the reason why so many small 
 figures of baked earth, holding a whip in one hand, 
 and a bent staff in the other, are always found near 
 the tombs ; for these rows of corpses were laid upon 
 beds intirely formed of such little images. A num- 
 ber of bodies were not swathed up. The hair of the 
 women was long and flexible, and the character of 
 the head fine. I brought away with me the head of 
 an old woman, a good deal resembling those of the 
 Sybils of Michael Angelo. After this, we descended, 
 not without some inconvenience, into several deep 
 pits, in which we found more mummies, and long 
 broad pots of baked earth, with covers representing 
 human heads, and containing only a kind of resin. 
 
 It was across these humbler tombs that the kings 
 were carried, six miles from their palace, into the
 
 1^2 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 silent valley which was to be their lasting abode. 
 This valley, to the north west of Thebbs becomes 
 narrower, and is inclosed between perpendicular 
 rocks, which, towards the extremity, scarcely leave 
 space enough to pass by the tombs. 
 
 Having ridden three quarters of an hour in this 
 desert valley, we saw some doors with square frames, 
 with an oval in the centre of the upper part, on 
 whicli were inscribed a beetle and a man with a 
 hawk's head ; and, beyond the oval, two kneeling 
 figures in the act of adoration. 
 
 As soon as the threshold of one of these gates is 
 passed, we discover passages, 12 feet wide and 20 
 in height, cased with stucco, sculptured and painted. 
 The vaulted ceilings are of an elegant elliptical form, 
 and are covered with innumerable hieroglyphics, dis- 
 posed with much taste, and forming a rich and har- 
 monious association of colours. Four or five of these 
 passages, one within another, and from 30 to ,^0 feet 
 long, generally lead to a spacious room, in which is 
 the tomb of the king. The sides and ceilings of the 
 rooms are, some sculptured, and some painted with 
 hieroglyphics, as fresh as if just finished. Only nine 
 of the sepulchres of the Kings of Thebes can be en- 
 tered, and I saw eight. One of those I visited is 
 most beautifully cut and painted, and the tomb of 
 the king is of one stone of granite 7 feet 9 inches 
 high, 1 1 feet 8 inches long, and more than 6 feet 
 broad. On the top, lies the figure of the king, 
 swathed, except the head and feet, and accompa- 
 nied with a written inscription. 
 
 In the great room at the extremity of another 
 grotto, the tomb is taken away ; but the slab of red 
 granite which covered it remains. It is 1 1 feet long, 
 and 6§ broad. In another, the tomb was 16 feet
 
 - SEPULCHRES OF THE KINGS OF THEBES. 123 
 
 high, 10 feet long, and 7 feet broad, of a single 
 block of red granite. Its cover was still upon it, 
 though broken on one side, and it had a figure in 
 relief on the top. 
 
 Others of these sarcophagi were 1% feet long and 
 8 in breadth, ornamented with hieroglyphics both 
 within and without, and rounded at one end, and 
 squared at the other, like that in the mosque of St. 
 Athanasius at Alexandria. They were covered by a 
 lid of the same material, that is, red granite, of an 
 enormous mass, and shutting with a groove ; but 
 they had all been violated by avarice. 
 
 Other sepulchral chambers were surrounded by a 
 pilastered portico, with recesses supported in the 
 same manner, and lateral rooms hollowed in the 
 rock. All these w^ere covered with a white and fine 
 stucco, on which were painted hieroglyphics. The 
 ceilings, exhibiting yellow figures on a blue ground, 
 were executed with a taste that might adorn our 
 most splendid mansions. 
 
 I was summoned away ; when I discovered some 
 small chambers. On the walls of one were repre- 
 sented different kinds of arms, such as coats of mail, 
 tygers' skins, bows, arrows, quivers, pikes, javelins, 
 sabres, casques, and whips. In another, was a col- 
 lection of liousehold utensils, such as caskets, chests 
 of drawers, chairs, sofas, and beds; all of exquisite 
 forms, and such as might well grace the apartments 
 of modern luxury. Besides these there were various 
 smaller articles ; as vases, coffee pots, ewers with 
 their basons, a tea pot, and a basket. 
 
 Another room was devoted to agriculture ; and in 
 it were represented a sledge, similar to those in use 
 at present ; a man sowing grain by the side of a ca- 
 nal, from which the inundation was beginning to
 
 1^24 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 retire ; a field of corn being reaped with a sickle ; 
 fields of rice, with men watching them. 
 
 In a fourth room, was a figure clothed in white, 
 playing on a harp with eleven strings, ornamented, 
 but made of tiie same kind of wood as the modern 
 ones. — How was it possible to leave such precious 
 curiosities! I earnestly demanded a quarter of an 
 hour's grace, and was allowed twenty minutes. 
 
 I found here some figures of divinities cut in syca- 
 more wood, with uncommon elegance ; and a small 
 foot of a mummy which did no less honour to nature 
 than these to art. It was doubtless the beautiful 
 foot of a young princess. The mystery and magni- 
 ficence of these excavations, and the number of 
 doors by which they are guarded, convince me that 
 the religious worship which formed and ornamented 
 them was the same that raised the pyramids. 
 
 At length, with great regret, I quitted these se- 
 pulchres, in which I had passed three hours ; and I 
 found that a visit to Tiiebes was like a paroxysm of 
 fever; occasioning a degree of ardour, irritation, 
 and fatigue. 
 
 During ray stay at Thebes, I lodged successively 
 in a temple and a cottage. In the latter w^e were 
 closely confined. Rats of an extraordinary size 
 shared it with us ; running over us, and biting us, 
 as we lay stretched on our carpets. A tempestuous 
 wind arose, and pieces of the hardened mud of which 
 our cottage was composed beat upon us from its 
 walls and ceiling ; till in the midst of a wind that 
 deafened us, one of the walls gave way. Fortu- 
 •nately it burst outwards, and gave us an opportunity 
 of escaping from our prison, and we walked half the 
 night m the open air, with our muskets on our 
 shoulders.
 
 125 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 HOT WIND, ESNEH, ETFU, MANNERS OF THE ARABS. 
 
 1 HAVE not yet noticed tlie hot wind of the de- 
 sert, termed by the Bedouins Simoom or Poison, 
 from its qiiahty, and by the Egyptians Kamsin, or 
 fifty days, from its duration ; as in Egypt they 
 reckon that these winds ])revail more frequently in 
 the fifty days before and after the equinox. In 
 whatever country these winds are felt, they always 
 blow from a parched and arid desert. 
 
 The Kamsin is not at first so remarkably hot ; but 
 its heat increases in proportion as it continues. The 
 rays of the sun are obscured by a burning vapour, 
 and its orb appears of a pale colour. The heat may be 
 compared to that of a large oven, at the moment of 
 drawing out the bread. Every thing that has life is 
 affected bv it. The hms:s are contracted and be- 
 come painful ; respiration is short and difficult ; the 
 skin is parched, and the body consumed by interna] 
 lieat. In vain recourse is had to large draughts of 
 water ; in vain is coolness sought for ; marble, iron, 
 wa^er are hot, and deceive the hand that touches 
 them. The air is darkened by a fine invisible dust, 
 which insinuates itself hito trunks and boxes, mixes 
 with the food ; and, with the perspiration occasioned 
 by the heat, forms a mask to the face. 
 
 During the stay of the English army in Egypt, 
 the Kamsin raised the thermometer, at different 
 j)laces, to 105^ 1^20", and 1S0«, in the shade. At
 
 V26 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 120°, the ground was heated like the floor of an 
 oven, and poultry exposed to the air, died. The 
 inhabitants of towns shut themselves up in their 
 houses ; those of the desert in their tents or caves. 
 The Kamsin usually lasts three days ; but if it ex- 
 ceed that time, it is insupportable. 
 
 The town of Esneh, the ancient Latopolis, which 
 is situated on the western side of the Nile, contains 
 the portico of a temple which appeared to me the 
 most perfect monument of Egyptian architecture-. It 
 is situated near the bazar, in the great square. It is 
 composed of eighteen columns, with large capitals, 
 and possesses great richness of sculpture. It is co- 
 vered with hieroglyphics within aijd without, which 
 are executed in relief, and with great labour. Among 
 other subjects, tliey exhibit a zodiac, and large 
 figures of men with the heads of crocodiles : and, as 
 a proof tliat the Egyptians borrowed nothing of their 
 architecture from other people, it may be remarked, 
 that all the ornaments which compose these capitals 
 are taken from the produce of their own country ; such 
 as the palm tree, the vine, the lotus, and the rush. 
 All behind the portico is destroyed or covered. 
 
 The French found the matchless nortico of Esneh 
 deformed by the most miserable hovels, and devoted 
 to the vilest purposes ; they ordered it to be cleared, 
 and the inhabitants performed the work with great 
 cheerfulness. A work still dearer to the learned 
 world was performed by the French Scavans: they 
 observed that in the zodiac sculptured on the ceiling 
 of the portico of Latopolis, the vernal equinox was 
 in Gemini, and the summer solstice in Virgo, which, 
 by unerring calculations gives to this edifice an an- 
 tiquity of 6,000 years. The zodiac in the temple of 
 Tentyra has the summer solstice in Leo, which fixes
 
 ETFU. IS7 
 
 its date at 2,000. It is a circumstance worthy of re- 
 mark, that when the Sepoys in the British f srvice, 
 who had arrived in Egypt from India, saw the divi- 
 nities in the temple of Tentyra, they immediately 
 worshipped them, and were very indignant against 
 the Egyptians for their neglect of their gods. From 
 Haw, a town north of Dendera, it is one day's jour- 
 ney and a half to Esneh by the desert, and six days 
 by following the course of the Nile. 
 
 Etfu, the ancient Apollinopolis, is situated on the 
 eastern side of the river. On my arrival at this 
 place, I went to the house of the Sheik, and pre- 
 sented to him a letter which I had from the great 
 Sheik of Furshout. He kissed the letter, and put it 
 to his forehead as a mark of respect; and when I had 
 made him a handsome present, and requested his^ 
 protection while I visited the ruins of the temple, 
 he put his hand to his head, signifying, " Your 
 safety be upon my head." He accompanied me im- 
 mediately to the temple. 
 
 I was struck with the situation of the ancient 
 Apollinopolis Magna, which commanded the whole 
 breadth of the valley of Egypt ; and with its magni- 
 ficent temple, towering above the rest, so like a 
 citadel that it is known to the inhabitants by the 
 name of the Fortress, The extent, majesty, and 
 high preservation of this temple surpassed all I had 
 seen in Egypt, and made an impression as great as 
 its own gigantic dimensions. The temples of Thebes 
 may exceed it in size, and the temple of Tentyra may 
 excel it in detail; but it possesses more beauty than 
 the former, and more grandeur than the latter. 
 
 The temple of Apollinopolis at Etfu commences 
 with two huge pyramidal mounds of building, orna- 
 mented with three rows of human figures, one above
 
 128 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 anoUier, increasing in gigantic dimensions, so that 
 the uppermost is tvventv-five feet high. Between 
 these mounds, is the gate which leads to the in- 
 terior of the edifice. Beyond this, a court, with 
 columns ; then an inner portico, supported by three 
 rows, one behind another, of magnificent columns, 
 six in each row. 
 
 Then succeed different apartments, and the sanc- 
 tuary of the temple : Every part of the edifice, even 
 to the wail which surrounds the whole, is covered 
 with hieroglyphics. 
 
 After having viewed the temples of Tentyra and 
 Apollinopolis, and the portico of Latopolis, I am 
 surprised that tlie world has allov.ed the Greeks, on 
 their own assertion, the merit of being the inventors 
 of architecture. In my opinion, they had not even 
 that of improving it. 
 
 The Egyptian sculptors observed an equality of 
 care in all the parts of a vast whole; a minute exact- 
 ness of execution, and perfect finish ; the fruits of 
 that inflexible perseverance which characterizes the 
 monastic spirit, whose zeal neither perishes nor 
 cools, and whose pride is not individual, but corpo- 
 rate. Probably the artists themselves were a consti- 
 tuent part of the colleges of priests, and employed 
 their whole lives in ornamenting their temples. Obe- 
 lisks, columns, and different parts of these edifices, 
 were the pious gifts of princes and great men. 
 
 Among all the splendid remains of antiquity, 
 Egypt contains nothing but temples and tombs. 
 The monuments tell us only that the ancient Egyp- 
 tians were the slaves of priests, and that they died. 
 
 The excellent preservation of the temple of Apol- 
 linopolis forms a wonderful contrast with the grey 
 ruins of modern habitations built within its vast
 
 ETFU. 129 
 
 ihclosure. Huts which are raised in the courts, and 
 around tlie temple, like martin's nests on our houses, 
 defile them, without injuring their general appear- 
 ance. 
 
 Before I had finished my examination of the tem- 
 ple, a number of people assembled round me ; and 
 one of them, who, I understood, was the nephew of 
 the Sheik, snatched a book, in which I had been 
 making memoranda, out of the hand ( f one of my 
 servants, and ran away with it. The Sheik instantly 
 threw off his upper garment to enable him to make 
 the greater speed, and ran after him. It was well 
 he did not overtake him ; as his people said he would 
 probably have killed him, if he had. The Sheik 
 conducted me to his house, and provided for me a 
 very large bowl full of thin cakes, broken into small 
 pieces, and mixed with a syrup extracted from the 
 sugar-cane when green ; not eating with me, but 
 seating himself at a distance. In the mean time, I 
 was privately informed that for about the value of a 
 crown, 1 might have my book again. I gave the 
 money : my book was restored, and I took leave of 
 the Sheik. In about an hour, his son came riding 
 after me, to let me know tliat his father had been in- 
 formed I had given money for the restitution of my 
 book ; that he had obliged the person to return it, 
 and had sent it back to me by him. 
 
 Beyond Etfu the cultivated country grows very 
 narrow, there being only three quarters of a mile 
 between the desert and the river. 
 
 The next day we entered the desert, and no water 
 could be found but in the Nile, which was three 
 miles out of our way. Thirst prevailed, and we 
 marched to the river, when we discovered that we 
 had nothing to eat, A camel came up, laden with 
 
 K
 
 130 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 butter, and, having purchased some of this, we 
 shook our flour bags, and made some fritters ; but 
 our horses, who had no fritters, were not able to 
 carry us, and we led them, supporting them with 
 our hands. We were obliged to proceed ; necessity 
 alone made it practicable ; and many are the re- 
 sources contained in the single word, necessity. 
 
 Returning again to the river, we passed to the 
 eastern side to view the large quarries of free-stone 
 which probably supplied the material for those an- 
 cient edifices, which are our admiration at the pre- 
 sent time. The spot is called Jibbel Silsilis. The 
 mania of architecture among the Egyptians is every 
 where seen in these quarries, which, having fur- 
 nished the stone for other temples, became temples 
 themselves. Here are porticos, with columns, en- 
 tablatures, and cornices, covered with hieroglyphics, 
 and cut out of the solid rock. 
 
 A great number of sepulchral caverns, containing 
 small private chambers, are hollowed out of the 
 mountain. The doors are decorated with jambes, 
 covered with hieroglyphics, and surmounted by cor- 
 nices, on which is an entablature with the winged 
 globe. Each of these chambers contains one, two, 
 or three, large seated sculptured figures. The rooms 
 are ornamented with hieroglyphics traced on the 
 rock, terminated with coloured stucco, representing 
 offerings of bread, fowls, fruits, liquors, &c. The 
 ceilings are also of stucco, and are adorned with 
 painted scrolls, in an exquisite taste. The floor is 
 inlaid with a representation of mummy cases, equal 
 in number to the sculptured figures : those of men 
 have small square beards, with a head-dress hanging 
 down behind, over the shoulders ; those of women 
 have the same head-dress, falling down in front.
 
 SilETK AMMER. 131 
 
 At all times the desert has been the asylum of 
 death in Egypt, for even now the Egyptians carry 
 their dead into the desert, sometimes to the distance 
 of three leagues from their habitations, that the 
 dryness of the sand may preserve the bodies from 
 corruption. 
 
 Passing by the heights of Ombos, with the fine 
 remains of antiquity on the summit, we travelled 
 through new deserts on the western side of the Nile, 
 where we found the traces of a grand antient road, 
 bounded with large masses of hewn stone. This 
 road led in a straight line to Assouan, whither we 
 might have arrived the next day ; but I crossed the 
 water to visit the Sheik of the Ababd^^ Arabs, with 
 whose son I had been acquainted, and by whom I 
 had sent medicines to his father. 
 
 Sheik Ammer, the residence of the Ababde chief, 
 is a collection of villages composed of miserable 
 huts, and containing about a thousand eftective 
 men. I was introduced to my patient, who was 
 lying on a carpet in a corner of the hut, with a 
 cushion under his head. After a great dinner and 
 some friendly conversation, I asked Nimmer, that 
 is, the Tyger, for so the chief was called, whether, 
 if he, or any of his people, were to meet me in the 
 desert, they would offer me any outrage : " No," 
 said the sick old Arab, sitting uprigiit on his carpet, 
 and a more ghastly figure I never saw, " cursed be 
 those of my people that shall ever lift up their hand 
 against you, either in the desert or the cultivated 
 ground. The night of relief from pain, which your 
 medicines gave me, would not be repaid if I were 
 to follow you on foot to Cairo. If you or yours 
 should fly to any of us for refuge, we would protect 
 you at the hazard of our lives and families, to the 
 
 K ^2
 
 13^ LTPER EGYPT. 
 
 death of the last male child among us." The priests 
 and heads of the people were then summoned into 
 the hut, and repeated the curse upon themselves if 
 they did not fulfil the obligation. 
 
 Medicines and advice being given on my part, 
 faith and protection pledged on that of the Arabs, 
 two bushels of wheat and seven sheep were presented 
 to me. To refuse a present is, in this country, as 
 great an affront as to come in the presence of a 
 superior without offering one. I told the Arabs, 
 however, that I was going among the Turks, who 
 were obliged by their orders to provide for me, and 
 that to give me sheep would be to save theirs. " You 
 and I, who are Arabs,'* continued I, " know what 
 Turks are." My newly-sworn brethren muttered 
 curses between their teeth at the name of Turk, and 
 agreed to take back their sheep, on condition of 
 presenting me with double the number on my return. 
 
 The principal Sheik of every tribe of Arabs re- 
 ceives the visit of every person who comes upon 
 business. At all public assemblies he must give 
 bread baked on the ashes, and sometimes sheep, 
 kid, or camel. In a word, he keeps open table. 
 On this depend his credit and his power. The 
 hungry Arab ranks the liberality which feeds him 
 above every virtue. Nor is this idea without founda- 
 tion, for covetous men are never men of enlarged 
 views. To provide for these expences, the Sheik has 
 nothing but his flocks, a few spots of cultivated 
 ground, and the tribute he levies on the high roads. 
 A Sheik who has the command of five hundred horse 
 does not disdain to bridle and saddle his own, or to 
 give him barley and chopped straw. In his tent, 
 his wife makes the coffee, kneads the dough, and 
 dresses the victuals. His daughters and kinswomen
 
 MANNERS OF THE ARABS. 133 
 
 wash the linen, and go with pitchers on their heads 
 to draw water from the fountain. These manners 
 agree precisely with the descriptions of Homer, and 
 the history of Abraham. 
 
 The commerce of the Arabs extends only to the 
 exchanging of domestic animals for arms, clothing, 
 rice, or corn. They are ignorant of all science ; 
 they have not a single book; their taste for literature 
 is limited to such tales as the Arabian Nights' Enter- 
 tainment ; and in the evening they range themselves 
 in a circle, with their pipes in their mouths, in silent 
 meditation, till, on a sudden, one of them breaks 
 forth with, " Once upon a time." He then recites 
 the adventures of some young Sheik and female 
 Bedouin. He minutely describes the beauty of the 
 heroine ; her eyes, large, black, and soft as those 
 of the gazelle ; her eye-brows like two bows of ebony ; 
 her waist, straight and flexible as a lance; her steps, 
 light as those of a young Alley ; her nails tinged with 
 the gold-coloured henna ; and her words, sweet as 
 honey. He recounts the sufferings of the lover, who 
 is so wasted with passion that his body no longer 
 yields any shadow. He details his various attempts 
 to see his mistress, of whom he has once caught a 
 glance, the obstacles opposed by ^the parents, the 
 invasions of the enemy, the captivity of the lovers ; 
 and, finally, he restores them, united and happy, to 
 the paternal tent ; and receives from his auditors 
 the tribute of his eloquence, *' Ma cha Allah !" 
 
 After the French soldiers had defeated the armies 
 of Upper Eg}pt, some of the women passed their 
 time with ease and gaiety in the French camp, each 
 making her choice freely among the soldiers. When 
 they were returned to their husbands, the scrupulous 
 jealousy of the orientals v;a^i laid aside. '* They are
 
 13 i UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 not dishonoured," said the men ; " they submitted 
 because we were unable to defend them." 
 
 Content, in general, with his milk and his dates, 
 the hands of the Arab are not accustomed to slaughter, 
 or his ears to the cries of suffering creatures, and he 
 has preserved a humane and feeling heart. To irri- 
 tate him, you must shed his blood, or that of one 
 of his family, in which case he is as obstinate in his 
 vengeance, as he was cautious in avoiding danger. 
 
 The Arabs have been often reproached with their 
 spirit of rapine ; but one circumstance has not been 
 sufficiently attended to ; that it only takes place to- 
 wards reputed enemies, and is consequently founded 
 on the law of nations. They inhabit a certain dis- 
 trict ; they regard it as their absolute property ; you 
 enter their territory, and they consider you as a 
 lawless invader. Had you purchased their permis- 
 sion to pass through their country by a previous 
 contract, they had been your fiiithful guides and 
 protectors. In levying the tribute you ought to have 
 paid, it is true they take too much ; but in what 
 country is the hand of power, when directed towards 
 an enemy, restricted by justice? 
 
 Among themselves the Arabs are remarkable for 
 good faith, distinterestedncss, and generosity. A 
 stranger, nay, even an enemy, touches the tent of 
 a Bedouin, and, from that instant, his person is in- 
 violable. Has the Bedouin consented to eat bread 
 and salt with his guest, nothing could induce him 
 to betray him. No power v/ould be able to force a 
 refugee from the protection of a tribe, but by its 
 total extermination. The Bedouin, so rapacious 
 without his camp, has no sooner set his foot within 
 it, than he becomes liberal. He takes his repast 
 before the door of his tent, and invites the passengers
 
 MANNERS OF THE ARABS. 135 
 
 in the name of God. The stranger sits down and 
 dines ; then rises, and returns his thanks, not to 
 the person who invited him, but to the Being in 
 whose name he was invited, saying, " God be praised." 
 The generosity of the Arab is so sincere, that he 
 does not look upon it as a merit, and therefore takes 
 the same hberty with others. 
 
 If any one go to the house or tent of an Arab, 
 bread is immediately made, and served with milk, 
 eggs, a salt cheese like curds, or such other things 
 as his situation affords. The Arabs think it a favour 
 that you should enter their dwelling, and put your- 
 self under their protection; and they are not pleased 
 if you refuse to eat. 
 
 Nothing can be finer than the Arab manner of 
 expressing civility and friendship. If the news be 
 told of the death of any person, they say, " May 
 your head be safe." And to a great man, when one 
 of his enemies is killed or taken, they say, " May 
 all your enemies be as this man is." 
 
 The Arabs in Egypt generally wear a large blanket, 
 either white or brown, in winter, and a blue and 
 white cotton sheet in summer, as an upper garment; 
 and the poorer people, particularly the young about 
 Faiourne, had no other. They hang one corner over 
 the left shoulder before, then wrap the cloth over 
 the back, and bringing it under the right arm, they 
 throw the o})posite corner over the left shoulder 
 behind.
 
 136 
 
 CHAPTER XIIL 
 
 ASSUAN TO IBRIM. 
 
 ASSUAN is on the eastern side of the river. Its 
 population is numerous; but it is only remarkable for 
 being the last town in Egypt. The trade is confined 
 to senna and dates. The latter are so plentiful that 
 besides making the principal food of the inhabitants, 
 large boats, laden with them, are daily going down 
 the Nile to Lower Egypt. There are no other re- 
 mains of the ancient town of Syene than a square 
 temple, surrounded by a gallery, which is shattered 
 and shapeless ; but the vicinity abounds with fine 
 monuments of antiquity. 
 
 The island of Elephantina, which is below Assuan, 
 is little more than a mile long, and a quarter of a 
 mile broad at the southern end, terminating in a 
 point, which is a rock of red granite, on the north : 
 but the cultivation, and the trees, are in such perfec- 
 tion, that it is called by the Arabian name of Kezi- 
 ret el Sag, the Flowery Island, This island has 
 doubtless been increased towards the north by allu- 
 vial soil ; which, being perpetually watered by means 
 of wheels and buckets, produces four or five crops 
 yearly. The inhabitants are numerous, courteous, 
 and in easy circumstances. With a few crowns I 
 made the children happ}^ and gained the good will 
 of the people, who offered me fragments of antiquity, 
 and rough cornelians, for sale. This island alone 
 is worth all the territory adjacent to the town of 
 Assuan.
 
 ASSUAN. 137 
 
 It is at the southern extremity of the Island of 
 Elephantina that the Egyptian town, the Roman 
 habitations, and the Arabian buildings, have succes- 
 sively been situated. The works of the Romans are 
 now distinguished only by bricks and tesselated pave- 
 ments; those of the Arabs by the dunghills with 
 which they have covered the soil ; while the monu- 
 ments of the Egyptians remain. These are ; a tem- 
 ple surrounded with a pilastered gallery, almost per- 
 fect, and covered within and without with hierogly- 
 phics in relief, very well executed ; another temple 
 of the same form and size, but more in ruins ; two 
 frames of a large outer door, made of blocks of gra- 
 nite, and ornamented with hieroglyphics ; and a frag- 
 ment of a small and highly finished edifice. 
 
 Passing out of the south gate of Assuan, I entered 
 a small sandy plain. The watery element seems to 
 gush from the earth in different channels, and di- 
 vides the river into many streams. A very little to 
 the left are a number of tomb-stones, with inscrip- 
 tions in the Kufic character, the only letter and 
 language known to Mohammed, and the most learned 
 of his sect in the first ages. One of these stones re- 
 cords the name of "Abdullah, born in Arabia Pe- 
 trea ;'' another that of " Mohammed, the Slave of 
 the Sun, born in Taref.'' These were officers in the 
 army of Khaled Ibn el Waalid, whom Mohammed 
 named "The sword of God," who took and de- 
 stroyed Assuan, after having lost a great part of his 
 army before it. 
 
 About a mile and a half from Assuan, we met 
 with the quarries of granite from whence the blocks 
 were taken that formed some of those colossal sta- 
 tues which have been the admiration of ages, and 
 still strike the beholder with astonishment. It seemtn
 
 138 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 as if the Egyptians wished to preserve a memorial 
 of the masses which produced these prodigious 
 blocks, by leaving on them hieroglyphics, which, 
 perhaps, record the event. The means used to de- 
 tach these pieces of rock were much the same as 
 those employed at the present day. A cleft was 
 first cut out, and then the whole mass spht off by 
 wedges, of different sizes, all struck in at one time. 
 The marks of these operations are so fresh that one 
 might imagine they had been performed yesterday ; 
 and the texture of the granite is so hard, that the 
 rocks in the current are polished, instead of being 
 worn, by the w^aters. The finest and most abundant 
 is the rose-coloured granite. 
 
 Four miles and a half above the quarries, and six 
 from the gate ofAssuan, the rocks increase in the 
 bed of the river, and form what is called the Cataract. 
 Large blocks of granite, from 30 to 40 feet high, di- 
 vide the water into a number of small channels, and 
 the current endeavours to expand itself. Finding 
 before it opposition from the rocks, and forced bad 
 by these huge obstacles, it meets the contrary cur- 
 rents, which creates an ebullition and disturbance 
 that give the idea of confusion, but do not inspire 
 terror. Such is the apparently insignificant bar 
 which has put an end to the navigation of the Nile. 
 When I saw it, the bed of the river was not half a 
 mile broad. During the period of the inundation 
 boats may pass the cataracts. The boys of the 
 neighbouring huts dive into the most rapid of the 
 falls at that time, and after disappearing for a few 
 seconds, are seen again at the distance of forty or 
 fifty yards below. 
 
 The road from Assuan to tlie cataract is over a 
 sandy plain, where there are evident marks of its 

 
 PHILOE. 139 
 
 having been a raised causeway. This was absolutely 
 necessary in ancient times ; as the merchandize from 
 Ethiopia was transported by land from the Island 
 of Philoe, and reimbarked at Syene. All the large 
 blocks of stone we met with in the way were covered 
 with hieroglyphics, as if for the amusement or inform- 
 ation of the traveller. What a passion for sculpture ! 
 Temples, caverns, even native rocks, loaded with it! 
 
 The road above the cataract passes through several 
 small villages, containing a few houses, rocks, and 
 patches of cultivated ground. To these are added 
 tracts of sandy desert, and heaps of shattered cliffs. 
 As we proceed, the rocks grow loftier, and on their 
 summits are piled masses of granite, clustered to- 
 gether, and hanging in equipoise, as if done on 
 purpose to produce the m.ost picturesque effects. 
 Through these rough and rugged forms, the eye all 
 at once discovers the magnificent erHtices of the 
 Island of Philoe, separated by tufts of palm trees, or 
 rocks which appear to be left merely to contrast the 
 forms of nature with those of art, and to assemble 
 in one spot all that is most beautiful. The traveller 
 is struck with astonishment at finding on the fron- 
 tier of Ethiopia, so many monuments, and of such 
 grandeur. 
 
 The Island of Philoe is nearly 600 yards long and 
 120 wide. It contains a temple with pillars, the 
 capitals of which are in the form of a goblet, sur- 
 mounted w^ith a quadruple head of Isis ; these sup- 
 port an architrave and cornice without a roof: be- 
 hind this, a gallery 250 feet long, formed by pillars 
 with wide capitals, almost all of which are different; 
 on the right of this, a row of cells, which may have 
 been the chambers of the priests : beyond these, two 
 sloping buttresses, each 47 feet in front, and 22 in
 
 140 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 thickness, and between them a large and magnificent 
 gateway: behind this, a court 85 feet by 45, with a 
 gallery on each side formed by columns ; beyond 
 this, on the right, a range of cells 10 feet in depth, 
 and on the left, two porticoes and three larger apart- 
 ments : behind this court, two other sloping build- 
 ings, two thirds the size of the former, which serve 
 as a kind of a lodge to the finest part of these edi- 
 fices : this is a sort of portico, with ten columns and 
 eight pilasters, as elegant as they are magnificent ; 
 the portico is at first open at the top, and afterwards 
 covered with a ceiling. To this succeeds the closed 
 part of the temple, which is 60 feet by 30, and di- 
 vided into different compartments. All these edi- 
 fices succeed each other in one continued range. 
 The capitals are admirable in beauty and execu- 
 tion ; on the buttresses are gigantic portraits of sove- 
 reigns, or emblematical figures of strength or power, 
 threatening a groupe of suppliant figures, which they 
 hold by the hair of the head. On the ceiling of 
 the portico are painted astronomical pictures ; on 
 the walls, religious ceremonies, images, priests, and 
 gods. 
 
 Besides the vast inclosure, in which so many tem- 
 ples and dwellings for the priests are connected to- 
 gether, are two small temples distinct from these and 
 from each other, which surpass them all in beauty, 
 and prove that it is character, not extent alone, 
 which gives dignity to the Egyptian edifices. 
 
 I was here convinced of the truth of a remark I 
 had made at Tentyra and Thebes ; that the ancient 
 Egyptians first erected large masses, and afterwards 
 bestowed upon them the labour of ages ; beginning 
 their work with shaping the architectural lines, pro- 
 ceeding to sculpture the hieroglyphics, and conclud-
 
 PHILOE. 141 
 
 Hag with the stucco and painting. All these distinct 
 periods of execution are very obvious in the Island 
 ofPhiloe. 
 
 Beyond Philoe the Nile is open and navigable; 
 but its shore soon becomes impracticable for travel- 
 lerSi We saw a barren soil, left to itself, and, on 
 the rocks, a few habitations v/hich resembled the 
 huts of savages. We entered a desert which cut an 
 angle of the river, in order to shorten our way ; and 
 after having travelled several hours among deep 
 and hollow vallies, the Nile again opened upon us 
 through a ravine which led to Taudi, a village on the 
 bank of the river. 
 
 The inhabitants had not time to hide themselves in 
 the rocks, or swim across the water on our approach. 
 The women are extremely ugly, and to us appeared 
 sullen and stupid. The men seemed to be of ano- 
 ther species. Their features were delicate, their skin 
 fine, their countenance animated, their eyes and 
 teeth admirable. Their colour, though black, is 
 full of life and blood ; but their muscles are only 
 tendons, covered very sparingly with flesh, and per- 
 fectly without fat. They are lively and intelligent, 
 quick in understanding, clear and concise in answer- 
 ing, and nimble in thieving. 
 
 At Philoe I embarked upon the river, and pro- 
 ceeded up it in a small boat. At the village of De- 
 bod6, which is situated on the western side, and ten 
 miles distant from Philoe, I found a small temple 
 with three gateways and four columns. An inclosed 
 pavement has formerly led to it from the river. The 
 Nile was a regular deep stream, washing the base of 
 the mountains on both sides ; but with here and there 
 small cultivated spots, and plantations of date trees. 
 At eighteen miles from Philoe and one from the
 
 142 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 village of Siala, on the eastern side, we anchored for 
 the night. 
 
 The captain of my boathere informed methatlmust 
 visit Douab Cashef, a Nubian Chief, who was en- 
 camped in the neighbourhood of Siala. On arriving 
 at this encampment, we found the men in temporary 
 huts, and the women and children in tents, apart. 
 The whole number might amount to four hundred. 
 Their horses and camels were feeding around them. 
 I was provided with a letter of recommendation to 
 the chief of the first tribe of Barabras I might hap- 
 pen to meet, and I presented it to Douab Cashef. 
 He offered us coffee, made no objection to our pro- 
 ceeding up the river, and said he would dispatch a 
 messenger to Hassan Cashef, to inform him of our 
 intention to visit Dehr, his capital. He invited us 
 to eat out of the same bowl with himself, and, in 
 return for the tobacco and coffee I gave him, pre- 
 sented me with a sheep. 
 
 At the village of Deghimeer, which is three miles 
 above Siala, and on the same side of the river, the 
 mountains retire on both sides, and the banks, where 
 any soil has been left, are cultivated. Five miles 
 farther, on the western side, at the village of Sar- 
 dab, we met with a large square inclosure formed 
 by walls sloping from the angles to the middle of 
 their height, with a gate in the centre of the north 
 wall, pointing to a small elegant temple which is at 
 the distance of 400 yards. Six beautiful columns are 
 yet standing : two with capitals formed of heads of the 
 goddess Isis, two of the lotus, and two of the vine. 
 
 Four miles above Sardab is the village called El 
 Umbarakat. This appellation extends to both sides 
 of the river, and seems here, as in many other places, 
 to imply a district, rather than a village. We counted
 
 EL UMBARAKAT. 143 
 
 twelve inclosures on the plain, like that at Sardab, 
 but much smaller ; these being only 50 feet square. 
 We also saw two small temples, one of which is con- 
 verted into a liouse. It is about 18 feet in length 
 and breadth, and contains four beautiful columns 
 three feet and a half in diameter. The country is 
 thinlv inhabited, and the natives live for the most 
 part in caves in the mountains, which here approach 
 the river and form a difficult pass. 
 
 Two miles above El Umbarakat we passed the 
 island of Kalaptshi, and one mile above the island is 
 the village of the same name, where an elevated 
 stone pavement 18 feet in width, leads from the 
 river to the ruins of a temple, which is in a stale of 
 great dilapidation. Eight miles beyond Kalaptshi 
 we reached the village of Aboughor, where we an- 
 chored the second night. 
 
 Four miles above Aboughor, we passed the village 
 of Dondour, on the eastern side of the river. Here 
 is a small temple in good preservation, with hiero- 
 glyphics well executed in relief. In the cabin of our 
 boat the thermometer stood at SG*', in the open air at 
 96", and with the bulb buried in the sand, at 125°. 
 A little higlier up we were obliged to pass the night, 
 being detained by contrary winds. 
 
 The following day we proceeded with the assist- 
 ance of the tow line, and advanced about ten miles. 
 At about half the distance, on the western side of 
 the river, are the magnificent remains called Guerfeh 
 Hassan, a temple excavated in the rock, which is 
 a stupendous monument of the labour of the ancient 
 Egyptians. We entered a court, formed by six co- 
 lumns on each side, to which are attached statues of 
 priests, rudely sculptured. This court is 64 feet in 
 Icngtli, and 3G in breadth. The entrance to the
 
 li.'^li trPPER EGYPT. 
 
 temple has three immense columns on each side, to 
 which are attached statues of priests 18 feet 6 inches 
 high. These are scarcely injured. Each carries a 
 crosier in his hand; and their rich dresses and 
 gigantic proportions give them a most imposing ap- 
 pearance. In each of the side walls of the first 
 chamber are four niches, 6 feet 6 inches square, 
 containing each three figures, a little mutilated. 
 These, as well as the colossal priests, have been 
 painted. This chamber is 46 feet long, 35 wide, 
 and 22 high. 
 
 The second chamber is 34 feet 6 inches wide, and 
 15 feet 6 inches long, with two smaller apartments 
 on each side. At the end of both the large cham- 
 bers are blocks of stone in the recesses of the walls, 
 which, on being struck, return a hollow sound. 
 They are probably sarcophagi. Beyond the second 
 chamber is the sanctuary, which is 15 feet in length 
 and 11 in breadth. At the further end of this stands 
 an altar, and immediately behind it is a bench 11 
 feet long, on which four statues are sitting. Bench, 
 statues, chambers, columns, are alike hewn out of 
 the living rock. 
 
 About 9 miles from Guerfeh Hassan, on the 
 western side, stand the remains of Dakki. The 
 temple is perfect, and the hieroglyphics, which are 
 in high relief, are in better preservation than any I 
 saw in Ethiopia. Here the desert approaches nearly 
 to the water's edge, and is covered by small eleva- 
 tions which have the appearance of pyramids. At 
 seven miles, and at sixteen, from Dakki, are still 
 ruins of temples. How far do these Egyptian tem- 
 ples penetrate into Ethiopia ? At Bard^, the lat- 
 ter of these places, the mountains again approach 
 the Nile, from which they had receded since we 
 quitted Dakki.
 
 teMf-le of S16H01. 145 
 
 Twelve miles above Bard^, on the western side 
 of the river, is the temple of Sibhoi, and we landed 
 to examine it. We found two statues about ten feet 
 high, which seem to have stood on each side of the 
 first entrance. From this ran an avenue of sphynxes, 
 6 feet in height. Six of these only are left ; the rest 
 are buried in the sandi At the second entrance* 
 which opened at the end of the avenue, stood two 
 statues 14 feet high. These have fallen ; the one is 
 broken, the head and shoulders of the other are 
 buried in the saiid. Bevond this entrance are ave- 
 nues formed by row^s of square columns, to which 
 are attached statues of priests. These are much 
 defaced. The entrance into the temple, and the 
 temple itself, are completely buried in the sand of 
 the desert ; and it is probable that every vestige of 
 the building will disappear from the same cause. 
 
 At Sibhoi we were about 90 miles from Philoe ; 
 and here, after having been detained some days by 
 contrary winds, we quitted our boat, and procured 
 asses and camels to convey us to Dehr, which was 
 about fourteen miles distant, and on the eastern side 
 of the river. 
 
 Dehr and Ibrim were formerly two advanced posts 
 of the government of Egypt, where small garrisons 
 of Janizaries were stationed : the former is now the 
 residence of Hassan Cashef, said to be the most 
 powerful chieftain of the country of the Barabras ; 
 and the latter is deserted. 
 
 One hour before Dehr, we entered the desert on 
 the western side of the Nile, to visit the ruins of 
 Amada, once a tine temple, then a Christian church, 
 now a village of wretched huts, w^hich are built upon, 
 and around it. The early Christians deemed it a 
 work of piety to cover with stucco the painted figures 
 
 L
 
 X4G UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 of their predecessors the Egyptians j but, where this 
 has fallen off, the colours still appear in a beautiful, 
 state of preservation. 
 
 We were apprised of our approach to Dehr only 
 by a greater degree of population, and a greater 
 number of mud huts. After passing many of these 
 hut's, scattered among date trees, we reached the 
 house of the Cashef, which was distinguished by its 
 i)eing built of brick and raised two stories high. 
 
 Hassan was celebrating his marriage, and we sat 
 down under a sort of rude brick piazza till we should 
 be admitted into his presence. Our appearance soon 
 drew together a number of his people, and though 
 many of them were drunk in consequence of tha 
 festival, they offered us no incivility. In about an 
 hour a large mess was brought us, consisting of 
 layers of paste, upon which was a piece of boiled 
 goat's flesh swimming in hot butter. We invited the 
 persons near us to partake of it, and they seemed, 
 much pleased, and shewed us great hospitality. 
 
 After waiting about four hours, the Cashef ap- 
 peared, attended by five or six of his principal offi- 
 cers, and a number of negro guards. He was about 
 twenty-five years of age, six feet high, handsome, 
 and half intoxicated. He began by asking boister- 
 ously what we wanted, and why we had come to 
 Dehr. I replied that we were come to pay our respects 
 to him, and to see the remains of antiquity in his 
 country. " There is nothing curious to see,*' said 
 Hassan ; *' but I suppose you are come to visit the 
 tombs of your fathers." The idea of Europeans 
 having once been masters of these countries, which 
 prevails throughout Egypt, and reaches into Nubia,, 
 probably arises from the magnificent remains of an^-- 
 tiquity, which must have been the work of an en-
 
 DEHR. 147 
 
 lightened people ; and the only enlightened people 
 the natives have heard of are the Europeans. I 
 asked permission of the Cashef to go to Ibrim, which 
 he refused, adding, " There is nothing to be seen 
 there, and I have no horses to carry you." 
 
 We were not pleased with this behaviour of a 
 chieftain surrounded by 300 armed negroes, and who, 
 as we afterwards learned, had nearly 3000, his own 
 property, purchased by him at Dongola and Sennaar, 
 under his command. He remained a short time in 
 expectation of my offering him a present, and I cer- 
 tainly failed in an essential point of eastern good 
 manners by reserving it till the morrow, when I 
 thought he might be sober. However, he assigned 
 us a lodging, which, though a miserable hut, built 
 of mud and thatched with date branches, was the 
 best in Dehr, next to his own house, as it contained 
 two rooms. A centinel was placed at our door, and 
 a supper was sent us similar to our dinner. 
 
 Early in the morning I received a visit from the 
 secretary of Hassan, who told me that his master 
 expected a present, and hinted that one of our swords 
 would be acceptable. At eleven o'clock we waited 
 on the Cashef by his own orders, and found liim 
 at the further end of a long apartment, smoaking. 
 He wore linen trowsers, with a burnouse, or long 
 cloak with a hood, thrown over his shoulders, and 
 a turban on his head. The only mark of authority 
 about him was a rude iron truncheon which he held 
 in his hand. Pipes and coffee were presented to us ; 
 and then, being unwilling to part with our arms, I 
 offered the Cashef a watch. He took it, examined 
 it, thanked me, and declined accepting it : and he 
 was right, for of what value could such a piece of 
 mechanism be to a Nubian, who could neither com- 
 prehend its use, nor regulate its motions, 
 
 L 'i
 
 14S UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 Being convinced that I should not obtain the 
 means of advancing farther without the sacrifice of 
 one of our swords, I immediately took off my own, 
 a fine Damascus blade, worth about 500 piastres, 
 and, approaching the Cashef, asked his permission 
 to throw it over his shoulders. The effect was in- 
 stantaneous. The Cashef assumed the most friendly 
 manner, and asked me if I had left my harem at the 
 Cataracts, meaning to present me with a female slave 
 as an attendant upon my wife. Upon my answering 
 in the negative, he spoke to his secretary, who re- 
 tired, and soon returned with a negro boy, about 
 ten years old. Hassan called the boy, spoke some 
 words to him, and gave him his hand to kiss. With 
 evident agitation the boy approached me, kissed my 
 liand, and put it to his forehead. This simple cere- 
 mony formed the transfer of the young negro to 
 myself. I now repeated my request to go to Ibrim, 
 which was granted without any hesitation, and the 
 offer made of horses, dromedaries, and any thing 
 else in the Cashef's power. 
 
 Early the next morning we set out on our journey. 
 At the distance of half an hour from Dehr, the road 
 led us over the mountains, and in about two hours 
 more we descended into the valley of the Nile, which 
 in five hours conducted us to Ibrim. I should have 
 mentioned that I saw at Dehr a temple cut out of 
 the solid rock, resembling that at Guerfeh, but 
 much inferior. 
 
 Ibrim was situated on the eastern side of the river, 
 at the southern extremity of a ridge of mountains, 
 which, for two miles, rise nearly perpendicular from 
 the Nile, scarcely leaving space for the road that Vies 
 between them and the river. The town was built 
 on the eastern slope of the mountain, the citadel on
 
 IBRIM. 149 
 
 the summit. The walls that inclosed the citadel, 
 and the ruins of the governor's house and some 
 others, may still be traced ; but the destruction of 
 Ibrim has been so complete, that no solitary native 
 was wandering among its ruins, no vestige of life 
 was seen around us ; not even a date tree could be 
 discovered. The last stand made by the Mameluks 
 against their enemies, before they retreated into 
 Dongola, was at Ibrim ; and the population of the 
 place was partly carried off by them, and has partly 
 removed to Dehr. 
 
 It is said that the Mameluks, to the number of 
 about 500, together with 5,000 negro slaves, whom 
 they have armed, have driven out the independent 
 King of Dongola, and taken possession of his coun- 
 try. The capital, which also bears the same name, 
 is about twelve or fourteen days' journey above the 
 second cataract from Egypt, which is three days* 
 journey above Ibrim. It is reported that the city 
 of Dongola is situated on both sides of the Nile, in 
 a vast plain, and is much larger than any in Upper 
 Egypt. The Mameluks have built a strong wall to 
 prevent the incursions of the Arabs of the desert, 
 and are said to have laid aside their ancient habits 
 of magnificence, to employ themselves in agriculture, 
 and to be in possession of vast numbers of cattle. 
 It is also said that one of the Beys has been able to 
 cast cannon, and that there are, among the Mame- 
 luks, eiglit English and ten French deserters. 
 
 Having regularly traced the Nile from the sea to 
 Ibrim, a space of from 720 to 730 miles, and not 
 deeming it expedient to meet the Mameluks on the 
 confines of their newly-established kingdom, I again 
 returned to Cairo. 
 
 During the whole of my journey between Assuan
 
 150 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 and Ibrim, I found the natives civil and hospitable. 
 They conducted us to the remains of antiquity with- 
 out suspicion, and supplied us with whatever their 
 scanty means afforded. It is true they viewed us 
 with curiosity, and seemed surprised at our venturing 
 among them. At Kalaptshi they said to our guide, 
 " How dare these people come here ? Do they not 
 know that we have 500 muskets in our village, and 
 that Douab Cashef dares not come and levy contribu- 
 tions ?" Our guide replied that as we meant to do no 
 harm, we expected to receive none; and with this 
 answer they expressed themselves satisfied. 
 
 The persons and characters of the Barabras are 
 such as I first found them on quitting Pluloe. The 
 women seemed to pass immediately from childhood 
 to old age. Tlie hair of the men is sometimes frizzed 
 at the sides, and stiffened with grease, so as to re- 
 semble the projection on the head of the sphynx. 
 The dress is in general like that of their neighbours 
 the Egyptians, with the exception of the turban, 
 which is seldom seen among the Barabras. The 
 style of the temples is the same as in Egypt, and the 
 execution of the hieroglyphics as perfect; but, upon 
 the whole, the walls of those in Ethiopia are not so 
 well wrought, or so nicely put together,
 
 L51 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 FEZZAN. 
 
 CAIRO TO MOURZOUK. 
 
 At the village of Kardaffi, near Cairo, I joined 
 the caravan returning from Mecca to the western 
 countries of Africa ; intending to accompany it as 
 far as Milrzook, the capital of the kingdom of 
 Fezzan. On the following day the kettle drum of 
 our leader roused us before sunrise, and we began 
 our journey. I was delighted to find that I was 
 become a part of one of those large caravans which 
 annually traverse deserts that can scarcely be passed 
 in any other manner ; and I feasted upon my good 
 fortune, till I felt the inconvenience of real hunger : 
 I then observed that some of our principal mer- 
 chants, more provident than myself, were at work 
 upon a dry biscuit and some onions. I travelled as 
 a Mohammedan merchant, with two horses for 
 myself and my servant, and camels for my mer- 
 chandize. 
 
 We halted at noon, and soon after sunset our com* 
 mander gave the signal for halting for the night ; 
 when we pitched our tents, and I ordered my ser- 
 vant to prepare my supper. An old Arab merchant 
 observing me unemployed, said, " Thou art young, 
 and dost not yet assist in getting ready the meal of 
 which thou art to partake. It is not so with us. 
 Thanks to God we are not dependent on others in
 
 15^2 FEZZAN. 
 
 this desert, as those poor pilgrims are ; but eat as 
 we provide for ourselves. But, perhaps," added he, 
 sarcastically, " thou art carrying a large sum of mo- 
 ney, and thou payest that man well." This lesson 
 was not thrown away. I ever after assisted both my- 
 self and others, to the utmost of my abilities, and 
 rose proportionably in the esteem of my fellow tra- 
 vellers. 
 
 On the second day we halted to fill our water skins ; 
 when a troop of Bedouins appeared at some distance, 
 and spread terror throughout the caravan. Our 
 Sheik had obtained the veneration and confidence of 
 his followers, not only by his being a Shereeff, but by 
 the prudence and courage he had manifested during 
 their long pilgrimage. He immediately ordered us 
 to occupy the spot affording water, and went with 
 about twenty Arabs to reconnoitre the ground on- 
 which the Bedouins had appeared, for they had now 
 retreated. We saw them no more ; but we made no 
 fires at night, for fear of discovering the place of our 
 encampment. The next morning we entered the de- 
 sert between the mountainous barrier, and the cul- 
 tivated valley, of Egypt. 
 
 The horse of an Arab fell sick, and was unable to 
 keep up witii the caravan. Determined to practice 
 the lesson I had received, I assisted in attending 
 him, and at night was complimented with two 
 pieces of camel's flesh, dried, and the thanks of the 
 owner, sent by a slave. I was instantly surrounded 
 by a number of the meaner Arabs, who eyed the de- 
 licious present with avidity, and were greatly sur- 
 prised at my self-denial when I divided it among 
 them. 
 
 The Arab sets out on his journey with a provision 
 pf flour, and cuscasoe, that is, a paste of flour and^
 
 DESERT. 153 
 
 water made into small pieces, and, when dressed, 
 put in a vessel full of holes, which is placed over a 
 pot of boiling water and cooked by steam : to these 
 he adds onions, mutton suet, and oil or butter. 
 Some of the richer class are provided with biscuit 
 and dried flesh. 
 
 As soon as the cara\'an halts, the baggage is un- 
 laden ; the drivers and slaves dig a hole in the sand 
 wherein to make a fire, and then proceed in search 
 of three stones, to line the cavity and support the 
 cauldron, and of wood to make the fire. The tra- 
 vellers employ the interval between placing the 
 cauldron over the fire, and the boiling of the water, 
 first, in discussing what the mess shall be, and then 
 in preparing it. The ordinary meal is a stiff fari- 
 naceous pap, diluted by soup, and enriched by dried 
 and pulverized fish. At other times, the meal is 
 kneaded into a strong dough, which affords a species 
 of hard dumplings. A better repast is made of dried 
 meat, boiled with mutton suet, onions, crumbled 
 biscuits, salt, and a good deal of pepper. The meat 
 is the portion of the master, the broth that of his 
 followers. The food is served in a dish, which, as 
 well as the cauldron, is of copper, and which, from 
 economy of baggage, also serves for the camels to 
 drink out of. 
 
 The slaughtering of a camel affords a feast to the 
 camel drivers and slaves. The friends of the owner 
 of the animal have a preference in the purchase ; and 
 after dividing the carcase, every slave comes in for 
 a share, and the bones pass through various hands 
 and mouths before they are thrown away. Sandals 
 are made of the skin, and the hair is woven into 
 twine. 
 
 It is not on every occasion that time can be
 
 154- FEZZAN, 
 
 allowed, or materials found, for dressing victuals. 
 The traveller is prepared for such an exigency by 
 a provision of what is called simitee ; that is, barley 
 boiled till it has swelled ; then dried, first in the 
 sun, and afterwards over a fire; then ground to pow- 
 der, and mixed with pepper, salt, and carraway 
 seeds. This is carried in a leathern bag ; and when 
 ft is used, it is either kneaded into a dough with 
 water, and eaten with oil or butter ; or it is further 
 diluted, and mixed with dates or onions. Such is 
 the fare of the traveller in the Desert, when fuel 
 cannot be found, or when water cannot be spared 
 for boiling. 
 
 Water is carried in skins ; those from Soudan are 
 the best and strongest ; they are made of an ox's hide, 
 and are worth three pounds sterling each. In these, 
 water will keep good for five days ; in the others, 
 which are made of goat skin, it will acquire an ill 
 taste and smell after two. The skins are greased on 
 the inside wdth butter or oil ; the latter gives the 
 water a rancid taste, and renders it fit only for the 
 palate of an Arab. 
 
 On the eighth day of our journey we reached the 
 chain of mountains which forms the western barrier 
 of Egypt, and which had hitherto bounded all my 
 prospects in that direction. What must have been 
 the feelings of an ardent young African traveller, 
 when, for the first time, he reached the summit] 
 On the tenth day I attained this point, and saw a 
 ]>lain extending along the ridge, on either hand, fur- 
 tlier than the eye could reach, and before me, se- 
 veral miles. This plain was a saline mass, on which 
 clods of salt, discoloured with sand, lay close to each 
 other. At about the middle of its breadth was a 
 spring, too salt to be drunk.
 
 KARET AM EL 'SOGHETR. 155 
 
 On tlie eleventh day, we came to the first inha- 
 bited spot of our journey, the village of Karet am el 
 Sogheir, situated between two projecting branches 
 of the ridge of mountains we had passed ; having ac- 
 tually travelled 98 hours, which at the common ca- 
 ravan rate of 2^ miles an hour, makes a distance of 
 24.5 miles. The desert between the cultivated tract 
 of Egypt and the chain of naked lofty hills which 
 form its western boundary, was from one to six miles 
 in breadth, and abounded in springs, to which we 
 resorted every second or third day for water : at the 
 end of our journey, these were nearly dried up. 
 What remained on the surface was bitter ; but on 
 digging to the depth of five or six feet, sweet water 
 was every where found. In this tract of sandy de- 
 sert, there is much petrified wood, the evidence of 
 its having once been fertile. Is it the will of Provi- 
 dence, or the fault of man, that this desert is no 
 longer a part of Egypt ? 
 
 The village of Karet am el Sogheir is situated on 
 a vast isolated mass of rock, rising out of a sandy 
 plain, on which are scattered other such masses, of 
 smaller dimensions ; a path of very difficult ascent 
 leads to the village. We pitched our camp among 
 date trees at the foot of the rock ; and the inhabitants, 
 who do not consist of more than thirty men capable 
 of bearing arms, came down, almost to a man, to 
 welcome and assist us. 
 
 Towards the evening, we walked up to the vil- 
 lage. The houses are caves either cut, or found, in 
 the rock by the ancient inhabitants. The modern 
 have added, in front of these, low houses, con- 
 structed of stones, cemented with calcareous earth, 
 and thatched with the boughs of date trees. In the 
 centre of the village was a market place, where I
 
 156 FEZZAK. 
 
 saw some of our pilgrims bartering for dates, heinia 
 to dje the hands of the women, el cohol to tinge 
 their eye-brows, rings of glass or lead to ornament 
 their persons, and a small quantity of powder and 
 shot. The traffic was carried on with much noise 
 and eagerness ; though the merchandize of both par- 
 ties appeared to me of little value. Dates are the 
 only riches of the inhabitants. With these, they 
 procure from the caravans such articles as I have 
 mentioned; from the Arabs mutton; and fiom Alex- 
 andria, corn, oil, and fat. 
 
 Karet am el Sogheir is an independent state, too 
 weak to attack others, and almost poor enough to 
 escape being attacked. Its members, however, da 
 not trust wholly to their poverty for their defence ; 
 for, on the Bedouins once attempting to deprive 
 them of their rock, a holy man, who now lies buried 
 in the village, and whose bones, I sincerely hope, 
 possess the power he did while living, so completely 
 dazzled the eyes of the invaders, that they sought in 
 vain for the place. The manners of this small so- 
 ciety, separated by tracts of desert from every other, 
 are rude and simple ; but the people are hospitable 
 and peaceable. 
 
 After some days of repose, we proceeded, first 
 along the skirts of the broad sandy plain; then over 
 a ridge stretching from the mountains w^e had passed 
 before; and lastly through a green and fertile valley, 
 where men were gathering provender for their cattle. 
 Our train of heavy laden camels denoted that we 
 were not a troop of hostile Arabs ; and the people, 
 leaving their employment, ran to meet us, and to 
 congratulate us upon our arrival. They teld us all 
 was peace ; and, mounting their asses, they con- 
 ducted us to a plain near the town of Siwah, where
 
 SIWAII. 1.57 
 
 they told us we might encamp in safety, and where 
 We pitched our tents. Siwah is 20 hours, or about 
 50 miles from Karet am el Sogheir, making the 
 whole of our journey 295 miles. 
 
 Siwah is a small independent state, acknowledging 
 the Grand Signior as its lord, but paying him no tri- 
 bute. Its territory is about six miles in length, and 
 four and a half in breadth. Five villages surround 
 Siwah, the principal town, at the distance of from 
 one to two miles. The chief produce of the terri- 
 tory is dates ; though, with little assistance from the 
 cidtivators, it yields corn, rice, pomegranites, figs, 
 olives, apricots, and plantanes. It is surrounded on 
 all sides by desert. 
 
 The town of Siwah is built upon, and around, a 
 mass of rock. The houses are so close to each other, 
 that many of the streets are dark, even at noon ; and 
 they are so intricate, that a stranger cannot find 
 his way into, or out of, the town, small as it is, with- 
 out a guide. Those houses near the base of the 
 rock are higher than the others ; and their walls are 
 so thick and strong that they form a circumvallation 
 of defence to those within. The town is like a bee- 
 hive, filled with cells, swarming with inhabitants, 
 and buzzing with their sound. Round the foot of 
 the rock, are stables for horses, asses, and camels ; 
 as these animals could neither ascend to the town, 
 nor be accommodated in it. 
 
 Each inhabitant of the town possesses one, or 
 more gardens, fenced with a wall or hedge, which it 
 is his sole business to cultivate and water. A large 
 garden, teeming with the produce of the country, is 
 valued at from four to six hundred imperial dollars. 
 Baskets of dates are the currency of Siwah. A man 
 who strikes another pays a fine of from ten to fifty
 
 lo8 FEZZAN. 
 
 of these ; the baskets are about three feet high, arid 
 four in circumference. 
 
 It is said that these people are rich, from the ex- 
 tensive traffic they carry on in dates ; we found them 
 obtrusive and thievish ; and thought it necessary to 
 be upon our guard, not only against their pillaging, 
 but against an open attack. 
 
 The complexion of the people of Siwah is darker 
 than that of the Egyptians. The men wear the 
 Soudan shirt of white cotton, with large sleeves, with 
 a large piece of blue and white striped cotton, ma- 
 nufactured at Cairo, and called a melaye, thrown 
 over the left shoulder ; on their head they wear the 
 Tunisine cap of red cloth. The women wear wide 
 shifts of blue cotton, with the melay6 thrown over 
 the head, and covering the body like a cloak. They 
 plait the hair in tresses, inserting various ornaments 
 of glass or silver ; and they wear round the neck,^ 
 arms, and ancles, rings of silver, copper, or glass. 
 
 As we approached the spot destined for our en- 
 campment, I had descried to the westward, at the 
 distance of a few miles from the road, the ruins of 
 an extensive building : I afterwards visited these 
 ruins three different times ; but I was prevented 
 from examining them so minutely as I wished, by 
 the jealousy of the people who surrounded me. 
 
 The materials of this building might suggest the 
 idea that it was one of the first attempts of man after 
 he quitted his primeval habitations, the caves ; and 
 that he took his plan of architecture from his former 
 dwellings, heaping rock on rock, as nature had done 
 before him. 
 
 The outward walls face the four cardinal points ; 
 the foundations are in most places visible ; and 
 though most of the walls have been thrown down ;
 
 SIWAH. 159 
 
 from the masses remaining, they appear to have 
 been very strong. The interior ground has every 
 where been dug up in search of treasure. 
 
 In the centre of this extensive area stands a build- 
 ing about 27 feet in height; from 30 to S6 in length, 
 and 24 in breadth. The walls are 6 feet in thick- 
 ness ; being composed of large free-stones, without 
 and within, and filled up in the middle with small 
 stones and lime. The ceiling is formed by vast 
 blocks of stone, which stretch across from side to 
 side, and cover the whole building ; each of these is 
 about four feet in breadth and three in depth. One 
 of these blocks has fallen in, and is broken ; and the 
 people of Siwah have not been able to remove from 
 the ground the fragments of the mighty stone that a 
 former generation raised, when whole, high above 
 their heads. The southern end of the building has 
 likewise fallen ; but the materials being portable,, 
 they have been chiefly carried away. 
 
 The entrances to this building are three ; the 
 principal one to the north, the others to the cast and 
 west. The inside of the walls, beginning at half 
 their height from the ground, is decorated with hie- 
 roglvphics, sculptured in relief, but much injured, 
 and in some places wholly defaced. On diflerent 
 parts of the wall appear vestiges of paint, and the 
 colour seems to have been green. 
 
 Is this the famous Temple of Jupiter Ammon, 
 whither Alexander repaired to consult the oracle of 
 hi& pretended father ? I wish I were better qualified 
 to determine so interesting a question ; but if I 
 might presume to give an opinion, I should say that 
 it was. 
 
 There are many catacombs in the vicinity of 
 Siwah, one of which I visited. The place is called
 
 ]6() FEZZAN. 
 
 El Mota, the place of burial. It is a rocky hill, 
 about one mile north-east of the town, with a num- 
 ber of caverns on its declivity; but the most remark^ 
 able are on the summit. There is a separate en- 
 trance to each, from which a gentle descent leads to 
 a door-way ; the cavern then expands into a cham- 
 ber, wrought with great labour and neatness, and on 
 each side are smaller excavations for containing the 
 bodies. I sought in vain for the intire head of an 
 ancient Ammonite; I found only pieces of the skull, 
 and fragments of linen cloth adhering to some ribs. 
 The ground in all these catacombs has been dug in 
 search of treasure ; and I was told that in every one 
 of these sepulchres gold had been, and is yet some- 
 times, found. 
 
 We remained eight days at Siwah, when we broke 
 up our encampment and proceeded on our journey. 
 The fourth day brought us into the fruitful valley 
 of Schiaca. On the sixth day, after halting to col^ 
 lect water, we travelled throughout the night, sixteen 
 hours ; the following day and night we travelled 
 eighteen hours ; these forced marches being over a 
 level desert, sprinkled with sand hills. The eighth 
 day, having travelled fourteen hours, we discovered 
 that, during the night, we had wandered from the 
 caravan ; we therefore resolved to await the return 
 of day. We unloaded our camels, placing each load 
 by the side of the camel which carried it, that it 
 might soon be replaced in case of emergency ; and 
 I lay down on the sand, with my horse's bridle in 
 one hand, and my iirelock in the other, and slept 
 soundly till sun-rise. We then discovered our cara- 
 van, and saw before us, at the distance of half a mile, 
 a fruitful spot, abounding with water. We hastened 
 to the place, and encamped ; both men and beasts
 
 MOJABRA. iGl 
 
 SO exhausted with fatigue, that as soon as the bag- 
 gage was unladen, nothing was thought of but sleep. 
 We reposed here the whole of the next day. On the 
 following day we set out for Augila, from which we 
 were distant not more than nine hours, or about 
 twenty-seven miles: we proceeded by short marches, 
 for we were now among friends, and some of us 
 near home. 
 
 There are three towns in the territory of Augila ; 
 the town properly so called, Mojabra, and Meledila. 
 The two latter are near each other, Mojabra being 
 on the south, and Meledila on the north of our road, 
 at rather more than half of the way to Augila. 
 
 Our entry into Mojabra was solemn and affecting, 
 as the greater number of the merchants of oiu' cara- 
 van had here habitations and families. The Bey of 
 Bengasi, Vicegerent for the Bashaw of Tripoli, was 
 at this time residing at Augila, and sent about twenty 
 of his Arabs to take an account, in writing, of the 
 burden of the camels, and to demand a small duty. 
 This being done, the Arabs formed the right wing 
 of our caravan, the merchants who had horses formed 
 the left, and the pilgrims and ordinary Arabs com- 
 posed the centre, headed by the Sheik, preceded by 
 the green flag. The pilgrims marched on, singing, 
 the Arabs made their horses prance and curvet, and, 
 as we drew near tlie town, a number of old men and 
 children came out to meet and embrace their sons 
 and fathers. 
 
 The inhabitants of Mojabra pass their lives in tra- 
 velling between Cairo and Fezzan. Boys of thirteen 
 and fourteen years of age accompanied us from 
 Augila to Fezzan, on foot, or at least very seldom 
 mounting a horse. The merchants engaged in the 
 caravan traele have generally three houses, one at 
 
 IVI
 
 162 FEZZAN. 
 
 Kardaffi, near Cairo, one at Mojabra, and one at 
 Zuila, or Moiirzowk. Many have a wife and family 
 establishment at each of these houses ; while others, 
 more economical, only take a wife for the time 
 they stay. 
 
 The town of Augila is about a mile in circumfe- 
 rence ; the streets are narrow and dirty ; the houses 
 consist only of the ground floor, each room opens 
 to an internal area, and has no other light than what 
 is admitted by the door-way. 
 
 The country round Augila is level, and the soil 
 sandy, but tolerably fertile. The inhabitants do 
 not grow corn sufficient for their own consumption ; 
 both corn and sheep being brought annually by a 
 caravan from Bengasi, on the Mediterranean, which 
 is distant thirteen days' journey, or about 234 miles. 
 
 We left Augila with our caravan augmented by 
 companies of merchants from Bengasi, Merote, and 
 Mojabra ; and we were attended some distance by 
 many of the inhabitants of the town, as a mark of 
 respect. To do us honour, they pranced their horses 
 and fired their muskets round us. At night, we en- 
 camped in an open desert, without water, or even 
 a single blade of grass for the camels. 
 
 On the second day of our journey from Augila, 
 we travelled over a plain of limestone and sand ; on 
 the third, detached mounds rose in the plain, which 
 were formed by sands, arrested in their progress by 
 pieces of rock. From this district commences a 
 range of mountains. 
 
 On the fourth day of our journey, a gentle ascent 
 led us to the summit of the mountains, and a path, 
 just wide enough for a single camel, conducted us 
 down a frightful precipice, into the valley below. 
 Wc marched along this valley, which was skirted on
 
 JOURNEY TO FEZZAN. l63 
 
 both sides by such rocks as that we had passed, till 
 it expanded into a wider plain» where we encamped, 
 and found abundance of water. Here we replenished 
 our bags for the ensuing days. 
 
 On the fifth and sixth days, the country was bar- 
 ren, though abounding in springs. The Arabs make 
 no use of this water. The seventh day we travelled 
 between two ranges of hills, and in the evening we 
 came to a spot affording not only verdure, but trees. 
 On the eighth day we tiavelled through a grove, 
 and, in the evening, opened upon a desert of hills 
 and rocks. From one of these I first saw the moun- 
 tainous region called Harutsch, which we were to 
 cross. Range upon range of black and dreary moun- 
 tains, succeeded each other, and formed the only 
 prospect. 
 
 On the ninth day we travelled among the hills,' 
 through narrow and dismal ravines, which opened 
 at intervals to fresh and even luxuriant herbage ; 
 and we passed the night at some pools of water on 
 the edge of a valley about six miles in circumference, 
 v/ith a rich verdure, shrubs, and trees. The tenth, 
 eleventh, and twelfth days, we were almost inces- 
 santly marching through this dreary solitude ; bat 
 could not expedite our journey as we wished, from 
 the windings of the path, and the tardiness of the 
 movement over layers of loose stones, which lasted 
 for half a mile together. 
 
 On the thirteenth day, in the afternoon, we broke 
 from this dark region into an extensive plain, and 
 continued our march along it for some hours ; when 
 we arrived at the foot of some low mountains, and 
 encamped at the entrance of a defile which leads 
 through them. 
 
 On tlie fourteenth morning, I placed myself among 
 
 M 2
 
 164 FEZZAN. 
 
 the foremost of the caravan, with some poor pilgrims 
 who were hastening to the spring which we were 
 that day to arrive at. On reaching the well, we 
 found it already cleaned, and in order, and several 
 Tuat Arabs were lying round it. I prepared for 
 breakfast, and offered some meat and a handful of 
 dates to an Arab pilgrim of our caravan, who was sixty 
 years of age. He thankfully accepted them, assur- 
 ing me that this was his third pilgrimage from Fezzan 
 to Mecca, without any other means of subsisting by 
 the way than the charity of his fellow travellers. He 
 had now been three days without his necessary por- 
 tion of water. We reposed at this well the rest of 
 the day, and our leader dispatched a messenger to 
 Mourzouk, to give notice of the arrival of the caravan 
 on the frontier of the kingdom of Fezzan, and to 
 bear a letter of respect to the Sultan from each mer- 
 chant individually. 
 
 On the fifteenth day of our journey from Angila 
 we came again to the society of men ; a march of 
 nine hours bringing us to Temissa, in the territory 
 of Fezzan. When we were within an hour's march 
 of the town, the inhabitants came out to welcome 
 us, and congratulate u^upon our safe arrival, repeat- 
 ing incessantly, " How dost thou fare ?" " How 
 dost thou do?" " How art thou thyself.?" '* Praised 
 be God that thou art arrived in peace !" " God 
 grant thee peace !" &c. 
 
 On our approach to Temissa, the pilgrims arranged 
 themselves with their kettle drum and green flag; 
 the merchants formed a troop at the head of the 
 caravan ; and we proceeded to a grove of date trees, 
 the place of our encampment, whilst the women 
 assembled without the walls, and welcomed us with 
 reiterated joyful exclamations, which we answered 
 by a discharge of our fire-arms.
 
 TEMISSA. 165 
 
 The day was spent in felicitations on our arrival; 
 as great fears had beei* entertained for our safety. 
 The Bedouins had of late been so daring as to rob in 
 the vicinity of Cairo ; and, not far from our road, 
 between Augila and the frontiers of Fezzan, we de- 
 scried some hundreds of dead camels, and other 
 beasts of burthen, which they had plundered and 
 left. They had robbed in the neighbourhood of 
 Temissa, and had even made an attack upon the 
 town ; waiting for us in this part of the country, 
 till they concluded that we should not come this 
 year. 
 
 Temissa is built upon a hill, and surrounded whh 
 a high wall ; but it does not contain more than forty 
 men capable of bearing arms. Ruins of houses re- 
 main, which shew that the former inhabitants were 
 better lodged than the present, who have patched 
 up dwelling places among the ruins, scarcely so 
 comfortable as the sheds for cattle in England. On 
 my return from visiting the town, I found a num- 
 ber of the inhabitants in our camp, bartering sheep, 
 fowls, and dates, for tobacco, butter, female orna- 
 ments, and the coarse woollen stuff with which the 
 Arabs here are generally cloathed. 
 
 On the sixteenth day, we moved slowly on, be- 
 tween date trees over level ground, with hillocks of 
 sand formed by the wind against some of the trees. 
 At two o'clock, we came within sight of Zuila, 
 which being a place of importance in the territory of 
 Fezzan, we halted at a little distance from the town, 
 and prepared for a ceremonious arrival. The mer- 
 chants and their slaves were dressed in their best 
 apparel, and the green flag was borne before the 
 Sheik, when we perceived twenty men, mounted oa 
 white horses, with a green fla'g in the centre, ad-
 
 166 FEZZAN. 
 
 vance to meet us. These were found to be the 8he- 
 reefF Hendy, the principal man of the town, with his 
 eight sons, and other members of his family. They 
 joined our caravan, with shouts and discharge of 
 muskets, and accompanied us to the place of our 
 encampment near the town. Our day's journey 
 from Temissa to Zuila had taken up nine hours. 
 
 Many of the inhabitants of Zuila came to visit us, 
 either from curiosity, or to barter their goods : all 
 behaved with the greatest decorum and regularity ; 
 but the family of the Shereeff was distinguished 
 by particular politeness of manners. They wore the 
 Tripolitan dress, but over it a fine Soudan shirt. 
 
 Some centuries past, Zuila was the residence of 
 the Sultans of Fezzan j and it appears to have been 
 of thrice the extent it is now. At present it occu- 
 pies a space of about a mile in circuit; but in, 
 and near the town, are the ruins of considerable 
 buildings. 
 
 The environs of Zuila are level, fertile, and well 
 supplied with water; the groves of date trees are 
 very extensive; and the people pay greater attention 
 to agriculture than those of the adjacent places. 
 ■ In the evening, a slave of the ShereefFs brought to 
 each tent a dish of meat and broth, and ten small 
 loaves; and soon after, we were each of us pre- 
 sented with three small loaves for the breakfast of 
 the next morning. This is an ancient piece of Arab 
 hospitality, which is still practised on the arrival of 
 every caravan. 
 
 On the seventeenth day, we left Zuila, and hav- 
 ing passed through a grove of date trees, we came 
 to an extensive and open plain, over which we tra- 
 velled seven hours. We passed the night at a 
 small village called Hemara. The people were
 
 TRAGEN. 1 67 
 
 few and wretched, though the country around was 
 most fertile. 
 
 On the eighteenth day, we crossed a plain of date 
 ti*ees, among which I discovered several villages. 
 My companions were in high spirits on their near 
 approach to Mourzouk ; but these were a little 
 lowered by the arrival of an officer from the Sultan, 
 to take an account of the merchandize. This cere- 
 mony had not usually been performed till the arrival 
 of a caravan at the gates of Mourzouk, and, by that 
 time, the merchants having disposed of one third of 
 their goods, had evaded such a proportion of the 
 duties. Some of them, however, had contrived to 
 intermingle a part of their baggage with that of 
 the pilgrims, which pays no duties. 
 
 At Tragen, the place of our encampment, v;c 
 passed the whole of the nineteenth day, employed in 
 preparing for our honourable appearance before the 
 Sultan, who usually rides out to meet the caravan, 
 out of pious respect to the pilgrims returning from 
 Mecca. The Sultan sent off some camels laden 
 with meat and bread, which were here distributed 
 among us. On the twentieth day from Augila, we 
 travelled eight hours, and arrived at the village 
 of Seedy Bischir; and on the twenty-first, after 
 a march of three hours, we finished our long and 
 perilous journey, and arrived in the immediate vi- 
 cinity of Mourzouk. We had traversed a distance 
 of upwards of a thousand miles in seventy-five days ; 
 forty-three of which were spent in actual travelling, 
 and thirty-two in repose. According to my com- 
 putation we had travelled 401 h(5urs, that is, 
 
 to Siwah 118 
 
 to Augila 87^ 
 
 to jNlourzouk 19-3^ 
 
 2
 
 168 FEZZAN. 
 
 which, at the general rate of two miles and a half an 
 hour, would make the whole distance 100^ miles, 
 The distance between Cairo and Mourzouk, in a 
 straight line, is said to be 770 miles, 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 MOURZOUK, AND RETURN TO EGYPT. 
 
 vJN our arrival near Mourzouk, we saw the Sultan 
 of Fezzan, posted on a rising ground, attended by a 
 numerous court, and a multitude of his subjects, 
 Oiu- caravan halted ; and every person of any im- 
 portance dismounted and approached the sovereign. 
 We found him seated on an elbow chair, which was 
 covered with a cloth striped red and green, and 
 placed at the extremity of an oval area. The Sul- 
 tan wore the Tripolitan vest, and over it a shirt, 
 embroidered with silver in the Soudan manner. 
 Close to him, on each side, stood white Mameluks 
 and Negro slaves, with drawn sabres ; behind these 
 were six banners, and black and half-naked slaves 
 holding lances and halberds ; and the area was sur- 
 rounded by soldiers of rather a mean appearance. 
 
 We entered the circle by an opening opposite to 
 the Sultan, and according to the ceremonial of his 
 court, we pulled off our slippers, and advanced to 
 kiss his imperial hand. As each merchant had paid 
 his compliment; they passed off alternately to the 
 right and the left, behind the Sultan j and we
 
 MOURZOUK. 169 
 
 arranged ourselves in groupes on either side of the 
 throne. The Sheik, our leader, then entered, with 
 his sabre drawn, and his kettle drum and green flag 
 borne before him, and was followed by the pilgrims 
 chaunting praises to God for having thus far con- 
 ducted them in safety: nor did they cease, till the 
 Sultan dismissed their leader, with a gracious pro- 
 mise to send his accustomed present of bread and 
 meat to every tent. 
 
 The ceremony of audience being over, the Sultan 
 remounted his horse, and rode back into the city of 
 Mourzouk, preceded by his kettle drums and ban- 
 ners, and surrounded by his lance-bearers and hal- 
 berdiers ; while his courtiers joined the Arabs of 
 the caravan, and made their horses curvet and 
 prance on each side of the procession, till we 
 reached the place of our encampment. 
 
 The greatest length of the cultivated part of Fez- 
 zan is about 300 English miles, and runs from north 
 to south ; and its greatest breath, from east to west 
 is about 200; but, besides this tract, the mountain- 
 ous region of Harutsch on the east, and deserts on 
 the south and west, are reckoned within its terri- 
 tory. It contains 101 towns and villages, of which 
 Mourzouk is the capital. The next in considera- 
 tion are Sockna, Sibha, Hun, and Wadan, to the 
 north; Gatron to the south; Yerma to the west; 
 and Zuila to the east. 
 
 The climate of Fezzan is at no season temperate, 
 or agreeable. During the summer the heat is in- 
 tense. The south wind is scarcely supportable bv 
 the natives, and the north wind drove not only 
 them, but myself, to the fire. Tempests of wind, 
 both from the north and south are frequent ; whirl- 
 ing up the sand and dust, so as to make the very
 
 170 ^ FEZZAN. 
 
 atmosphere appear yellow. It rains but seldom, 
 and then but little in quantity. There is no river, 
 nor, indeed, rivulet, deserving of notice, in the 
 whole country. 
 
 Dates are the principal produce of Fezzan. 
 Wheat and barley are cultivated ; but ignorance, 
 indolence, and oppression prevent a sufficient quan- 
 tity being raised for the consumption of the inhabit- 
 ants ; and they rely upon the Arab countries on the 
 north for a great part of their subsistence. 
 
 Horned cattle are only found in the most fruitful 
 districts, and even there, are few in number. They 
 are employed in drawing water from the wells, and 
 are never slaughtered, except in cases of extreme 
 necessity. Sheep are bred in the southern parts ; 
 but the greater number are supplied by the border- 
 ing Arabs ; with the meat, the very skin is roasted 
 and eaten. The ordinary domestic animal is the 
 goat. Horses are few ; camels are excessively dear, 
 and are kept only by the chief people and richer 
 merchants ; asses are the general beasts of burthen, 
 whether for draught or carriage. All these animals 
 are fed with dates. 
 
 The commerce of Fezzan is considerable. From 
 October to February, Mourzouk is the rendezvous 
 of caravans from Egypt, Bengasi, Tripoli, Ga- 
 dames, Tuat, and Soudan. Those from the south 
 and west bring slaves, ostrich feathers, leopard 
 skins, and gold, both in dust and native grains. 
 Bornou sends copper ; Cairo, silks, striped cottons, 
 woollen cloths, glass, beads, imitations of coral, and 
 an assortment of India goods. Bengasi sends to- 
 bacco, snuff, and the manufactures of Turkey. 
 This caravan usually joins that from Cairo at Augila. 
 Tripoli sends paper, tire-arms, sabres, knives, cloths,
 
 MOTjnzouK. , 171 
 
 and red caps. The Tuat Arabs bring butter, oil, 
 lat, and corn ; and those more to the south-east, 
 senna, ostrich feathers, and camels. Thus Fezzan, 
 without any articles of commerce within itself, is the 
 ffrand central mart for the commodities around. 
 
 The Sultan of Fezzan is a ShereefF, or descendant 
 of Mohammed. Tradition says that one of his an- 
 cestors, coming from western Africa, conquered this 
 country about five hundred years ago. The Sultan 
 pays a tribute of 4,000 dollars, annually, to the Ba- 
 shaw of Tripoli. The followers of Mohammed have 
 dispossessed the black natives of Africa, as those of 
 Jesus Christ have done the copper-coloured people 
 of America ; but there is this remarkable difference 
 in the two religions, though they have produced 
 the same effect ; Mohammed propagated his by the 
 sword ; while Christ inculcated peace, brotherly 
 kindness, and forgiveness of injuries; and even 
 forbade his disciples to repel aggression. 
 
 The house of the Sultan of Fezzan is situated 
 within the walls of the fortress of Mourzouk, and 
 has no other inmates than himself and the eunuchs 
 who attend him. His harem is contiguous ; but he 
 never enters it ; the ladies waiting upon him at his 
 order. They consist of a Sultana, and about forty 
 slaves, the latter of whom, if they have no children, 
 are dismissed, and replaced, according to his fancy. 
 The door of audience is set open three times a 
 day, which is announced by the sound of the kettle 
 drums. Those persons v/hom business or respect 
 bring to the Sultan, are conducted through a long 
 narrow passage, between slaves, who incessantly re- 
 peat "May God prolong the life of the Sultan!" 
 On coming to the door, the Sultan appears opposite, 
 seated on an elbow chair, raised some steps from tlie
 
 172 FEZZAN. 
 
 ground. The person introduced approaches, kisses 
 the hand of the Sultan, and raises it so as to touch 
 his forehead; he then quits it, and kneels before 
 him. He is permitted to state his case in ordinary 
 and plain language, repeating at intervals such ex- 
 pressions as, "God prolong thy life!" "God protect 
 thy country !" &c. It is also the custom to offer a 
 small present. 
 
 The Sultan never quits his fortress, except on 
 Fridays, when he goes on horseback to the great 
 mosque, and on days of public solemnity, when he 
 rides on a plain without the city, while his courtiers 
 exhibit their skill in horsemanship, and iire their 
 muskets around him. 
 
 The apparel of the Sultan is the same as the ordi- 
 nary dress of the Tripolitans ; but on days of cere- 
 mony, he wears over it a large white frock or shirt, 
 made in the Soudan manner, of stuff brocaded with 
 silver and gold, or of satin interwoven with silver. 
 But the most remarkable part of his dress is his tur- 
 ban, which, from the fore to the back part, extends 
 a full yard, and is not less than two feet in breadth. 
 
 The office of Cadi, or chief judge, is hereditary in 
 a certain family ; and the Sultan selects from this 
 family the person best qualified for this important 
 office, that is, he who can best read and write. 
 
 The population of Fezzan maybe loosely estimated 
 at about 70, or 75,000 souls. The indigenous race 
 of people are of ordinary stature, not muscular nor 
 strong. Their colour is a deep brown ; tlieir hair 
 black and short; their features are regular, and their 
 nose is less flattened than that of a negro. 
 
 The mien, the walk, every motion, of the people 
 of Fezzan, denotes a want of energy. Their food 
 consists of dates, and farinaceous pap, generally
 
 MOURZ-OUK. 173 
 
 without even oil or fat ; and this scanty fare, toge* 
 ther with the oppression of the government, contri- 
 butes to weakness of body and dejection of mind. 
 I never knew a more abstemious people than those 
 of Fezzan ; though this seems to be the result of 
 necessity. Meat they can never abstain from, if it 
 be set before them ; but meat is seldom an article of 
 their food. To denote a rich man at Mourzouk, the 
 common expression is, *' He eats bread and meat 
 every day !" 
 
 Throughout Mourzouk, I could not find a skilful 
 artificer of any sort. The only tradesmen are shoe- 
 makers and smiths ; the latter work every metal 
 without distinction ; and the same man who makes 
 shoes for the Sultan's horse, makes rings for the 
 ►Sultan's wife. The women of Fezzan weave coarse 
 woollen cloths called abbes ; but the shuttle is un- 
 known to them, and they insert the woof, thread by 
 thread, into the warp, with their fingers. 
 
 The dress of the common people of Fezzan con- 
 sists of a shirt of coarse linen or cotton cloth, with 
 the abbe thrown over the shoulder; those of the 
 middling class wear frocks of dyed blue cloth, made 
 in Soudan ; the richer people, and the Mamelilks 
 of the Sultan, wear the same frock, but of variegated 
 ])attern and colours, over the dress of Tripoli ; and 
 the abbe is worn over all. 
 
 The wife of a wealthy man of Fezzan divides her 
 long hair into seven tresses, one ctf these is braided 
 with strips of gilt leather, wliich terminate in a bow, 
 the others are bound round with gilt leather, and 
 finish with small pieces of amber, or silver bells. In 
 addition to these ornaments, she fastens to the top 
 of her head silken cords, which hang down, on each 
 side, to her shoulder, and on these are strung a
 
 174 l-EZZAN. 
 
 number of silver rings. Her ears are pierced in twc; 
 places, in each of which is fixed a thick silver ring. 
 Her necklace is a silk riband, with ten or twelve 
 pieces of agate, and a round silver plate in front. 
 In ordinary dress, ladies of rank wear nine or ten 
 rings of horn or glass upon each arm ; on great oc- 
 casions, these are taken off, and one silver ring, four 
 inches in breadth, is worn in their place ; strong rings 
 of brass or silver are also worn above the ancle bone. 
 Women who cannot aiford to be fine, wear only a 
 string of glass beads round the neck, and wrap the 
 ends of their tresses round a piece of paste, made of 
 lavender, carraway seeds, cloves, pepper, mastick, 
 and laurel leaves, mixed up with oil. 
 
 Women dance publicly in the open places of the 
 city of Mourzouk, to the astonishment of the Mo- 
 hammedan traveller. The men are much addicted 
 to drunkenness. Their beverage is the fresh juice 
 of the date tree which is called lugibi, or a liquor 
 called bouza, prepared from the date itself, which 
 is very intoxicating. When friends assemble in 
 the evening, the general amusement is drinking 
 only ; but sometimes a hadanha^ or singing girl, is 
 sent for. 
 
 There are more women of a certain description 
 in Mourzouk than in any other capital of the same 
 extent and population ; and the general character of 
 improvidence, and consequent distress, is as appli- 
 cable to these as to any others of their profession. 
 
 The inhabitants of Fezzan liave no other remedies 
 for diseases than amulets, consisting of sentences 
 taken from the Koran, which the patient wears about 
 his neck, and, in dangerous cases, is made to swallow. 
 As to surgery, I heard that there were at Mourzouk 
 persons who had sufficient skill to cure a simple 
 fracture.
 
 rEZZAN. 17'> 
 
 The houses of the people of Fezzan are miserably 
 built. Thev are constructed with stones, or bricks 
 dried in the stin. No other tools are used in building 
 than the hands of the labourer. When the walls 
 are completely raised, the friends of the proprietor 
 assemble, and assist him to in crust them with a 
 mortar made with white calcareous earth ; this work 
 is also done by the hand. The houses are all ex- 
 tremely low, and the light enters only by the door. 
 
 Having satisfied my curiosity with regard to 
 Fezzan, and finding that it was impracticable at 
 present to penetrate any further, I joined the 
 caravan, which now consisted only of merchants on 
 liorseback, well armed, with their attendants, on 
 its return to Cairo. My camels were now laden with 
 gold and ostrich feathers, instead of woollens, silks, 
 and cottons. What I should visit next was become 
 the question ; and as I never delayed the considera- 
 tion of such a question till the time when I ought 
 to act, I decided it while passing over uniform and 
 uninteresting deserts, upon my horse. I was always 
 a lover of method. Indeed, I humbly conceive that 
 so extensive a plan as the Tour of Africa could not 
 have been accomplished without it ; I therefore de- 
 termined, as being the countries next jn order, to 
 visit Dar Fur, Sennaar, and Abyssinia. 
 
 I disposed of my camels and their burden to one 
 of the merchants oi our caravan, wlio gave me bills 
 of exchange, payable at Alexandria, and who, though 
 a Mohammedan, made an honest bargain. This 
 gentleman informed me that the caravans of FTirian 
 merchants set out on their return home from Siout, 
 and that I should probably be able to join one of 
 them, even if I went round by Alexandria. 
 
 On the arrival of the caravan at Siwah, I hired
 
 176 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 three Bedouins to conduct me to Alexandria, myself 
 and my servant still riding on horseback, and a 
 number of Arabs joining us, who were taking dates 
 to market at that city. We travelled five days in 
 a north-east direction. On the second of these we 
 arrived at Karet am el Soghier, from which village 
 I entered upon a road I had not seen before. On 
 the fifth day we reached a well near the coast of the 
 Mediterranean sea, where we found a plentiful sup- 
 ply of water. The time employed in actual travelling 
 from Siwah to this well, was 62 hours and a quarter, 
 or twelve hours and a half each day. 
 
 From the Well to Alexandria, we were never long 
 out of sight of the coast. The country was in gene- 
 ral smooth and sandy, but the eye was frequently 
 relieved by spots of verdure, though they consisted 
 only of different kinds of grass-wort, which afford 
 sustenance to the camel ; for our horses, we carried 
 a supply of barley and cut straw. In the neighbour- 
 hood of Alexandria the ground became rocky. We 
 passed several small encampments of Bedouins, who 
 were in friendship with our conductor, and who re- 
 . ceived us with great hospitality, and regaled us with 
 milk, dates, and bread newly baked. We arrived 
 at Alexandria from the Well in ten days : the time 
 passed in actual travelling was 75 hours and a half, 
 or about seven hours and a half a day. This is the 
 way by which Alexander marched to the temple of 
 Jupiter Ammon. 
 
 Having received the money for my mercliandize, 
 and provided myself with all things necessary for the 
 journey I was about undertake, I went to Rosetta, 
 where I embarked upon the Nile, and proceeded i\f 
 the river to Siout.
 
 177 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 JOURNEY TO DAR FUR, AND RESIDENCE THERE. 
 
 XjEYOND the western wall of Egypt is a vast 
 sandy desert, inhabited by the Muggrebins, or 
 Western Arabs. These people lead a wandering 
 life, and extend to Fezzan and Tripoli ; they carry 
 fire-arms, and are good marksmen. In this desert 
 are several fertile spots, like islands in an ocean of 
 sand and rock, three of which were known to the 
 ancients, and were called by them Oases : these, be- 
 ffinnins: at the north, arc the Oasis of Amnion, the 
 Lesser Oasis, and the Larger Oasis. In Arabic 
 they are known by the general appellation of Wall, 
 and are distiniruishcd from each other by the addi- 
 tional appellations of Si Wah, on the nortli ; Kl Wah 
 el Ghnrbi, in the middle; and simply ¥A Wah, The 
 Wah, on the south. The Arabs have a capital set- 
 tlement in El M'ah el Ghnrbi. No European tiiat 
 I know of has visited this Wah, but it is said to be 
 much snialler than that to the soutluvard, and that 
 they are separated only by two days' journey of de- 
 sert from north to south. 
 
 At Siout I purchased five camels at about I3l. 
 sterling each, to carry my baggage, and I joined 
 the Cafilet es Soudan, or caravan of merchants, re- 
 turning to Dar Fur. A large caravan from Dar Fur 
 to Egyj)t, consists of f2,000 camels, and 1,0U0 slaves; 
 on the return of tlie merchants, the number of 
 camels is often not more than ^200. Our company 
 
 N
 
 178 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 consisted of nearly 500 camels. Of Egyptians, trading 
 for themselves, there were about fifty, of whom five 
 or six were Copts, whose admittance into Dar Fur 
 the monarch of that country has since forbidden ; 
 the remainder, amounting to from 150 to SOO per- 
 sons, together with the Kabir or leader, were sub- 
 jects of Dar Fur. 
 
 Desirous of obtaining particular respect in the. 
 country I w^as going to visit, I no longer appeared 
 in the character of a merchant, but announced mv- 
 self as what I really was, an independent English 
 gentleman. It was the hottest season of the year, 
 and consequently unfavourable for travelling; the 
 merchants, however, considered the variations of 
 climate as not worth a thought, and habit had so 
 inured them to heat that it was no motive for the 
 remission of labour. 
 
 On the 25th of May we left Siout, and encamped 
 on the mountain above the town ; and on the 28th, 
 we set out on our journey, proceeding by short stages 
 towards El Wah. The merchants pay a tribute of 
 about three shillings, or three shillings and four 
 pence, for each camel, to the Western Arabs, for 
 permission to pass through their country. I refused 
 to pay this tribute, alleging that I was not a mer- 
 chant, but a stranger employed on business to the 
 Sultan of Dar Fur. The Arabs murmured, but re- 
 linquished their claim ; and I have since thought 
 that I should have acted more discreetly if I had 
 not resisted it. 
 
 The camels were heavily laden ; the merchants tra- 
 velled slowly, and in detached parties, as it suited 
 their own convenience ; and it was not till the 31st 
 that we came to the descent of the rocky mountain 
 which separates Egypt from the desert. From the
 
 EL WAII. 179 
 
 summit we liad an unbounded view of rocks and 
 sand ; the spring at which we were to repose distin- 
 guished by marks of vegetation, and low date-trees. 
 The descent was rugged and difficult, though the 
 road, in many places, had been formed by art. We 
 were an hour in reaching the bottom. 
 
 On the 1st of June we were four hours and a half 
 in marching to Ain^ Diz^, the northern extremity 
 of El Wah. Here the thermometer was at II6, 
 under the shade of the tent. In eight hours more 
 we arrived at Charj^. The leader of the caravan 
 gave notice of our approach to the town by the beat- 
 ing of two kettle drums, which were carried before 
 him as the ensigns of his office, and by shouting and 
 firing of muskets. 
 
 Having rested five days at Charj6, we proceeded 
 southwards, over a barren desert, on the skirts of 
 El Wah, to a village called Bulak. The houses are 
 only small square pieces of ground, inclosed by a 
 wall of clay or unburnt bricks, and are generally 
 without a roof; but the place furnishes good water, 
 and the people have dates to sell. We remained 
 here one day, and still marching through desert, 
 though near to fertile lands, we arrived at Beiris, 
 and afterwards at Maghess, the last and southern- 
 most village of El AVah. From our first reaching 
 this fertile spot at Ain6 Diz(^', to our quitting it at 
 Maghess, our time of actual travelling had been 
 thirtv hours. 
 
 On the 20th of June, after travelling seven days 
 over barren desert, we arrived at Sheb, where water 
 is found by digging to the depth of a few feet in the 
 sand, and in three days more at Selimi^', a small 
 verdant spot, at the foot of a ridge of rocks, where 
 there is good water. So many of the camels had 
 
 \ '^
 
 180 DESERT. 
 
 died in passing the desert, partly from want of water, 
 and partly from being overloaded, that several mer- 
 chants of the caravan were obliged to bury their 
 goods in the sand near Selime, and to send for them 
 afterwards from thence. 
 
 We rested at Selim6 on the 2i<th, and on the 25th 
 we pursued our way through the desert, which in 
 five days brought us to Leghea, where we found 
 water which was both bad and scarce. In sucli 
 places on our journey as afforded stones, the people 
 of the caravan collected four or five large ones, 
 and placed them in a heap, at proper distances, to 
 mark the route for their return. When deep and 
 loose sands rendered this impracticable, tliey re- 
 lied upon the facility acquired by habit, with which 
 they distinguish the outline and appearance of dis- 
 tant rocks. But, with these aids, the whole caravan 
 was, three times during our journey, at a loss wdth 
 regard to the road, though several persons among 
 them had traversed this desert ten or twelve times. 
 At Leghea our leader was so unable to determine 
 which was the right course, that he sent forward one 
 of the party to discover some known object which 
 might guide us, and the man w^as thirty-six hours 
 before he returned. While we remained here, a 
 suffocating wind blew from the south, and raised the 
 sand in clouds. A wooden bowl, capable of holding 
 two gallons, was filled in thirty minutes. 
 
 On the 2d of July we left Leghea, and after a 
 severe and fatiguing march of seven days, we arrived 
 at Bir el Malha, or the Salt Spring. On the journey, 
 a man, travelUng on foot with the caravan, but un- 
 connected with any person in it, asked me for bread, 
 " How long have you been without bread ?" said 1. 
 " Two days," was the reply. " And how long without
 
 DAR FUR. 181 
 
 water?'* " I drank water last night." Tin's. was at 
 sun-set, after we had been marching all day in ex- 
 treme heat, and we had yet six hours march to 
 the well. 
 
 The water at Bir el Malha is, as its name imports, 
 bad. A troop of the natives of Zeghawa, a place in 
 the northern part of Dar Fur, met us here. When 
 a caravan is expected, it is their custom to bring a 
 supply of provisions and necessaries to this place, 
 which is only ten days' journey from their home ; 
 these they sell at an exorbitant rate, according to 
 the wants of the travellers. 
 
 We remained at Bir el Malha till the 12th, and 
 travelled with little interruption till the 20th, when 
 we encamped at a spot called Medwa, where, how- 
 ever, we were obliged to purchase water of some 
 Arabs whom we met. On the 23d we came to the 
 tirst springs within the limits of Dar Fur, which are 
 called Wadi Masruk, having been 57 days on our 
 journey, from the mountain above Siout, 44 of 
 which were passed in actual travelling, and 1.3 in 
 repose. 
 
 We found the termites, or white ants, very vexatious 
 at Wadi Masruk, building their covered way to every 
 thing within our tents, and destroying all within their 
 reach. These, together with the rains, which-had 
 begun to fall towards the end of our journey, and 
 were now pouring like a torrent through the valley, 
 compelled us to abandon the tents, and take shelter 
 in the next village, which was called Sweini. Here 
 I obtained an apartment in the house of a merchant. 
 The house consisted of a multitude of distinct rooms, 
 built with clay, and covered with a slanting roof, 
 but not closed by doors ; and the hospitality of the 
 owner allowed all those who could find a place in it 
 to take up their lodging there.
 
 182 DAll FUR. 
 
 At Sweini generally resides a Melek or gover- 
 nor, who collects the duties on the merchandize of 
 the caravans, for the Sultan of Dar Fur. Announ- 
 cing myself as the Sultan's stranger, I pleaded an 
 exemption from the duties, and desired to be intro- 
 duced to the Sultan. Both the exemption and the 
 demand were new; and it appeared that the mo- 
 narch of this country did not prefer strangers to 
 duties ; for no means of advancing were afforded me 
 till the merchants of the caravan received the same 
 permission. I had letters for different merchants in 
 this district: but no one could receive me till it was 
 known in what light I was considered by the Sultan. 
 At length a letter arrived, impressed with his ma- 
 jesty's seal, with leave for me to proceed to Cobbe, 
 where I was to remain till orders should be given 
 for my admission into his presence, and ordering 
 that no officer should presume to detain me, or to 
 take any thing from me by the way. 
 
 Cobbe is more than two days vigilant travelling 
 south of Sweini. It is situated in a plain which ex- 
 tends twenty-two miles towards the west, and ends 
 at the foot of two rocky mountains ; to the east there 
 is no extent of level ground. The town runs from 
 north to south, and is tv/o miles in length, but very 
 narrow. The houses are not contiguous ; but are 
 divided by considerable pieces of vacant ground, 
 and each is situated within its own inclosure, which 
 contains a large portion. The town is full of trees. 
 During the rainy season, the ground on which it 
 stands is surrounded by a torrent; in the dry season, 
 it is su})plied by wells dug within the inclosures of 
 many of the houses ; but the inhabitants are some- 
 times straitened for water, before the return of the 
 periodical rains. There are some villages at small
 
 cobbe'. 18.'3 
 
 distances, and in various directions from Cobbe; 
 and I heard of seven other towns at the distance of 
 from five hours to three days' journey. At Cobb6 
 and in other places, a market is held twice a week 
 for meat and provisions. At that of Cobbe are ge- 
 nerally slaughtered from ten to fifteen oxen, and from 
 forty to sixty sheep; but it must be observed that all 
 the villages around are supplied from thence. It is 
 usual for the people of the town to lay in their stock 
 of grain about December, when it is the cheapest ; 
 and at that time, two, and sometimes three, pecks of 
 millet may be bought for a string of beads worth 
 one penny at Cairo. 
 
 There are in the town four or five schools, where 
 boys are taught to read, and, if their parents wish 
 it, to write. The children of the indigent are in- 
 structed gratuitously; but those persons who can 
 atibrd it give the Fukkara, or Teachers, a small re- 
 ward. There was only one mosque, a small square 
 room, built of clay ; but one more spacious was 
 being erected : the material was the same ; the area 
 inclosed, however, was 64 feet square, and the walls 
 were to be three feet thick. 
 
 The inhabitants of Cobbe are chiefly foreigners 
 and merchants, who trade to Egypt. Some are na- 
 tives of that country ; but the greater luunber are 
 from the borders of the Nile, from Dongola to 
 Sennaar. These people commonly use among 
 themselves the language of Ikrabra, though they 
 also speak Arabic. They intermarry with each 
 other, seldom taking a woman of Dar Fur to wife. 
 Their complexion is not so black as that of the na- 
 tives of Dar Fur; they are a good-sized and well- 
 formed people, with short, curled, black hair, not 
 wool, and have often an agreeable and expressive 
 countenance.
 
 1S4 r>AR ruR. 
 
 The departure of a caravan from Dar Fur forms 
 there an important event, and even a chronological 
 epocha ; changes in the government, and caprices 
 of the despot, occasioning great irreguhn-ity in their 
 time of setting out. 
 
 The merchants of Cobbe take great care of their 
 camels, which seldom carry above five hundred 
 weight, and more frequently three hundred, or 
 three hundred and a half. They often return upon 
 Egyptian asses, which sell at an advanced price in 
 Soudan. Few merchants use coffee or tobacco on 
 the journey ; but are contented with a leathern bag 
 of flour, another of bread baked hard, a leathern 
 vessel of honey or treacle, and another of butter. 
 An article much in use for the slaves is millet 
 coarsely ground, which, after it has undergone a 
 slight fermentation, is made into a paste. When 
 eaten, it is mixed with water, and is called ginse'ta. 
 It is a slight narcotic, and it is said to be by it= 
 acidity, a preventative of thirst. 
 
 Experienced travellers, for every ten camels laden 
 with merchandize, load one with beans and chopped 
 straw, which, sparingly given, serves them for sus- 
 tenance during the greater part of the journey from 
 Egypt to Dar Fur. From Dar Fiir to Egypt, they 
 employ the millet and the coarse hay of the country 
 for the same purpose. 
 
 The water, on leaving Egypt, is commonly con- 
 veyed in goat skins ; but no skill can entirely pre- 
 vent its evaporation. From Soudan, the merchants 
 use ox-hides, formed into capacious sacks, which 
 are sold to great advantage throughout Egypt. A 
 pair of these is a camel's load. Six of tlie smaller 
 skins, or two of the larger, are reckoned to contain 
 water sufficient for four persons during four days.
 
 DAR FUR. . 185 
 
 I found the people of Cobb6 ill disposed to form 
 any acquaintance with mc; my complexion excited 
 their contempt ; my being a Frank their detestation; 
 and my being a Christian filled them with reli- 
 gious horror. In this unpleasant situation, I again 
 pressed to be allowed to visit the residence of the 
 Sultan ; and having obtained permission, 1 set out 
 for the court, where I arrived the next day. 
 
 I was introduced to the Melek Misellim, one of 
 the principal ministers, whom I found, with some 
 other of the royal attendants, seated on a mat 
 spread upon the sand, under an awning of cotton 
 cloth. The Melek received me with what I thought 
 a rude stare ; though I might have considered that 
 I was a kind of object unseen by him before : this 
 was succeeded by a smile of contempt, and a look of 
 aversion. After the common salutations he and his 
 <rompany entered into conversation, partly in their 
 vernacular idiom, and partly in Arabic, on the pur- 
 pose of my visit to the country; and each made his 
 remarks on my person, a]id ottered his conjectures 
 respecting my character and intentions. Had I ap- 
 peared before these people as a merchant, my cha- 
 racter and intentions had remained unquestioned, 
 my complexion might have been less noticed, and 
 my bales of silks and velvets might have opened for 
 me a ready passage to the Sultan. 
 
 A wooden bowl of polenta was placed before my 
 hosts. I took it into mv head that thev were not 
 much inclined to ask me to partake of it, and yet 
 rather at a loss how to avoid making me the compli- 
 ment. My pride was roused; and, to extricate 
 them, at once from the difficulty, I declined eating, 
 of my own accord, and desired them to begin. It 
 is not my intention to gloss over any mistakes I may
 
 186 DAU FUR. 
 
 have made in my travels ; and 1 therefore aeknow- 
 ledge that in this instance also I acted wrong. In 
 all countries, to partake of the same food is a bond 
 of fellowship ; among Arabs, as I have observed be- 
 fore, it is a sacred bond, never broken ; and to 
 avoid it here was to place another barrier between 
 these people and myself. 
 
 When they had done eating, they asked me a 
 number of questions concerning Europe, which, not 
 allowing for the ignorance of men so situated, on 
 such a subject, I thought foolish : however, I an- 
 swered them as well as I was able. When I ob- 
 served tlmt they gvQw weary of asking questions, I 
 explained to them in the following speech, why I 
 came there, and what favour I expected should be 
 shewn me. 
 
 " Melek," said I, *' having come from a far dis- 
 tant country to Misr, [Kahira] I was there in- 
 formed of the magnificence and hospitality of your 
 kins:, Abd el llaclnnan, whose dominion be eternal. 
 Having been accustomed to wander over various 
 countries as a man of rank and leisure, to learn wis- 
 dom from the aged, and to connnunicate precepts 
 beneficial to man, I became desirous to visit Dar 
 Fur. I was told that my person and my property 
 would be secure, and that permission w'ould be 
 given me to go wherever I might think proper; but 
 my property has been plundered, and my person 
 treated with indignity. I ask redress; and I fur- 
 ther ask leave to go to Sennaar, and that three or 
 four people deserving of confidence may be ap- 
 pointed to attend and protect me to the frontiers of 
 Kordofan. I have a small present to offer to the 
 Sultan, which I hope he will accej)t ; and I also 
 hope that he will grant me the favour 1 request."
 
 DAR FUR. 187 
 
 I ought to have acquainted my reader, that the 
 robbery of which I complained was committed by 
 one of my own servants, wliom I hired at Cairo ; 
 this man having stolen a quantity of coral, while I 
 remained at Cobb^, out of one of my boxes, which 
 had been broken in its carriage to that place. 
 
 My eloquent harangue was answered methodically 
 by the Melek. " JMercliant," said he, for notwith- 
 standing all the dignity I assumed, nothing better 
 than a merchant could he think me, " you are wel- 
 come to the Dar," that is, the house. " The Sultan 
 is kind to strangers, and whatever favour you w^ish, 
 you have only to ask it : he has ordered a sack of 
 wheat and four sheep to be sent you. At this time 
 it is not possible to pass through Kordofan ; the Sul- 
 tan has a great army there; and when he has sub- 
 dued the country you may pass unmolested. When 
 you are admitted to his presence, you will tell him 
 who has robbed you, and what you have lost, and 
 he will cause it to be restored to you." I then 
 retired. 
 
 I remained three or four days in the tent assigned 
 me, without hearing from the Melek, Misellim ; 
 when I sent him word that it was my wish to be in- 
 troduced to the Sultan, and then to be dismissed as 
 soon as possible. No reply was made to this mes- 
 sage ; bat the following day, the Melek came to my 
 tent, with some of his attendants, and desired to see 
 the merchandize I Imd brought with me. I shewed 
 him articles of ricli vv^earing ap])arc], and various 
 other tilings'; but this did not satisfy liim, and he 
 insisted upon seeing the contents of a small chest 
 which I positively refused to open. lie threat- 
 elied to have it broken open ; I remained im- 
 moveable ; and his attendants were preparing to
 
 188 DAR iUll. 
 
 execute his threat, when tlie servant who had 
 robbed me took the key from the pUice in which 
 I had concealed it, and unlocked the chest. 
 Every thing was taken out, and minutely examined. 
 Many small articles appeared no more ; some Eng- 
 lish pistols, and several other things, were reserved 
 for the Sultan, and were to be purchased at the price 
 his own servants chose to fix upon them ; my teles- 
 copes, books, and wearing apparel, were graciously 
 left me. 
 
 The valuation of the property the IMclek had 
 taken from me was made the next day, in contempt 
 of my warmest remonstrances. Alas ! of what 
 weight are the remonstrances of a single man, 
 though an Englishman and a gentleman, against an 
 African despot, with a whole nation at his command! 
 The whole was estimated at thirty-eight- head of 
 slaves, for human creatures are the currency of l^ar 
 Fur, actual and nominal, and they arc, like cattle, 
 reckoned by the head. J\Iy property was wortli 
 about eio:htv of these transferable animals ; and I 
 exclaimed, " If bargain and sale be conducted by 
 force, and your intention be to plunder, you had 
 better take the whole, gratis !" In some countries, 
 my indiscretion might have brought upon me per- 
 sonal abuse, in addition to injustice ; in Dar Far, 
 the oppressors were silent, and the next day two 
 camels were sent me as a present. 
 
 I had now remained some days in the tent, so dis- 
 regarded that I could rarely obtain water, though 
 tormented with thirst ; when I judged it expedient 
 to return to Cobbe. The Melek did not seem an- 
 xious about my stay, and I preferred the shelter of 
 a quiet hut to the small chance there appeared to 
 be of my approaching the Sultan ; I therefore hired
 
 BAR FUR. 189 
 
 two Arabs, and, with the camels which liacl been 
 given me, I returned to the place I liad quitted for 
 the court of Dar Fur. 
 
 I remained some time at Cobb6 ; and as the eyes 
 of the inhabitants became more ha])ituated to me, I 
 found my situation grow more pleasant. I visited 
 the chief people of the place; and I associated with 
 the graver men, who sit and converse, during the 
 heat of the day, under a shed erected for that pur- 
 pose ; and though I w^as neither amused by the wit, 
 nor instructed by the observations of these people, 
 I was pleased with their good humour and mutual 
 forbearance. I have often witnessed their mode of 
 conductiug a bargain ; their legal arguments and 
 cool discussions of right ; and I had generally rea- 
 son to be satisfied with their theory of morals. 
 
 I now determined upon making a second attempt 
 
 to see the Sultan ; but before I left Cobb6, the 
 
 owner of the house in which I resided wanted me to 
 
 sign a declaration that I had lost nothing during my 
 
 residence there. This I refused to do, as it was 
 
 here that my coral had been taken, lie then called 
 
 an assembly of Fukkara, or sacred judges, who, 
 
 though they could not disprove the fact, exonerated 
 
 the master of the house from any responsibility. I 
 
 was greatly displeased, and I determined never to 
 
 return to my present habitation ; but I have since 
 
 thought that as the theft w^as committed by my own 
 
 agent, and in an apartment appropriated solely to 
 
 my use, the sacred judges were not so much mis- 
 
 taken. 
 
 On my arrival at court, my friend the Melek 
 Misellim being employed by his master in the south, 
 I was put under the protection of the Melek Ibrahim, 
 one of the oldest persons in authority there. Wlien
 
 190 DAIl FUR. 
 
 I entered the court where he was sitting, he received 
 my present wdtli com])lacency, and bade me wel- 
 come: but T could collect from his conversation that 
 he looked upon Europeans as a small tribe, cut of!', 
 by the singularity of their colour and features, and 
 still more by their impiety, from the rest of the 
 world. Ibrahim was a man of cool judgement, and 
 clear and comprehensive understanding. He ex- 
 pressed strong surprize at my journey to Dar Fur. 
 I complained to him of the injustice done me ; he 
 assured me of redress for the past, and protection 
 for tlie future ; but I saw him only when I forced 
 myself upon his notice, and received no compensa- 
 tion. At one time I resided three days with this 
 ofUcer, and was struck with the penetrating sagacity 
 v/ith which he investigated the clauns of the respect- 
 ive suitors, and the equity and firmness with which 
 they were terminated. I more than once saw the 
 best constructed plans to disguise the truth, laid 
 open ; and designs to ehide the purposes of justice, 
 rendered abortive. 
 
 As all strangers at Dar Fur are obliged to lodge 
 within the inclosure of one of the natives, I esta- 
 blished myself in the house of a man named Musa, 
 wlio, though now only an inconsiderable officer, was 
 the son of a former Sultan. Calm and dignified in 
 his demeanour, Musa never insulted, though his re- 
 ligion taught him to hate. No motive could have 
 prevailed upon him to eat out of the same dish with 
 an unbeliever ; yet he daily provided me with food 
 from his kitchen. He would say, that as it was a 
 precept of my religion to hate the prophet, he was 
 bound to entertain the same sentiment towards m^ ; 
 but that he w^as neither obliged to injure mc, nor 
 could be excused for doing so.
 
 DAR FUR. 191 
 
 During my residence here, I had an opportunity 
 of seeing the Sultan, though, at such a distance that 
 I could not speak to him. He was seated at the 
 door of his tent. Some person had mentioned to 
 him my watch, and an Arabic grammar which I had 
 with me ; he asked to see both ; but after having 
 cast his eyes upon them, they were returned to me. 
 The present I had brought was shewn him j he 
 thanked me for it, and then rose to retire. 
 
 I afterwards got admission to the Sultan, when he 
 was holdinc: a divan in the outer court. He was 
 then mounted on a white mule, and cloathed in a 
 scarlet benish ; he had on his head a white turban, 
 which, together with a part of liis face, was covered 
 with thick muslin ; and he wore yellow boots. His 
 saddle was of crimson velvet, and without ornament. 
 His sword, which was broad and straight, with a hilt 
 of massive gold, was held horizontally in his right 
 hand ; and a small canopy of muslin was supported 
 over his head. 
 
 After this, by means of a bribe, I gained admit- 
 tance into the interior court, and found the Sultan 
 hearing a cause in the language of the country. He 
 was s"eated on a kind of cliair, covered witli a Turkey 
 carpet. His face was then uncovered ; his sword 
 lay -across his knees, and he was playing with a chap- 
 let of red coral. Being near him, for the first time, 
 1 looked at iiim attentively, in order to have a per- 
 fect idea of his countenance. He was evidently 
 discomposed, and, when the cause was ended, he 
 retired abruptly ; it being a common notion that the 
 eyes of Franks have an evil influence. The Sultan 
 was rather under the middle size; his eyes were full 
 of fire ; his features had great expression ; his beard 
 was short and thick ; and his countenance, though
 
 192 DAK FUR. 
 
 perfectly black, was very different from that of a 
 negro. He seemed something more than fifty years 
 of age ; but had great alertness and activity. 
 
 At another visit, the Melek Ibrahim presented the 
 Sultan, in my name, with a piece of silk of Damas- 
 cus. He returned the common answer on such occa- 
 sions, " May the blessing of God be on him," and 
 instantly retired, without giving me time to urge the 
 suit to which I intended my present should have 
 been the introduction. 
 
 I was now desirous of quitting the court of Dar 
 Fur, and determined to make a last effort to speak 
 to the Sultan. It was a day of great public audi- 
 ence, and I found the monarch on his seat, under a 
 lofty canopy, composed of various stuffs of Syrian 
 and Indian manufacture, hung loosely on a light 
 frame of wood ; no two of these pieces were alike. 
 The place where he sat was spread with small Tur- 
 key carpets. The Meleks were seated at some dis- 
 tance on the right and on the left. Behind them 
 stood a line of guards, dressed in the cotton shirts of 
 the country, with caps having in front a small piece 
 of copper, and a black ostrich feather, and holding a 
 spear in the hand, and a shield made of the hide of 
 the hippopotamus on the opposite arm. Behind the 
 Sultan, were fourteen or fifteen eunuchs clothed in 
 splendid habiliments of cloth or silk ; the space be- 
 fore him was filled with a multitude of suitors and 
 spectators. A man, who stood on the left of the mo- 
 narch, was proclaiming his titles during the whole 
 time ; crying, with a loud voice, '* See the Buffalo ! 
 the offspring of a Buffalo ! the Bull of Bulls ! the 
 Elepliant of superior strength ! the powerful Sultan 
 Abd el Hachman el Rashid ! ]\Iay God prolong thy 
 life ! O Master ! may God assist thee and render 
 thee victorious !"
 
 cobbe'. 193 
 
 From this audience, as from all the preceding, I 
 was obliged to retire, without liaving effected my pur- 
 pose. However, in obedience to the Sultan's com- 
 mand, I gave in an exact statement of tlie property 
 I had lost, and corroborated it by the strongest 
 circumstantial evidence ; when the Melek gave 
 me the value of about four head of slaves, instead 
 of the twenty-four, or twenty-five, which he liad un- 
 equivocally declared to be my due. 
 
 I retired a second time to Cobbe; but before I 
 went, I consulted Musa on the practicability of ad- 
 vancing further. Could I go through Kordofan to 
 Sennaar? No, the road to Sennaar was impassable at 
 present ; the Sultan was as yet master of only one 
 half of Kordofan, and the natives of that part which 
 was not subdued would destroy any person who 
 came fromDar Fur. Could I goto the south or south 
 west, with an armed expedition for acquiring slaves? 
 No, I should encounter certain death by attempting 
 it ; the jealousy of those who accompanied me, and 
 the hostility of the people attacked, would leave me 
 no hope of escaping. Could 1 have a safe conduct 
 to Bergoo, the first Mohammedan kingdom to the 
 west ? No, if I should attempt that route he had no 
 hope of my succeeding, as the utmost distrust sub- 
 sisted between the monarchs of Dar Fur and Ber- 
 goo, and the most implacable hatred to Christians 
 prevailed among the inhabitants of the latter coun- 
 try. Musa concluded by earnestly advising me to 
 return to Fgypt the first opportunity. 
 
 I had scarcely arrived at Cobbe, when I was sent 
 for to attend my kind adviser on his death-bed. In 
 five hours after my arrival, he expired, and there 
 was no longer near the court a man of liberality and 
 good sense whom I could consult. Of the property 
 
 o
 
 194 DAR FUR. 
 
 which the Sultan's agents had purchased on my ar- 
 rival, no part of the price had yet been paid : the 
 monarch now addressed me personally, telling me 
 that he should give orders for the payment of what, 
 was due to me, and that he should consult my in- 
 clination in all things. The reader is already aware 
 that my inclination was to travel ; and therefore, not- 
 withstanding the information and counsel of my late 
 friend, Musa, 1 urged my request to proceed fur- 
 ther. The monarch, as might have been expected, 
 made no reply; and, soon after, left the place of 
 audience. I must acknowledge that this is a part of 
 Furian breeding whicli I cannot but applaud. En- 
 glish frankness might have given a repulsive de- 
 nial ; English courtesy might have produced an 
 insincere evasion ; African silence steered between 
 two extremes, and neither wounded the feelings of. 
 the suppliant, nor the truth. Soon after, I received 
 a part of what was due to me from the Sultan. The 
 payment w as made in oxen j however, they supplied 
 me with beef, which, otherwise, I should probably 
 have wanted. The second payment consisted of 
 live female camels, which I was directed to take 
 after all the other creditors of the Sultan had made 
 their choice. Those that remained were of so in- 
 ferior a kind, that instead of two being equivalent 
 with a slave, which is the usual computation, three 
 would not have purchased one. 
 
 The merchants of Dar Fur having collected the 
 intended number of slaves for the market of Cairo, 
 they impatiently expected from the Sultan leave to 
 depart. This was delayed ; and, in the mean time, 
 the monarch sent two small caravans, on his owm 
 account, and that of two or three persons whom he 
 particularly favoured j his merchandize selling at a
 
 DAR FUR. 195 
 
 prodigious advance in Egypt, while the merchants 
 were at a heavy expence at home, in the daily sus- 
 tenance of their slaves. The Sultan pretended that 
 the business of his caravans was to negociate more 
 advantageous terms of commerce with the Beys than 
 his subjects had hitherto enjoyed. 
 
 Seeing all prospect of advancing further into the 
 country hopeless, I resolved to join the caravan of 
 merchants, when it should be allowed to depart; 
 and, for the last time, I waited upon the Sultan, 
 requesting payment of the sum which was yet due 
 to me. It is probable that the Fui^ian monarch or 
 his servants estimated my property by a different 
 standard from that which I used myself; for he 
 gave me twenty lean oxen, worth about 120 piastres, 
 for what I valued at 7-50. The state of my purse, 
 however, made this small supply acceptable : and I 
 bade adieu to the court of Dar Filr, as I hoped, 
 for ever. 
 
 My oxen having served to equip me for the jour- 
 ney, I joined the leader of the caravan for Egypt at 
 Le Haimer, a small village about three days' jour- 
 ney north of Cobbe, where there was a tolerable 
 supply of water, but no other of the necessaries of 
 bfe. 
 
 2
 
 196 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 ACCOUNT OF BAR FUR. 
 
 1 SHOULD imagine that the population within 
 the empire did not exceed 200,000 souls. Cobb6 is 
 one of the most populous towns ; yet I cannot be- 
 lieve that the whole number of inhabitants, of both 
 sexes, exceeds 6,000 ; and, of these, the greater 
 proportion are slaves. I heard of only eight or ten 
 towns of great population ; the villages are nume- 
 rous ; but a few hundred persons form the inhabi- 
 tants of the largest. 
 
 Ril is one of the principal towns of Dar Fur. It 
 is situated near a large pool of water, which is never 
 completely dry; a little to the east of this is a spa- 
 cious house, built by the Sultan Teraub, eldest bro- 
 ther of the reigning monarch, who resided there. 
 The present Sultan has no settled residence. The 
 first place where I saw him was Heglig ; the second 
 was Tini; the third was Tendelti. Ril is about 60 
 miles from Cobb6. 
 
 Mohammedanism was introduced into this coun- 
 try about the middle of the seventeenth century. 
 Before this time the people seem to have formed se- 
 parate tribes ; and it was probably the same man 
 who planted the religion, that first united them and 
 became their sovereign. Arabs are numerous w'ith- 
 in the empire; but they are a distinct race, and ge- 
 nerally marry among themselves. The tribes in the 
 vicinity of the river pay a yearly tribute, of about
 
 DAR FUR. 197 
 
 4,000 oxen, the others pay in camels, and when the 
 tribute is neglected, the Sultan sends his soldiers, 
 who collect the half of all they can find. The slaves 
 resemble those of Guinea, and speak a different lan- 
 guage from that of Dar Fur. 
 
 An inveterate animosity subsists, and has subsisted 
 as far as memory can extend, between the natives of 
 Dar Fiir and those of Kordofan. As Kordofan lies 
 between the people of Dar Fiir and the grand route 
 to Mecca, through Sennaar and Suakem, this hos- 
 tility may in part have originated in convenience 
 wanted on one side, and denied or ill accorded on 
 the other ; but, to whichever quarter of the globe 
 we turn our eyes, we shall find that near neighbour- 
 hood is a sufficient cause of enmity. 
 
 The monarch of Dar Fur speaks in public of the 
 soil and its productions as his personal property, and 
 of the people as little else than his slaves. Whert 
 manifest injustice appears in his decisions, tWe 
 Fukkara, or Ecclesiastics, express their sentiments 
 with some boldness ; but all he fears is a general 
 alienation of his troops, who may, at their pleasure, 
 raise another of his family to the same envied supe- 
 riority. At his death, the regal authority becomes 
 the prize of the strongest claimant, whether it be a 
 son or brother of the deceased sovereign. 
 
 The present Sultan succeeds two of his brothers, 
 the latter of whom he vanquished in the field ; and 
 the sons of the former are still living, he having 
 been so merciful as to sacrifice only one of them on 
 his accession to the royal dignity. The survivors 
 are wandering about, and living upon the parsimo- 
 nious bounty of their royal uncle. 
 
 During the reign of his elder brother, Teraub, 
 Abd el Rachman devoted himself to religion) and
 
 198 DAR PUR. 
 
 when he entered the royal palace, after the defeat 
 and death of his second brother, with affected sanc- 
 tity he refused to see the treasures of the deceased, 
 drawing the folds of his turban over his eyes, praying 
 to God to preserve him from such temptation. He 
 had also the moderation to confine himself to four 
 wives, the number allowed by the prophet. By de- 
 grees, however, the pious Sultan gained courage 
 enough to look temptation in the face ; and he now 
 passes whole days in contemplating heaps of costly 
 apparel, and an endless train of slaves and camels, 
 and has added nearly two hundred free women to 
 the number of his wives. 
 
 Soon after the present Sultan came to the royal 
 dignity, he sent a present to the Grand Signior of 
 three of the choicest eunuchs, and three of the most 
 beautiful female slaves that could be procured. It 
 is said that the Othman Emperor had never before 
 heard of the Sultan of Dar Fur, but he returned an 
 elegant sabre, a rich pelisse, and a ring set with a 
 single diamond- of no inconsiderable value. 
 
 When the Sultan appears out of his palace, he is 
 attended by a number of troops, and several of his 
 slaves carry a kind of umbrella over him, which 
 conceals his face from the multitude. When he 
 passes, all the spectators appear bare-footed, and 
 commonly kneel. His subjects bow to the earth 
 when they approach the throne, and even the Meleks 
 creep on their hands and knees. 
 
 The troops of the country are not remarkable 
 for either courage, skill, or perseverance. In their 
 campaigns, m.uch reliance is placed on the Arabs 
 who accompany them. They are, however, able 
 to endure hunger and thirst. I saw a bod}^ of troops 
 reviewed which were to replace those who had died
 
 DAR FUR. 199 
 
 of the small pox in Kordofiin, which, it was said, 
 amounted to more than half the army. The spoils 
 that had been taken from the enemy were displayed 
 on this occasion. They consisted of 80 slaves, male 
 and female, but the greater proportion of the latter, 
 500 oxen, '200 large camels, and 80 horses ; together 
 with many smaller articles, which were borne by 
 slaves. Many of the women were very beautiful, 
 and were rendered still more interesting by the de- 
 spondency which marked their countenances. 
 
 At another time I saw the execution of five men 
 of note of one of the provinces, who had been de- 
 tected in treasonable correspondence with Hashem, 
 the hostile leader in Kordofan. They were brought 
 prisoners to the residence of the Sultan, who, with- 
 out any form of trial, issued his command for their 
 instant execution, and they were brought, chained 
 and fettered, into the market-place, and placed be- 
 fore one of the entrances into the palace. The ex- 
 ecutioner allowed them time only to utter some 
 short prayer, when he plunged the knife into the 
 neck of the eldest of them in the same manner that 
 they kill a sheep. The captive fell and struggled 
 for some time ; the rest suffered in their turn. The 
 two first bore their fate with firmness ; the three 
 last, who were very young men, were much agitated, 
 and the youngest wept. 
 
 Till lately, the sovereigns of Kordofan had been 
 deputed by the Mek of Sennaar, but in consequence 
 of the dissentions in Sennaar, and the weakness of 
 the government, that privilege was now assumed 
 by Dar Fur. 
 
 Rains, both frequent and violent, fall from the 
 middle of June to the middle of September. If but 
 a small quantity fall, the people of the northern dis«
 
 200 DAR FUR. 
 
 trict are in great distress, and are sometimes re- 
 duced to eat the young branches of trees pounded 
 in a mortar. During seven or eight months, the 
 whole surface of the earth is dried up by the sun. 
 
 In the winter months, at seven o'clock in the 
 morning, the thermometer stood at from 49° to 82% 
 and at three in the afternoon, at from 66° to 93". 
 During the summer months, at seven o'clock in the 
 morning, it was from 70° to 99", and at three in the 
 afternoon, from 86" to 101°. 
 
 As soon as the rains begin, the proprietor of land 
 goes with his assistants into the field, and having, 
 with a sort of hoe, made holes at about two feet dis- 
 tance from each other, he throws the grain into 
 them, and covers it with his foot. The millet 
 remains scarcely two months before it is ripe, the 
 wheat about three. Wheat is cultivated onlv in 
 small quantities, and the present Sultan having for- 
 bidden the sale of it till his domestic wants are sup- 
 plied, it is not to be purchased without difficulty. 
 When the corn is sown, the Sultan, attended by his 
 Meleks, and the rest of his train, goes out into the 
 field, and makes several holes with his own hand. 
 It is said that the same custom prevails in Bornou, 
 and other countries in this part of Africa. 
 
 In harvest, the women and slaves of the proprie- 
 tor break off the ears of grain with their hands. 
 When the corn is separated from the husk, it is dried 
 in the sun, and then buried in a hole in the earth, 
 lined with cliaff. 
 
 What are called gardens afford lentils, kidney 
 beans, and water melons. Wood grows in great 
 quantity. The characteristic qualities of the trees 
 whicli most abound, are their sharp thorns, and the 
 solid and durable nature of their substance. The
 
 DAR FUR. 201 
 
 only fruits are tamarinds and dates, but the latter 
 are few and small, dry and destitute of flavour. 
 Tobacco is produced in abundance in Fertit, a 
 country to the south of Dar Fur, and in Dar Fun- 
 garo, one of the soutliern districts of this empire : 
 it seems unquestionably to be of native growth. 
 
 The monarch has lands of his own, which are cul- 
 tivated by his slaves, and which supply his house- 
 hold. He is also the chief merchant of his country, 
 dispatching a large quantity of his own merchandize 
 with ever}'^ caravan to Egypt, and sending on his 
 own account, by his slaves and dependents, the 
 goods of Egypt to the adjacent countries of Soudan. 
 
 Slaves are brought in from the roads as they call 
 it, that is, from all quarters, except Egypt. When 
 an armed expedition for procuring slaves returns, 
 the Sultan demands every tenth, but the merchants 
 of the roads are obliged to wait six or eight weeks 
 before they can dispose of their cargo, and human 
 bodies being a perishable article of commerce, the 
 number is by this time reduced to one half by death, 
 and the Sultan's tenth becomes a fifth. 
 
 The Sultan is at no time approached upon business 
 without a present. The merchants generally present 
 light woollen cloths, carpets, arms, &c. the people 
 of the country, slaves, camels, oxen, sheep, or their 
 cotton mantles, called Tokeas, which are five, six, 
 or eight yards long, and from eighteen to twenty 
 inches wide, and form the covering of all the lower 
 class of both sexes. At the ceremony of leathering 
 the kettle drum, which is performed once a year, 
 every housekeeper in the empire is obliged to appear 
 at court, with a present in his hand. The present 
 of the Melek of the Merchants was of the value of 
 two hundred pounds sterling. On this occasion, the
 
 202 DAR FUR. 
 
 Sultan's kitchen is open to all comers, and the troops 
 are reviewed. 
 
 The houses of Dar Fur are built with clay, and 
 the people of higher rank cover them with a sort 
 of plaster, which they colour white, red, and black. 
 The apartments are of three kinds. The first is 
 commonly formed in the proportion of twenty feet 
 by twelve. The roof is composed of light beams, 
 laid from side to side, over which is spread a layer 
 of light wood, or, by those who can afford it, coarse 
 mats ; a quantity of camels or horse's dung is spread 
 over this, and the whole is finished with a stronc: 
 and smooth coating of clay. They give the outside 
 of the roof a small degree of obliquity, making spouts 
 to carry off the water. This apartment is a tolerable 
 protection from the rains, and is the repository of 
 their property. It is provided wath a door, of a 
 single plank, hewn with the axe, and secured by a 
 padlock. The walls are frequently twelve or fifteen 
 feet high. 
 
 The second apartment is generally larger than the 
 former. It has no door, and has no other roof than 
 light rafters sloping like the roofs of our barns, and 
 covered with thatcli. This is the habitation of the 
 master, and the place where he receives his company. 
 
 The third apartment is circular, and from fifteen 
 to tv/enty feet in diameter ; the walls of this, as well 
 as of the last, seldom exceed seven or eight feet in 
 height. In this the women lodge, and dress the food, 
 and the floor of both is, by those who are attentive to 
 neatness, covered with clean sand, which is changed 
 as often as occasion requires. A house in which 
 there are two of each of these apartments, is consi- 
 dered as a large and commodious one, fitted for the 
 use of a merchant of the first order. A shed is fre..
 
 DAR FUR. 203 
 
 quently added, under which the company sit and 
 converse in the open air. The interior fence of the 
 house is commonly a wall of clay, the exterior, in- 
 variably, a thick hedge of dead thorns. The thorny 
 fence of the Sultan's palace is about ten feet thick, 
 and ten feet high. 
 
 The houses of the villages need little description. 
 When they rise above the denomination of a hut, 
 they are circular, and are constructed with the straw 
 of the maize, or some other material equally coarse 
 and insecure. Tents are used only by the Meleks 
 and great men. The war equipage of a soldier is a 
 light mat, adapted to the size of his body. 
 
 The hair of the people of Dar Fur is generally 
 short, thouo'h sometimes it reaches to the lenscth of 
 eight or ten inches which is reckoned a beauty. It 
 is rarely combed, or their bodies completely washed, 
 but the skin is cleansed by a kind of farinaceous paste, 
 which is applied to it with butter, and rubbed con- 
 tinually till it becomes dry. 
 
 The men of Dar Fur are of a cheerful and con- 
 vivial disposition. A company of them often sits 
 from sun-rising to sun-setting, conversing and drink- 
 ing their only fermented liquor, bouza, by whicl.i 
 time a single man has sometimes swallowed nearly 
 two gallons of this favourite beverage. 
 
 Dancing is practised both by men and women, 
 and they often dance promiscuously. Such is their 
 fondness for this amusement, that slaves dance in 
 their fetters to the music of a little drum, while the 
 time is marked by short sticks being struck upon 
 long ones. 
 
 The vices of lying, cheating, and thieving, are 
 here almost universal. No property is safe out of 
 the sight of the owner, or scarcely in it,, unless he
 
 204 DAR FUR. 
 
 be stronger than the thief. In buying and selhng, 
 father and son glory in deceiving each other, and 
 God and the Prophet are hourly invoked to give 
 colour to the most palpable frauds and falsehoods. 
 
 The men of Dar Fur take free vt^omen for wives, 
 without limitation, or regard to the law of Mohammed. 
 
 In Dar Fur, when a stranger enters the house, a 
 modest woman retires, but she is content to retire 
 only to a small distance, and she passes and repasses, 
 executing the business of the family in the presence 
 of men. None conceal their faces but the wives of 
 the great. Women never eat with the men, but are 
 present without hesitation while the men are eating. 
 At Cobbe the most modest of them will enter the 
 house of a merchant who is a stranger, alone, and 
 make her bargains at leisure. Any freedom on the 
 part of the merchant meets with great indulgence, 
 and is even countenanced by the husband, if he find 
 his advantage in it. The universality of this prac- 
 tice prevents it from being accounted either criminal 
 or disgraceful. 
 
 Women in this country are labourers and animals 
 of burthen. They assist in preparing the soil, sow- 
 ing the grain, and gathering the harvest ; and, hav- 
 ing done this, they grind the corn, and convert it 
 into bread. Even the clay buildings are constructed 
 chiefly by women. It is not uncommon to see a 
 man on a journey, mounted on an ass, while his wife 
 is pacing many a weary step behind him, and car- 
 rying a supply of provisions and culinary utensils. 
 The Sultan Teraub took about five hundred females 
 with him in his wars in Kordofan ; but when it is 
 recollected that they had corn to grind, water to 
 fetch, food to dress, and all menial offices to per- 
 form for a number of people ; and that they all.
 
 DAR FUR. 20.5 
 
 except a few acknowledged favourites, not only tra- 
 velled on foot, but had burthens to carry on their 
 heads ; it will be acknowledged that the monarch of 
 Dar ¥Civ had not an undue regard for the female sex. 
 
 More than one privilege remains to the wife of 
 Dar Fur : no question of domestic economy is de- 
 cided without her concurrence, and she has the li- 
 berty of scolding her husband, when the labour of 
 the day is over. The daughters of the Sultan and 
 the powerful Meleks are not only exempted from 
 labour, but are authorized to become tyrants. Who- 
 ever is so unfortunate as to marry one of these, is a 
 cypher in his own family, and has no voice in the 
 disposal of his own children : the most extravagant 
 caprices of his princess must not be thwarted, lest 
 her displeasure should draw down upon him that of 
 the sovereign. 
 
 The middle and inferior ranks of women wear 
 only a cotton cloth wrapped round the waist, and, 
 occasionally, another, of the same material and size, 
 thrown looselv over the shoulders. Gold rinss are 
 sometimes worn in the nose by women of distinction; 
 and silver and brass rings from Egypt are worn on 
 the ancles and wrists. The red legumen with the 
 black spot, called shush, is much worn in the hair. 
 
 Nothing resembling current coin is found in Dar 
 Fur. Gold is seldom seen in the market : when it 
 does appear, it is in the form of rings of about a 
 quarter of an ounce weight each, in which state it 
 comes from Sennaar. Egy})tian gold coin none w411 
 receive but the merchants oi' that country ; and the 
 few silver coins that find their wav into Dar Fur, 
 ^re used as ornaments for the women. The chief 
 currency, in addition to the bipeds before men- 
 tioned, supplied by the wars and the roads, is
 
 ■206 DAll FUR» 
 
 composed of oxen, camels, cotton cloths, amber, 
 and beads. 
 
 Beef is good and plentiful j milk is abundant, but 
 not very palatable. The natives of Dar Fiir have 
 a method of giving it an acid taste, and in that State 
 it may be kept a few days, and is both good and 
 wholesome. 
 
 Polenta is made of flour, boiled in water, and is 
 eaten with fresh or sour milk, or a sauce made of 
 meat, dried, and pounded in a mortar, and boiled 
 with onions, &c. Polenta is also made into thin 
 cakes, which are baked on a smooth substance, and 
 eaten with milk or sauce, as the boiled ; but in what- 
 ever form the grain be used, the rich cause it to be 
 fermented before it is reduced to flour, which gives 
 it a very agreeable taste. 
 
 The only good horses are brought from Dongola, 
 and the other side of the Nile. They are perfectly 
 well formed, and full of fire, yet tractable. Their 
 action is grand ; but it is said that they are not re^ 
 markable for bearing fatigue. The Arabs who breed 
 them feed them with milk. They are never shod. 
 Asses- are much used for riding; few persons mount- 
 ing horses, except the military, and those who are in 
 immediate attendance at court. An Egyptian ass 
 is valued at from one to three men, according to the 
 weight he is able to carry ; but an ass of Dar Fur, 
 which resembles that of Great Britain, is so much 
 inferior, that he is reckoned equal only to the third 
 or fourth part of a man. 
 
 Soudan affords many fine dromedaries ; but those 
 of Sennaar are the most celebrated. It is said that 
 they will travel at the rate often miles an hour, and 
 hold out for twenty-four hours together. 
 
 The dogs of Dar Fur are of the same kind as
 
 DAR FUR. ' SO7 
 
 those of Egypt, and like those, they live upon the 
 public. The common domestic cat is scarce, and is 
 said to have been originally brought from Egypt. 
 
 In countries bordering on the empire of Dar Fur, 
 where water is in greater abundance, lions, leopards, 
 and wild buffaloes are very numerous ; and to these 
 may be added the elephant, the rhinoceros, the ca- 
 melopardalis, the hippopotamus, and the crocodile. 
 The wild animals of Dar Fiir are principally the 
 lion, the leopard, the wolf, and the buffalo; but these 
 are seldom seen in that part of the cultivated country 
 which I visited. Hyenas come in herds of six, eight, 
 and often more, into all the villages at night, and 
 carrv off whatever they are able to master. They 
 kill dogs and asses, even within the inclosures of the 
 houses ; nor are they greatly alarmed at the sight of 
 '^, man, or the report of fire arms, which I have often 
 discharged at them, and sometimes without eflfect. 
 There is also a number of jackals; but they are harm- 
 less. Their uncouth cry is heard afar off, and wher- 
 ever there are rocks to shelter them, their howling 
 community dwells undisturbed. 
 
 The antelope and the ostrich are extremely com- 
 mon throughout Dar Fur. The civet cat is not seen 
 wild in the quarter which I visited ; but is frequent 
 further to the south. Many are kept in cages in 
 the houses of the rich. 
 
 The Arabs hunt the lion, sell the skin, and eat the 
 flesh, which they imagine renders them brave and 
 warlike. They sometimes take lions young, and 
 bring them to the merchants, who purchase them 
 for presents to the great men in Egypt. I bought 
 two lions, the one only four months old, and by de- 
 grees I rendered him so tame that he had acquired 
 most of the habits of a dog. He satiated himself
 
 208 DAR FUJB. 
 
 twice a week with the oftal of the butchers, and 
 then slept for many hours successively. When food 
 was given to the two lions, they grew ferocious 
 towards each other, and towards any one who ap- 
 proached them : except at that time, though they 
 were both males, I never saw them disagree, or shew 
 any signs of animosity to the human race ; even 
 lambs passed them unmolested. When I was leav- 
 ing the country, finding it impossible to take my 
 lions with me, I shot one ; and the other, either 
 from disease, or the loss of his companion, died in a 
 few days after. The Sultan had also two tame lions, 
 which came into the market-place to feed, accom- 
 panied by their attendant. 
 
 The most remarkable bird is the white-headed 
 vulture, a bird of surprising strength, and of which 
 there are great numbers. They divide the field 
 with the hyena ; for the carrion that the latter leaves 
 in the night, the former come in crowds to feed upon 
 in the day. Near the extremity of each wing is a 
 horny substance, not unlike the spur of an old cock: 
 it is strong and sharj), and a formidable instrument 
 of attack. 
 
 Copper is brought by the merchants from the ter- 
 ritories of certain idolatrous tribes bordering upon 
 Dar Fur. It is of the finest quality, and very malle- 
 able, and is formed into rings often or twelve pounds 
 each. Iron is found in abundance ; and the pagan 
 Negroes, on whom the Mohammedans look with 
 contempt, are the artists who extract it from the 
 ore. Silver, lead, and tin I never heard of in Dar 
 Fur, except as coming from Egypt. Gold is plen- 
 tiful in the countries to the east and west ; but lit- 
 tle of it comes to Dar Fur. The monarch occasion- 
 ally obtains a small quantity for his own use from 
 the east.
 
 DAR FUR. 209 
 
 Alab'.istcr and various kinds of marble are found 
 witliin the limits of Dar Filr. The rocks are chiefly 
 fi^rey granite. Of stone, adapted to building, or con- 
 vertible into lime, either there is none, or it did not 
 come to my knowledge. Fossil salt is common 
 within a certain district. 
 
 The accounts which I was able to collect in Dar 
 Fur respecting other countries are as follow. 
 
 The people of Kordofan look witii a favourable 
 eye upon an intimacy vvitli a daughter or a sister, 
 which would be regarded as criminal in Europe. 
 They consider the lover as one of the flimily, and 
 take his part against those who offend him. 
 
 The whole route from Cobb6 to Sennaar is SC 
 days and three quarters. At three days and a half 
 short of Sennaar they come to a village built of clay, 
 with a large palm-tree growing in the middle of it ; 
 the village is called Hellet Ailais. It is situated on 
 the western bank of the western Nile, as Sennaar is 
 situated on the western bank of the eastern, oi- 
 Abyssinian Nile : consequently the space between 
 the two rivers must here be about three days journey. 
 The western Nile is so broad that the human fea- 
 tures cannot be distinguished on the other side ; but 
 the human voice is heard. Here is a ferry. 
 
 On the eastern side of the river, within sight of 
 Heliet Ailais is the town of Shilluk, or rather, as 
 I suspect, the town of the ShillAk, inhabited by 
 pagan Blacks, who wear no other covering than 
 bands of long grass. These people command the 
 river; and when they are transpoiting Mohamme- 
 dans across it, they ask them who is the master of 
 the river. The Muslem answers, " God.'' "No," 
 replies the Shilluk, "you must say that such a one/' 
 naming his chief, "is the master of it, or you shall
 
 210 dar fur. 
 
 not pass.'* The ShillCiks are represented as hospi- 
 table to such as come among them peaceably, and as 
 never betraying those to whom they have once 
 granted protection. 
 
 From Sennaar to Suakem, the port on the Red 
 Sea, where the pilgrims from Soudan embark for 
 Mecca, is nineteen days' journies ; great part of the 
 road is mountainous and rocky. The road to Gon- 
 dar branches out of this at Teawa. 
 
 From Sennaar to Fazuclo is fourteen days. At 
 three days is Dachala, on the western bank of the 
 Abyssinian Nile, the inhabitants of which are Mo- 
 hammedans. At ten days, is Gerbin, a mountain- 
 ous place belonging to Sennaar, where malefactors 
 are confined. The mines of Fazuclo, which con- 
 tain much gold, belong also to Sennaar. 
 
 From Cobb^ to the copper mines of Fertit, the 
 distance is twenty-three days and a half, in a direc- 
 tion nearly south ; and the western Nile is seven 
 days and a half from the mines, in a direction gene- 
 rally east. 
 
 From Ril to Wara, the capital of Bergoo, is said 
 to be twenty-five days and a half; nine days ot 
 which, reaching to the confines of Dar Fur, the road 
 is mountainous and rocky. Bergoo is said to ex- 
 tend twenty days from north to south, and fifteen 
 from east to west. The people are remarkable for 
 their- zealous attachment to the Mohammedan faith, 
 and read the Koran daily. VV'ithin about a day's 
 journey of Wara, are said to be eight large moun- 
 tains, inhabited by people who have a distinct lan- 
 guage, and who make brave soldiers. 
 
 From Cubabea in Dar Fur, through Wara, to the 
 city of Bornou, the capital of the kingdom of that 
 name, is sixty days. This city is surrounded by a
 
 DAR KULLA. 211 
 
 wall, with four giitc?, opening to the four cardin;ij 
 points. 
 
 Afnoii, a country beyond Bornou to the west- 
 ward, is said to produce such an abundance of sil- 
 ver, that coats of mail are made of that metal, as 
 well as liead and breast plates for the horses. The 
 coats of mail are jointed and very beautiful. 
 
 Dar Kulla is one of the soutliern countries where 
 the merchants of Dar Fur go to purchase slaves. 
 The chief article they carry with them is salt; twelve 
 pounds of which will buy a male slave of twelve or 
 fourteen years of age. Fifteen pounds are required 
 for the purchase of a female; one being given for 
 the girl's eyes, another for her nose, and a third for 
 her ears. The tongue of a female slave is here es- 
 teemed of no value; in Europe, the tongue of a 
 female would not have been forgotten. 
 
 The natives of Dar Kulla are said to be partly 
 black, and partly copper-coloured; very cleanly, and 
 very honest and punctual in their dealings with the 
 merchants. The smallest trespass is punished by 
 selling the son or daughter, nephew or niece, of the 
 offender, which brings a great quantity of human 
 merchandize to the hands of the merchants of Dar 
 Fur. When misdemeanours do not afford an ade- 
 quate supply, recourse is had to violence. There is 
 abundance of water in Dar Kulla; and on the river are 
 ferry boats, which are impelled partly by poles, and 
 partly by a double oar. The trees are so large that a 
 single one, hollowed into a canoe, will contain ten 
 persons ; and pimento trees are in such plenty that a 
 pound of salt will purchase four or five pecks of pi- 
 mento. I believe this river to be the western Nile. 
 
 Blacks are said to have a firmer thicker skin than 
 the whites. Blows of the whip, which, in a white 
 would discharge, heal, and disappear in a few 
 
 p 2
 
 ^I!^ UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 weeks, often remain in a Negro more than a year. 
 The bones of the Negro are whiter, heavier, and 
 more solid than those of the European ; his vision is 
 distinct, his teeth are white and firm, and he retains 
 them to old age. Both the people of Dar Fiir and 
 the neighbouring Blacks are careful to keep them 
 clean, which is done by rubbing them with the 
 small fibrous branches of the tree called Shaw. 
 
 I remained at Le Maimer while the caravan was 
 assembling ; living in tolerable security in my tent, 
 under a large tree, which sheltered it from the rays 
 of the sun; and eating polenta, and drinking water 
 with the camel drivers. I had collected eight ca- 
 mels for the journey ; the best of them was stolen 
 while grazing, and another died. I purchased one 
 mpon credit, to supply the place of the two ; for my 
 whole exchangeable property at that time amounted 
 only to about eight piastres. 
 
 On leaving the country, our caravan comprised 
 about 500 slaves. Our journey, once commenced, was 
 continued without any thing remarkable, except the 
 violent heat. We returned by the only caravan route 
 to Egypt, the one by which we came ; our provisions 
 were indifferent, and in small quantity; and when I 
 arrived at Siout, it was four months since I had 
 eaten of animal food. Hard living, heat, and fa- 
 tigue, had reduced my strength ; but after reposing 
 twenty days at Siout, I found myself perfectly 
 recovered, and prepared to undertake another 
 journey. 
 
 North Latitude. East Longitude. 
 
 Siout . . . 27« 23' 40" 31° 
 
 Charje . . 26 25 — 29 40. 
 
 Maghess. 25 18 — 29 34. 
 
 Selene. .22 15 — 30 15. 
 
 Cobbe . . 14 11 — 28 8.
 
 ns 
 
 CHAPTER XVm. 
 
 KENEH TO COSSEIR. 
 
 J AM aware that an accusation must have been 
 brought against the traveller who, professing to see 
 every thing, shall have quitted Egypt without seeing 
 Cosseir. But that I might be enabled to do much, 
 it was always my endeavour to accomplish the end 
 I had in view by the shortest means, and at the 
 least expence of time ; I therefore reserved Cosseir 
 for my journey to Abyssinia; and it will appear in 
 the course of my travels that, with all my economy 
 of time, I have been obliged to pass the road from 
 Keneh to Cosseir twice. 
 
 At Keneh I joined a caravan which was convey- 
 ing corn to Mecca. In half an hour*s travelling we 
 arrived at the foot of the hills which here bound the 
 cultivated land of Egypt; we then turned to the 
 south, leaving these hills close on our left. At half 
 past two we came to a well called Bir Amber, the well 
 of Spices, and a dirty village of the same name, be- 
 longing to an inconsiderable tribe of Arabs, who 
 live by hiring out their cattle to the caravans, and 
 by attending them when required. Their houses are 
 in the form of a bee-hive, and are made of potters 
 clay ; the largest of them is not more than ten feet 
 high, and the greatest diameter not more than 
 six. At four o'clock we pitched our tents at ^
 
 J^14 UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 i>lace called Gabba, which is disting'aished, not by 
 houses of any kind, but by a few bushes. 
 
 On the second day we proceeded slowly into the 
 desert. There were about two hundred men on 
 horseback, armed with firelocks; lions, if you be- 
 lieved their word or their appearance; but I was not 
 without some suspicion that fifty Arabs would have 
 made these heroes fly without bloodshed. We now 
 entered between two rows of mountains, not very 
 high, but perfectly barren. Our road was on an 
 open plain, never three miles broad, hard, and not 
 perceptibly above the level country of Egypt. Here 
 were neither trees, shrubs, nor herbage, nor traces 
 of any living creature ; not even a bird flying in the 
 air. Here was no water of any kind, and the sun 
 was burning hot. At half past three we encamped 
 near a draw-well, the water of which w^as more bit- 
 ter than soot ; it had however, one desirable qua- 
 lity ; it was cold, and afforded us outward refresh- 
 ment. The place is called Legeta. 
 
 In the evening, twenty Turks from Caramania 
 joined our caravan. They were all neatly dressed, 
 armed with swords, carrying each a pair of pistols at 
 his girdle, and a short gun. They were mounted 
 on camels. They told me that they were neigh- 
 bours and companions, who had set out to go to 
 Mecca, together ; and that hearing there was an 
 T^nglishman in this caravan, they had come to join 
 him as one of their countrymen, and to make com- 
 mon cause with him against all enemies. How far 
 must an Englishman be from the place of his nati- 
 vity, when a Turk becomes his countryman! There 
 was, however, in the present instance, another foun- 
 dation foF the claim of fellowship ; for there is a dis- 
 trict in Asia Minor which is called Caz Dangli; and
 
 DESERT. Qirj 
 
 from this the Turks believe that the English drew 
 their origin ; they therefore regard them as brethren 
 whenever they stand in need of their assistance. 
 These Turks seemed to be above the middling rank; 
 each had his little cloak bag neatly packed, whfcli 
 they gave me to understand contained money. 
 They placed the portmanteaus in the tent belonging 
 to my servants, chaining them all to the middle 
 pillar ; for it was easy to see that the Arabs of the 
 caravan had these packages in view from the arrival 
 of the owners. 
 
 Our journey throughout the third day continued 
 along the plain ; the hills on either hand being never 
 more than three miles, or less than one mile distant. 
 They were higher than those of the preceding day; 
 of a brownish, calcined colour, and still without 
 either tree or herb. At four hours and a half we 
 passed a mountain of green and red marble. In an 
 hour and a half more I observed that the sand was red, 
 with a purple tinge, which is the colour of porphyry; 
 and the valley, from hence to the end of this days' 
 journey, is known by the name of El Hamra, which 
 signifies porpliyry. I dismounted here to examine 
 the rocks ; and I discovered with great pleasure that 
 here began the quarries of that valuable substance, 
 but it was soft, brittle, and imperfect. All the rest 
 of the afternoon we saw mountains of porphyry of a 
 purple colour ; and it was very singular to observe 
 that the ants, the only living creatures I had yet 
 seen, were of a beautiful red, like the sand. 
 
 We had ascended imperceptibly all the way from 
 Keneh ; but on the fourth day of our journey, after 
 travelling five hours, we began to descend. The 
 mountains on each side produced many different 
 sorts of marble, twelve of which I selected. At
 
 216 DESERT. 
 
 noon we came to a plain, planted at equal distances 
 with single, spreading acacia trees ; this, after rain, 
 is a station of the Atouni Arabs. On the right of 
 the plain 1 found porphyry and granite of very beau- 
 tiful kinds. At a quarter past four we encamped 
 at Koraim, a small plain of fine gravel, sand, and 
 stones, with a few acacia trees interspersed. 
 
 On the fifth day we passed several defiles, and 
 proceeded through others into a long plain forming 
 a portion of a circle ; at the end of v^hich ye came 
 to a mountain, the greater part of it of the marble 
 called verde antico, and by far the most beautiful 
 of the kind I had ever seen. From hence we had 
 mountains on both sides, which continued to Mesag 
 el Terfowey, where we encamped at twelve o'clock. 
 Water, which lies in cavities and grottoes in the 
 rocks, was at five miles distance ; but the people of 
 the caravan having brought water from the Nile in 
 skins, few of them would be at the trouble to fetch 
 it. I too had brought water from the Nile ; but 
 this was the first fresh water we had met with since 
 our leaving that river, and the first of any kind 
 since Legeta ; and believing I could not have too 
 much of so necessary an article, while . any of my 
 water skins would hold more, I set out, with my 
 camel drivers, to the wells in the rocks. 
 
 As the antelopes come every evening to the wells 
 to drink, I concealed myself in liopes of obtaining 
 some desert venison. I had not remained at my 
 station above half an hour, when 1 saw first a single 
 antelope walking with a stately step towards the 
 water, and tlien four others closely following him. 
 He seemed to be intrusted Avith the care of the 
 flock ; as the crowd was sporting or fighting at a dis^ 
 tance, not thinking of danger. Though I was
 
 DESERT. 217 
 
 wholly hidden, the leader seemed to have dis- 
 covered me the moment I saw him ; for he advanced 
 more slowly and with great caution : he was, how- 
 ever, within my reach, and I shot him so justly that 
 giving one leap, five or six feet high, he fell dead 
 upon his head. The rest fled to the mountains. 
 
 It was near midnight when we returned to our 
 encampment, and we found our tents lighted up, 
 which at that time of night was unusual; the watch 
 word was called for ; I gave it, and proceeded to my 
 tent. Here I learned that while my people were 
 asleep, two men had entered their tent, and at- 
 tempted to steal one of the portmanteaus ; that the 
 noise had awakened my servants, who seized one of 
 the men, and had with great difficulty prevented 
 the Turks from dispatching him with their knives ; 
 it having been my constant orders to avoid such ex- 
 tremities if possible. My orders had not forbidden 
 the use of sticks, as prudence might suggest ; and 
 on this occasion they had been applied so libe- 
 rally that the man was only known to be living by 
 his groans. It appeared that he was the servant of 
 Seedy Hassan, who might have been styled the con- 
 ductor and commander of the caravan, if there had 
 been either conduct or command in it. 
 
 Hassan desired me to come instantly to his tent. 
 I returned for answer tliat it was past my hour of 
 visiting in the desert. I ordered my servants to 
 put out all extraordinary lights, as they might be 
 construed into a mark of fear ; but I forbade every 
 one to sleep, except our camel drivers, who had 
 been fetchinc: the water. I had with me ten ser- 
 vants, completely armed; twenty Turks, who seemed 
 worthy to be depended upon ; and four Janizaries 
 from Cairo, who had joined us j besides the attend-
 
 218 DESERT. 
 
 ants upon our beasts : and as there were among them 
 people who knew the wells, and one person who was 
 a friend of the Atouni Arabs, there was nothing that 
 could reasonably alarm us, even in a desert. 
 
 With great diiHculty, we pulled down an old aca- 
 cia tree, which, mixed with some camel's dung, 
 roasted our venison. The cooking was bad, the 
 meat worse, and I heartily repented having slain 
 the guardian of the antelopes. 
 
 At the dawn of day, three Arabs delivered a mes- 
 sage from Seedy Hassan, purporting that my people 
 had killed a man ; that he desired I would give up 
 the murderer, and repair to his tent to see justice 
 done. I replied that if one of the thieves was 
 dead, justice had already been done upon him ; and 
 I only required that Seedy Hassan should give me 
 up the other. By this time the caravan was in mo- 
 tion ; for intelligence had been received that, only 
 two days before, 300 Atouni had watered at Ter- 
 fowey ; and indeed there were marks of great resort 
 to the well where we had tilled our water skins. 
 
 I drew up my force at some distance behind the 
 caravan, believing that I should make better terms 
 with the Atouni without Hassan than with him. 
 He sent to desire me to advance, that he might 
 communicate to me the intelligence he had received 
 respecting the Atoimi, in order to put me upon my 
 guard. I returned f6r answer that I was already 
 iUp.on my guard against thieves, and abettors of 
 4:hieves ; against Arabs who pretended to be my 
 friends, and Arabs who might openly attempt to 
 plunder me. He then sent to say it was a cold 
 morning, and to beg I would give him a cup of 
 coffee. I desired one of my people to bring the 
 coffee pot, and I rode up to Hassan j the coffee was
 
 DESERT. 2iy 
 
 poured out, and my servant was presenting it to him, 
 when I said, *' Hold! first let me know whether we are 
 in peace." "We are in peace," replied Hassan, taking 
 the cup out of my servant's hand, and drinking the cof- 
 fee, *' and now the past is past ; the Atouni are to meet 
 us at the mouth of the Beder (narrow pass); your peo- 
 ple are better armed, and more accustomed to fight, 
 than mine, and I wish you to go first. We will 
 take charge of your camels ; though my people have 
 4,000 of their own." " No," said I, " if I wanted 
 water or provisions, I would go to meet the Atouni, 
 who would treat me well ; however, as you say you 
 are the commander of the caravan, do you fight 
 first ; and when I see you heartily engaged, I will help 
 you to protect the corn of the Shereeff of Mecca for 
 his sake." I then said the prayer of peace for my- 
 self, and for the Turks, who would not approach 
 Seedy Hassan. 
 
 Opposite to the place where we had passed the 
 night, is Terfowey, a large mountain, partly of 
 green marble, and partly of granite, with a red 
 blush upon a grey ground, and oblong square spots. 
 About forty yards within the narrow valley which 
 separates this mountain from its neighbour, I saw 
 a part of the shaft of an enormous obelisk of marble, 
 nearly square, broken at the end, and towards the 
 top. It was nineteen feet in the face, and nearly 
 thirty feet in length. The bottom was perfectly de- 
 tached from the mountain, and one whole side was 
 separated. The ravine between the two mountains 
 had been widened and levelled, and a road made up 
 to the base of the block. 
 
 On the sixth day of our journey we decamped at 
 half past one o'clock in the morning, and set out 
 full of terror on account of the Atouni. We tra-
 
 220 DESERT. 
 
 veiled in a direction nearly east, and in an hour and 
 a half we came to the defiles. At day-break we 
 found ourselves at the bottom of a mountain of gra- 
 nite. Small pieces of granite and porphyry, which 
 had probably been carried down by a torrent from 
 quarries of ancient ages, were scattered over the 
 plain ; they were white witli black spots, and red 
 with black spots and green veins. After this, all the 
 mountains on the right were of red marble, while 
 those on the left were of a dead green ; the former 
 were of no great beauty; the latter are supposed to 
 be serpentine. 
 
 About eight o'clock, we began to descend smartly, 
 and in half an hour we entered a defile, having 
 mountains of green marble on everv side. At nine 
 we saw, on our left, the highest mountain we had 
 yet passed. It was of serpentine marble, with a 
 large vein of green jasper spotted with red, running 
 through about one third of its breadth. Its hard- 
 ness was such as not to yield to the strokes of a 
 hammer ; yet the works of ancient times were more 
 apparent in it than in any mountain 1 had seen. 
 Channels for carrying water transversely, made it 
 evident that this element was used in cutting these 
 hard substances. 
 
 Here then ceases the wonder from wlience the 
 ancients procured the prodigious quantity of line 
 marbles used in their buildings. The immense store 
 of marble still remaining forms a ridge between the 
 Nile and the Red Sea; and it seems to be visible 
 that those openings which 1 have called defiles are 
 not natural, but artificial, and that whole mountains 
 have been cut out at these places. Here too, ano- 
 ther difficulty, how they transported these immense 
 blocks, seems to be solved. These openings, made
 
 COSSFJR. 221 
 
 by art, preserve as gentle a slope as possible towards 
 the Nile, perhaps not more than one foot in fifty; 
 the ground is hard, fixed gravel, capable of bearing 
 the heaviest weights ; which properties, united, 
 would greatly facilitate the conveyance of the blocks 
 from their native mountains to their embarkation on 
 the Nile. I believed then that I had passed the 
 road which the obelisks, columns, and statues of 
 Tentyris, Thebes, and Apollinopolis had passed 
 before ! 
 
 About ten o'clock, descending very rapidly, with 
 green marble and jasper on each side of us, but no 
 other green tiling in view, we had the first prospect of 
 the Red Sea ; and at a quarter past eleven we ar- 
 rived at Cosseir. 
 
 The distance from Keneh to Cosseir is estimated 
 at something more than 120 English miles ; we had 
 employed about 52 hours in actual travelling ; and, 
 considering the slow pace of loaded camels, it probably 
 cannot be much more. There is another road to the 
 north of this, which is said to be a longer distance 
 by two or three hours, but it has been passed in three 
 days and a half, or forty hours actual travelling. 
 
 Cosseir is a small, mud-walled village, built upon 
 the shore, among hillocks of floating sand. It is 
 defended by a square fort of hewn stone, mounting 
 four small guns, which are of use only to terrify the 
 Arabs, and prevent them from plundering the town, 
 when it is full of corn going to Mecca. There are 
 several wells of brackish water on the north-west of 
 the castle ; but the water in use is brought from Ter- 
 fowey. There is a large inclosurc with a high mud 
 wall, and within it every merchant has a magazine, 
 or shop, for his corn, or merchandize. The port is 
 formed bv a rock rinminq' out' into the sea, which
 
 22^2 COSSEIK. 
 
 defends vessels on the north and nortli east, as the 
 houses of the town cover them on the north west. 
 
 The caravan from Assiian arrived at Cosseir du- 
 ring my stay tliere, escorted by 400 Ababd6 Arabs, 
 each armed with two short javehns, and mounted on 
 camels, two on a camel, sitting back to back. They 
 brought a thousand camels loaded with wheat, which 
 t1iey were going to transport to Mecca. The inha- 
 liitants of the town were in terror at such an influx 
 of barbarians ; every body shut their doors ; and a 
 Jley who happened to be in the place sent to desire 
 me to remove into the castle for security. I had, 
 however, no fear, understanding that these were the 
 })eople of Nimmer, and remembering that they were 
 my sworn brethren. 
 
 The next morning, as I was looking in tlie sea for 
 shells, a servan.t of mine came to me in great con- 
 sternation, and told me that the Ababde, imagining 
 Abd el Gin, one of my Arabs, was an Atouni, and 
 consequently their enemy, had either actually cut 
 his throat, or were about to do it. The man had 
 very providentially brought me a horse ; I mounted 
 him immediately, and galloped through tlie town at 
 full speed. If I was alarmed myself, I also alarmed 
 others, who believed the cause of my speed was be- 
 liind, rather than before me. 
 
 I had not galloped more than a mile over the sand 
 when I began to reflect on the folly of the under- 
 taking. I was going into the desert among a band' 
 of robbers, and misiht be as ill-treated as the man I 
 was trying to save. But, seeing a crowd of people 
 about half a mile before me, and thinking they might 
 at that time be assembled to murder the poor simple 
 honest fellow, ail consideration ot^ my own safely 
 vanished.
 
 COSSEIR. 2^3 
 
 Upon my coming near tlie Arabs, I was sur- 
 rounded by six or eiglit of them on horseback. I 
 was not very well pleased with my situation, for it 
 would have cost these people nothing to have thrust 
 a lance through my back, stripped me, and buried 
 me in the sand, if, indeed, they would have taken 
 this last trouble. However, putting on the best 
 appearance in my power, I demanded steadily, 
 " What men are those before us?" " They are 
 men," was the answer, accompanied by a look which 
 said, " And who are you that ask the question ?" 
 " Are they Ababd^? are they from Sheik Ammer?'* 
 said I. One of them nodded, and said sullenly, 
 " Aye, Ababd^ from Sheik Ammer." *' Then Salam 
 Alicum," said I, " we are brethren. How does the 
 Nimmer .? where is Ibrahim his son ? Who com- 
 mands you here ?" 
 
 At the mention of the Nimmer and Ibrahim, the 
 countenances of the Arabs changed, not to any thing 
 more pleasant, but to an expression of great surprize. 
 Tliey had not returned my salutation by saying, Peace 
 is betiveen w.v, but one of them asked me who I was. 
 *' Tell me first," said 1, " who is that before us." 
 " It is an Arab, our enemy, guilty of our blood," 
 replied the man. " It is not so," said I ; " he is 
 my servant, an Howadat Arab, whose tribe lives in 
 
 » 
 
 peace at the gates of Cairo, as yours does at those 
 of Assuan. I ask you where is Ibrahim, your Sheik's 
 son ?" " Ibrahim," replied the man, " is at our 
 head, but who are you?" "Shew me Ibrahim," 
 said I, " and I will shew you who I am." 
 
 I rode past these people and the party who had in 
 custody my Abd el Gin. The poor fellow stood with 
 a hair rbpe round his neck, and begged me piteously 
 not to leave him ; but without regarding his su})pli-
 
 h UPPER EGYPT. 
 
 cations, I made for the black tent, with a long spear 
 thrust through the top, whicli I knew must belong to 
 the chief, and I met at the entrance Ibrahim and his 
 brother. I dismounted, and taking hold of the tent- 
 pole, I said, " Fiarduc," that is, I am under your 
 protection, literally, in thy land. The sons of the 
 Sheik immediately recollected me. "What!" said 
 they, *' are you our physician and friend ?" *' Are 
 you the Ababde of Sheik Arnmer," said I, *' who 
 cursed yourselves and your children if you ever lifted 
 a hand against me or mine in the desert or in the 
 ploughed field ?" " We are the Ababde of Sheik 
 Ammer," replied Ibrahim, " and w^e still say, cursed 
 be he, whether our father or our child, that lifts his 
 hand against you in the desert or the ploughed field. ' 
 " Then," said 1, " you are accursed ; for a number of 
 your people are going to murder my servant; though, 
 indeed, they took him from my house in the town, 
 and perhaps that is not included in your curse." 
 " That is nonsense," said Ibrahim : '* who of my 
 people have authority to take prisoners and murder, 
 while I am here ? Here! one of you bring my friend's 
 servant to me." Then, turning again to me, he 
 said, " If it be as you say, and one of them have 
 touched the hair of his head, may God renounce 
 me and mine, if ever he drink of the Nile again." 
 
 Abd el Gin arrived at the tent of Ibrahim, escorted 
 by forty or fifty of the Ababde, and when the affair 
 was thoroughly investigated, it appeared to be as 
 follows : 
 
 Abd el Gin was the man who had seized the thief 
 that was attempting to steal a portmanteau belong- 
 ing to one of the Turks ; and, in revenge, Seedy 
 Hassan, wdio doubtless was the patron of the thief, 
 had told the Ababde that Abd el Gin was an Atouni,
 
 COSSEIR. Q25 
 
 and further, that he meant to have given intelligence 
 to his tribe, to enable them to surprise and plunder 
 the caravan. Hassan had not said that Abd el Gin 
 was my'servant, or that I was at Cosseir ; so the 
 Ababde had reason to behave they were only ex- 
 ecuting justice on an enemy and a spy. 
 
 All was now kindness, and a desire to make repa- 
 ration ; fresh medicines were asked for the Nimmer, 
 great thankfulness shewn for what had been received, 
 andaprodigious quantity of meat, excellently dressed, 
 and served on wooden platters, with water from the 
 coldest rocks of Tcrfowey, was set before me. I 
 soon after took my leave, carrying Abd el Gin, who 
 had been clothed from head to foot, alonn- with me. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 SUAKEM, DAIIALAC, MASUAH, ARKEEKO. 
 
 Jr ROM Cosseir I sailed up the Red Sea to Suakem; 
 and soon after I had anchored in the port, the nephew 
 of an Arab Emir, a well-looking young man, hand- 
 somely dressed, came on board, and conducted me 
 on shore. When we landed, two Janizaries ushered 
 us into a plain room, at tlie upper end of which was 
 a couch covered with a carpet and two cushions, and 
 alonji the sides ran two low benches of stone, covered 
 also with carpets. Around the room were luuig 
 sabres, matchlocks, European guns, and blunder- 
 busses. The Dola, or Turkish governor, soon en- 
 tered and seated himself He wa^ a dignified man, 
 
 u
 
 2^£(j SUAKEM. 
 
 and wore a dress' of scarlet cloth, lined with blue 
 silk. A common conversation passed, at the end of 
 which sherbet was handed round, and I then took 
 my leave. 
 
 The town of Suakem covers the whole of a small 
 island. It is nearly in ruins; but two minarets, and 
 the houses being white-washed and situated on an 
 eminence, give it a handsome appearance at a 
 distance. It has been kept from total ruin only 
 by the caravans, which still come here annually from 
 Sennaar, and the interior of Africa, in their way to 
 Mecca. The town itself is all that belongs to the 
 Sublime ^Porte, and its deputy, the Dola, dares not 
 set his foot on the main land, which is possessed by 
 a powerful tribe of Arabs, commanded by an Emir, 
 the uncle of the yoiing man wlio had conducted me 
 on shore. 
 
 The people of Suakem are of a dark brown colour, 
 their figure is in general fine, and the expression of 
 their countenance good. Their hair, which is some- 
 what woolly, is turned into ringlets, and drawn out in, 
 points at the ends ; it is dressed with fat, and some- 
 times powdered with red ; a piece of wood like a 
 porcupine's quill, is stuck through the Jiair at the 
 top of the head, and serves the purpose of a comb. 
 Their clothing consists of a white cotton cloth 
 wrapped round the waist, and another thrown over 
 the shoulders ; nothing is worn on the head but the 
 mass of wool and grease, which is a sufficient pro- 
 tection from the sun. 
 
 Suakem is situated in 9° l^' north latitude. 
 
 From Suakem I visited Dahalac, which is by far 
 the largest island in the Red Sea, being thirty-seven 
 miles in length, and eighteen in its greatest breadth. 
 No rain falls here from the end of March to the be-
 
 DAHALAC. 227 
 
 ginning of October; during these months it just af- 
 fords sustenance to the few goats and antelopes that 
 inhabit it. In the intermediate months, particularly 
 in those of December, January, and February, are 
 violent showers whicli deluge the island, and fill the 
 cisterns with a sufficient quantity of water to supply 
 the inhabitants in the dry season ; for, as there are 
 neither mountains nor hills in Dahalac, there are no 
 springs. Of these cisterns, there yet remain a great 
 number, hewn out of the solid rock ; and so different 
 are the present possessors from the constructors of 
 these magnificent reservoirs, that they have not in- 
 dustry enough to keep one of them clear for the use 
 of man. All arc open to every sort of animal ; and 
 the water of two that I used tasted and smelled most 
 ^ully of the dung of goats and antelopes. 
 
 A prodigious quantity of grass springs up inmie- 
 diately after the rain falls, and the goats give milk, 
 which then forms the principal part of the sustenance 
 of the inhabitants. The people of Dahalac neither 
 plough nor sow. One half of them are constantly 
 employed on the Arabian side of the sea; and these, 
 by their labour, are enabled to furnish those who 
 remain at home with dora (Indian millet) and otlier 
 provisions ; and when their time is expired, the 
 labouring part return, and are relieved by tlie others. 
 Their wives and daughters are very bold and expert 
 fisherwomen. Several of them swam to our ship 
 before we came to an anchor, begging handfuls of 
 wheat, rice, or dora ; and we were not easily freed 
 from their importunities. 
 
 The village of Dobelew, at which we anchored, 
 consists of about ciditv houses, built witli stone 
 drawn from the sea, and covered with coarse grass. 
 There are twelve such villages on the island, and 
 
 n'2
 
 ^228 MASUAH. 
 
 each has a plantation of doom trees round it, wliich 
 furnishes the inhabitants with materials for their only 
 manufacture. The leaves of this tree, when dried, 
 are of a glossy white, like satin ; and of these they 
 make baskets of surprising beauty and neatness, 
 staining part of the leaves with red or black, and 
 working them into figures. I have known some of 
 these baskets contain water twenty-four hours, with- 
 out being penetrated by a single drop. The largest 
 of them sell at Loheia and Jidda on the Arabian 
 coast, for four commesh, or sixpence, each. 
 
 The complexion of men privileged to be idle is 
 not darker at Dahalac than at Loheia ; but those 
 who go constantly to sea are of the colour of maho- 
 gany. 
 
 Dahalac depends upon Masuah ; and, like that 
 and Suakem, preserves only the name of the Turk- 
 ish power. 
 
 From Dahalac, I sailed to Masuah, a small island 
 immediately on the shore of Abyssinia, having an 
 excellent harbour, and being the key to that country. 
 It is scarcely three quarters of a mile in length, and 
 about half that in breadth. One third of it is occu- 
 pied by houses ; one third by cisterns to receive the 
 rain ; and the other is set apart for the burial of the 
 dead. A great tract of mountainous country, in all 
 ages almost inaccessible to strangers, rises behind it. 
 
 Masuah v/as conquered by the Turks, whose prin- 
 cipal auxiliaries were a tribe of Mohammedans called 
 Belowee, inhabiting the coast of the Red Sea, under 
 the mountains of the Habab, in about lat. 14°. In 
 return for this assistance, the Turks gave the chiefs 
 tain of their allies the civil government of Masuah 
 and its territory,, under the title of Naybe ; and, 
 upon the Basha's being withdrawn, this officer
 
 MASUAH. 229 
 
 remained in fact sovereign of the place; thougli, to 
 save appearances, he lield it by a firman from the 
 Grand Signior. The Janizaries, at first estabhshed 
 liere as a garrison, married women of the country, 
 and their descendants are subject to the influence 
 of the Naybe. This petty sovereign depends for pro- 
 visions upon the mountainous country of Abyssinia; 
 for the tract of flat land behind him, which is called 
 Samhar, is inliabited only from November to April, 
 by some wandering tribes, who, during the other 
 months, when this is a perfect desert, drive their 
 cattle to the Abyssinian side of the mountains. The 
 governor of Tigrt-, the nearest province of Abyssi- 
 nia, who also bears the title of Ras, or Head, and is 
 the second personage in that kingdom, can, at any 
 time, starve the Naybe into a proper behaviour. 
 
 Masuah had been the slaughter-house of stran- 
 gers; and, to avoid, as much as lay in my power, the 
 fate that had befallen others, I sent on shore a Moor, 
 my factor, with dispatches to a Greek at Adowa, 
 the capital of Tigre, to whom I had letters. I in- 
 formed Janni, the Greek, of my arrival in the coun- 
 try ; told him that I had letters for the King and 
 the Ras ; and begged him to send instantly some 
 man of confidence who might conduct me to Adowa. 
 My factor applied to an agent of the Ras, who, that 
 very night, dispatched a trusty messenger, with 
 many of whom he w^as constantly provided ; and this 
 man, by ways best knowui to himself, arrived at 
 Adowa in five days, and delivered my letter to m.y 
 friend the Greek. To this measure I probably owe 
 my life. 
 
 The day after my arrival at Masuah, I went on 
 shore. 1$ found two elbow chairs placed in the mid- 
 dle of the market place ; on one was seated Achmet,
 
 ^30 MASUAH. 
 
 the nephew and next heir of the Naybe, who was 
 receiving the duties upon the merchandize of the 
 vessel, while several officers opened the bales and 
 packages before him : the chair on his left hand was 
 empty. He was dressed in a habit of white muslin. 
 
 Achmet rose when I approached him. We touched 
 each other's hands, carried our fingers to our lips, 
 then laid our hands across our breasts. J pronounced 
 the salutation of the inferior, "Salam Alicum'' (Peace 
 be between us), to which Achmet immediately an- 
 swered " AHcum Salam" (There is Peace between 
 us.) He then pointed to the chair ; I declined the 
 honour ; and he obliged me to sit down. My reader 
 may smile at this ceremonial, as practised by a Eu- 
 ropean ; but I can assure him that habit had now 
 rendered thi; manners, as well as the language, of 
 the East so familiar to me that, I should probably 
 have felt more at a loss on being presented to my 
 own sovereign at his levee. Achmet made a sign to 
 bring coffee immediately : as the offering of meat or 
 drink is the assurance that one's life is not in danger. 
 Having drank it, I rose to take my leave, and was 
 presently wet to the skin by a deluge of rose-water, 
 wliich was showered upon me, on the right and left, 
 from silver bottles. 
 
 A very decent house had been provided for me, 
 which I had no sooner entered, than a large dinner 
 Was sent me by Achmet, with a profusion of lemons 
 and good fresh water. My baggage soon followed, 
 unopened. 
 
 Late at nii^ht I received a visit from Achmet. 
 He was then in an undress ; callico drawers, a white 
 cotton cap, and his body quite naked, with a barra- 
 can thrown loosely about him. He had no arms 
 whatsoever. I rose up to meet him, thanked him ibr
 
 MASUAII. 231 
 
 sending my baggage, and observed tliat it was my 
 duty to have waited upon him, rather than he should 
 have had the trouble of coming to me. He took 
 me bv the hand, and we sat down to»:ethcr on two 
 cushions. 
 
 After some enquiries concerning me, which I an- 
 swered to his satisfaction, I addressed Achmct in 
 the following manner. " It is a very proper custom, 
 established all over the east, that strangers should 
 make an acknowledgment for the protection they 
 receive, and the trouble they are to occasion. I 
 have accordingly a present for the Naybe, another 
 for you, and another for the Kaya of the Janizaries. 
 All these I shall deliver the first day I see the Nay- 
 be ; but I repose upon you as my particular friend ; 
 and a separate acknowledgment is due to you in 
 that character. I have been told that }'our agent at 
 Jidda has been endeavouring to procure for you a 
 pair of English pistols ; if he succeed, they will pro- 
 bably be ordinary ones ; but I have brought you a 
 pair of excellent workmansliip — here they are — and ^ 
 I hope you will accept them." Achmet was pleased 
 witli my present, and bade me sleep and fear no evil. 
 
 The passage from Masuah to the nearest part of 
 the main land is not more than a quarter of a mile ; 
 but to Arkeeko, a considerable town at the bottom 
 of the bay, and the general residence of the Naybe, 
 it is about two leagues. The Naybe came from Ar- 
 keeko, attended by three or four servants, miserably 
 mounted, and about forty naked savages on foot, 
 armed with short lances and crooked knives : he 
 was preceded by a drum formed of an earthen butter 
 jar, covered with a skin of parchment. In the after- 
 noon, I went to pay my respects to this potentate^ 
 and found him sitting on a large elbow (ihair, at the
 
 232 MASUAH. 
 
 head of two files of naked soldiers, who made an 
 avenue from his chair to the door of his apartment. 
 His only garment was a coarse cotton shirt, so dirty 
 as to defy the power of soap and water, and so short 
 that it scarcely reached to his knees. He was tall 
 and lean, and his colour was black ; he had a sort 
 of malicious, contemptuous smile upon his counte- 
 nance, and his physiognomy was altogether brutal 
 and stupid. 
 
 I delivered first my firman from the Grand Sig- 
 nior, and then my letters to the Naybe, who laid 
 them unopened beside him, saying, " Do you think 
 I shall read all these letters? Why it would take me 
 a month !" He received my present without speak- 
 ing, or deigning to shew that he was pleased. 
 
 Having dispatched the vessel which brought me 
 to Masiiah, the Naybe sent me word to prepare a 
 handsome present for him, which must be divided 
 into three parts ; one to be given him as the Naybe 
 of Arkeeko ; one as Omar Aga, the representative 
 of the Grand Signior; and the other for having 
 passed my baggage without duties or inspection. I 
 answered that having a firman from the Grand Sig- 
 nior, and letters of protection from the minister of 
 the ShereefFof Mecca, it was mere generosity in me 
 to have given him a present as either Naybe or Aga; 
 and that, as I was not a merchant, I had no customs 
 to pay. On this, he sent for me to his house, and 
 peremptorily told me that unless I had 300 ounces 
 of gold ready to pay him in three days, he would 
 confine me in a dungeon, without light, air, or 
 meat, till my bones came through my skin. 
 
 During this time I was surprised that I savv" no- 
 thing of my friend Achmet : I now understood that 
 he was ill of a fever at Arkeeko j and believing my
 
 MASUAH. 2S3 
 
 skill in medicine might possibly be of service to him, 
 I sent to the Naybe to ask leave to attend him. He 
 answered in a surly manner, that I might go if I 
 could find a boat ; and the condition was a serious 
 one ; for he had taken his measures so well, that not 
 a boat would move for money or persuasion. 
 
 Some days after, I received a message from the 
 Naybe, desiring me to go to liim. I found him in a 
 large waste room, like a barn, which was iiis Grand 
 council chamber, and attended by about sixty Ja- 
 nizaries, and half naked officers of state. After 
 having been asked a number of questions by the 
 Naybe, and a few of the great men, to which 
 they would not give me time to reply, the Naybe 
 concluded by saying that, as I had offered to attend 
 his nephew in quality of a physician, he would send 
 me in chains to Constantinople, if I did not accom- 
 pany his brother, Emir Mohammed, to the hot wells 
 at Hamazen, in the same capacity : and this he 
 added, was the resolution of all the Janizaries. 
 
 I had not yet spoken. I now asked which was the 
 commanding officer of the Janizaries. A well-look- 
 ing elderly man answered, " I am Sardar of the 
 Janizaries." *' If you are Sardar," said I, " this 
 firman of }'our master orders you to protect me. 
 The Naybe is a man of this country; not a member 
 of the Ottoman empire. Upon my presenting my 
 firman to him, he threw it aside like waste pa})er, 
 while the greatest Baslia in the Tiukish dominions 
 would have received it standing, then kissed it, and 
 carried it to his forehead. Now I nuist tell you that 
 my resolution is not to go to Hamazen, nor any where 
 else with Emir Mohannned. Both he and the Naybe 
 have shewn themselves my enemies ; and 1 believe 
 that to send me to Hamazen is to rob and murder
 
 <i34 MAS UAH. 
 
 me out of sight." " Dog of a Christian,"* said the 
 Emir Mohammed, putting his hand to his knife, 
 " if the Naybe would murder you, could he not do 
 it here, this minute ?" " No, he could not," said 
 the Sardar ; " I would not suffer any such thing. 
 Achmet is this stranger's friend, and he desired me 
 to see that no injury was done him ; Achmet is ill, 
 or he would have been here himself." 
 
 " Achmet is my friend, and fears God," said I, 
 *' and had I not been prevented by the Naybe from 
 seeing him, his sickness, before this time, would 
 have been removed. I would go to Achmet at 
 Arkeeko, but I will not go to Hamazen, nor ever 
 again to the Naybe, here, in Masuah. Whatever 
 happens shall befal me in my own house." 
 
 I then quitted the Naybe without ceremony ; and, 
 on turning into my own gateway, a man passed close 
 by me, saying distinctly, in my ear, though in a 
 low voice, " Be not afraid." 
 
 Achmet was not yet recovered, and being very 
 desirous to see me, he sent a boat from Arkeeko, 
 with four Janizaries, to bring me to his house. I 
 found him under the worst of regimens, and very 
 apprehensive that he was either poisoned or be- 
 witched. I remained with him two nights, by 
 which time the remedies 1 had administered had 
 totally freed him from fever ; and he told me at 
 parting, that he would come the next day to Ma- 
 suah, with boats and men, to deliver me from the 
 bondage of that place, and bring me, my people 
 and baggage to Arkeeko. 
 
 On my arrival at Masuah, I was told that three 
 men, one a servant of Janni, the Greek of Adowa, 
 the others servants of the Ras, and wearing the 
 royal badge, a short red cloak, lined and turned up
 
 MASUAII. 235 
 
 with dark blue, had arrived from Tigre. These 
 people were the bearers of letters, purporting to be 
 from the Ras, ordering the Naybe to furnish me 
 with necessaries, and dispatch me immediately; as 1 
 was physician to the King of Abyssinia, whose state 
 of health required my assistance. I afterwards 
 found that these letters were fabricated by Janni, 
 who was the confidential servant of the R-as, the Ras 
 himself being at Gondar. To me Janni sent a mes- 
 sage, bidding me heartily welcome, and advising me 
 to come to him as speedily as possible. 
 
 The houses of Masiiah are in general built with 
 poles and coarse grass ; but there are about twenty of 
 stone, six or eight of which are two stories high. 
 The Banians w^ere once the principal merchants ; 
 but their number is much reduced, and they are 
 now manufacturers of ear-rings and other ornaments 
 for the women on the continent. The climate is 
 extremely unwholesome. It is a general custom for 
 people to fumigate their houses with myrrh and in- 
 cense before they open their doors in a morning ; 
 and wlien they go out at night, or early in the day, 
 they have always a small })iece of rag, highly scented 
 with these perfumes, which they put into each nos- 
 tril, to preserve them from the bad effects of the aii". 
 
 The greatest height of the thermometer during my 
 stay at Masuah, was 93° at two o'clock in the after- 
 noon, in tlie shade ; the lowest was 82° at four in 
 the morning. 
 
 Masuah lies in about 15° 3G' north kit. 
 
 I joined Achmet at Arkeeko ; and the next morn- 
 ing I struck my tent, got all my baggage in readi- 
 ness, and waited upon the Naybe. He was very 
 desirous to know how the intelligence of my arrival 
 liad reached Adowa, a particular on whicli I did
 
 '236 AilKELKO. 
 
 not choose to satisfy him. He tohl me, with a grave 
 air, tiiat he was wilhng to further my journey into 
 Abyssinia to the utmost of his power, provided I 
 made him the acknowledgment which was his due 
 from all passengers into that country ; that, as I 
 was a man above the common sort, to offer him less 
 than a thousand patakas would be to affront him ; 
 but that, out of regard to the governor of Tigre, to 
 whom I was going, he would be content with three 
 hundred, on condition that I would swear not to 
 divulge it, that he might not incur the disgrace of 
 having accepted so small a sum. 
 
 To this I answered, in the same grave tone, that 
 I thought he ought not to be content with taking 
 three hundred patakas, when receiving a thousand 
 would be so much more honourable and profitable, 
 and he should therefore put that sum into his ac- 
 count with the governor of Tigre, who would doubt- 
 less settle with his honour and his interest at the 
 same time ; or if he rather chose to send me to the 
 Shereeff of Mecca, he might settle accounts with that 
 sovereign for my trouble and loss of time. The 
 Naybe muttered between his teeth, " That devil !" 
 
 " Look you," said one of the servants of the King 
 of Abyssinia, " I was ordered to bring this stranger 
 to my master; I heard no talk of patakas, and I 
 must not lose my time here." Then, taking his 
 short red cloak from under his arm, and giving it a 
 shake to make the dust ily from it, he put it on his 
 shoulders, and stretchino- out his hand verv fami- 
 liarly, he added, " Naybe, within this hour I am for 
 Habbesh (Abyssinia) ; my companion will stay here 
 with the stranger; give me my dues for coming here, 
 and I will take back any answer that cither you or 
 he have to send." The Naybe looked very silly,
 
 ARKEEKO. §.37 
 
 and ordered the king's servant not to go tliat day ; 
 bnt to come to him on the morrow, when his letters 
 should be prepared, and he would expedite us for 
 Habbesh. 
 
 Early in the morning, I struck my tent again, and 
 at eight o'clock I went to the Naybe. He enume- 
 rated the difficulties of the journey ; the rivers, pre- 
 cipices, mountains, and woods we had to pass ; the 
 number of wild beasts every where to be met with ; 
 and the savage people who inhabited the country ; 
 thougli most of these last, he said, were luckily un- 
 der his command, and he should oblige them to ren- 
 der us every assistance. He then bade two of his 
 secretaries to write the proper letters, and in the 
 mean time ordered us coffee. 
 
 A servant now entered in great haste, and co- 
 vered with dust, and delivered letters to the Naybe. 
 He read them with much apparent uneasiness, and 
 then lifting up his eyes, he thanked God that we 
 were not already on our journey ; for that the Ha- 
 zorta, the Shiho, and the Tora, the three nations 
 that possessed tiiat part of Samliar through which we 
 must pass in our way to Dobarwa, had driven away 
 l>is servants, and declared tliemselves independent. 
 Angry as I was at so bare-faced an imposition, I could 
 not help laughing. Tlie Naybe desired to know the 
 meaning of an expression of fceh'ng so diflerent 
 from what lie expected. " Can you wonder," said 
 I, " that I do not credit so gross a cheat? This 
 morning, in the presence of your nepliew, Achmet, 
 I spoke with two Shilio, just arrived from Samhar 
 with letters for Achmet, wiiicli said that all was 
 peace : have you later intelligence than this ?" 
 
 I rose abruptly to go away, v/lien the Naybe 
 laughed in his turn ; every feature of his treache-
 
 ^23S ARKEEKO. 
 
 roiis countenance was altered and softened; and, for 
 the first time, he bore the appearance of a man. 
 He said, " What I mentioned about the Shiho was 
 only to try you ; all is peace ; and I will give you 
 a person who woidd take you in safety, even if there 
 were danger." 
 
 Our guide was a handsome young man, to whom 
 the Nay be had married his sister. The common 
 price paid to such a conductor is three pieces of blue 
 Surat cotton cloth ; but the Naybe demanded thir- 
 teen for his brother-in-law, which, to get rid of 
 him with some degree of good grace, I willingly 
 agreed to. 
 
 Arkeeko consists of about four hundred houses, a 
 few of which are built with clay ; the others of 
 coarse grass, like reeds. The Naybe's house is of 
 the latter materials, and not distinguished from the 
 rest. I left the place immediately after my inter* 
 view with tlie Naybe.
 
 239 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 DIXAN, ADOWA. 
 
 Jr ROM Arkeeko, we took our road southward, 
 along the plain, wliich is here not more than a mile 
 in breadth^; and after travelling one hour, I pitched 
 mv tent. From hence the mountains of Abyssinia 
 appeared in three ridges ; tlie first, of no consider- 
 able height, full of gullies and broken ground, and 
 thinly covered with shrubs ; the second, higher, and 
 steeper, more rugged and bare ; the third, still 
 higher, sharper, and uneven edged. In the even- 
 ing a messenger from the Naybe appeared at my 
 tent, and took away the guide. 
 
 The next day Achmct brought back the guide ; 
 and while he was drinking coffee in my tent, lie 
 said, " You are not to go to Dobarwa, tliongh that 
 is the best road ; the Naybe is master there ; and 
 the safest road is preferable to the easiest. You will 
 go by Dixan, where I am master, and I liave writ- 
 ten to the people there in your favour." Achmet 
 repeated his orders to the guide ; and we all rose, 
 and said the prayer of peace. His servant tlien gave 
 him a narrow web of muslin, which, with his own 
 hands, lie wrapped vound my head ;. and, taking 
 leave, he said, '' He that is your enemy is mine 
 also."
 
 240 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 In the evening, and during a ])art of the next day, 
 we continued our course in a soutliern direction 
 along the plain, which was firm and gravelly, and 
 covered thick watli acacia trees. We then turned 
 westerly through an opening in the mountains, 
 which was nothing more than the bed of a torrent. 
 This was our only road, and we could not wish for a 
 better: it was sand; and the moisture its banks had 
 imbibed had protected it from the sudden influence 
 of the sun, and they were distinguished by a greater 
 degree of verdure and vegetation. 
 
 We this day met a party of Shiho, with their 
 wives, families, and flocks, descending from the 
 tops of the mountains to the pasturage of the plains 
 near the sea ; having consumed that on the Abys- 
 sinian side. They were in all from forty to fifty 
 persons. They were all clothed ; the women in 
 coarse cotton shirts, reaching down to their ancles, 
 girt about the waist with a leathern belt, and having 
 very large sleeves ; the men in short cotton drawers, 
 and having a goat's skin over the shoulders. Each had 
 a lance in his hand, and a knife at his girdle. They 
 had the advantage of ground, as they were coming 
 down the mountain, and we were ascending ; yet I 
 observed they seemed rather uneasy at meeting us : 
 they were indeed escorting all their worldly riches, 
 a prodigious number of goats and other cattle. 
 
 The Shiho were once very numerous; but they 
 have suffered much from the ravages of the small- 
 pox, which they brought from ]\Iasiiah. They are 
 the blackest of the tribes bordering upon the Red 
 Sea; they live either in caves in the mountains, or in 
 small conical huts, built with thick grass, like reeds. 
 
 In the evening our road became stony and uneven, 
 and we pitched our tent on the side of a small green
 
 riAZORTA. 241 
 
 hill at some distance from the bed of tlie torrent. 
 The higlier mountains were hidden by clouds, and 
 the thunder rolled at a distance; when, on a sudden 
 we heard an explosion above iis louder than the 
 loudest thunder; and the river, which scarcely ran 
 when we passed it, came rolling down about the 
 heisht of a man, and the breadth of the whole bed 
 it had ever occupied. It did not advance to our 
 station on the hill ; and by morning the current had 
 subsided. 
 
 We now entered the district of the Hazorta, and 
 saw several huts and families of these people, whuy 
 testified neither surprize nor curiosity on our appear- 
 ance. Their flocks were feeding on the branches of 
 the trees and bushes which grew by the side of a 
 stream, regardless of the grass they were treading 
 under foot. The Hazorta are of a colour resembling 
 copper. They are inferior to the Shiho in size, but 
 are very agile. All their substance is their cattle j 
 yet they do not kill them, but live chiefly on their 
 milk. They dwell either in caves, or in cages just 
 large enough to hold two persons, each cage covered 
 with au ox's hide. Some of the better sort of women 
 wear copper bracelets on their arms, beads in their 
 hair, and a tanned hide over their shoulders. 
 
 This day we passed over a plain so thickly covered 
 with acacia trees, that our hands and faces were 
 torn with the strokes of their thorny branches. 
 Here we first saw the dung and tracks of elephants; 
 some trees were thrown down from their roots, some 
 were broken off in the middle, and branches, half 
 eaten, were strewn on the ground. We afterwards 
 saw the caper tree, which here grew as high as 
 a tall English elm ; its flower was white ; and its 
 -fruit, though not ripe, was as large as an apricot,. 
 
 R
 
 342 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 We passed the night surrounded by black moun- 
 tains, and nothing else visible but the heavens. 
 
 The next day our road still wound among moun- 
 tains ; and the following day we began to ascend the 
 eminences v/hich form the roots of the great moun- 
 tain Taranta. The road was bordered on each side 
 "vfith jujeb trees of great beauty, and i^ycamore trees 
 deprived of their branches by the barbarous axes of 
 the Hazorta. We every where saw immense flocks 
 of Antelopes, and coveys of Partridges of a small 
 kind ; neither of which seemed to consider us as ene- 
 \^ies ; and, in three hours, we arrived at the foot of 
 the mountain. AVe began to ascend on a most rocky 
 uneven road, very steep, with large ravines made 
 by torrents, and monstrous fragments of rocks ; and 
 with great exertions, about half past two o'clock, 
 we found ourselves and our baggage half way up this 
 terrible mountain. Here the road divides ; that 
 on the right leading to Dixan ; that on the left to 
 Halai. 
 
 Here bread was to be baked, and supper to be 
 dressed, and we found it impossible to pitch our 
 tents ; for there was not sufficient earth on this 
 part of the bare side of Taranta to hold fast a tent- 
 pin. There were, however, caves near us ; and in 
 these we found a quiet, and not inconvenient place 
 of repose. 
 
 The upper part of the mountain was more steep, 
 rugged, and slippery than the lower; but not so full 
 of holes, or large stones. Our knees and hasids 
 wxre cut by frequent falls, and our faces torn by 
 the thorny bushes. The upper part was closely co- 
 vered with the berry-bearing cedar. At length we 
 gained the summit, upon which is situated a small 
 village, chiefly inhabited by servants and shepherds,
 
 dixan. !243 
 
 cultlvatliig the grain, and keeping the flocks belong- 
 ing to the inliabitants of Dixan. 
 
 The people here were of a dark complexion, bor- 
 dering upon yellow ; the cows and bulls were of ex- 
 quisite beauty, for the most part completely white, 
 with large dewlaps, wide liorns, and hair like silk. 
 The sheep were large and black ; instead of v.ool, 
 they had hair, remarkable for its lustre and softness. 
 The goats were of the largest size, but their hair 
 was not long. The plain on the top of Taranta was 
 in many places sown with wheat, which was then^ 
 ready to be cut down. There is no water on the top 
 of this mountain, except what is deposited by the 
 rains, in the hollow of the rocks, and in pits prepared 
 to receive it. At mid-day the thermometer stood at 
 6V, and at six in the evening at .59°. I killed an eagle 
 here, which was about six feet ten inches from wing 
 to wing. The ball having wounded it but slightly, 
 when it came to the ground it attacked the men and 
 beasts near it v/ith such force and fierceness, that I 
 was obliged to dispatch it with a bayonet. 
 
 We descended the mountain by a broken and un- 
 even road, and after mounting a small hill, we had 
 a distinct view of Dixan. Our road then became 
 good, and the descent easy, and in a short time vv'e 
 arrived at that town. I had been eight days in 
 coming from Arkeeko hither, but only twenty-seven 
 hours of this time had been passed in actual travelling. 
 
 Dixan is the first town in Abyssinia on the side of 
 Taranta. It is built on a hill in the form of a sugar 
 loaf, surrounded by a deep valley, like a trench. 
 There is a high and low town, divided by a consi- 
 derable space : the former occupies the top of the 
 hill, and is inhabited by Moors; the latter is the re- 
 sidence of Christians. A roa\l vrinds spirally np the 
 
 K 'Z
 
 ^44. ABYSSINIA. 
 
 hill, till it ends among the houses. The chief of 
 the Christians was a dependent of my friend Janni 
 at Adowa, and at his house I stopped, declining the 
 invitation of the Moor to whom Achmet had written 
 in my favour. I had the satisfaction of seeing my 
 baggage stowed safe in a kind of court, inclosed by a 
 strong wall ; and the Moor presented me with butter 
 and honey. 
 
 It is true of Dixan, as I believe of most frontier 
 towns, that they are the resort of depraved persons 
 on both sides. This town is well peopled by Moors 
 and Christians, wliose only trade is that of selling 
 children. The priests of Abyssinia are openly con- 
 cerned in this nefarious practice ; and the governor 
 of the province grants his licence for it, on being 
 paid a certain number of firelocks for each dozen or 
 score of slaves. Abyssinia yearly exports about 500 
 slaves from Masiiah to Arabia, of which number 
 300 are Pagans from the market of Gondar, and 200 
 are Christian children, kidnapped from their parents. 
 The Naybe receives six patakas, or about thirty shil- 
 lings a head, upon these exports. 
 
 Dixan is in lat. U"" 58' north, and long. 40" ?' 30" 
 east. From hence we discovered a great part of the 
 province of Tigre, full of high and tremendous 
 mountains. 
 
 On leaving Dixan, we encamped under a daroo 
 tree, whose branches reached within four feet of the 
 ground, and formed a circle forty four yards in dia- 
 meter. This tree, and a river by its side, form the 
 boundary of the territory which the Naybe farms from 
 Tigre, and here the jurisdiction of that petty despot 
 ended. One of the king's servants, making a mark 
 on the groiuid with his knife, declared, that if our 
 guide from Masuah, or any other man belonging to the
 
 ADDICOTA. QiS 
 
 Naybe, offered to pass that mark, he would bind liim 
 hand and foot, and tie him to a tree, where he should 
 be left a prey to the iion and hyena. They all returned, 
 and here my persecution from the Naybe finished, and 
 I recovered a portion of that tranquillity to which I 
 had been a stranger while I was in his power. 
 
 We passed a number of small villages, situated on 
 the tops of hills, and one, called Addicota, planted 
 on a high rock, the side of which, next to us, was 
 perpendicular like a wall. I encamped under a 
 mountain on whose summit was a village consisting 
 of about eighty houses, the present residence of the 
 Baharnagash. This title, as its meaning imports, 
 once belonged to an independent sovereign ; Bahar 
 signifying sea or river, and Nagash, or Nagashe, being 
 a regal appellation ; but the governor of Tigre had 
 annexed to his own provinces what he pleased of his 
 domains, and had reduced the Baharnagash to the 
 situation of his servant. 
 
 The Baharnagash had formerly the silver kettle- 
 drum and the standard, the ensigns of sovereign 
 power ; these have been taken from him. He still 
 preserves his privilege of being crowned with gold ; 
 but at the same time he has a cloak thrown over him, 
 one side of which is white, and the other blue ; and 
 he is informed that the white is his, if he preserve his 
 allegiance, and the blue, the colour of mourning, if 
 he forfeit it. 
 
 This chief descended from his mountain, and paid 
 me a visit in my tent. He was a little, thin man, 
 of a dark olive complexion, with his hair shaved 
 close, and a cowl on his head. His legs and feet 
 were bare. He wore a pair of short trowsers ; a 
 girdle of coarse cotton wrapped several times round 
 him, in which was stuck his knife ; and a web of
 
 Cl6 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 cotton, neither new nor clean, was thrown about 
 him. He was on horseback, and had seven attendant 
 horsemen, with about a dozen on foot, ill armed 
 and badly equipped. The king's servant told this 
 officer that he must furnish us with a kid, and forty 
 loaves of bread, immediately, and that he might 
 charge them as a part of the revenue paid to the king. 
 
 The next day the Baharnagash renewed his visit, 
 with two drums beating, and two trumpets sounding 
 before him, attended by horsemen with shields and 
 lances, and two servants on foot ; the latter brought 
 me three goats, two jars of honey beer, and some 
 wheat flour ; in return for which I gave the Bahar- 
 nagash some razors, knives, and steels for striking 
 fire. We this day saw a plain sown with the different 
 kinds of grain this country produces, wheat, barley, 
 teif, tocusso, sesame, and nook j the last of these is 
 used for oil. 
 
 On the following day we had scarcely advanced a 
 mile, when we were overtaken by a party of about 
 twenty armed men on horseback. These proved to 
 be the cavalry of my friend the Baharnagash, who 
 had sent them to protect us from the Shangalla, the 
 native blacks of the country, who dwell on the right,, 
 and sometimes make incursions into the flat land 
 before us. We y)assed the plain with all diligence, 
 having been informed that many caravans had been 
 cut off here ; and having gained the opposite hills, 
 I sent back my guard perfectly content. This plain 
 extends twelve miles towards the west ; such fiat 
 countries are very rare in Abyssinia. The soil is 
 excellent, but the inhabitants on each side dispute 
 the possession. Tlie whole of them go armed to 
 plough and sow, they finisfi their work in one day,- 
 and seldom complete it without a battle. We now
 
 KELLA. 247 
 
 eiitcretl a close country, covered with brusliwood, 
 wild oats, and high grass ; in many places rocky, 
 and scarcely leaving a narrow passage. Here we 
 saw a goat, just killed by a lion, whom our approach 
 had probably fjightened from his prey. Every one 
 cut off a portion of the flesh, for the Abyssinians eat 
 what has been killed by the lion, but they do not 
 cat that which has been killed by the leopard, hyena, 
 or any other beast ; nor will they touch a bird that 
 has not been killed by the knife, except by the tip 
 of the wing. 
 
 There are five places between Masuah and Adowa 
 where a duty is to be paid ; the farmer of these du- 
 ties levies what he thinks proper upon each cara- 
 van, and if his demands be not complied with, travel- 
 lers have been frequently detained, and sometimes 
 plundered. We had now arrived at the last of these, 
 w^hich is called Kella, or the Castle ; because the 
 mountains on each side run, for a considerable ex- 
 tent, straight, and even, like a wall, with gaps at 
 certain distances. The name of one of these rocks 
 is Damo, and it was ancienjtly the prison of the princes 
 of the royal ftimily. 
 
 It is the practice of the sovereign, in many parts 
 of Africa, to murder or mutilate those of his relations 
 who might dispute with him the regal authority; and 
 this barbarity may have arisen, in some measure, 
 from the general custom which pronounces all the 
 princes equally capable of succeeding, without re- 
 gard to the right of primogeniture. The Abyssinians 
 have endeavoured to obtain the same security by less 
 violent means, and have confined those princes who 
 might claim the crown, and involve the country in 
 eiv il war. In the tenth century, Judith, Queen of 
 the Falasha, a colony of Jews who possess an inde-
 
 248 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 pendent sovereignty in Abyssinia, surprized the 
 rock Damo, and slew the whole number of princes 
 there to the number of four hundred. One only re- 
 mained to continue the race. 
 
 When the royal family was restored, and became 
 sufficiently numerous to render their confinement 
 expedient, Geshen, a very steep and high rock, in 
 the province of Amhara, was chosen for the resi- 
 dence of the princes. In the year 1540, a Moham- 
 medan chief, governor of Arar, one of the southern 
 province^* of Abyssinia, formed the res61ution of at- 
 tempting this mountain. On his approach he found 
 it abandoned by the troops appointed to guard the 
 foot of it, and, led by a menial servant of the princes 
 above, he and his soldiers ascended without opposi- 
 tion, and slew them all, and every individual of their 
 attendants, of either sex. 
 
 About the year 1640, Wechnc, a mountain about 
 fifty miles south of Gondar, in the small province of 
 Belessen, was appointed as the prison of the princes 
 of the royal family; and such it still remains. None 
 are permitted to go up, but the women who carry 
 water. There was formerly a cistern, but it is now 
 in ruins. There are near three hundred persons on 
 the mountain. The exiled princes are taught to 
 read and write ; but nothing more. They are allowed 
 to marry ; but no person of rank will give his daugh- 
 ter to one of them. 
 
 It was at Keila that we first saw the roofs of the 
 houses of a conical form, a proof that the tropical 
 rains were here beconie more violent. 
 
 The people at Kella would not sell provisions for 
 money, but required merchandise by way of barter; 
 we therefore opened shop, by spreading a cloth on 
 the ground^ and displaying our goods upon it. At
 
 KELLA. 249 
 
 the sii^'ht of this, hundreds of young women poured, 
 down upon us, on every side, from vilhiges I did not 
 see ; so that the country must be surprisingly popu- 
 lous. Beads are a grand article of commerce at 
 Kella, but the colour and size of these are regulated 
 by fashion. Mine were chiefly large, red and green, 
 and it unfortunately happened that, at this time, the 
 beauties of Tigre wore small blue, or white, or large 
 yellow. The ladies therefore rejected my merchan- 
 dise with great disdain and vociferation. A small 
 quantity of the flishionable sorts was then produced, 
 which excited so great a sensation among them, that 
 they were in great danger of becoming thieves, and 
 were only rescued from it by the application of sticks 
 and whips to their arms. The men who came with 
 them, laughed at the discipline bestowed on the 
 women ; but they took great pride in appearing the 
 next day v/ith strings of white beads round their 
 dirty black legs. We were here plentifully supplied 
 with flour, butter, honey, and excellent pumpkins. 
 
 On the second day from Kella we came in view 
 o£ the higli mountains of Adowa ; some of which 
 iire perpendicular rocks; others shaped like obelisks; 
 and others broken into different fantastic forms. 
 
 Having ascended a mountain, and passed a plain 
 with a village on its top, we began the most rugged 
 and difliicult descent we had met with since Tarants, 
 and at the bottom we pitched our tent. From hence 
 are seen two roads ; that on the west leading to 
 Gondar ; that on the east to the Red Sea. On our 
 right was the high and rugged mountain of Samayatw 
 The place is called Ribierani, v/hich in Tigre signi- 
 fles, Thei/ are coming this ivay ; these words being 
 formerly used by one of the Banditti of the neigh- 
 bouring villages, who was stationed here, to give 
 notice to the rest, of the approach of a caravan.
 
 250 AUYSSINIA. 
 
 Tlie rivulet of" llibieraiii is the source of fertility 
 to the country adjoining; as it is made to overflow 
 every part of this plain ; and supplies it with a per- 
 petual store of grass in some parts, and two or three 
 harvests in a year, in others. We perceived that 
 we were now approaching a considerable town, by 
 the care with which every small ])iece of ground, 
 and even the steep sides of the mountains, when 
 covered with soil, were cultivated. 
 
 The next day, after three hours travelling on a 
 very pleasant road, over easy hills, and between 
 hedge-rows of jessamine, honey-suckle, and many 
 kinds of flowering shrubs, we arrived at Adowa, the 
 capital of the province of Tigre, and the proper re- 
 sidence of the Ras, or governor. We had been 
 seven days on the road from Dixan to Adowa ; of 
 which the w^hole time passed in actual travelling was 
 twenty-five hours and a half. 
 
 Janni, my kind and hospitable host, had sent ser- 
 vants to conduct me into the town, and met me, 
 himself, at the outer door of liis house. He had his 
 own short white hair, covered with a thin muslin 
 turban, and a thick beard, as' white as snow, reach- 
 ing down to his waist. His dress was of white cot- 
 ton, girded with a red silk sash, embroidered with 
 gold, and on his feet were sandals. He had a num- 
 ber of servants and skives of both sexes around him. 
 
 Janni conducted me through a court yard, to a 
 very neat and spacious room, furnished with a sofa 
 of silk, and Persian carpets and cushions. Flowers 
 and green leaves were strewn over the court, and 
 evergreens were placed in the windows, and on the 
 sides of the room, in commemoration of the approach- 
 ing festival of Christmas. I stopped at the entrance ; 
 for my feet were dirty, torn, and naked j and Janni
 
 ADOWA. f2.51 
 
 was so shocked at my saying I liad performed this 
 journey on foot, tliat he burst into tears, uttering 
 reproaches against the Naybe, and telling me that 
 he, himself, had twice prevented the governor of 
 Tigre from going to Masuah in })erson, and sweep- 
 ing him from the face of the earth. Water was im- 
 mediately brought to wash my feet; and it was with 
 the greatest difficulty that I prevented my respect- 
 able host from performing this office himself. This 
 v/as no sooner finished, than a great dinner, exceed- 
 ingly well dressed, was brought in ; but no entreaty 
 could prevail upon Janni to sit down with mc, or 
 prevent him from standing, with a clean napkin in 
 his hand, to wait upon me. 
 
 Adowa is situated on the declivity of a hill, on 
 the western side of a small plain, surrounded every 
 where by mountains, and watered by three rivulets 
 which are never drv. The town contains about 800 
 houses. They are built of rough stone, cemented 
 with mud ; lime being used only at Gondar ; the 
 roofs are in the form of cones, and are thatched with 
 a kind of reedy grass, something thicker than wheat 
 straw. The houses are pretty regularly disposed in 
 streets and allies, and each has an enclosure round 
 it of hedijres and trees. The number of trees so 
 planted in all the towns gives them at a distance the 
 appearance of woods. 
 
 xVdowa is the seat of a very valuable manuflicturc 
 of coarse cotton cloths, which circulate throughout 
 Abyssinia instead of silver money, and which forui 
 the habit of the common people. Each web i> 
 about eight yards long, and three quarters of a yard 
 wide, and is worth about a dollar. There are also 
 line cotton cloths manufactured here, which are ex- 
 celled only by those of Gondar.
 
 25^ ABYSSINIA. 
 
 Adowa was not formerly the capital ot'Tigre; but- 
 became so on tlic accession of the present governor, 
 "whose estate lay in it, and in its vicinity. His man- 
 sion house was situated at the top of the hill ; but 
 was distinguished from the other houses only by 
 being larger. It was now, in the absence of the go- 
 vernor, the residence of his deputy; but it was more 
 a prison than a palace ; upwards of three hundred 
 persons being confined in it, in irons, and most of 
 them in cages, hke wild beasts. These were chiefly 
 confined with a view to extort money from them ; 
 and even when they had })aid the sum demanded, 
 they did not always obtain their deliverance from 
 the hands of the merciless tyrant. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of Adowa, the soil yields 
 three harvests of grain annually \ yet the husband- 
 man is always poor and miserable. The landlord 
 furnishes the seed, on condition of receiving half the 
 produce; but I was told that he was an indulgent 
 master who did not take the half of what remained. 
 The cattle roam at discretion amone; the mountains, 
 but these are so steep and broken, that the greater 
 number of the animals are goats. 
 
 Adowa is in lat. li*" 10' north.
 
 2.58 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 AXUJNi, sire', the tacazze', lamalmon, gondar. 
 
 T' 
 HE next ])lace of note 1 came to was Axiim, the 
 
 ancient capital of Tigrc, which is situated about 
 
 twelve miles west of Adowa. Tlie present toww 
 
 consists of about six hundred houses. There are 
 
 several manufactures of coarse cotton cloths ; and 
 
 the monks of the adjoining convent make excellent 
 
 parchment of goat skins. 
 
 There are at Axum very extensive and magni- 
 ficent ruins, which are so different from any other 
 buildings in Ethiopia, that they are supposed to 
 have been erected by the Egyptians. In one square 
 tliere are forty obelisks. One of these, which is 
 still standing, is of a single block of granite, fidl 
 Co feet in height. It is covered witli ornaments, in 
 bold relief, but they are not hieroglyphics : two obe- 
 lisks yet larger than this are fallen. 
 
 We then proceeded south, by a road cut in the 
 mountain, having on the left a wall of solid native 
 rock, more than live feet high. At equal distances 
 are hewn, in this wall, pedestals, on the tops of 
 which figures have been placed. 133 of these pe- 
 destals remained, but only two of the figures; these 
 were much mutilated, but they ai)peared to me to 
 represent a dog. 
 
 Two magnificent flights of stej)s, of granite, and 
 exceedingly well-fashioned, arc the only remains of 
 a grand temple. Below these stepr. are three small
 
 254- ABYSSINIA. 
 
 square inclosiires of granite, with small octagon pil- 
 lars in the angles. Upon a stone in the centre of one 
 of these inclosures, the King of Abyssinia is crowned, 
 and always has been, from the days of Paganism. 
 
 Not long after our losing sight of the ruins of 
 Axum, we overtook three travellers, who appeared 
 to 1)0 soldiers ; they were driving a cow before them. 
 I saw this cow tlirown down and tied ; and I savv' two, 
 pieces of fiesh, larger and thicker than our ordinary 
 beefsteaks, cut out of the upper part of the buttock 
 of the beast. The skin was left intire, as is now the 
 practice of skilful surgeons in their operations, and was 
 brought over the wound, and fastened to the corre- 
 sponding piece of skin with small woo,den pins or 
 skewers ; a cataplasm of clay was put over the whole, 
 and the cow was again driven before the soldiers, 
 I do not aver that living cows commonly furnish 
 beef steaks to travellers in Abyssinia ; but I do 
 aiTu'm that I saw this fact, and that I saw it with 
 great pain. 
 
 We proceeded through an open country, partly 
 sown with tefF, but mostly overgrown with wild oats, 
 and high grass ; then over low hills. The jessamine 
 became the common bush ; and we saw fine trees 
 beautifully covered with iiovrers and fruit. We 
 descended into a plain, which we crossed between 
 hedge rows of flowering shrubs ; trees every where 
 interspersed, and the vine with clusters of small 
 black grapes, hanging in festoons, and joining 
 tree to tree. We then travelled through defiles, be- 
 tween mountains covered with wood and bushes, 
 and at length pitched our tent in a very deep ra- 
 vine, at the western extremity of the town of Sird 
 
 The province of Tigre is bounded on the east by 
 the river Mareb, and on the west by the Tacazze.
 
 sire'. 255 
 
 It is about 200 miles in length from north to south, 
 and about 150 in breadth from east to west. 
 
 The province of Sire reaches from Axum to the 
 river Tacazze, and is about Q5 miles in length, and 
 the same in breadth. It is now dc])endant upon the 
 government of Tigre. 
 
 The town of Sire is situated upon the brink of a 
 steep narrow valley, through which lies the road, 
 though it is almost impassable. The town is larger 
 than that of Axum ; the houses are of clay, with 
 thatched conical roofs. Sire is famous for the ma- 
 nufacture of coarse cotton cloths. 
 
 On leaving Sire we passed over a vast plain. Du- 
 ring the first day, we could discern no mountains in 
 any direction. We saw no villages ; yet the vicir.ity 
 must be well inhabited ; for there were many people 
 in diiferent parts of the plain ; some busied in har- 
 vest, and others attending their cattle. On the se- 
 cond day, our road continued over the same plain ; 
 but it was become bleak and disagreeable ; we ob- 
 served no marks of culture, or of great population. 
 On leaving it, we came in sight of the high moun- 
 tjiins of Samen, over one of which, called Lamal- 
 mon, lay our road to Gondar. 
 
 In two hours after leaving the place where we had 
 passed the night, we came to the brink of a prodi- 
 gious valley, at the bottom of which ran the Ta- 
 cazze, next to the Nile the largest river in Upper 
 Abyssinia. The Tacazze rises in the provice of An- 
 got, now in possession of the Galla, in a plain cham- 
 pagne country, about two hundred miles south east 
 of Gondar. It is shaded with lofty trees, adorned 
 with fragrant bushes; its stream is limpid, and its 
 water excellent. During the inundation, however, 
 things wear a different face ; the Tacazze carries in
 
 ^6 ABYSSI^UA. 
 
 its bed nearly one third of all the water that falls 
 in Abyssinia ; and I saw the mark the stream had 
 reached the preceding year, which |)roved that eigh- 
 teen feet depth of water had rolled within its bed. 
 
 We descended along a narrow path, which wound 
 down the side of the mountain, and was shaded 
 with trees of great beauty ; and in about three miles 
 we arrived at the ford of the Tacazze. The river 
 here was full 200 yards broad, and about one deep ; 
 the water was very clear, and running swiftly ; the 
 bottom was firm and good. This was the dry season 
 of the year, when most of the rivers of Abyssinia had 
 ceased to run. 
 
 Beautiful as the Tacazze is, from the falling of 
 the rains in March to tlie month of November, it is 
 death to sleep on its banks, or in the country adjoin- 
 ing. The inhabitants live in villages on the tops of 
 the neighbouring mountains, from whence they de- 
 scend, and plunder travellers : not all the pains taken 
 by the governors of Tigre have been able wholly 
 to clear this passage from robbers and assassins. 
 Numbers of crocodiles inhabit the Tacazze; and 
 when the river is swelled so as to be passable only on 
 rafts, or skins blown up with wind, these animals are 
 so daring, that they frequently carry oft' the passen- 
 gers. There are also many hippopotami ; and, in 
 the thickets which border the river, vast multitudes 
 of lions and hyenas. 
 
 Having crossed the Tacazze, we had quitted the 
 province of Sirt^, and entered that of Samen. 
 
 In an hour and a half we began to ascend the 
 mountains which form the southern barrier of the 
 vale of the Tacazze, on a narrow, steep, and wind- 
 ing path, with deep chasms, and ])erpendicular pre- 
 cipices ; and in an hour we arrived at the top. We
 
 ADDERGEY. 257 
 
 saw many people feeding cattle on the plain, and we 
 again opened a market for provisions. None but the 
 young women appeared. They were taller, of a 
 lighter colour, and more beautiful than those of 
 Kella ; but less gay, and more peremptory. They 
 were hard in making bargains ; but as far as possible 
 from being reserved. 
 
 We pursued our journey through thick woods of 
 small trees ; the ground so overgrov»'n with reeds, 
 wild oats, and long grass, that it was difficult to find 
 a path; and at night encamped at Addergey, in a 
 plain scarcely a mile square, surrounded on three 
 sides by wood, above which were bare and rugged 
 mountains. To the westward, this little plain ter- 
 minated in a tremendous precipice, at the bottom of 
 which was a deep valley. Midway on one of the 
 mountains, seemed to hang, rather than stand, a 
 miserable village; and beyond the valley were live 
 hills, with a village on the top of each. 
 
 The Shum, or Chief of these villages was desijous 
 to detain me till he might be certain that he could 
 rob me with impunity ; and actually obliged me to 
 remain here four days, and the last of them almost 
 without food. 
 
 The first night I passed at Addergey, the hyenas 
 devoured one of my best mules; and the roaring and 
 grumbling of the lions in that part of the wood near- 
 est my tent, so terrified the others that they WTre 
 covered with sweat. On the second night, I shot a 
 hyena ; on the fourth, another, and another was 
 killed with a pike; yet such was their determined 
 coolness, that they stalked around our encampment 
 with the familiarity of a dog, and fed on the bodies 
 of their dead companions. We were still more in- 
 commoded by a large black ant, nearly an incli in
 
 '258 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 length, which, coming from under the ground, cut 
 my carpets and the lining of my tent into shreds. 
 Their bite was more painful than that of a scorpion, 
 and caused a considerable degree of inflammation. 
 
 These circumstances, added to my extreme desire 
 to reach Gondar, determined me to quit Addergey, 
 without asking leave of the Shum. I proceeded 
 down the side of the precipice, into the narrow 
 valley, when I saw this Chief advancing towards us 
 at the head of eight horsemen, and attended by 
 fourteen or fifteen men on foot. I was too strong to 
 fear such a party as this ; I therefore stopped, and 
 called out to the horsemen to do the same. I then 
 desired the Shum to keep back his followers, at his 
 peril, and advance with his son only, to inform 
 me what his business was with me. He said that I 
 had left Addergey without paying the duties, which 
 amounted to two ounces of gold (about five pounds 
 sterling.) I said that he had detained me at Adder- 
 gey without food ; and left me no other alternative 
 than that of perishing by hunger, or by the teeth of 
 the hyena ; but that if a piece of red Surat cloth 
 would content him, we would part friends. This 
 at length he accepted, finding he could do no better, 
 on condition that I would swear not to mention the 
 •affair to the Ras, while he, on his part, would swear 
 not to pursue me any further. I acceded to these 
 conditions, and added some cohol, incense, and 
 beads, for the ladies of the Shum's family; and pre- 
 sented the son with two strings of beads to adorn 
 his legs, for which he seemed wonderfully grateful. 
 The mountains of Waldubba lay north of us, at 
 the distance of four or five miles, when we encamped 
 in the evening. Waldubba, which signifies the valley 
 of the hyena, is therctieatof monks and devotees of
 
 •\ 
 
 LAMALMON. g.59 
 
 both sexes, and of great men i\i disgrace. It is hot and 
 unwholesome; violent fevers perpetually reign here j 
 and the inhabitants are of the colour of a corpse. 
 
 After passing rivers, vallies, and mountains, du- 
 ring two days, on the third we ascended a moun- 
 tain which may be called the base of Lamalmon, and 
 pitched our tent on a small plain on its top. The 
 mountains of Sanien, of which Lamalmon makes a 
 part, may be considered as the highest land of Abys- 
 sinia ; snow has been seen upon their tops. This 
 ridge extends from north to south about 80 miles, 
 which is the length of the whole province ; the 
 breadth of the province, in a few places, is 30 miles; 
 and in others, much less. It is in great part pos- 
 sessed by the Jews ; and upon one of its highest and 
 most inaccessible mountains, which is called the 
 Jews rock, Gideon and Judith, their king and queen, 
 still maintain the sovereignty they have possessed 
 from very early times. 
 
 In half an hour after quitting our station on the 
 plain, we began the ascent of Lamalmon, on a path 
 scarcely two feet wide, which wound spirally up the 
 mountain, always on the brink of a precipice. Tor- 
 rents of water, in the rainy season, had divided this 
 path in several places, and opened an abyss below, 
 which my head would not suffer me to look upon. 
 We were here obliged to unload our baggage, and 
 carry it by little at a time, on our shoulders, round 
 these chasms that intersected the road ; and, as we 
 advanced, the mountain became steeper, the path 
 narrower, and the breaches more frequent. Scarcely 
 were the mules, though unloaded, able to scramble 
 up : yet this is the high road from Tigre to Gondar. 
 After two hours of constant toil, we arrived at the 
 plain of St. Michael, at the foot of a perpendicular 
 
 s 2
 
 iJ60 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 cliff, which terminates the western side of Lamal- 
 mon. At St. Michael, an account is taken of mer- 
 chandize, and a present is due to the proprietor of 
 the ground. I submitted every thing to the robber 
 of the place ; and if he were not satisfied, he seemed 
 to be so. 
 
 The next day we left the plain of St. Michael. 
 We found what remained of the road much less 
 difficult than that we had passed ; and in a quarter of 
 an hour we arrived at the top of Lamalmon. As we 
 approached the mountain, its summit had appeared 
 to be a sharp point ; I was therefore much surprised 
 to find there a large plain, partly pasture, but more 
 bearing grain. Streams issued from this plain in all 
 directions, and springs capable of turning a mill 
 boiled up out of the earth. I saw people ploughing, 
 and busied in cutting down wheat; in one field green 
 corn was in ear, and in the next it had just sprung 
 out of the ground. 
 
 While my servants were sitting at dinner on the 
 top of Lamalmon, a golden eagle appeared suddenly 
 before them. He did not stoop rapidly from a 
 height, but came flying slowly along the ground, 
 and sat down close to the meat, within the ring tlie 
 men had made around it. I saw him put his foot 
 into the pan, in which was a large piece of meat; 
 but finding it hot, and feeling the smart it occa- 
 sioned, he withdrew his foot, and quitted the meat, 
 which he had held. A leg and a shoulder of a goat 
 were lying in a wooden platter; into these he trussed 
 both his claws, and carried them off; at the same 
 time looking wistfully at the large piece that re- 
 mained in the hot water. He then returned slowlv 
 along the ground as he had come, till he sunk below 
 the fall of a precipice, and was hidden from our
 
 WOGGORA. 261 
 
 sight. The Mohammedans who drove the asses 
 assured me that he would return. My servants 
 thought he had ah'eady had more than his share of 
 the dinner ; I was desirous of a more intimate ac- 
 quaintance with him ; and having loaded my rifle 
 gun with ball, I sat dov/n by a platter of meat. 
 
 It was not many minutes before the eagle came; 
 but whether his hunger was not so keen as at first, 
 or whether he suspected something from my appear- 
 ance, I know not ; but he sat down at about ten 
 yards from me, the pan of meat being between me 
 and him. I shot him through the middle of his 
 body with a ball, so that he lay down upon the grass, 
 without a flutter. Upon laying hold of this mon- 
 strous bird, I was surprised to see my hands covered 
 with a yellow powder. The large feathers on the 
 shoulders and wings were apparently fine tubes, 
 which, upon pressure, scattered this dust in as large 
 quantities as a powder puff. On looking at the dust 
 through a very strong magnifj/ing power, I thought 
 I discerned it to be in the form of feathers. 
 
 The golden eagle was eight feet four inches from 
 wing to wing, and four feet seven inches from the 
 point of his beak to the tip of his tail. He weighed 
 about twenty-two pounds. 
 
 We passed several villages on the plain at the top 
 of Lamalmon ; and having crossed a river which se- 
 parates this plain from that of Woggora, we entered 
 the latter, which extends to Gondar. Here Wog- 
 gora lay open before us to the south, and beyond it 
 the mountains of Lasta and Belessen. The hills of 
 Gondar were seen on the south west. 
 
 We proceeded along the plain of Woggora, which 
 took us five days to traverse; though perhaps our 
 time of actual travelling did not, altogether, exceed 
 thirteen hours.
 
 Qb2 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 On the second clay we saw twelve villages in an 
 hour and a quarter. The country was become in- 
 conceivably populous, and vast herds of cattle, chiefly 
 black, with large wide horns, and bosses on their 
 backs, were feeding on every side. The third day 
 the country was full of people, and the land was 
 wholly sown with grain, principally wheat. Wood 
 has here been extirpated to make room for corn, 
 and the inhabitants labour under a great inconve- 
 nience in the scarcity of fuel. We found the price 
 of provisions augment greatly as we approached the 
 capital ; the people were better dressed, and appa? 
 rently better fed than those we had left behind ; and 
 throughout the day there was not a foot of land, 
 except that on which we trod, that was not sown 
 with grain. 
 
 On the fourth day our road lay among gentl}^ rising 
 hills, which were all pasture ground. We saw more 
 than twenty villages, one of which was Woggora, 
 that gives its name to the district ; and having tra- 
 velled three hours and three quarters, I was at length 
 gratified with the sight of Gondar. I distinctly saw 
 the tower of the king's palace ; but the houses were 
 hidden by the multitude of trees growing about theni;, 
 and the whole had the appearance of a thick black 
 wood. I computed its distance from where I stood 
 to be about ten miles. Beyond the city was the great 
 lake Tzana, which terminated the horizon. On the 
 fifth day we rested on the banks of the river Angrab, 
 about half a mile from Gondar. 
 
 W^oggora, tlio country through which we had 
 passed, is understood to be dependent on 8amen. 
 It is one of the most fruitful provinces in Abyssinia, 
 and the capital is the mart for its produce. It is 
 infested with large ants, and swarms of rats and
 
 GONDAR. 263 
 
 mice ; and to these plagues may be added that of a 
 bad government, which destroys the advantages the 
 inliabitants reap from climate and situation, and 
 keeps them miserably poor. 
 
 We had been thirty days on our journey from 
 Adowa to Gondar ; on twenty-tln-ee of which we 
 had been travelHng, and on seven been stationary ; 
 but the whole number of hours passed in actual tra- 
 velling was not more than eighty, that is, to the top 
 of Lamalmon 641, and from thence to Gondar 15^^ 
 
 The whole of the journey from Masuah stands as 
 follows : 
 
 Prom Masilah to Dixan 27 hours. 
 
 Dixan to Adowa 25 j- 
 
 Adowa to Gondar 80 
 
 132^ 
 
 Perhaps not more than two miles can be allowed 
 as the average rate of an hour's travelling, which 
 will make the whole distance 265 miles. 8ix miles 
 more than from London to Durham! What a crowd 
 of ideas rush upon one's mind ! How many steps 
 must man have advanced from scaling rocks, fording 
 rivers, pitching tents, and arming himself against 
 his fellow man and the beasts of the forests ; to sit- 
 ting down in a mail coach, and being carried such a 
 distance in thirty-eight hours, without any effort of 
 his own ! The distance from Masuah to the capital 
 of Abyssinia leaves me nothing to boast as a traveller; 
 yet when it is considered that this distance required 
 forty-eight days to accom})lish, without reckoning 
 those I passed at Adowa, I hope I may claim a 
 greater merit than those who have travelled in ;i 
 mail coach from London to Durham.
 
 2fJ4 
 
 CHAPTER XXIi. 
 
 SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF ABYSSINIA. 
 
 JjEING now arrived at the capital of Abyssinia, I 
 shall make my reader acquainted with some of the 
 leading points of the history of this country, and its 
 inhabitants. 
 
 The Shangalla are the native inhabitants of ancient 
 Ethiopia. They are of a deep black, and woolly 
 haired. They were formerly a very numerous people, 
 divided into distinct tribes, each living in separate 
 territories, each under the government of a chief 
 of its own name, and each family of that name being 
 under the jurisdiction of its own chief or head. 
 They inhabit the Kolla, or low lands to the west and 
 north of Abyssinia, and still occupy a great extent 
 of ground. 
 
 During the fliir season, the Sliangalla live under 
 the shade of trees, the lowest branches of which thev 
 cut on the upper side, near the stem, and then bend 
 or break them down, planting the ends in the earth. 
 These branches they cover with tiie skins of wild 
 beasts. After this they cut away all superfluous 
 branches on the inside, and so form a spacious 
 pavilion, the trunk of the tree serving for the pole 
 in the middle, and the large top overshadowing the 
 whole in a very picturesque manner. 
 
 The Dobenah, the most powerful of all the Shan- 
 galla, and wiio have a sort of supremacy over the 
 rest, live altogether upon the flesh of the elephant, 
 and rhinoceros. The nations that live nearer the
 
 ABYSSINIA. 265 
 
 Tacazze, and the plains of Sirc', feed upon buffaloes, 
 lions, boars, deer, and serpents: and further west 
 of the Tacazze, and the valley of Waldubba, they 
 live upon the crocodile, hippopotamus, and fish, and 
 upon locusts, which they boil first, and then keep 
 dry in baskets, most curiously made with split 
 branches of trees. The northern Shangalla have a 
 variety of venison, and the eastern eat ostricb.es, li- 
 zards, &c. Whatever flesh composes the food of 
 these people, it is provided during the fair season, 
 and cut into thongs of the thickness of a man's 
 thumb; it is then hung like ropes on the trees around 
 tlieir habitations, and the sun dries it to the consis- 
 tence of leather. When used, it is beaten with a 
 wooden mallet, then boiled, and then roasted on the 
 embers ; and when it has undergone all these ope- 
 rations, it is still sufficiently hard. 
 
 When the black soil that these people inhabit is 
 dissolved into mire by the tropical rains, and the 
 wooded pavilions are no longer tenable, the Shan- 
 galla retire with their respective kinds of dried meat, 
 into caves dug in the steepest parts of the moun- 
 tains, where they pass that inclement season in con- 
 stant confinement, and in perfect security, each witl 
 his own family, and having no intercourse with the 
 
 rest. 
 
 No sooner does the sun pass the zenith, in his way 
 southward, than the rains cease. A very few days 
 of intense heat then dries tlie ground so perfectly, 
 that it opens into chasms ; and the grass, struck at 
 •the root by the rays, droops, and becomes parched. 
 To clear this away, the Shangalla set it on fire. The 
 fire runs with incredible violence, following the dry 
 grass, and passing imder the trees, and among the 
 branches, ^mth such velocity, as not to hurt them, 
 
 1
 
 ^66 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 but to occasion every leaf to fall. A proper dis- 
 tance is preserved between every habitation, and 
 round their principal watering places, and the peo- 
 ple again form their pavilions as before. Nothing 
 can be more beautiful than these shady habitations; 
 but they have this fatal effect, that they are discern* 
 ible from the high grounds, and point out their in- 
 mates for destruction. 
 
 The country now cleared, the danger of the Shan- 
 
 galla begins. All the governors bordering upon 
 
 their country, from the Bahanagash on the east, to 
 
 the Nile on the west, are obHged to pay a certain 
 
 number of slaves ; and when a settlement of Shan- 
 
 galla is surprised, the men are all slaughtered ; the 
 
 women are manv of them slain ; manv throw them- 
 
 selves down precipices, run mad, hang themselves, 
 
 or starve, obstinately refusing food. The boys and 
 
 girls under seventeen and eighteen years of age, the 
 
 younger the better, are taken and educated by the 
 
 king, and instructed in the Christian religion. They 
 
 are the tallest, handsomest, and best inclined of any 
 
 people in Abyssinia; they are the only servants who 
 
 attend the king's person ; and are servants of trust 
 
 in all great families. 
 
 The Shangalla, as might naturally be expected, 
 are mortal enemies of the Abyssinians. Where the 
 belt of rich flat country is the broadest, the trees 
 the thickest, and the pools the largest, there live 
 the most powerful nations of the Shangalla; and 
 these have often defeated the armies of Abyssinia, 
 and laid waste Tigre and Sir4 its most populous 
 provinces. 
 
 The Shangalla go without clothing, except that 
 the married, of both sexes, wear a slight covering 
 about their waist. They have several wives, and
 
 ABYSSINIA. 267 
 
 these are very prolific. As soon as it is born, they 
 wash the infant in cold water, and then wrap it in a 
 soft cloth made of the bark of trees, and hang it upon 
 a branch, that the large ants or the serpents may 
 not devour it. After a few days, the mother places 
 it upon her back, in the same cloth, and throws her 
 breast over her shoulder when it wants to suck- 
 After bearing one or two children, her breast falls 
 down nearly to her knees. Each family of these 
 negroes attacks and defends by itself, and theirs is 
 the spoil who take it ; a mother, therefore, sensible 
 of the disadvantage of a small number of children, 
 importunes her husband to take a second wife, and 
 wooes her for him in nearly the same manner as 1 
 shall describe when speaking of the Galla. 
 
 The Shangalla have but one language, which is 
 very guttural They worship trees and serpents, 
 and the moon and stars in certain positions. They 
 have diviners who foretel unlucky events, and pre- 
 tend to afflict their enemies with sickness at a dis- 
 tance. 
 
 The Shangalla have no bread. No grain or pulse 
 will grow in the country. Before the month of 
 May, the black earth is rent into great chasms, 
 trodden into dust, and ventilated with hot winds, 
 so as to be dead matter, incapable of vegetation. 
 Upon the first sprinkling of rain, the chasms are filled 
 up, and the whole country resembles dry garden 
 mould, newly dug. As the sun advances, the rains 
 increase ; this is the season for sowing ; and let us 
 suppose grain to be sown. While this is swelling in 
 the ground, tiiere starts up an immense quantity of 
 indigenous grass, which was sown last year, and 
 which lay in the bosom of the earth, waiting its 
 season to rise. E?fore the grain can appear, the
 
 268 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 grass has shot up so thick, and so high, as to choak 
 it. If it were possible to hoe or weed out the grass, 
 a second crop would over-top the grain before its 
 blade were an inch high ; and could this second 
 grass be cleared away, the fat black earth would by 
 this time have become a perfect mire : the rain still 
 increases, and the grain rots. 
 
 The Shangalla are all archers from their infancy. 
 Their bows are thicker than the common propor- 
 tion ; they are about seven feet long, and very 
 elastic. Their arrows are full four feet and a half 
 long, with large, rudely-shaped heads of very bad 
 iron. They have this remarkable custom, and it is 
 a religious one, that they fix a ring or thong of the 
 skin of every animal, from the lizard to the elephant, 
 upon the bow that killed it. This gradually stiffens 
 the bow, till, being covered with leathern rings, it 
 can no longer be bent by its master. It is then 
 hung up on a tree, and a new one is made in its 
 place, which, in time, shares the same fate. The 
 bow that was the favourite of the master is buried 
 with him, in the expectation of its rising with his 
 body to a second existence, when he shall no longer 
 be subject to pain or death ; but be endowed with a 
 greater degree of strength, and a greater capacity for 
 every human enjoyment. 
 
 There can be no doubt of the expedition of the 
 Queen of Sheba to Jerusalem ; as Pagan, xlrab. 
 Moor, and Abyssinian, vouch for it nearly in the 
 terms of Scripture. The xlbyssinians say that her 
 name was Maqueda ; that she was a Pagan when 
 she left Azab, or Saba, her own country; but, being 
 filled with admiration of the wisdom and magnifi- 
 cence of Solomon, she was converted to Judaism 
 while at Jerusalem. They also say that she bore
 
 ABYSSINIA. t'69 
 
 that king a son, whom she called Meniiek, and that 
 he was the founder of the Abvssmian monarchy. 
 The Abyssinians deduce three of their laws from the 
 Queen of Saba. First, that tlie crown should be 
 fixed in tlie family of Solomon for ever. Secondly, 
 that 'it should not be worn by a woman. Lastly, 
 that the males of the royal family should be sent 
 prisoners to a high mountain, and continue there till 
 their death, or till called to the succession. The 
 Abyssinians believe that the descendants of Solomon 
 and the Queen of Saba have reigned over them, with 
 only two interruptions, and that they continue to 
 reign over them to this day. They say that Meni- 
 iek removed his court from Saba to Axum. 
 
 The Falasha, or Jews of Abyssinia, say that they 
 came into this country with the Queen of Saba, when 
 she returned from Jerusalem, antl have retained their 
 religion ever since. In fighting with the Abyssinian 
 Christians, they have been driven from the low 
 country, and compelled to take refuge on the rugged 
 and almost inaccessible rocks in the high ridge of 
 the mountains of Samen. One of these, formed by 
 nature for a fortress, they chose for their metropolis. 
 It has but one entrance, and tliat very difficult; being 
 also defended by a multitude of inhabitants, who 
 dwell on a large plain at the top, where there is suf- 
 ficient space to plough and sow, and a large stream 
 of water running through the whole. 
 
 A great overthrow which the Jews suffered about 
 the year 1(300, and in which their king and queen 
 were slain, brought them to the brink of ruin ; and 
 since that time they have submitted to pay taxes, 
 though they are allowed to enjoy their own govern- 
 ment. They are supposed to amount to 100,00<.' 
 effective men.
 
 ^270 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 The Abyssinians were converted to Christianity 
 in the year 333. This was effected with facility and 
 moderation. No fanatic preachers, no heated saints 
 or madmen, ambitious to make, or to be made mar- 
 tyrs, disturbed this great event. It was brought 
 about by a young Greek, called Frumentiiis, who 
 was shipwrecked on the coast of Abyssinia, carried 
 to Axum, where the court then resided, and to whom 
 the queen confided the education of the young king. 
 
 The first interruption in the line of Solomon hap- 
 pened about the year y60, when Judith, after mur- 
 dering the princes on the rock Damo, seated herself 
 upon the throne of Abyssinia. She reigned forty 
 years, and transmitted the crown to five of her pos- 
 terity, whose reigns were a continued scene of mur- 
 der, violence, and oppression. 
 
 The descendants of Judith were succeeded by a 
 noble family of Lasta, which was related to them. 
 These were of the Christian religion; and the names 
 of six of these sovereigns are preserved with every 
 mark of esteem and veneration. The fourth of 
 these, who was called Lalibala, lived at the end of 
 the twelfth, or the beginning of the thirteenth cen- 
 tury. 
 
 In the reign of this prince, persecution drove a 
 number of hewers and builders of stone from Kgypt 
 into Abyssinia ; and he employed them in cutting 
 churches out of the solid rock, in Lasta, the native 
 province of his family. These remain untouched to 
 the present time, and will probably continue to the 
 latest posterity. They contain large columns, and 
 every species of ornament that would have been ex- 
 ecuted in buildings of detached stones, above ground. 
 
 Another undertaking of Lalibala was to intercept 
 the waters which form the inundation of the Nile,
 
 ABYSSINIA. 271 
 
 nnd to fauilsh Egypt. It is said that death, the or- 
 dinary enemy of stupendous works, put a stop to tlie 
 enterprize of Lalibala : but I have been assured that 
 they are visible to this day; that their purpose could 
 not be mistaken, and that, had they been continued, 
 their success was probable. 
 
 The last of the monarchs I have mentioned, and 
 the grandson of Lalibala, performed a work not less 
 extraordinary, though of a different kind. The in- 
 fant king of the race of Solomon, who had escaped 
 the massacre at Damo, had been conveyed into the 
 powerful nnd loyal province of Shoa ; where he and 
 bis descendants had been reigning during the period 
 that the six Jewish and the six Lasta sovereigns had 
 governed the rest of Abyssinia. Nacueta Laab, the 
 present king, voluntarily resigned the regal dignity 
 to Icon Amlak, the heir of the house of Solomon ; 
 and under the mediation of the Abuna, or Abyssi- 
 nian patriarch, a treaty was concluded, consisting 
 of the four followinf? articles. 
 
 First, That Nacueta Laab should immediately re- 
 sign the kingdom of Abyssinia to Icon Amlak. 
 
 Second, that a portion of lands in Lasta should 
 be allotted to Nacueta Laab in perpetual sovereignty, 
 free from homage, service, and taxes ; that he and 
 his heirs should be styled Kings of Lasta, and enjoy 
 the ensigns of regal dignity; these were, that his two 
 kettle-drums should be of silver, the points of the 
 spears carried by his guard, and the globes on the 
 top of the pole to which his colours were fastened, 
 of the same metal, and that he should sit upon a 
 gold stool or chair, in the form of that used by the 
 King of Abyssinia. 
 
 In the third article the patriarch did not forget 
 himself; for one third of the kingdom was absolutely
 
 272 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 ceded to him, for the maintenance of liis state, and 
 the support of the clergy, churches, and convents. 
 
 By the fourth article it was ordained that no na- 
 tive Abyssinian should ever be chosen Abuna. 
 
 The first of these covenants was immediately per- 
 formed ; the second was faitiifully observed nearly 
 iive hundred years ; the grant to the Abuna has 
 been in great measure resumed under different pre- 
 te»ces ; and the fourth article has been religiously 
 kept. 
 
 Adel and Mara, tv/o of the most powerful king- 
 doms on the south of Abyssinia, were the iirst to 
 withdraw themselves from tlieir obedience to its so- 
 vareign, and seldom paid their tribute, unless when 
 the prince collected it at the head of a strong army. 
 The provinces of Ifat, Fatigar, and Dawaro, which 
 lay between these countries and Abyssinia, having, 
 in weak reigns, been ceded to the Moors of Adel for 
 sums of money, renounced, by degrees, the Christian 
 religion, and embraced that of their new masters. 
 
 Better incitements to war than these could not be 
 desired. During the rains, both Moors and Chris- 
 tians kept at home, and prepared for battle. When 
 the rains ceased, they sallied forth for the purposes 
 of destruction and devastation ; and the first decla- 
 ration, and the last practice, of war, on either side, 
 was to burn the towns, destroy the crops, and mur- 
 der the peaceable inhabitants, belonging to the op- 
 posite party. All this was done, however, with a 
 due regard to the Christian religion. Amda Sion, 
 one of the Kings of Abyssinia, marched into the 
 territories of the Moors, celebrated the feast of St. 
 John the Baptist; then razed the mosques of a town, 
 destroyed the grain, burnt the villages, and put the 
 people to the sword. He then marched to another
 
 ABYSSINIA. ■^7-3 
 
 •place, wliere he celebrated the feast o^ the Cross, 
 and cut all the enemy to pieces, except a few old 
 2nen and women, whom he graciously allowed to dcr. 
 part, cutting ofFonly their lips and noses. 
 
 A Moor of Arar, called MalFudi, was not behind- 
 hand with the Christian sovereign in zeal for his re- 
 ligion. Brave, capable of enduring the greatest 
 hardships, and a rigid Mohammedan, he made a 
 vow that he would always pass the season of Lent in 
 some part of the Abyssinian dominions: not, how- 
 ever, with a view to his own humiliation, but that 
 of the unfortunate people whom he visited ; for hav- 
 ing raised, at> his own expence, a small band of ve- 
 teran troops, he slew without mercy all who made 
 resistance ; and carried off whole villages of men, 
 women, and children, of those who submitted quietly, 
 and sold them for slaves. The Moor had a substan- 
 tial reason fof choosing Lent for the time of his de- 
 predations •, for the Abyssiniaas are so strict in keep- 
 ing their fasts, that they taste no animal food, butter, 
 eggs, oil, or wine at those times ; nor will they 
 drink water, though ever so thirsty, till six o^clock 
 in the evening. They are then content with bread, 
 to which the richest of them add only honey; and 
 this rigid abstinence renders them so weak that they 
 are unable to bear fatigue or fighting. 
 
 When the pious Mohammedan had kept Lent in 
 Abyssinia for nearly thirty years, beginning to 
 burn the churches, and drive off the people and cat- 
 tle on the first day, and making further progress as 
 every succeeduig one elapsed, tiic king of Abyssinia 
 thoucrht it time to make his soldiers eat in Lent; and 
 he was so sinijrularlv fortunate as to find a monk, 
 who took upon himself to fast a whole year, as an 
 atonemciit for wliat the army might devour, ^faf!- 
 
 T
 
 274f ABYSSINIA. 
 
 fudi was defeated by this expedient, and the Abys- 
 sinian prisoners and cattle were retaken. This hap- 
 pened about the end of the fifteenth century. 
 
 In the next reign Maffudi was slain in single combat 
 by the monk, who having formerly fasted to expiate the 
 transgressions of the army, now undertook to be its 
 champion. On their return to the capital, the eyeS 
 of the whole nation were fixed upon the monk, who 
 had delivered them from their constant and inve- 
 terate scourge, JVIafrudi. Every one pressed for- 
 ward to throw flowers and green branches in his 
 way ; the women celebrating him with songs, pla- 
 cing garlands on his head, and holding up the young 
 children to see him as he passed. 
 
 The barbarity of the Abyssinians was not without 
 some tincture of the generosity of romance ; for in 
 this expedition the king advanced to a town in Adel, 
 Vvliere there was a house belonging to the king of that 
 country; and stuck his lance in the door, and left it, 
 as a memorial that he had been there, and had iiad the 
 place in his power. He then retired with his army,, 
 not suffering his soldiers to plunder. 
 
 The kingdom of Abyssinia was soon after over- 
 run by the Mohammedans, and the king was hunted 
 about the country like a wild beast, and fled from 
 rock to rock, very often alone, and never more than 
 slightly attended. 
 
 About the middle of the sixteenth century, a new 
 enemy appeared in Abyssinia. These were the 
 Galla, a powerful and numerous people who origi- 
 nated in the heart of Africa. They first entered the 
 eastern frontiers of Abyssinia, and have continued 
 to flow like a stream into this unhappy country, 
 contributing more to reduce it than all its civil 
 w^ars, and other external enemies, combined; havinc:
 
 THE GALLA. 27-5 
 
 ^aduallv encircled it on the south, the east, and 
 the north. The Galla were at first all infantry ; 
 and they said that the country they came from would 
 loot permit them to breed horses ; but upon esta- 
 blishing themselves in the southern provinces of 
 Abvssinia, and the small Mohammedan districts 
 .bordering upon them, they acquired a breed of 
 horses, which tliey have multiplied so industriously, 
 tliat they are become a nation of cavalry, and hold 
 their infantry in very little esteem. 
 
 The Galla are of a brown complexion, with long 
 black hair ; some, indeed, who live in the low, hot 
 country, are perfectly black. They are rather less 
 than the middle size, and extremely light and agile. 
 Though the principal food of these people was at 
 iirst the milk and butter of their herds, they have 
 learned cf the Abysshiians to plough and sow the 
 ground, and to make bread. 
 
 The Galhi are separated into three divisions, each 
 <?onsisting of seven tribes ; and this immense multi- 
 tude girds Abyssinia round at all points from east to 
 west, making inroads, and burning and murdering 
 the property and people. They are so merciless as 
 not to spare eren women with child, in the hopes of 
 ^destroying a male. Yet all these tribes, the most 
 cruel that ever were let loose in anv country, are 
 governed by the strictest discipline at home, where 
 the smallest broil among individuals receives imme^ 
 diate punishment. 
 
 Each of the three divisions of the Galla elects a 
 king ; and there is a kind of nobility from among 
 whom only the king can be chosen. No noble can 
 be elected till he be past forty years of age, or till 
 he have slain witli his own hand as many men as, 
 ;added to hi^s years,' will make up forty, 
 
 * ■>
 
 S/S ABYSSINIA. 
 
 The council of each tsibe assembles under a tree 
 called a Wanzey tree, which is held sacred by all the 
 tribes. Here they deliberate upon public affaii;^, 
 and determine what number can be spared for war, 
 and what left behind, to govern, guard, and culti- 
 vate the territory. They afterwards proceed to the 
 head-quarters of the king, who allots to each tribe its 
 scene of rapine and murder ; but limits them always 
 to speedy returns, in case the body of the nation 
 should have occasion for their services. 
 
 Vv'hen a king is chosen, he is crowned with a gar- 
 land of Wanzey ; and a sceptre, or bludgeon, of that 
 wood is put into his hand. His authority lasts seven 
 years. 
 
 The Galla are reputed very good soldiers for a 
 surprise, or a first attack, but they have not per- 
 severance. They accomplish incredible marches; 
 swim across rivers, holding by their horse's tails, an 
 exercise to which both they and their horses Jire 
 perfectly trained ; do the utmost mischief possible in 
 the shortest time ; and rarelv return bvthe same way 
 they came. 
 
 The principal arms of the Galla are poles, shar- 
 pened at the end, and hardened in the fire ; their 
 shields are made of a bull's hide^ The shrill and bar- 
 barous howl they make in battle may almost be ac- 
 Gounted one of their weapons, as, together witli the 
 reports of their cruelty, it made such an impression 
 on the Abyssinians, that formerly they rarely stood 
 lirm on the first onset of the Galla. 
 
 The women are said to be verv fruitful. Thev 
 return to their employments immediately after child- 
 birth ; and their employments are neither few nor 
 small ; for ploughing, -sowiDg, and reaping, are 
 among the number. The cattle tread out the conu 
 and the men take charge of the cattle.
 
 THE CALLA. 277 
 
 Both men and women, but particularly the men, 
 plait their hair with the guts of oxen, which they 
 likewise v/ear twisted around their waist; and these, 
 as they putrify, emit an intolerable stench. Both 
 sexes copiously anoint their heads and bodies with 
 butter or grease, which is continually raining from 
 them. In these fashions they greatly resembh-; the 
 Hottentots, to whom tiiey must formerly have been 
 nearer neighbours than they are at present. The 
 only additional covering is a piece of goat skin worn 
 as an apron, and another in the form of a woman's 
 handkerchief, which is thrown over the shoulders. 
 
 It has been said that the Galla have no religion ; 
 but the Wanzey tree under which their kings are 
 crowned is avowedly worshipped as a god in every 
 tribe. The moon, particularly the new moon, some 
 of the stars, and even certain stones, are also ob- 
 jects of their devotion. All of them believe that 
 after death they shall live again, in the same body, 
 and with the same friends as in the present life ; but 
 they are to be infinitely more perfect, to suffer nei- 
 ther sorrow, pain, nor trouble, and to die no more. 
 The Galla suffer no strangers to live among them. 
 They sometimes marry Abyssinian women, but the 
 issue of these marriages is incapable of all employ- 
 ment. Their form of marriage is as follows. The 
 bridegroom standing before the parents of the bride, 
 holds grass in his right hand, and the dung of a cow 
 in his left. He then says, '* May this never enter, 
 nor this ever come out, if I do not what I pro- 
 mise :" that is, may the grass never enter the mouth 
 of the cow, nor the dung be discharged from her, 
 if he do not })crform the matrimonial engagement. 
 His engagements are, however, very simple ; as he 
 only swears to his bride that he will give her meat 
 and drink while living, and bury her when dead.
 
 27& AinssiMA. 
 
 Polygamy is allowed among the Galla; but it fs^ 
 the women who solicit the men to increase the num- 
 ber of their wives. A young woman having two 
 children by her husband, intreats him to xnkt ano- 
 ther wife, and namfes to him the most beautiful girls 
 of her acquaintance, especially those whom she 
 thinks likely to have large families. . After the 
 husband has made his choice, she goes to the tent 
 of the young w^oman, and sits behind it in a sup^ 
 pliant posture, till she have excited the attention of 
 the family within. She then, with an audible voice, 
 declares who she is, and who were her parents ^ 
 says that her husband has all the qualifications ne- 
 cessary to make a woman happy; that she has only 
 two children by him; and as her family is so small, 
 she comes to solicit tlieir daughter for her husband's 
 wife, that their families may be joined together and 
 be strong ; and that her children, from their being 
 few in number, may not fall before their enemies in 
 the day of battle* 
 
 When the Galla woman has thus obtained a wife 
 for her husband, she takes her home to him, and 
 then retires, with her children, to the tent of the 
 bride's family. There she is feasted ; and the men, 
 putting each their hands upon the heads of the children, 
 take an oath to live And die with them as their own 
 offspring. The husband remains at home with his 
 bride during seven days ; at the end of which time 
 he gives a feast ; when the first wife appears seated 
 by her husband, and the second waits upon the com-^ 
 pany. The first wife always retains her precedence, 
 and the younger one is treated by her as a grown-up 
 daughter. 
 
 There does not exist a motive sufficiently powerful 
 to induce a British matron to woo another wife for
 
 Tl^iE GALLA. 279 
 
 her husband ,: but where fighting is the annual occu- 
 pation, and each family fights by itself, conjugal af- 
 fection gives way to maternal tenderness. 
 
 When a son begins to shave, or a daugliter is mar- 
 riageable, the father gives to either a few milch cows, 
 according to his substance ; and these, with their 
 increase, are the portion of the child ; the rest of 
 his property descends at his death to his eldest son. 
 Wlieu the fatlier becomes old and unfit for war, he 
 is obliged to surrender the whole of his effects to his 
 eldest son, who is bound to give him aliment, and 
 nothing more. When the eldest brother dies, leav- 
 ing a widow young enough to bear children, the 
 youngest brother is obliged to marry her ; but the 
 children of the marriage are accounted as those of 
 the eldest brother. 
 
 It is not a matter of small curiosity to know what 
 is the food of these people, which is so portable as 
 to enable them to traverse immense deserts, and fall 
 unexpectedly on tlie towns and villages of Abyssinia. 
 This is nothing more than coffee, roasted till it can 
 be pulverized, and then mixed with butter to a con- 
 sistency that will allow it to be made into balls. 
 These they carry in a leathern bag ; and they say 
 that one of these, about the size of a billiard ball, 
 -supports them in health and spirits during the fa- 
 tigue of a whole day. 
 
 The language of the Galla is totally different from 
 any in Abyssinia, and is the same throughout all the 
 tribes, with very little variation of dialect. 
 
 This remarkable people have, by their continual 
 inroads, wrested some of the finest provinces from 
 Abyssinia j and it is difficult to say whether they 
 might not have conquered the whole, had not the 
 ?mall pox, to which they were strangers in their own
 
 280 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 country, stopped their progress, and thinned theif 
 numbers more eiiectually than all the invention and 
 opposition of man. If, however, the Ahyssinians' 
 have suffered greatly from the continued irruptions 
 of the Galla, it must be confessed that they have 
 freed them from the hostilities of their ancient ene- 
 mies, the Moors of Adel, whose king they have re- 
 duced to a state of absolute insigniiicance. 
 
 In the year 1680, Yasous, King of Abyssinia, began 
 his reign by undertaking such an expedition as that 
 country had never seen before. Every year of the 
 Abyssinian annals furnishes instances of foreign in- 
 vadei's to be fought with, and domestic insurrections 
 to be quelled ; but this prince, attended by his no- 
 bles, sat down at the foot of the mountain Yvechne^ 
 which had now been the prison of the royal family 
 during forty years, and ordered all the princes to be 
 brought before him. 
 
 During the last reign, these forlorn princes had 
 been totally neglected; their revenue had been ill 
 paid by the king, and embezzled by their keepers ; 
 and they had often been reduced to tlie danger of 
 perishing by hunger and cold. 
 
 In the midst of the king's relations appeared his 
 grandfather's brother, who, forty years before had 
 been sent to the mountain, two of his uncles, with 
 their families, and two of his brothers. The sight 
 of so many noble relations, some advanced in years, 
 some in the flower of their vouth, and some yet chil- 
 dren, all, however, in rags, and almost naked -^ 
 made such an impression on the young king, that 
 he burst into tears. To the aged he paid the reve-^ 
 rence and respect due to parents ; to those about his 
 own age he behaved with a kind and liberal fami- 
 liarity; while he bestowed on the young ones ca-
 
 ap^TssinJa. 281 
 
 resses and commendations. His first care was to 
 provide them all plentifully with apparel and every 
 necessary : he dressed liis brothers like himself, and 
 his uncles still more richly, and divided a large sum 
 of money among them all. 
 
 In the month of December, which is the pleasant- 
 est of the whole year, the sun being moderately hot, 
 and the sky without a cloud, tlie court was encamped 
 under the mountain, and the inferior sort of people 
 were strewn alons: the sTass. All were treated at 
 the expence of the king, and passed the day and 
 night in continued festival. " It is but right," said 
 the king, " that I should pay for a pleasure so great 
 that none of my predecessors ever dared to taste it." 
 Of all that noble assembly, none seemed to enjoy it 
 more sincerely. All pardons for criminals, solicited 
 at this time, were granted. 
 
 Having spent thus a whole month at the foot of 
 the mountain, the king called for the treasury book, 
 in which the sum allowed for the maintenance oi 
 these prisoners was stated ; and having provided foi 
 the full and punctual payment of it in future, he 
 embraced them all, assuring them of his constant 
 protection, and mounting his horse, he took their 
 deeper along with him, leaving all the royal family 
 at liberty. 
 
 This mark of confidence, more than all the rest, 
 touched the hearts of that noble troop, who hastened, 
 every man with his utmost speed, to their prison ; 
 regarding every moment of delay as a sort of ingra- 
 titude towards their kind and munificent benefactor. 
 Their way was moistened with tears, flowing from 
 sensible and thankful hearts ; and the mountain re- 
 sounded with prayers for the long life and prosperity 
 of the king, and continuance of the crow^n to his
 
 iSBS ABYSSINIA. 
 
 iineal descendants. It is remarkable that duiiug 
 the long reign of this sovereign, and throughout the 
 \vars in which he was constantly involved, no -com- 
 petitor ever appeared from the mountain in breach 
 of the vow the princes had voluntarily made. 
 
 All the most powerful people in the kingdom had 
 here an opportunity of seeing, at one view, each in- 
 dividual of the royal family who was capable of wear- 
 ing the crown ; and the generous conduct of the 
 king was rewarded by their declaring, M-ith one 
 voice, that if they had been then assembled to elect 
 a kinc:, their choice could not have fallen on anv 
 other but himself. 
 
 The second interruption in the line of Solomon 
 happened in the year 1709, when an Abyssinian 
 nobleman, named Oustas, obtained the crown, on 
 the death of the son of Yasous. Oustas was not a, 
 bad king, though not a legitimate one ; but during 
 his reign the revenues of the princes on the moun- 
 tain had not been regularly paid, and the princes had 
 again been reduced to the danger of perishing for 
 want of the necessaries of life. In the year lyi^, 
 when Oustas drew near his end, it Vv'as proposed 
 that his son, who was also confined on the mountain, 
 should succeed him. The princes of the house of 
 Solomon, expecting that nothing less than their utter 
 extirpation would be thought sufficient to secure the 
 new family on the throne, agreed among themselves 
 to let down from the mountain fifty of their number, 
 of the greatest hopes, and in the prime of life, to 
 defend their right against a stranger, and secure the 
 lives of those who remained. As soon as it was 
 known that David, one of the royal family, was pro- 
 claimed king, they all returned of their own accord 
 to the mountain, except Bacufia, the younger bro-
 
 ABYSSINIA. ^8a 
 
 ther of the new sovereign, who concealed himself 
 among the Galla. 
 
 By degrees the Galla were introduced into the 
 armies of Aoyssinia. About the year 17GO, the king 
 passing with his army near the dominions which had 
 been assigned to the family that had resigned the 
 throne, the prince of Lasta presented himself before 
 the king, in the habit of peace, with his kettle drums, 
 and the ends of his guard's spears of silver. Tha 
 king received hhn with great cordiality and kind- 
 ness, would not allow him to prostrate himself upon 
 the ground, and made him sit in his presence. He 
 w^as an old man, of few words, but those inoffensive, 
 lively, and pleasant. Magnificent ])resents were 
 made on both sides ; the prince took his leave, and 
 the Abyssinian army was much })leased with this 
 specimen of the good faith of their sovereigns. 
 
 It is remarkable that, during five centuries, the 
 princes of this family had never abetted, in any v/ay, 
 the many rebellions of tiie Abyssinian subjects in 
 their vicinity, nor had ever been molested or in- 
 fringed upon by any of the Abyssinian kings. It is 
 painful to relate that now, on his return home from 
 the army, this prince fell in with a detachment of it, 
 commanded by a Galla, who slew the respectable 
 old man with his own hand, and then sacrificed his 
 .ittendants. 
 
 The insolent Galla joined the army wich the pride 
 of a conqueror, beating the silver kettle drums he 
 had taken, in triumph, and rode to the tent of the 
 Ras, who commanded for the king. The Ras was 
 so exasperated that he ordered his attendants to pull 
 him off his horse. In a short time, the eldest son 
 of the prince came to demand reparation for the 
 murder of his father ; m hen the head of the Galla
 
 281 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 Captain was presented to him, and tlie silver kettle 
 drums, with the rest of the spoils, were restored* 
 
 The law of retaliation is the criminal law of this 
 country ; so that when any person is murdered, it 
 does not belong to the king to punish the offence, 
 but tne judges deliver the offender to the nearest 
 relation of the murdered man, who has the full 
 power of putting him to death, selling him to slavery, 
 or granting him a free pardon. 
 
 The next king of the Abyssinians was a prince 
 more than seventy years of age, who had passed his 
 life upon the mountain. He had a beautiful young 
 wife given him, and was intreated to march against 
 his rebeUious subjects, who were aided by the Galla. 
 Equally dead to love and ambition, he Avept, hid 
 liimself, turned monk, and demanded to be sent 
 back to Wechne. The Ras, who was now the King- 
 maker, rid himself of the helpless, pusillanimous old 
 man by poison, and proclaimed his son, Tecla Hai- 
 manout, in his stead. 
 
 Tecla Haimanout was fifteen years of age when 
 he mounted the throne. He was a prince of a most 
 graceful figure; tall, slender, of the whitest shade of 
 Abyssinian colour, that is, not so dark as a Portu- 
 guese ; for such are all the princes who are born 
 upon the mountain. His forehead was handsome, 
 bis eyes large and black, his nose straight and rather 
 large, his mouth small, his lips were thin, his teeth 
 were white, his hair was long, dressed with great 
 care, and in many different ways. His features 
 would have been thought fine even in Europe. 
 Though Tecla Haimanout had been only a few 
 months from his native mountain when I arrived at 
 his court, his manners were those of a prince who 
 had sat on a throne from his infancy. He had an ex- 
 cellent understanding, and prudence beyond his years.
 
 
 CHAPTER XXIir. 
 
 RECEPTION AT GONDAR. 
 
 ItIY letters were for the King of Abyssinia, tht? 
 Ras, and the brotlier of Janni; but these personages 
 were all with the army. I was however received 
 into the house of a friend of the latter at Gondar ; 
 and was visited with great ceremony the evening of 
 my arrival by a nobleman of the court. He ex- 
 pressed great satisfaction at my being able to speak 
 the language of the country ; and, having been in- 
 formed that I had treated the small pox successfully 
 at Adowa, he requested my assistance for a son of 
 the lias, who was ill of that disorder. 
 
 The next morning I waited upon this nobleman, 
 whom I found with large plates of bread, melted 
 butter, and honey before him ; and after breakfast 
 we set out for tlie palace of Koscam, which belongs 
 to the Iteghe or Queen, whose daughter, by a ae- 
 cond husband, was the wife of the Ras, but not the 
 iTiother of the sick son. 
 
 That wife of a king upon whose head her hus- 
 band has placed a crown, is queen for life ; and du- 
 ring her life there can be no other. She is regent 
 during every minority, whether the infant king be 
 her own son, or the son of the most distant branch 
 of the royal family, and whatever number of minors 
 succeed each other. This regent for life bears the 
 title of Iteghe.
 
 '2S6 . ABYSSINIA. 
 
 On coming within sight of the palace of Koscani, 
 we uncovered our heads, and rode slowly. We 
 alighted, and were shewn into a low room, from 
 whence the nobleman proceeded to an audience with 
 the queen. On his return, I found my attendance 
 was dispensed with ; the son of the Ras being much 
 better, and enabled to eat raw beef, in consequence 
 of having swallowed some characters written by a 
 saint of Waldubba. 
 
 On the following day it was discovered that raw beef 
 had not cured the son of the Ras, and I was again 
 conducted to Koscam. On my arrival at the palace, 
 I again found myself superseded by the saints, one 
 of whom, who had neither eaten nor drank for 
 twenty years, had undertaken to cure the patients, 
 for there were several of them, by laying a picture 
 of the Virgin Mary on their breasts. This time, 
 however, I was called into the presence of the 
 queen. I prostrated myself upon the ground, accor- 
 dinsr to the custom of the countrv ; as I ever was of 
 opinion that true dignity could not suffer by a com- 
 pliance with established ceremonies, and that little 
 minds only could attach importance to a particular 
 fittitude of the person. The nobleman, my con- 
 ductor,- then said, addressing himself to me, " ThiSv 
 is our gracious mistress, who always affords us assist- 
 ance and protection ; you may safely say before her 
 whatever is in your heart." I afterwards learned 
 that this gracious mistress had been guardian to more 
 than one minor king ; and that she, in conjunction 
 witli the Ras, had obtained the election of such, 
 that thev mio-fit ":overu in liis name. After some 
 conversation on the subject of the Christian religion, 
 I was dismissed; and in the evening I learned that 
 the son, and a grand-daughter, of tlie Ras, v^^rc 
 dead.
 
 GONDAR. 287 
 
 All faith in the saints was now abandoned ; and I 
 was requested to reside in the palace, and take 
 charge of others of the royal family who were sick; 
 1 therefore put on new cloaths made "in the Gondar 
 fashion, and having my hair cut round, curled, and 
 perfumed, I entered the palace to all appearance an 
 Abyssinian. Before I began to practise physic in 
 the palace of the Queen of Abyssinia, I insisted 
 upon one condition, which was that nothing with re- 
 gard to regimen or management should be permitted 
 without my orders. It had been the custom to shut 
 the room so close as even to exclude the light, and 
 to heat it by a tire and candles, while the patient lay 
 imder many coverings, and was supplied with hot 
 liquors. I opened all the doors and windows, fumlv 
 gating tlie apartments with incense and myrrh, and 
 washingthem with warm water and vinegar, and Ihad 
 the happiness to see all my patients recover but one.r 
 Among them was the infant son of the Ras, and 
 Ozoro Esther, daughter of the Queen. I got for my 
 fee a neat and convenient house wiihin the inclosure 
 of the palace of Koscam, and I saw the Queen every 
 day at her levee. 
 
 The army now returned ; 30,000 men were en- 
 camped by a brook below the town, and the next 
 dav they entered Gondar in triumph. The Ras was 
 at the head of the troops of Tigre. He was bare- 
 headed ; a cloak of black velvet with silver fringe was 
 thrown over his shoulder, and hung down his back, 
 A boy at his right stirrup, carried a silver wand 
 about live feet and a lialf long. The soldiers had 
 their lances and firelocks ornamented with small 
 shreds of scarlet cloth, one for every man each had 
 slain, man to man. One officer, the door-keeper of 
 the Ras, who from his childhood had Ibllowed him
 
 •288 ABYSSIiNIA. 
 
 in his wars, had the whole of his lance and javelin, 
 horse and person, covered with these trophies . of 
 victory. They are, however, sometimes easily ob- 
 tained ; for after a defeat it costs but little to de- 
 stroy the fugitives. It was said that the door-keepei 
 had killed eleven men with his own hand after the 
 last battle. 
 
 Next to these came tlie King, with a fillet of white 
 muslin about three inches broad binding his forehead, 
 tied with a large double knot behind, and the ends 
 hanging about two feet down his back. When the 
 army is in the field, this is a distinction used by the 
 king. It is also worn by the governor of a province 
 when he is first introduced into it, and, in the ab- 
 sence of the king it is the mark of supreme power, 
 either direct, or delegated by him. Except on such 
 occasions, no person covers his head in the presence 
 of the king, or in sight of the house where he re- 
 sides. About the king were the great officers of 
 state ; then followed such of the young nobility as 
 had no command, and then the household troops. 
 
 One thing remarkable in this cavalcade was the 
 head-dress of the governors of provinces. A broad 
 rillet was bound upon the forehead, and tied at the 
 back of the head, and in the middle of this was an 
 ornament called a /r/V;?, or horn, a conical piece of 
 silver gilt, resembling in size and shape one of ou-r 
 common extinguishers. This is only worn at re- 
 views, and parades after victories, and is doubtless 
 the horii often mentioned in scripture, " The horu 
 of the righteous shall be exalted," &c. 
 
 On the following day I was presented to the Ras, 
 whom I found sitting on a sofa. His white hair, for, 
 warrior as he was, he was seventy-four years of age, 
 was dressed in many short curls. He appeared
 
 GONDAR. 289 
 
 thoughtful, but not displeased. Ills face was lean, 
 
 his eyes quick and vivid ; and they must have been 
 
 bad physiognomists who did not discern his capacity 
 
 by his countenance. I kissed the ground before 
 
 him, and he stretched out his hand, and shook mine 
 
 on my rising. He then said, gravely, " You are a 
 
 man, I am told, who make it your business to wander 
 
 in the fields in search of trees and herbs, and sit all 
 
 night alone looking at the stars of heaven. Other 
 
 countries are not like this, though this never was so 
 
 bad as it is now. The wretches here are enemies to 
 
 strangers, and their first thought would be how to 
 
 murder you, if they had an opportunity, though 
 
 they were to get nothing by it; therefore the king 
 
 has appointed you one of the gentlemen of his becl- 
 
 chamber, which is a post that leaves you at liberty 
 
 to follow your own designs, and at the same time 
 
 places your person in safety. Go then to the King, 
 
 and kiss the ground on your appointment.'* 
 
 I then gave my present, which the Ras scarcely 
 looked at, and went to the palace of the King. 
 lie was sitting in an alcove, and I prostrated my- 
 self before him. The royal historiographer, an 
 old and familiar servant, presented me, saying, 
 *' I have brought you a servant from so distant 
 a country, that if you ever let him escape, we 
 shall not know where to find him." Tlie King'^ 
 mouth was covered, and he made no reply. Three 
 3*oung men, gentlemen of the bed-chamber, were 
 standin<r on one side of the throne, and two on the 
 other. I was placed above these lutt*^-', to com- 
 plete their number, and one of them took his knii'e 
 from his girdle, and put it in mine. While stranger^? 
 remained in the room, the king spoke to us by an 
 oflicer culled Kal Ifat/e, the I'oke^ or IJ'ord of flic 
 
 u
 
 ^90 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 King; when only his private attendants were left, 
 he uncovered his mouth and face, and spoke himself, 
 asking me many questions. 
 
 In possession of a place at the court of Abyssinia ; 
 protected and favoured by the King and the Iteghe; 
 associating with the first nobility of both sexes ; I 
 had leisure and opportunity to become acquainted 
 with the country and its inhabitants, their laws and 
 customs ; of all which I shall now proceed to give 
 some account. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 PllOVIx\CES, PALACES, HUNTING, AND ARMY 
 OF ABYSSINIA. 
 
 HE mountains of Abyssinia divide the seasonss 
 by a line running along their summit ; so that while 
 the eastern side, or that towards the Red Sea, is de- 
 luged with rain, the western side, or that towards 
 Atbara, a country in possession of the Arabs, which 
 lies between Abyssinia and Sennaar, enjoys continual 
 sunshine and an active vegetation. And o-n the 
 contrary, when Atbara is constantly covered with 
 clouds and rain, the shepherd on the eastern side 
 feeds his flocks on the most luxuriant herbage. The 
 former of these seasons takes place during our win- 
 ter ; the latter during our summer. These circum- 
 stances have entailed upon the shepherd a continual 
 change of place ; yet so small is this inconvenience, 
 so short the peregrination, that, from the rains on
 
 ABYSSINIA. 291 
 
 the western side, to the sunshine on the eastern, a 
 man may change his station in four hours. 
 
 The high country of Abyssinia is destitute of 
 wood ; the lower part of the mountains is sown with 
 different sorts of grain ; the upper part is covered 
 with grass and verdure. The towns and villages are 
 perched upon the pinnacles of hills and rocks. 
 
 On the south-east of Tigre is the province of Ee- 
 gemder, which is about 180 miles in length by 60 
 in breadth, comprehending the mountainous province 
 of Lasta. It is well stocked with cattle of every 
 kind, and extremelv beautiful. The mountains are 
 full of iron mines. Be^emder reaches to the vici- 
 iiity of the metropolis, and sends to it all sorts of 
 provisions. 
 
 On the south-east of Begemder is Amhara, about 
 120 miles from east to west, and 40 from north to 
 south. It is full of nobility, and the men are reck- 
 oned the handsomest and bravest in Abyssinia. 
 
 Shoa is south of Begemder. In this province was 
 once the capital of Abyssinia, and it still contains 
 its principal monastery, that of Debra Libanos. Its 
 prince has been long independent of the Kings of 
 Abyssinia ; yet he has never failed to assist them 
 with gold and troops beyond the quota due from the 
 province before its independence. Shoa is full of 
 the best and bravest horsemen in this country. 
 
 Gojam lies to the south of the lake Tzana. It U 
 about 80 miles in length, and forty in breadth, a fiat 
 country, encircled by the Nile, and filled with large 
 herds of cattle. 
 
 On the south of Gojam is Damot, which is about 
 40 miles long and 20 broad. 
 
 On the west of the mountains of Amid is th%ipro- 
 vincc of A'Tows. 
 
 u 2
 
 ■-^92 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 Maitsha is the flat country on botii sides of the 
 Nile ; which, not draining soon after the rains, is in 
 all places wet, and in many, marshy. It produces 
 little corn ; but depends upon a plant called ensete, 
 which furnishes the inhabitants with excellent and 
 w^holesome food throughout the year. 
 
 Dembea surrounds the lake Tzana, except on the 
 south-west, where the Nile issues from the lake, and 
 this province joins the district called Maitsha. It 
 extends the furthest on the western side, and it is, 
 together with Woggora, the granary of Abyssinia. 
 They are both sown with wheat, but that of Dembea 
 is the bc5t; it is called the king's food, and is appro- 
 priated to the use of his household. 
 
 West of Dembea is the mountainous province of 
 Kuara. The governor has the singular privilege of 
 beating his kettle drums, which are of silver, till he 
 comes to the foot of the outer stairs of the king's 
 palace at Gondar ; and no other governor of a pro- 
 vince is permitted to beat his drums in any place 
 where the king happens to be. 
 
 Narea has been reckoned the southernmost pro- 
 vince of Abyssinia ; but it is, properly speaking, an 
 independent state, governed by its native princes. 
 "What is to the west of Narea is unknown ; but the 
 Galla have surrounded it on the east, north, and 
 south, and have in a great measure cut off all com- 
 munication between this country and Abyssinia. 
 Narea is a mountainous country, interspersed with 
 small, unwholesome, but very fertile vallies. The sur- 
 rounding lands are flat, and many rivers which come 
 from the southward, stagnate here for want of a 
 sufficient descent, and spreading over the plain form 
 very extensive marshes. The foot of the mountains 
 bordering upon the marshes is thickly overgrown
 
 NAREA. ' 293 
 
 with coffee trees. The Galhi have settled in all the 
 fiat ground, to the very edge of the marshes, which 
 was formerly occupied by the Nareans ; but though 
 these have been driven out of the low country, it 
 has been by multitudes, nation after nation, pouring 
 in upon them, with a number of horses, to which 
 they were perfect strangers. Confined now to their 
 mountains, and surrounded by their woods and 
 marshes, they despise all further attempts of the 
 Galla, and drive them from their frontiers when 
 tiiey approach them. 
 
 The Nareans of the high country are fairer than 
 the Neapolitans or the Sicilians ; but those who live 
 on the borders of the marshes, are perfect blacks, 
 and have the features and woolly hair of negroes. 
 
 The people of Narea have a small trade with Me- 
 linda on the Indian Ocean, and with Angola on the 
 western, by means of the intermediate nations; they 
 are abundantly supplied with gold by the neighbour- 
 ing Negro countries. Gold, which they sell by 
 weight, is the medium of commerce within the count 
 try itself; but coarse cotton cloths, stibium, beads, 
 and incense, are the articles of their trade to the At- 
 lantic. There is great abundance of grain in Narea. 
 
 The Nareans are exceedingly brave ; but it some- 
 times happens that they are taken in skirmishes by 
 the Galla, and they are then sold at Gondar. The 
 women are more esteemed as slaves than those of 
 any other part of the world, and the men are reck- 
 oned active, fliithful, and intelligent. Both are re- 
 markable for a cheerful, kind disposition, and, if 
 properly treated, they soon form an inviolable attach- 
 ment to their masters. 
 
 The Nareans were converted to Christianity in the 
 early part of the seventeenth century. Immediately
 
 €94' ABYSSINIA. 
 
 adjoining Narea on the south is another Christian 
 state called Caffa. This country is still more moun- 
 tainous thiin the other ; coffee is its natural produce, 
 and it may be presumed that tlie berrv received its 
 name from the place where it grew. The language 
 of Narea and Caffa is peculiar to the country, and 
 is not a dialect of that of any neighbouring nation. 
 
 From Buri, the residence of the governor of Da- 
 mot, to Narea, it is thirty days' journey with loaded 
 asses, perhaps at the rate of eight or nine miles a 
 day ; in the whole, from 240 to 270 miles. 
 
 The western frontier of Abyssinia is called the 
 Kolla. For the sake of commerce and communica- 
 tion, the Shangalla, the native inliabitauts of the 
 country, have been extirpated in two places, like 
 gaps or chasms, in which are built towns and vil- 
 lages, and through which caravans pass between 
 Abyssinia and Sennaar. A Mohamm.edan is always 
 the deputy governor, who has to defend the Arabs 
 in friendship with Abyssinia from their neighbours 
 who belong to Sennaar. The inhabitants are fugi- 
 tives from all nations ; they are chiefly Mohammed- 
 ans, bold and expert horsemen, using no other wea- 
 pon than the broad sword, and with that attacking 
 the elephant and rhinoceros. All the rest of this 
 country is woody, impervious, and inaccessible, un- 
 less by an armed force, and even armies have perished 
 here. The soil is a rich dark mould; a thick screen 
 of watery clouds is interposed between it and the 
 sun ; and yet the thermometer rises to 100" in the 
 shade. A luxuriant and odoriferous vegetation is 
 the consequence of such a soil and such a climate, 
 
 Gondar, the capital of Abyssinia, is in lat. 12° 34' 
 north, and Ion. 37° 33' east. It was built about the 
 year IGSO. It is situated on the Hat top of a consi-
 
 GONDAR. 295 
 
 derable hill, which is surrounded on every side by 
 a deep valley. This valley has three outlets ; one 
 on the north, leading to Woggora ; one on the 
 north-west, leading to Sennaar ; and a third on the 
 south, which, afterwards dividing, encompasses the 
 lake Tzana on the eastern and western sides ; the 
 former leading to the south eastern, the latter to the 
 south western provinces. The Kahha, descending 
 from a mountain on the north west of Gondar, runs 
 through the valley and covers the south side of the 
 city ; the Angrab, falling from Woggora, surrounds 
 it on the north-east : these rivers join about a quar- 
 ter of a mile south of the city. 
 
 Gondar is perhaps three miles at its greatest 
 length, and no where more than a mile broad. The 
 houses are chiefly of clay ; the roofs are in the form 
 of cones, and covered with thatch. Every house in 
 Gondar, and all the towns of Abyssinia, has two or 
 three Wanzey trees planted round it ; at the end of 
 the rains, these are, in a single night, covered with 
 a multitude of white blossoms ; so that the town ap- 
 pears perfectly white. In time of peace, the inha- 
 bitants of Gondar may amount to about 10,000 fa- 
 milies. 
 
 At the west end of the city is the King's palace, 
 which was built by masons from India, and by such 
 Abyssinians as had been instructed by the Jesuits. 
 It was originally a square building, four stories high, 
 and flanked with square towers. Great part of this 
 structure is now in ruins, having been burnt at dif- 
 ferent times ; but there is still ample lodging in the 
 two lowest floors of it, and the audience chamber is 
 above 120 feet long. This building is surrounded 
 by a strong double wall 30 feet high, joined by a 
 platform roof. Loop-holes, and conveniences for dis-
 
 .^96 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 charging missile weapons, are disposed all round if ; 
 and the whole forms a gallery by which one may go 
 round the walls and look into the street. The four 
 sides of this wall, taken together, are more than an 
 English mile and a half in length. The wliole of the 
 tower and wall is built with stone and lime. 
 
 Within the inclosure of the palace, are a number 
 of small detached apartments, composed of the frail 
 materials of the country, wood and clay, and 
 thatched with straw ; though within they are mag- 
 nificently lined and furnished. 
 
 On the side of the river opposite to Gondar, is the 
 town of the Mohammedans, containing about a thou- 
 yand houses. These are an active and laborious peo- 
 ple. Many of them have the care of the field equipage 
 belonging to the king and the nobility ; they pitch 
 and strike the tents with surprising facility ; load 
 and conduct the mules and baggage ; but are never 
 suffered, nor would they choose, to fight. 
 
 The palace of Koscam is inclosed with a high 
 strong wall, the gates of which are in good repair. 
 Within this inclosure is a tower, or castle, three 
 stories high, with a flat roof and battlements around 
 it. which is the head quarters of the garrison. The 
 outer precinct within the walls of the palaceis occupied 
 by soldiers, labourers, and out-door servants. With- 
 in this is an inner court, inclosed likewise by walls. 
 In this are the apartments of the principal oflicers, 
 priests, and servants ; in this is also the church, 
 which is reckoned the richest in Abyssinia. The 
 altar is covered with plates of gold, the priests have 
 large crosses of gold for their processions, and they 
 have kettle drums of silver. The third, or inner 
 court, is resei ved for the queen's own apartments, 
 and those of such of the noble women as are unmar- 
 ried, and form her court.
 
 HUNTING. 297 
 
 The palace of Koscam is situated on the south side 
 of Debra Tzai, or the Mountain of the Sun ; above 
 it, are houses of people of quality, chiefly relations 
 of the queen ; and above these the mountain rises 
 regularly in the form of a cone, and is covered with 
 herbage to the top. 
 
 It is the practice of the Kings of Abyssinia to 
 make a public hunting match the first expedition of 
 their reign. On these occasions, the king, attended 
 by all the great oflicers of state, reviews his young 
 nobility, who appear to the best advantage as to 
 horses, arms, equipage, and servants. The scene of 
 this hunting is the Kolla, which abounds with ele- 
 phants, rhinoceroses, lions, leopards, panthers, buf- 
 faloes, wild boars, wild asses, and many varieties of 
 the deer kind. 
 
 As soon as the game is forced out of the woods by 
 the footmen and dogs, the young men, singly, or 
 several together, according to the size of the ani- 
 mal, or their strength and ability in managing their 
 horses, attack the beast with long pikes, or with 
 two javelins in their hands. The king sits on horse- 
 back on a rising ground, surrounded by the ;j,raver 
 nobility, who give him the names of those of the 
 younger who are fortunate enough to distinguish 
 themselves in his sight: the merit of others is known 
 by report. 
 
 Each young man brings before the king's tent 
 a part of the beast he has slain ; the head and 
 skin of a lion or leopard, the scalp or horns of a 
 deer, the tail of an elephant or buflalo, or the horn 
 of a rhinoceros. The heail of a boar is brought 
 upon the point of a lance, but is not tonched, as 
 being unclean. The elephant's teeth belong to the 
 King J but they are seldom presented with the rest
 
 QQ8 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 of the spoils, iis fire is necessary to loosen them, aud 
 time and force to take them out. 
 
 The King is always provided with a number of 
 rings of ivory, which are worn as bracelets ; these 
 are distributed by him among the most deserving of 
 the fieldj and kept as certificates of gallant behaviour. 
 Nor is this distinction attended with honour alone ; 
 for the man who shall have received from the king, 
 the queen regent, or the governor of a province, as 
 many of these rings as shall cover his arm down to 
 his wrist, appears before the twelve judges on a cer- 
 tain day, and laying down his arm, the King's cook 
 breaks each ring with a kind of kitchen cleaver, and 
 the judges give him a certificate which entitles him 
 to the grant of a territory, the revenue of which 
 must not exceed twenty ounces of gold, or fifty 
 pounds sterling : nor is this grant ever refused or 
 delayed. 
 
 The different species of game are differently rated. 
 Man is in some countries thought to be an animal 
 superior to a quadruped ; in this, he ranks only with 
 tke noblest beasts of the forest. He who slays a 
 Galla or a Shangalla has two rings ; he who slays 
 an elephant or a rhinoceros two ; a lion or a buffalo 
 two ; he who slays a camelopardalis, though it be 
 an inoffensive animal, has two, on account of the 
 speed and skill in horsemanship necessary to over- 
 take it. He who kills a leopard has one ring ; he 
 who kills two boars has one ; and one is received for 
 every four of the deer kind.' 
 
 I confess I am not satisfied with the mode of class- 
 ing my fellow creatures with elephants and lions. 
 The Galla, being lawless invaders, I might perhaps 
 be prevailed upon to consign them to the spears of 
 the Abyssinian hunters ; 43ut then, upon the same
 
 HUNTING. ^99 
 
 principle, I would give up the descendants of Solo- 
 mon, and their people, to be hunted by the Shan- 
 galla, the original possessors of the country. 
 
 Great disputes arise about the killing of the ani- 
 mals ; and a council sits every evening before which 
 every man may plead his cause, and receive immedi- 
 ate sentence. He who strikes the animal first, pro- 
 vided the lance remain in him in the same direction 
 in which it entered, is understood to be the slayer, 
 whatever number combat with him afterwards. To 
 this there is one exception : if the beast, after receiving 
 the wound, should lay hold of a horse or a man, so 
 that it is evident he would prevail against him ; if for 
 exam])le, a buffalo toss a man with his horns, or an 
 elephant take a horse with his trunk ; the man who 
 shall then slay the beast, and prevent, or revenge 
 the death of the man or horse so attacked, shall be 
 accounted the slayer and receive the reward. 
 
 Such was the ancient employment of these coun- 
 cils. The form is still kept up ; but it often hap- 
 pens that the death or degradation of the first men 
 in the kingdom is determined here, under the pre- 
 tence of sitting to adjudge the prizes of the chase. 
 
 This hunting seldom lasts longer than a fortnight. 
 The King, from ocular inspection, is presumed to 
 be able to choose such of the young nobility as are 
 fitted to take different commands in his army ; and it 
 is from his judgment on this occasion that the priest? 
 foretel, on better grounds than sometimes proj)hets 
 have to go upon, whether his reign will prove success- 
 ful or unfortunate. 
 
 Hunting the Shangalla is generally the next ex- 
 pedition undertaken by a new king. 
 
 The rainy season commonly puts an end to the 
 active part of war. The soldier, the husbandman.
 
 oOi) AHVS.SIMA.' 
 
 and, above al), the women, dedicate this season to 
 festivity and riot. The villages and towns are placed 
 upon the mountains ; the vallies that intervene are 
 soon divided by large and rapid torrents ; every hol- 
 low foot-path becomes a stream ; the gullies be- 
 tween the hills become so miry as not to bear a horse ; 
 and the waters, deep and violent, are so apt to change 
 their direction as not to suffer any one on foot to 
 pass with safety. At this season, and this alone, 
 people sleep in their houses in security. Their 
 lances and shields are hung upon the sides of their 
 halls, and their saddles and bridles are taken off 
 their horses ; for, at other times, the horses have 
 always a small bit in their mouths, and are accus- 
 tomed to eat and drink with this incumbrance. At 
 this season the court, and the principal officers of the 
 government, retire to the capital, and administer 
 justice, make alliances, and prepare such funds and 
 armaments as the exigencies of the statue may re- 
 quire on the return of fair weather. 
 
 Three proclamations are made before the Kin<r 
 goes out to war, which is generally about the 8th of 
 November. The first is, " Buy your mules, get 
 ready your provision, and pay your servants; for 
 after such a day, they who seek me (that is the 
 king) shall not find me." The second is some days 
 or a week after, and is, " Cut down the kantufia in 
 the four quarters of the world ; for I do not know 
 \There I am going." The third proclamation is, " I 
 am encamped upon the Angrab (or the Kahha) ; he 
 that does not join me there, I will chastise him for 
 seven years." 
 
 All people of rank in Abyssinia are annoyed by 
 the kantuffa. The soldier cuts his hair short, and 
 throws over his shoulders a mantle of goat's, leopard's.
 
 KANTUFFA. 301 
 
 or lion's skin, of which the kantnffa cannot take 
 liokl ; but when women or great men travel, it 
 never fails to incommode them. If their cloak be 
 fine muslin, the least motion against the kantuffa 
 tears it to rags ; if it be a thick soft cloth, which is 
 generally the case, it buries its thorns so deep in it, 
 that the rider must either dismount and appear 
 naked, which is considered as a great disgrace, or 
 much time must be spent before he can disengage 
 himself from the thorns : and if he adopt the latter 
 method, the kantufFa rarely fails, while he is thus 
 employed, to lay hold of him by the hair, and bring 
 on a more laborious and painful operation than the 
 first. 
 
 The kantuffa grows in the form of a bush, with a 
 multitude of small branches rising immediately from 
 the ground, and is about seven or eight feet high. 
 The thorns are thick and placed parallel and perpen- 
 dicular alternately. The wild animals, both birds 
 and beasts, especially the Guinea fowls, knovr how 
 well this bush is qualified to protect them. In this 
 shelter it would be in vain for the hunter to attempt 
 to molest them, were it not for a hard-haired dog, 
 or terrier, of the smallest size, which, being de- 
 fended from the thorns bv the rouorhness oi' his coat, 
 brings them out of the cover alive, one by one, to 
 his master. 
 
 A tent for divine service is always pitched in llic 
 Abyssinian camp. A custom less becoming the 
 Christian religion is, that wherever an army en- 
 camps in Abyssinia, though but for an hour, a house 
 is burnt, as a signal that an army has been there. 
 
 Bows and arrows were laid aside by the Abyssi- 
 nians about the year I67O. 
 
 Forty-five kettle drums constantly precede the
 
 '30*^ ABYSSINIA. 
 
 king, and are beaten all the while he is on his 
 march. The insignia by which lie is distinguished in 
 battle are a white horse, with small silver bells at his 
 head, a shield of silver, and the fillet of white mus- 
 lin. An officer goes before the king upon all occa- 
 sions, to prevent the pressure of the crowd, and in 
 inarching he rides round him at a certain distance. 
 Great respect was formerly shewn to this monarch 
 by his subjects, even when they rebelled against his 
 government : no king ever lost his life in battle till 
 the coming of the Europeans into Abyssinia, when 
 it seems tliat the murder and excommunication of 
 the sovereign were both introduced. 
 
 An Abyssinian army is attended by 10,000 wo- 
 men ; some bearing provisions, horns of liquor, oi' 
 mills for grinding corn ; some idle, half dead with 
 fear, and crying. Fifty carry bouza for the king, 
 and the same number for the Ras. The camp ovens 
 are in the form of tea saucers, with the bottom? 
 joined together, and are nearly three feet In dia- 
 meter ; they are made of a light beautiful earthen 
 ware, which is at first red, but after being rubbed 
 with butter it becomes a glossy black. A fire of 
 charcoal is put under the lower part; the dough, in 
 the form of a pancake, is put into the upper, and a 
 cover, to fit, is placed over it.
 
 .503 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ANIMALS, AND PLANTS, 
 OF ABYSSINLA. 
 
 x\N officer armed with a long whip takes his station 
 at the palace of" the King of Abyssinia, before the 
 dawn of day, smacking his whip with an intolerable 
 noise. This drives away the hyena and other wild 
 beasts, and is also the signal of the king's rising, 
 who sits in judgment every morning before break- 
 fast, and breakfasts at eight o'clock. The king goes 
 to church every day, his guards taking possession of 
 all the avenues and doors through which he is to 
 pass, as he then walks ; but as walking alone would 
 be too great a degradation for a King of Abyssinia, 
 he is supported on each side by a proper officer. 
 At church the king kisses the threshold and side 
 posts of the door, then the steps before the altar, 
 and then returns home. Sometimes there is service, 
 sometimes no service ; but the king takes no notice 
 of the difference. He rides up stairs into the pre- 
 sence chamber on a mule, and dismounts on the car- 
 pet before the throne ; and I have, by virtue of my 
 office, seen the royal mule commit an offence against 
 good manners on the Persian carpet. 
 
 The king is never seen to walk, or to set his foot 
 upon the ground, out of his palace ; and wlieu he 
 would dismount from the horse or mule on v.hicii lie 
 rides, a servant who attends him for that purpose
 
 S04< ABYSSINIA. 
 
 places a stool. When he rides out, or when he is 
 at home if people are admitted, his head and tore- 
 head are wholly covered, and one of his hands is 
 placed before his mouth, so that his eyes only are 
 seen ; his feet are always covered. 
 
 In prostration, you first kneel, then place the palms 
 of the hands upon the ground, tlien incline the head 
 and body till the forehead touches the ground; and 
 if you expect an answer, you remain in that posture 
 till you are bidden to rise by the king, or by his 
 order. 
 
 Tlie Kings of Abyssinia sit upon a large oblong 
 square seat, like a small bedstead, covered with Per- 
 sian carpets, damask, and cloth of gold, with steps 
 leading up to it. This throne was anciently of gold, 
 and it is still richly gilt. The portable throne was a 
 gold stool, which is now exchanged for a very beau- 
 tiful stool of ivorv inlaid with ijold. It is treason to 
 sit upon any seat of the king's, and he that presumed 
 to do it would be instantly hewn to pieces, if there 
 were not some other proof of his being a madman. 
 
 The shape of the crown of Abvssinia is that of the 
 hood which the priests wear when saying mass. It 
 is composed of silver or gold, or both, mixed and 
 lined with blue silk. It is made to cover a part of 
 the forehead, both cheeks, and the hind part of the 
 neck down to the shoidders. 
 
 It is the constant practice in Abyssinia to beset 
 the king's doors and window with loud cries of "Do 
 me justice, O my King!" Real occasions for such 
 a demand are not wanting ; but in the rainy season, 
 v.hen the persons ajxijcrieved would not choose to 
 expose tliemselves to a deluge of water, a set of va- 
 grants are provided and paid to cry and lament ibr 
 imaginary injuries, to do honour to the king by
 
 ABYSSINIA. 30.5 
 
 reminding him of his sovereign power, and to pre- 
 vent him from being melanclioly in consequence of 
 being quiet. 
 
 The Kings of Abyssinia are above all laws. The 
 land of their subjects is their property, and every in- 
 habitant is born their slave: if he bear a higher rank, 
 it is the gift of the king. The rewards of distin- 
 guished actions, or military service, are a gold chain, 
 a silver bridle, or a saddle covered with silver plates. 
 
 In Abyssinia, when a criminal is condemned in 
 capital cases, he is not remitted to prison, which 
 would be thought cruel, but the sentence is executed 
 immediately. Hanging is performed on a tree at 
 the door of the king's palace : crucifixion, flaying, 
 and tearing out the eyes, are punishments sometimes 
 inflicted. The bodies of criminals executed for trea- 
 son, murder, and violence, are seldom buried. The 
 streets of Gondar are strewn with pieces of their car- 
 cases, which bring the hyenas in multitudes into the 
 city as soon as it is dark. 
 
 There is no country in the world in which there 
 are so many churches as in Abyssinia. Mountain- 
 ous as the country is, and much as the views must 
 hence be obstructed, it is seldom that fewer than five 
 or six are in sight, and, if the ground be command- 
 ing, seldom less than five times that number. A 
 church is always placed on the top of some beautiful 
 round hill, and is surrounded with rows of fine tree?-,; 
 and this situation is always chosen near running wa- 
 ter for the convenience of their ablutions and purifi- 
 cations, in which the Abyssinians are strict observers 
 of the Levitical law. 
 
 All the churches are circular, with thatched roofs 
 in the form of a cone. They are surrounded, at 
 about ciuht feet distance from the edifice, bv wooden 
 
 X
 
 306 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 pillars, or trunks of trees ; arid the i'oof resting upon 
 these, it forms a pleasant colonnade around, for walk- 
 injT in hot weatlier or rain. The inside of the church 
 
 CD 
 
 is in several divisions, as prescribed by the law of 
 Moses. The first is circular ; within this is a square; 
 that square is divided by a veil, or curtain; and 
 within the innermost division is a very small place, 
 which, like the Holy of Holies, can only be entered 
 by the priests. The churches are full of pictures 
 painted on parchment ; for, from the first ages of 
 Christianity, the Abyssinian scribes have been always 
 painters ; though in a style much inferior to that of 
 our sign painters in England. Here are St. George 
 and the Dragon, St. Demetrius and a lion, St. Ba- 
 laam and his ass, St. Sampson and his jaw bone, 
 St. Pontius Pilate and his wife. I saw at Adowa a 
 square miniature on the head-dress of the priest, re- 
 presenting Pharaoh plunging into the Red Sea, on 
 a white horse, with his guns and pistols swimming 
 on the surface of the water. 
 
 When you go to church, you put off your shoes 
 before you enter the outer precinct ; but if you do 
 not leave a servant with them, they will be stolen by 
 the priests before you come out. You kiss the 
 threshold and the two door-posts, on entering ; you 
 go in and say what prayer you please, and your 
 duty is over. 
 
 In the middle of the fifteenth century occurred 
 the first instance that is known in Abyssinia ©f a 
 trial for difference of opinion in matters of religion. 
 An accusation was then brought against som.e fami.. 
 lies for worshipping the cow and the serpent ; and 
 they were seized by the king's order, and brought 
 before himselfj sitting in judgment, with the princi- 
 pal of his clergy and officers of state, with whom he
 
 ARYSSINIA. .307 
 
 associated some strangers, a custom which prevails 
 to this day. The accused were capitally convicted 
 and executed ; and the king issued a proclamation 
 declaring that every person who did not carry upon 
 his right hand an amulet with these words, *' I re- 
 nounce the devil for Christ our Lord," should for- 
 feit his personal estate, and be liable to corporeal 
 punishment. Tliis spirit of persecution, which was 
 at first exercised upon seven persons only, flourished 
 so well under the auspices of the high priest, that 
 numbers, among whom were two of the king's sons- 
 in-law, soon fell victims to it. 
 
 A convocation of Abyssinian clergy is never called 
 in the reign of vigorous })rinces, but by the special 
 order of the sovereign. From such a fanatic and 
 tumultuous assembly, many of the most discreet 
 members of the church purposely absent themselves. 
 On the other hand, the monks \\"ho devote them- 
 selves to pass their lives in deep unwholesome vallies, 
 hermits who starve on the points of naked rocks, or 
 •live in deserts exposed to the attacks of wild beasts; 
 the whole tribe of false prophets and dreamers, who 
 pretend to divine what shall h-appen in I'uture by 
 living in total ignorance of what is passing at pre- 
 sent ; people in constant habits of dirtiness, naked, 
 or covered with hair ; a collection of monsters 
 scarcely to be imagined ; compose an ecclesiastical 
 assembly in Abyssinia, and lead an ignorant and fu- 
 rious populace, who worsliip them as saints. 
 
 Exconnnunicatiou in Abyssinia expressly prohi- 
 bits the person on whom it is pronounced from kind- 
 ling a fire, and every one else is restricted from sup- 
 plying him with tiie or water. No one can spe:d<, 
 eat, or drink with him, enter his house, or sutler him 
 to cuter his own. He can neither buy, sell, nor 
 
 X '2
 
 308 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 recover debts ; and if he were slain by robbers, no 
 enquiry would be made into the cause of his death, 
 nor would his body be allowed to be buried. 
 
 In Tigre no language is known but the Geez, but 
 the Amharic is the common language of the rest of 
 Abyssinia. No book was ever yet written in an}- 
 other than the Geez. There is an old law in tliis 
 country, handed down by tradition only, that who- 
 ever should attempt to translate the Scriptures into 
 any other language should have his throat cut like 
 that of a sheep, his family should be sold to slavery, 
 and his house razed to the ground. The Geez is a 
 harsh inharmonious language, full of the letters d 
 and t, on which an accent is put that resembles lisping. 
 
 Besides the Scriptures, the Abyssinians have the 
 Constitutions of the Apostles, a book of Common 
 Prayer, a collection from the works of the Greek 
 Fathers, translations of the works of St. Athanasius, 
 St. Basil, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Cyril. To 
 this catalogue of the works of other saints may be 
 added the lives and miracles of their own, in four 
 monstrous volumes in folio. They have a saint who 
 wrestled with the devil in the form of a serpent nine 
 miles long, threw him from a mountain, and killed 
 him ; another Who converted the devil, made him 
 turn monk, and live a holy life for forty years after 
 his conversion, as a penance for having tempted our 
 Saviour forty days upon the mountain ; another who 
 never ate or drank from the day of his birth, and 
 made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem every morning, where 
 he said mass at the holy sepulchre, and returned home 
 every night in the shape of a stork. Another saint, 
 being sick, was seized with a longing for partridges, 
 and calling upon a brace to come to him, they flew 
 upon hift plate, ready roasted, and laid themselves
 
 ABYSSINIA. 309 
 
 tlown to be devoured. These wonders are circum- 
 stantially told and believed, by unexceptionable per- 
 sons, and were a grievous stumbling-block to the 
 Jesuits, who could not establish the belief of their 
 own miracles by any clearer evidence. There are 
 other books of less size and consequence than these, 
 each as the Virgin Mary's Musical Instrument, com- 
 posed about the year 1440 ; and there is the book of 
 Enoch, which contains the fabulous history of the 
 giants descended from the sons of God and the 
 daughters of men. 
 
 Every occurrence worthy of being handed down 
 to posterity is recorded in the Abyssinian annals at 
 the time it happens, and any very extraordinary 
 atchievement is written in letters of gold. 
 
 There is no form of marriage in Abyssinia, except 
 a contract by mutual consent, which subsists only 
 till it be dissolved by the dissent of either of the 
 parties, and which may be renewed when both de- 
 sire it. The king uses no other ceremony in his 
 marriage than that of sending an officer to the house 
 where the lady lives, who announces to her that it 
 is the king's pleasure she should instantly remove 
 to the palace. The lady dresses herself in the best 
 manner, and obeys. If afterwards he make her 
 Iteghe, he orders the judges to pronounce in his 
 presence that the king has chosen his handmaid 
 (naming her) for his queen ; upon which tlic cro-wn 
 is placed on her head. 
 
 That my readers may not imagine living flesh is 
 eaten by soldiers only, I shall give the detail of an 
 Abyssinian banquet. 
 
 In the capital, where people are safe from surprise 
 at all times ; in the villages, when the vallies will 
 not bear a horse, and men dare not venture far from
 
 310 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 home lest they sliould be swept away by some tem- 
 porary torrent ; in a word, when a man can say he 
 is safe, and the spear and shield are hung up in the 
 hall ; a number of people of the best fashion in the 
 villages, courtiers in the palace, or citizens in the 
 town, of both sexes, meet together to dine about 
 twelve or one o'clock. 
 
 A long table, without any table-cloth, is set in the 
 middle of a large room, and benches are placed on 
 each side for those who are invited. Tables and 
 benches were introduced by the Portuguese ; bulls' 
 hides served the Abyssinians before, as they still do in 
 the camp and in the country. Before every person, 
 instead of a plate, are laid round cakes, about twice 
 as large as a pancake, of sourish unleavened bread, 
 made of the grain called teff; and beneath these are 
 foLU" or five of ordinary bread ; the former are eaten 
 by the company, the others serve to wipe their fingers, 
 and are afterwards eaten by the servants. Piles of 
 cakes are placed down the middle of the table, and 
 answer the purpose of dishes. 
 
 A cow or bull, or more than one, if the company 
 be numerous, is then brought to the door, and the 
 feet are strongly tied; all the flesh upon the buttocks 
 is cut off in solid square pieces, without bones ; and 
 the prodigious noise the wretched animal makes du- 
 ring this operation is the signal for the company to 
 sit down to table. For my own part, I confess my 
 weakness, I have always felt more strongly for the 
 brute creation than for my own species, believing 
 that man can, in general, either by force or inge- 
 nuity, make good his part against them, v/hile they 
 possess no power to prevent his eating them, if he 
 choose it, or tormenting them if he do not. I there- 
 fore never could wholly accommodate my mind to
 
 ABYSSINIA. 311 
 
 these Abyssinian feasts, though associating as I did 
 with the great men of that country, I was sometimes 
 obliged to be present at them. But to proceed. 
 
 When the guests are seated, a man and a woman 
 alternately, two or three servants enter, each with a 
 square piece of beef in his bare hands, which he 
 lays down on one of the piles of cakes in the middle 
 of the table. All the guests have knives in their 
 hands ; the men the large ones that they use in war, 
 the women small clasped knives. The man, with 
 his large knife, cuts off* a thin piece, which would 
 be thought a good beef steak in England, the motion 
 of the fibres being yet perfectly distinct, and the 
 flesh alive. The women take the steak, and cut it 
 length-ways into strings about the thickness of one's 
 little finger, and then cross-ways into square pieces, 
 something smaller than dice ; one of these is laid 
 upon a piece of telf cake, well peppered and salted, 
 and rolled up in it like a cartridge. No man in 
 Abyssinia of any fashion feeds himself, or touches 
 his own meat ; he is, however, so condescending 
 as to open his mouth to receive the cartridges tlie 
 ladies on both sides have prepared for him ; and he 
 turns it first to one, and then to the other, till 
 his appetite is satisfied. The fuller his mouth be of 
 food, and the greater the noise he makes in chewing 
 it, the more he distinguishes himself as a man of rank 
 and good breeding. When he has done eating, he 
 makes up two rolls, which he gives to both his fair 
 neighbours at the same time, extending his arms to 
 the right and left, till the meat finds the mouths of 
 the ladies, which are ready opened to receive it. 
 The man then drinks out of a large handsome horn, 
 the ladies eat their own dinnor, and then all drink 
 together.
 
 31^ ABYSSINIA. 
 
 The poor animal is still standing at the door to be 
 eaten, but he now falls to the share of the servants. 
 When they can cut no more flesh from his bones, 
 they begin upon the thighs ; and, soon after, he 
 bleeds to death, and the sinewy parts become so tough 
 that the cannibals have some difficulty in tearing 
 them to pieces with their teeth. 
 
 The Abyssinians, to a man, are fearful of the 
 night. They are unwilling to travel, and still more 
 to fight at that time, when they imagine that the 
 world is in the possession of certain genii averse to 
 intercourse with man, and vindictive if ])ut out of 
 their way by his interference. This is carried to 
 so great a height that no man will venture to throw 
 water out of a bason upon the ground, for fear the 
 dignity of some elf or fairy should be violated in the 
 small space that the water has to fall. The Moors, 
 who, in the course of their trade, are accustomed to 
 travel at all hours, sometimes from necessity, some- 
 times to avoid the heat, laugh at tliese notions of 
 the Abyssinians, and not unfrequently profit by them. 
 A verse of the Koran sewed up in leather, secures 
 the Moors from all incorporeal enemies. 
 
 In Abyssinia there is scarcely a monk in any lonely 
 monastery in the hot and unwholesome valley of 
 Waldubba; not a hermit among the man3^in the moun- 
 tains; not an old priest who has lived any time seques- 
 tered from society ; that does not pretend to possess 
 charms, offensive and defensive, and the power of 
 looking into futurity. The arms and necks of the 
 Moors are loaded with amulets against witchcraft, 
 their women are believed to possess all the mischiev- 
 ous powers of fascination, and both sexes a hundred 
 secrets of divination. The Jews are addicted to this 
 in a still greater degree, if possible ; and it is, believed
 
 ABYSSINIA. 313 
 
 by every Abyssinian that the liyenas wliich prowl 
 about the city of Gondar in the night, arc Jews from 
 the neighbouring mountains, who assume that form 
 to seek their prey. Even tlie Galla, a stranger na- 
 tion, and hostile to the Abyssinians, agree with them 
 in believinc: that witchcraft can occasion sickness and 
 death, blast the harvests, and poison the waters, at 
 a great distance. But can we wonder that these 
 notions prevail throughout Africa, when learning 
 and knowledfje have not been able to banish them 
 entirely from our own country ? 
 
 The men of Abyssinia neither buy nor sell. It is 
 infamy for a man to go to market ; he cannot carry 
 water or bake bread ; yet he must wash all the gar- 
 ments of the family, and in this function the women 
 cannot assist him. 
 
 As soon as a man dies, everv woman to whom he 
 stood in the relation of a father or a brother, a cousin 
 german, or a lover, cuts the skin of both her temples, 
 about the size of a sixpence, with the nail of her 
 little finger, which is suffered to grow long for that 
 purpose ; and when the army is in the field, one of 
 these wounds has scarcelv time to heal, before ano- 
 ther is to be made. When a man dies at home, tJie 
 event is announced by the screams and lamentations 
 of his family. The body is washed, fumigated with 
 incense, and sewed up in one of the cloths which 
 the deceased wore when alive. The relations then 
 take it on their shoulders, and carry it in haste to 
 the grave, where the priests recite over it a form of 
 prayer appointed for the occasion. 
 
 As soon as the relations and friends can be assem- 
 bled, they celebrate a feast in honour of the dead. 
 If he were a man of consequence, an image repre- 
 senting him is dressed in rich garments, and placed
 
 SI 4 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 on his favourite mule, whicli is led through the toun 
 or village to the grave; all his other mules and horses, 
 decked in gay apparel, making a part of the proces- 
 sion. Having redoubled their lamentations at the 
 grave, the company returns to the house of the de- 
 ceased, where a sufficient number of cattle is killed, 
 and a sufficient quantity of honey beer and bouza 
 provided, to satisfy and intoxicate the crowd which 
 attends. 
 
 The dress of the Abyssinians is a cotton cloth 
 twelve ells in length, and about twenty-seven inches 
 breadth, with a blue and yellow stripe running along 
 the bottom of it. The best cost about 6s. 6d. English, 
 each, and are very beautiful and light. To one of 
 therse is added a pair of trowsers, reaching only to 
 the middle of the thigh, and fastened round the 
 waist with a girdle. The common people have the 
 trowsers and girdle of coarse white cotton ; the bet- 
 ter sort have the trowsers of red Indian cotton, and 
 the girdles of silk, or silk and cotton from the Levant. 
 The coarser cloths are as thick as a blanket ; the 
 finest are etpial to muslin. 
 
 There is no current coin in Abyssinia. Gold is 
 paid by v»'cight. It is in ingots, which, when they 
 make presents of them to persons of distinction, are 
 generally wrapped in silk paper. Fossil salt, cut into 
 square solid bricks, about a foot in length, serves 
 instead of silver currency: the value of one of these 
 is about a shilling. The revenues are chiefly paid 
 in kind, that is, cattle, sheep, and honey. The 
 princes on the mountain have an annual allowance 
 of 750 cloths, and 3,000 ounces of gold, or 30,000 
 dollars ; but their revenue is often very ill paid. 
 What luxuries the Abyssinians possess are obtained 
 from Arabia by the barter of gold, myrrh, coffee, 
 elephants' teeth, and a variety of other articles.
 
 ABYSSINIA. 31^ 
 
 When tefF is made into cakes it is suffered to fer- 
 ment, and become rather acid ; it is of a spongy soft 
 quality, and not a disagreeable taste. The white 
 teif cakes are eaten by the principal people, the 
 coarser by inferior people, and those nearly black 
 are for the servants. Two of these cakes a day, and 
 a cotton cloth a vear, are the wages of a common 
 servant. 
 
 Bouza is made of teff cakes well toasted, broken 
 into small pieces, and put into a large jar. Warm 
 water is then poured into it, and it is kept by the 
 lire several davs, where it continues in a state of 
 fermentation. In Atbara, cakes of barley meal are 
 used to make bouza, instead of teff; both are very 
 bad liquors, but the worst is that made from barley. 
 
 Excellent strong wine is made at Dreeda, about 
 thirty miles south west of Gondar. 
 
 Of the. animals of Abyssinia, one of the most re- 
 markable and most destructive is one of the smallest. 
 It was one of the plagues of Egypt, and in our trans- 
 lation of the Scriptures it is called the fly, in Arabic 
 it is called the zimb, and in the Ethiopic translation 
 it is called, as it is said to be in the original Hebrew, 
 the Tsaltsalya, or dog fly ; by this name it is still dis- 
 tinguished in Abyssinia. 
 
 The tsaltsalya is in size very little larger than the 
 bee, but of a thicker proportion. The wings are of 
 a pure gauze, without colour or spot, and are placed 
 separate, like those of a fly. The head is large, the 
 upper jaw sharp, and at the end is a strong pointed 
 hair, about a quarter of an inch long. The lower jaw 
 has two of these hairs, and these three, when joined 
 together, make a resistance to the flnger nearly equal 
 to that of a strong hog's bristle. The fly is covered 
 with brown hair or down ; its motion is more rapid
 
 316 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 and sudden than that of a bee, and produces a jar- 
 ring noise as well as a humming. 
 
 This plague appears when the tropical rains begin 
 to fall ; and as soon as its buzzing is heard, the cattle 
 forsake their food, and run wildly about the plain, 
 till they die, worn out with terror, fatigue and hunger. 
 No remedy is known but to leave the fat black earth, 
 and hasten to the sands, this enemy appearing in 
 swarms during the rainy season, wherever that earth 
 is found, and not daring to pursue the herds any fur- 
 ther. When once attacked by this rapacious insect, 
 their bodies, heads, and legs, are covered with large 
 tumours, which break and putrify, to the certain 
 destruction of the animal. To prevent their stock 
 of cattle from being destroyed, the inhabitants of 
 these countries have no other alternative than this 
 emigration, which they must undertake, although a 
 hostile band, capable of spoiling them of half their 
 substance, stood in their May. 
 
 Man is affected by an animal still sm.aller than the 
 zimb. The farenteit, or worm of Pharaoh, finds its 
 way into every part of the body except the head, but 
 jt is most frequent in the legs and arms. On its first 
 appearance, a small black head is visible, with a 
 hooked beak of a whitish colour ; its body is of a 
 white silky texture, and looks like a small tendon. 
 The natives of these countries seize it gently by the 
 head, and wrap it round a thin piece of silk, or a 
 small feather. They wind it upon the quill as far as 
 it comes readily, and upon the smallest resistance 
 they give over, for fear of breaking it. I have seen 
 something more than five feet of this extraordinary 
 animal wound out, with invincible patience, in the 
 course of three weeks. No inflammation then re- 
 mained, and in three days the place was well. If
 
 ABYSSINIA. 317 
 
 the worm be broken, inflammation, suppuration, and, 
 sometimes, mortification and death ensue. 
 
 The ibis of Egypt, which has disappeared in that 
 country, is found in Abyssinia, where it is known 
 by the name of Abou Hannes, Father John. Its 
 heigiht, as it stands, from the sole of the foot to tlie 
 middle of the back is nineteen inches. Its beak is 
 like that of the curlew, its head and neck are brown, 
 its throat, breast, and part of the back are white ; 
 the large feathers of the wings, and those from the 
 extremity of the tail to six inches up the back, are 
 <t>f a deep black. I found this bird in the low hot 
 part of Abyssinia, whicli is full of pools of stagnant 
 water. 
 
 There are no serpents in Upper Abyssinia ; the 
 Boa constrictor is found iu the Lower. 
 
 Every tree and bush in Abyssinia carries flowers 
 and fruit in the diilerent stages of maturity. The 
 west side of a tree is the first that blossoms, and its 
 fruit proceeds to ripen till it falls to the ground. It 
 is succeeded by the south side, which goes througli 
 the same process. From hence, it crosses the tree, 
 and the north bears fruit. Lastly, comes the cast, 
 which produces flowers and fruit till the beginning 
 of the rainy season. In the end of April, new leaves 
 push off the old ones, without leaving the tree at 
 any time bare, so that every tree in Abyssinia ap- 
 pears to be an evergreen. All the leaves are highly 
 varnishetl, and of a tough, leather-like texture, that 
 enables them to support the violent rains under whicli 
 they are produced.
 
 S18 
 
 CHAPTER XXVL 
 
 LAKE TZANA. CATARACT OF THE NILE. 
 
 HE lake of Tzana is by much the largest expanse 
 of water known in Abyssinia, and there is every 
 reason to believe that it anciently covered what is 
 now the flat land in its vicinity. Its greatest length 
 from north to south is fortv-nine miles, and its 
 greatest breadth from east to west is thirty-five. This 
 is the grand reservoir of waters j rivers come down 
 on every side of it, like radii drawn to a centre, and 
 the Nile passes through it from west to east in a cur- 
 rent which may be easily distinguished. The Abys- 
 sinians assert that there are forty-five inhabited islands 
 on the lake Tzana; but they are not always to be 
 believed, for dissimulation is, among all ranks of 
 people, as natural as their breathing. 
 
 I made the circuit of this lake, passing along its 
 eastern side, and round the southern end, and re- 
 turning to Gondar by the western side and northern 
 end, though my road was frequently at some distance 
 from the water. 
 
 From Gondar I proceeded southwards, and in two 
 hours I arrived at a river, which I passed on a solid 
 bridge of four arches, a convenience very rare in 
 Abyssinia. I then entered a very extensive plain, 
 bounded on the east by mountains, and on tlie west 
 by tlie lake, and in one hour more a road branched 
 off for Wcchne, the prison of the princes.
 
 EMFRAS. 319 
 
 Oil the following day I reached the village of 
 Emfras, which is about thirty miles from Goiidar. 
 It is situated on a steep hill, and the way to it is 
 like the ascent of a ladder. The houses, which are 
 nearly SOO in number, are placed half way up the 
 hill, and front the west, commanding a view of the 
 whole lake, and a part of the country on the oppo- 
 site side. Above the houses are lields full of trees 
 and bushes, which reach to the top of the hill. 
 
 From I'^mfras my road was still southward along 
 the plain, and afterwards on the edge of the lake. 
 In the course of the day I saw a great number of 
 hippopotami, some swimming in the lake at a small 
 distance, some rising from the high grass in the 
 meadows, on which they had been feeding, and 
 walking leisurely, till they })Iunged out of sight. 
 
 The next morning, having travelled two hours on 
 a course to the westward of south, I found myself in 
 the midst of twenty-five or thirty villages, stretching 
 for the length of seven or eight miles. A little beyond 
 these is a small village of Pagans, called Wiiito, who 
 are held in such abhorrence by the Abyssinians, that 
 to touch them, or any thing which belongs to them, 
 separates a man from his famih', obliges him to wash 
 and purify, and renders him unclean till the evening. 
 
 The Waito have indeed a most abominable smell, 
 and are very lean, wan, and ill-coloured. They speak 
 a language radically difierent from any in Abyssinia, 
 and are thought to be sorcerers, capable of bewitch- 
 ing with their eyes, and killing at a distance by their 
 charms. I slept at the house of a most respectable 
 Mohammedan merchant at the village of Dara ; and 
 as I was here only Iburtecn miles from the great 
 cataract of the Nile, I could not forego so fine a 
 chance of seeing it, though the armies of the king
 
 '^'20 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 and of his rebellions subjects, aided by the Galla, 
 were in the field; and the expedition was attended 
 with great danger from the unsettled state of the 
 country. 
 
 My host sent with me his S0n, on a good horse, 
 with a short gun, and a brace of j)isto]s at his belt, 
 and four servants, each armed in the same manner, 
 with the addition of a sword hung over his shoulder, 
 and mounted on four good mules, swifter and stronger 
 than ordinary horses. I rode my own hoise, and 
 was attended by five of my own servants, resolute, 
 active young fellows, well mounted, and armed with 
 lances, in the fashion of their country. 
 
 We pursued our journey with diligence, leaving 
 the lake behind us, and going to the east of south. 
 The country was at first hilly and rocky ; full of 
 trees of the greatest beauty, with flowers of different 
 forms and colours. I was truly sorry to pass them 
 without examination ; but it was not possible to 
 attain more than one object, and even that was un- 
 certain. After passing the plain, we arrived at Ala- 
 ta, a considerable village on tlie side of a green hill, 
 whose Shum, or Chief, was the friend of my host at 
 Dara. 
 
 All the people of the village surrounded us, pay- 
 ing their compliments to the young Mohammedan 
 merchant, myself, and even our servants ; and, as I 
 saluted the Shum in Arabic, we speedily became 
 acquainted. Having overshot the cataract, the noise 
 of which we had long distinctly heard on our right, 
 I resisted every intreaty to enter the house, and take 
 some refreshment. How could I think of eating, 
 when I had not seen the cataract of the Nile, and 
 might be prevented from seeing it by parties of law- 
 less depredators, whether ranking among my friends
 
 CATARACT OF THE NILE. 321 
 
 or enemies ! The Sluim at length convinced me 
 that if I could dine upon the cataract, the horses 
 and mules required a different fare; and I consented 
 to take a hasty meal while the animals were fed. 
 JBread, honey, and butter, were plentifully served, 
 and honey wune went round, till I rose and mouirted 
 my horse. 
 
 I was taken first to the bridge over the Nile, im- 
 mediately below the village, which consists of one 
 arch, about twenty-five feet in breadth ; the extre- 
 mities of the bridge were strongly let into, and 
 rested on, the solid rock ; the Nile here being con- 
 fined between two rocks, and running, with great 
 roaring and impetuosity, in a deep trough. We re- 
 mounted the stream above half a mile before we 
 came to the cataract, among trees and bushes of the 
 same beautiful appearance with those we had seen 
 near Dara. 
 
 The cataract was the most magnificent sight I ever 
 beheld, though the fall perhaps was not more than 
 forty feet high ; but the river fell in one sheet of 
 water, without any interval, above half an English 
 mile in breadth ; and with a force and noise truly 
 terrible. The river preserved its natural clearness, 
 and fell, as far as I could discern, into a deep bason 
 in the solid rock, and in twenty different eddies to 
 the very foot of the precipice ; the stream seeming 
 one part to run back with great fury upon the rock, 
 and the other forward in its natural course, and the 
 two raising a violent ebullition by chafing against 
 pacli other. It was a sight that ages, added to the 
 greatest length of human life, would not eradicate 
 from my memory. My reflection was suspended ; I 
 was struck with a kind of stupor, an oblivion of 
 gyery sublunary concern, which might almost have 
 
 V
 
 32'2 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 been termed a temporary alienation bf mind. I pe- 
 remptorily refused to go back to Alata ; and though 
 we hastened forwards, it was past;five o'clock when 
 we arrived at Dara. 
 
 I now proceeded tojoin the king,whowas encamped 
 with his array in Maitsha ; and after getting over 
 a hill, the ascent only of which was three miles, we 
 came to the passage, or ford of the Nile. The river 
 was very deep, and perhaps fifty yards broader than 
 at the cataract. I entered it on foot, giving my 
 horse to one of my servants ; and where I could not 
 wade, I swam. Mules and horses did the same, 
 some of them with riders on their backs ; and some 
 women who had joined us, swam over, holding by 
 the horses tails. 
 
 From the passage, our route lay westward and to 
 the south of the lake. We passed over a very flat 
 country, which, by the constant rains that now fell, 
 began to stand in large pools. The rich soil was 
 trodden to the consistence of paste by the beasts that 
 had carried the baggage, and every ford was spoiled. 
 We saw dead mules, smoking houses, grass burnt in 
 plots of a hundred acres ; and not a living creature 
 appeared on the once fruitful and well inhabited 
 plains. An awful silence reigned around, interrupted 
 only by thunder, which now came daily, and the 
 foiling of torrents produced by showers on the hills, 
 which ceased when these were over. 
 
 We now entered upon the broad plain of Maitsha, 
 which lies to the south-west of the lake. The coun- 
 try here was in tillage, and had been covered with 
 plentiful crops ; but all had been cut down for the 
 horses of the army, or trodden under their feet. We 
 saw a number of straggling soldiers, in parties of 
 three or four, who liad been seekinsr among the
 
 KARCAGNA. 323 
 
 bushes and coverts on the banks of the river, for the 
 miserable natives who had concealed themselves in 
 such places ; and many of these parties had been so 
 successful that each had three or four vvomen, girls, 
 and boys, whom they were dragging to slavery. 
 
 When I arrived at Karcagna, where the king was 
 encamped, and which is not more than frfty miles 
 from the sources of the Nile, I found the royal army 
 on its return to Gondar. The King and the Ras, 
 having received intelligence that the governors of 
 Begember and Amhara had agreed to attack them 
 in the rear, while they were engaged with Fasil the 
 Galla governor of Damot, thought it not prudent 
 to hazard a battle. 
 
 It was now the rainy season ; and the Nile was to 
 be repassed; and such was our haste, that we had to 
 pass it towards the close of day, and at a ford never 
 before attempted under such circumstances. An 
 officer had passed in the morning, and his men were 
 stationed in small huts like bee hives, which the sol- 
 diers make very speedily of the straw of the wild 
 oats ; each straw being at least eight feet long, and 
 nearly as thick as one's finger. This officer sent 
 word to the king that his men had passed swimming, 
 and with great difficulty. 
 
 The first who now forded the river was a young 
 man, a relation of the king's. He walked in with 
 great caution, marking a track for the king to pass ; 
 and having gone about twice the length of his horse, 
 he plunged out of his depth, and swam to the other 
 side. The king follow^ed immediately, and after 
 him the Ras, upon his mule, with several of his 
 friends swimming on each side of him, both on 
 horses and without, in a manner truly wonderful. 
 As soon as these were safely on shore, the kin2;'s 
 
 Y '2
 
 324 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 household troops, and I with them, advanced cau- 
 tiously to the river on horseback, and swam happily 
 over. The beautiful and delicate Ozoro, Esther wife 
 of the Ras, passed over as he had done, on a mule, 
 with many persons swimming on each side ; and 
 reached the opposite bank in safety, though almost 
 dead with fear. 
 
 The ground now began to be broken on both sides 
 of the passage, and many, mired in the mud of the 
 landing place, fell back into the stream, and were 
 drowned. It is impossible to describe the confusion 
 which followed; night now approached, and though 
 it increased the mischief, it in some measure con- 
 cealed it. We returned to Gondar by the western 
 bide of the lake.
 
 325 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 FROM GONDAR TO THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 
 
 1 HAD now but one object in Abyssinia, which was 
 to see the source of the Nile. The first question 
 Alexander asked at the temple of Jupiter Amnion 
 was, " Where is the source of the Nile ?" and my 
 first and last demand in Abyssinia was to be protected 
 during an expedition to the sources of this celebrated 
 river. I had hoped to attain this object, on joining 
 the army at Karcagna, but its retreat drew off my 
 protectors, and rendered it impossible. 
 
 Having taken every measure that I thought might 
 insure my safety, I left Gondar, and began my pil- 
 grimage, proceeding towards the western side of the 
 lake Tzana. I passed a country house belonging to 
 the King, which is called Azazo. It is surrounded 
 by orange trees, large and lofty, but planted without 
 order. The house is going fast to ruin ; as the so- 
 vereigns of this country have an aversion to houses 
 erected by their predecessors. 
 
 Our road was constantly intersected by rivers, 
 which have their sources in the mountains towards 
 Woggora, from whence they enter the flat country, 
 and are swallowed up in the lake. We encamped 
 on the banks of one of these, after a day's journey 
 of about fourteen miles. 
 
 On the second day we pursued the saxne course, 
 south-west, and passed ten or twelve villages. 
 About six miles to our left was Gorgora, a peninsula
 
 526' ABYSSINIA. 
 
 ■which runs several miles into the lake, on which the 
 Portuguese Jesuits built, with their own hands, a 
 magnificent church and monastery, lined with cedar. 
 We turned the north-west corner of the lake, to set 
 our faces due south, towards the country of the 
 Agows, in which are placed the sources of the Nile. 
 We had passed this day through pleasant vallies, and 
 over gently rising hills ; but, upon the whole, we 
 had ascended considerably since we left Gondar. 
 Having travelled five hours and three quarters, which 
 I computed at twelve miles, we slept at a collection 
 of small villages near the lake. 
 
 On the third day we proceeded on the very brink 
 of the lake ; the land a deep, rich, black soil, laid 
 out in large meadows, bearing very high grass. The 
 bottom of the la,ke here was a clear fine sand. The 
 fear of crocodiles and hippopotami could not prevail 
 over the desire I felt to bathe in the lake Tzana : I 
 therefore swam in it a few minutes, and though the 
 sun was very warm, I found the water intensely cold. 
 In four hours and three quarters from commencing 
 the journey of the day, we came to Mescala Chris- 
 tos, a large village on the summit of a high hill. 
 We intended to have remained here all night ; but 
 after mounting the hill with great fatigue and trou- 
 ble, we found the village abandoned, on intelligence 
 that Fasil, the rebellious governor of Damot, was 
 not far distant. 
 
 This communication made us lay aside all thoughts 
 of sleeping that night ; and we descended the hill 
 of Mescala Christos in great haste, though with 
 much diificulty. We had here a distinct view of the 
 Nile, where, after crossing the lake, it issues out on 
 the eastern side, near Dara, the abode of my friend 
 the Mohammedan merchant. We met multitudes
 
 BAMBA. 327 
 
 of peasants flying before the army of Fasil ; one of 
 whom told us tliat it was very possible he would pass 
 us that night, in his way to Gondar. 
 
 About half past four o'clock in tlie morning of 
 the fourth day, we fell in with an officer called the 
 Fit Auraris, who always commands an advanced de- 
 tachment of an Abyssinian army. He told me that 
 Fasil had by this time pitched his tent at Bamba, 
 within a mile of the place where we then were. He 
 gave me a man, who, he said, would take care of 
 us, and desired me not to dismiss him till I had seen 
 his master. 
 
 We found Bamba a collection of villages, which 
 were now hlled with soldiers. We got a tolerable 
 house, and the tent of Fasil was pitched a little be- 
 low us. It was larger than the others, and had lights 
 about it, and drums beating before it. After some 
 time, I received a message to attend this commander. 
 I repaired immediately to his tent, and found him 
 sitting upon a cushion, with a lion's skin thrown 
 over it, and another lion's skin stretched like a carpet 
 before him. His upper garment was drawn tight 
 over his shoulders, and a cotton cloth, something 
 like a dirty tov/el, was wrapped about his head. His 
 behaviour was such as shewed a design to provoke 
 me ; and to my request of being permitted to visit 
 the source of the Nile, he answered rudely, *' All 
 Abyssinia w^on't carry you there, that I promise you." 
 '* If you are resolved to the contrary, it cannot," I 
 replied, " but if all the rest of Abyssinia could not 
 protect me there, your word alone could do it." 
 
 Fasil now put on a look of more complacency, and 
 the next morning I met with a better reception : I 
 was called into his tent to partake of a great break- 
 fast of honey, butter, raw beef, and some stewed
 
 528 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 dishes, which were very good. A man was combing 
 and perfuming the hair of the Galla governor ; his 
 shoulders and breast w^ere naked ; and he had a new 
 fine white cotton cloth thrown loosely about his waist, 
 and covering his legs and feet. I had now brought 
 my present, which consisted of four beautiful silk 
 sashes, each five yards long, a splendid Persian pipe, 
 and two Venetian bowls of blue cut glass. He 
 exclaimed, '* I have done nothing for this ! It is a 
 present for a king !" " It is a present for a friend," 
 said I, *' often of more consequence than a king to 
 a stranger.'' 
 
 F'asil would now have made me sit down on the same 
 cushion with himself, an honour which I declined. 
 *' Friend," said he, *' 1 am heartily sorry you did 
 not meet me at Bure (the residence of the governod' 
 of Damot), there I could have received you as I 
 ought ; but I am here tormented w^ith a number of 
 barbarous people, whom I am about to dismiss. I 
 have nothing to return for the present you have given 
 me, for I did not expect to meet a man like you in 
 the fields. I have given you a good man, well known 
 in this country to be ray servant. He shall go with 
 Vou to Geesh, where is the head of the Nile, and 
 return you to Shalaka Welled Amlac, a friend of 
 mine, who has the dangerous part of the country in 
 his hands, and who will take you safe to Gondar. 
 My wife is at present in his house. Fear nothing ; 
 I shall answer for your safety." 
 
 I then was hurried out of the tent, and had my 
 upper garments taken from me by some of the oiii- 
 cers of Fasil, who threw over me a loose piece of fine 
 muslin in their place ; and upon my coming back, 
 Fasil took off the new cloth he himself wore, and 
 put it about my shoulders with his own hand, his 
 servants immediately putting another over him.
 
 BAMBA. 329 
 
 *' Hear what I say to you," said Fasil. " You 
 heed not be alarmed at the wild people I am dis- 
 missing, and who are going part of your way. You 
 see those seven people," (I never saw more thief- 
 looking fellows in my hfe) *' these are all leaders and 
 chiefs of the Galla — savages, if you please — they 
 are all your brethren ; you may go through their 
 country as if it were your own, without a man hurt- 
 ing you. You will soon be related to them all, for 
 it is their custom that a stranger of distinction, like 
 you, w^hen he is their guest, should sleep with the 
 daughter, sister, or other near relation of the prin- 
 cipal man among them." I bowed, and remained 
 silent. Fasil then addressed my seven brethren in 
 the Galla tongue, which they answered by the wild- 
 est howl I ever heard, striking their breasts, as if 
 
 assentmg. 
 
 C( 
 
 The brethren of these people," continued Fasil, 
 addressing himself to me, " were taken prisoners, and 
 ill treated by order of the Ras. You nourished, 
 clothed, protected them ; and after such good care, 
 these Galla are all your brethren ; they will die for 
 you, before they will see you hurt." I must own 
 that if these people entertained any brotherly kind- 
 ness for me, it was not visible in their countenances. 
 "Besides this," continued Fasil, "you were kind 
 and courteous to my servants while at Gondar, 
 and said many favourable things of me before the 
 king: now, before all these men, ask me any thing 
 you have at heart, and, be it what it may, they know 
 I cannot deny it you." 
 
 There is a freedom and dignity of manner in the 
 uncultivated part of mankind which education cannot 
 give, and may take away. All the Abyssinians are 
 orators; but Fasil delivered this speech in a tone and 
 manner superior to any thing I had ever witnessed.
 
 330 AByssIN^A. 
 
 My request was still to be protected to the head 
 of the Nile, and afterwards on my return to Gondar. 
 *' This," said Fasil, " is no request ; I have granted 
 it already, and I owe it to the commands of the king, 
 whose servant I am : however, since it is so much 
 at your heart, go in peace ; and if I am alive, and 
 governor of Damot, unsettled as the country is, no- 
 thing disagreeable can befall vou.'* 
 
 Fasil then rose ; his seven Galla chiefs, three of 
 his principal Abyssinian officers who were in the 
 tent, and myself, did the same. We all stood in 
 a circle, each raising the palm of our hands, while 
 he and his Galla repeated some words together in 
 their own language. *' Now," said Fasil, " go in 
 peace ; you are a Galla ; this a curse upon them- 
 selves and their children, their corn, grass, and 
 cattle, if ever they lift their hand against you or 
 yours, or do not defend you to the utmost against 
 the attacks and designs of others." We all then 
 went to the door of the tent, where stood a very 
 handsome grey hDrse, ready bridled and saddled. 
 " Take this horse,'* said Fasil, " as a present from 
 me J it is the horse I rode upon yesterday. Do not 
 mount it, but drive it before you, bridled and sad- 
 dled as it is. No man of Maitsha will touch you 
 when he sees that horse, and it is the men of Maitsha 
 you have to fear, not your friends the Galla." 
 
 I took the most humble and respectful leave pos- 
 sible of Fasil, and also of my Galla brethren, in- 
 w^ardly praying that I might never see them again ; 
 theri, turning to Fasil, according to the custom of 
 the country to superiors, I asked his leave to mount 
 on horseback before him, and was speedily out of 
 sight. 
 
 Shalaka Woldo, the man of trust whom Fasil had
 
 DINGLEBER. 331 
 
 given me, was by birth an Agow, and about fifty- 
 five years of age. He had served Fasil's father, who, 
 prior to his son, had been governor of Daniot, from 
 his infancy. He had no covering on his head, ex- 
 cept long, bushy, black hair, and no covering on 
 his body and limbs, except a goat-skin ti])j)et, and 
 a pair of short trowscrs of coarse cotton. The mule 
 that siiould have carried him generally carried the 
 cotton cloth that should have been thrown over his 
 shoulders ; and he marched by its side, bare-legged 
 and bare-footed, sometimes with a long pipe in his 
 hand, at others with a thick stick, with which he ♦ 
 dealt about him liberally, to man, woman, and 
 beast, upon the slightest provocation. He was ex- 
 ceedingly sagacious and cunning, and seemed to 
 penetrate the meaning of our discourse, though he 
 was totally ignorant of our language. 
 
 Steep and craggy hills lay between us and the 
 lake, till we arrived at the rock of Dingleber, which 
 shoots so far into it as only to leave a narrow pass 
 that forms the road between the two. Through this 
 pass must be conveyed all the provisions which come 
 from the southern provinces to Gondar ; therefore, 
 when there is any revolt in these parts, it is always 
 occupied, to reduce Gondar by famine. On the 
 top of the rock is a village, which commands one of 
 the finest prospects in Abyssinia. This is the south- 
 4^rn boundary of the province of Dembea. Here I 
 quitted the lake, and every step I took increased 
 my distance from it ; its shore inclining to the east 
 of south, and my road a little to the west. After 
 travelling all niglit, we arrived at the banks of the 
 river Kelti, a quarter before six o'clock in the morn- 
 ing of the sixth day of our journey. 
 
 The Kelti is here a large river, and the banks being
 
 332 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 of a soft, soapy quality, are exceedingly dangerous f 
 it joins the Nile a little below. As we were preparing 
 to pitch our tent, two Galla, belonging to a notorious 
 robber called the Jumper, who was encamped with 
 his party on the opposite side of the river, came with 
 a message from their leader, desiring us to pass the 
 river, and encamp under his protection. On this 
 invitation we began to load our mules again, though 
 we were excessively fatigued, and in want of sleep ; 
 w^hen two whistles and a veil from Shalaka Woldo 
 brought above fifty people to our assistance ; the 
 baggage was instantly passed, and to pitch my two 
 tents was the work of a moment. 
 
 A bull of an enormous size was sent me by the 
 Jumper, and I waited upon this chief in his tent. 
 He was quite naked, except that a cloth was wrapped 
 about his loins, and he was rubbing his arms and 
 body with melted tallow, his hair having been abun- 
 dantly anointed before. A man was finishing his 
 head-dress by plaiting with his hair some of the small 
 guts of an ox, and he had already about his neck, 
 and hanging down to his stomach, two rounds of 
 the same ornament. The Jumper was tall and lean, 
 with a sharp face, a long nose, small eyes, and very 
 large ears ; he resembled much a lean, keen grey- 
 hound. Our conversation was neither long nor in- 
 teresting. I made him a small present, which he 
 took with great indifference, telling me, that if I 
 meant it to pay foj' the bull, it was needless, for the 
 bull cost him nothing, being given me by Fasil's 
 order. I was overcome with the smell of blood and 
 putrefaction, and quitted the Galla chief as soon as 
 possible. The preceding day and night, that is, 
 from Fasil's camp hither, I had travelled twenty- 
 niiic miles.
 
 MAITSHA. 353 
 
 There are ninety-nine families in Maitsha, origi- 
 nally Galla, who were transplanted here as a barrier 
 against their wild countrymen, and they themselves 
 say, the devil forms the hundredth, for a family of 
 men cannot be found to equal them. The houses 
 of Maitsha are of a very singular construction. The 
 first proprietor has a field, which he divides into four 
 by two thorny hedges of the acacia tree. In one 
 corner, by the intersection of the two hedges, he 
 builds his low hut, and occupies what space he 
 pleases. Three of his brothers, perhaps, occupy 
 the three angles adjoining. Behind these, the chil- 
 dren of each build their houses, inclosing the end of 
 their father's house by another ; and after they have 
 raised as many dwellings as they choose, the whole 
 is surrounded by a thick and almost impenetrable 
 thorny hedge. All the fiimily are under one roof, 
 facing every point from which danger can approach 
 them, and ready to assist each other. AVhen a house 
 is infected with the small pox, it is immediately set 
 on fire, and the unfortunate people within, on en- 
 deavouring to escape, are pushed back into the 
 flames with forks and lances, held in the hands of 
 their friends and relations. Humanity shudders at 
 the action ; but here the plagqe is not so terrible as 
 the small pox. 
 
 On the seventh day we pursued our journey south- 
 ward from the encampment of the Jumper, and in 
 four hours and a half we came to lloo, which is a 
 level space shaded with trees, where the neighbouring 
 people of Goutto, Agow, and Maitsha, hold a market 
 for hides, honey, butter, and all kinds of cattle: gold 
 is brought from the Shangalla by the Agows. All 
 the markets in Abyssinia arc held in such places as 
 this, under the shade of trees. All are undpr the
 
 SSi -ABYSSINIA. 
 
 protection of government, and no feuds or animo- 
 sities must be revenged at tlie market ; coming and 
 going, a man is at his own risk. 
 
 At Roo our road parted from that of tlie wild 
 Galla who were returning home ; and here we found 
 stationed to protect us, by Fasifs order, the brother 
 of the Jumper, at the head of a number of men. This 
 officer was called the Lamb ; and Woldo was verj 
 eloquent in praise of his humanity, assuring me, that 
 when he made an inroad into any of the provinces 
 of Abyssinia, he did not murder women, even though 
 they happened to be with child. 
 
 The same inattention and indifference for new 
 objects that prevailed in the Jumper, was also dis- ^ 
 coverable in his brother the Lamb, and in the other 
 Galla his soldiers, yet the respect they shewed to 
 Fasifs horse was remarkable. Each brought a hand- 
 ful of barley, and the Lamb himself had a long con- 
 versation with him, in which, as Woldo told me, he 
 lamented the horse's ill fortune, and Fasil's cruelty, 
 in having bestowed him upon a white man, who 
 would neither feed him, nor suifer him to return to 
 his own country. 
 
 I now turned my face to the eastward of south, 
 in the direction of the fountains of the Nile, and 
 took leave, as I hoped for ever, of my brethren, 
 the Galla. 
 
 The country was finely shaded by acacia trees, 
 which growing about fifteen or sixteen feet high, 
 spread at the top, and touchetl each other, while their 
 trunks were far asunder. I he cattle were large and 
 beautiful, and in some places the wild oats grew so 
 high as to conceal both the horse and his rider. The 
 soil was finely watered by small streams, and the mois- 
 ture of tlicse, aided by the action of a hot sun, pro-
 
 COUTTd. 33^ 
 
 duccd trees and slirubs with flowers of every colour ; 
 but all, except those of the rose and jessamine kinds, 
 were destitute of odour. 
 
 After passing a considerable river called the Assar, 
 which flows through this delightful country, and 
 joins the Nile a little below, we had a view of the 
 mountain of Geesh, the object of this perilous jour- 
 ney, for under it are the fountains of the Nile. We 
 conjectured the distance to be about thirty miles. 
 About two o'clock, I arrived for the third time at 
 the bank of the Abyssinian Nile, and prepared to 
 cross it at the ford of Goutto. The river here was 
 260 feet broad, and very rapid ; its depth about four 
 feet in the middle of the stream, and two near the 
 sides. The inhabitants of Goutto retain their ancient 
 veneration for the Nile. They crowded around us 
 at the ford, and protested against our riding across 
 the stream on a horse or mule, or even walking 
 through it with our shoes on ; and they threatened 
 those who attempted to wash the dirt from their 
 cloaks and trowsers in the river. They conducted 
 me across, holding me on each side very carefully, 
 on account of the holes, though I could not help 
 thinking that my shoes would have rendered me 
 more service with regard to the sharp pointed stones. 
 
 From my lodging at the village of Goutto, I heard 
 the first cataract, and, as an hour and a half of day- 
 light remained, I mounted Fasil's horse, and in half 
 an hour's easy galloping over a plain hard country, 
 in some places stony, in others covered with trees, 
 I arrived at the cataract, conducted by the sound 
 of the fall, without my guide being able to over- 
 take me. 
 
 I found the cataract scarcely sixteen feet In 
 lieight, and not more than sixty yards in breadth j
 
 536 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 the sheet of water interrupted in many places by 
 dry rock ; in every shape less deserving of notice 
 than the third cataract, the noble fall at Alata. It 
 is said that the second cataract, that of Kerr, which 
 I had left behind me at no great distance, is still 
 smaller than that which I had now seen. I returned 
 to Goutto without having seen a single person since 
 I left it. 
 
 All the territory of Goutto is full of villages, in 
 which the fathers, sons, and grandsons live together; 
 each degree in a separate house, but near, or touch- 
 ing each other, as in Maitsha ; so that every village 
 consists of one family. 
 
 On the eighth day of our journey, after leaving 
 Goutto, we descended into a large plain full of 
 marshes, bounded on the west by the Nile. In this 
 plain, the river makes above a hundred turns in the 
 space of four miles, one of which advanced so ab-r 
 ruptly into the plain that we were preparing to cross 
 it, when it turned suddenly to the right, and ran in 
 a contrary direction. The river here was not more 
 than twenty feet broad, and one foot deep. 
 
 On quitting the plain, Woldo, my man of trust, 
 declared himself so ill, that he believed he should 
 die at the next village. We proceeded, however, not ^ 
 withstanding the desperate state of Woldo's health, 
 which I doubted not had some cause that would be 
 unfolded in due time, and entered the valley of 
 Abola, This valley is inclosed by mountains on the 
 east and west, which increase in height and become 
 more rugged and woody as we ad\'ance towards the 
 south. On the tops of these are most delightful 
 plains, which afford pasture. 
 
 All the villages we had })assed since we crossed 
 tjie Nile at Goutto, were surrounded by large thick
 
 SAOALA. 3S7 
 
 pJafltations of the ensete, or Jerusalem artichoke. 
 This plant is said to have been brought by the Galla 
 from Narea ; and its root supplies Maitsha, tlie 
 Agows, and Damot, with food. 
 
 We slept at a small village in the plain of Abola, 
 and left it on the ninth morning of our journey, with- 
 out having seen any of its inhabitants, who had 
 abandoned their houses at the sight of Fasil's horse. 
 In two hours we arrived at the top of a mountain, 
 from whence we had a view of Sacala, a plain full of 
 small low villages ; in half an hour we descended 
 into the plain, and in half an hour more we halted 
 on a small eminence, on which the market of Sacala 
 is held every Saturday. Horned cattle, many of 
 them of the greatest beauty, large asses, honey, but- 
 ter, ensete for food, and mats manufactured from 
 the leaf, painted with different colours, like Mosaic 
 work, are here exposed for sale in great abundance ; 
 and still greater quantities of houey and butter are 
 carried from tliis neighbourhood to Gondar. 
 
 From the plain of Sacala we ascended a mountain, 
 the last and worst of our journey. It was steep and 
 rugged, full of holes and large stones, covered with 
 thick wood, v/hich frequently concealed from us the 
 edge of the precipice on which we stood ; and furr 
 nished with thorns and brambles, particularly witV 
 that most execrable of all thorns, tlie kantutfa. In 
 half an hour we reached the summit, and saw, im- 
 mediately below us, the Nile — a brook, with scarcely 
 water enougli to turn a mill I The mountain of 
 Geesh, at the foot of which it rises, was about a 
 mile and a half distant. 
 
 While I was silently contemplating the prospect I 
 had so ardently wished to see, an alarm was spread 
 that we had lost Woldo, our guide. He was fouuij
 
 338 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 at the distance of a few hundred yards behind, but 
 in so weak a state, that he declared it was not possi- 
 ble for him to proceed any further. 1 felt his pulse, 
 and said that his hand informed me he was perfectly 
 well, and that he was playing some trick which would 
 turn out to his own disadvantage. On this he grew 
 better ; but said he must rest a few minutes, as it 
 required strength to mount another great hill which 
 lay between us and Geesh. " Lying is to no pur- 
 pose,'* said I, "I know where Geesh is, as well as 
 you, and I know there are no m^re hills to pass ; 
 therefore if you choose to stay behind, you may ; 
 and to-morrow I shall send word of it to Bur^. I 
 then walked down to the ford of the Nile, and Wol- 
 do followed with my servants, and walked as well as 
 they. The Nile here was not four yards over, and 
 not above four inches deep. 
 
 I had worn during this journey a very handsome 
 silk sash, which wrapped five times round my waist, 
 and Woldo had regarded it with great attention, and 
 had made enquiries respecting its value ; he now de- 
 sired to speak with me alone. " I know by your face," 
 said I, " that you are going to tell me a lie ; and I 
 tell you solemnly that if you have any favour to ask, 
 you will not obtain it by that means ; by truth and 
 good behaviour you may. I knew you were no more 
 sick than I am." "Sir," said Woldo, "you are 
 right ; I was not sick. But I cannot go with you to 
 Geesh ; for when my master, Fasil, defeated the 
 Agows at the battle of Banja, I was with him, and 
 slew some of the men of this village; and you know 
 that if I fall into the hands of these people, my blood 
 must pay for their blood." 
 
 "Did not I say," replied I, "that it was a lye you 
 were going to tell me ? Many men were slain at the
 
 SOURCES OF THE NILE. 839 
 
 battle of Baiija; somebody must, and you may, have 
 slain them ; but do you think I can believe that Fa- 
 sil could rule the Agows as he does, and not be able 
 to send a servant among them in safety, at the dis- 
 tance of twenty miles from his own residence? No, 
 tell me the truth at once, and try how far that v;ill 
 succeed." 
 
 At length Woldo confessed his great desire to 
 have my sash, aud his fears that when I had once 
 seen the fountains of the Nile, and found that they 
 were no more than other fountains, I should not 
 give it him. I instantly took off my sash, and, 
 giving it to Woldo, I said, " Here, take the sash ; 
 truth has procured it for you, and truth and good 
 behaviour may procure still more ; but, if in the 
 course of this journey, you play off another piece of 
 deceit, though ever so trifling, I will bring such ven- 
 geance upon your head that you shall not be able to 
 find a place to hide it in. Now,'' continued I, '*shcw 
 me the source of the Nile." 
 
 " Look at that hillock of green turf, in the middle 
 of that watery spot," said my man of trust, a little 
 terrified by my threat ; "in that are the two foun- 
 tains of the Nile, and Geesh is on the face of the 
 rock where those green trees are. If you go to the 
 fountains, pull off your shoes; for these people wor- 
 ship the river as you do." 
 
 I waited for no more ; but taking off my shoes, 
 I ran down to the fountain, and drank repeated 
 draughts of the precious beverage. 
 
 z 2
 
 5^0 
 
 CHAPTER XXVITL 
 
 THE NILE. 
 
 ViEESH is not more than 600 yards from the 
 sources of the Nile, and is situated on the face of a 
 cliff which rises abruptly from a plain, and fronts 
 the south : the flat country continues about seventy 
 miles to the southward, where it meets the Nile 
 again after it has passed through the lake Tzana, 
 and encircled the provinces of Gojam and Damot. 
 The cliff of Geesh seems purposely fashioned into a 
 number of shelves or stages, which occupy about 
 two thirds of its height, leaving an equal space above 
 and below ; on each stage is a cluster of houses, sel- 
 dom exceeding eight or ten in number ; and these, 
 being half hidden by trees, have a very picturesque 
 appearance from the plain. The only communica- 
 tion with the houses, either from above or below, 
 is by narrow winding paths, scarcely discernible for 
 thorns and bushes. Lofty trees, most of them of 
 the thorny kind, and bearing beautiful flowers, as 
 all the thorns of Abyssinia do, tower high above the 
 edge of the cliff. 
 
 From the top of the cliff, the ground slopes with 
 an easy descent to the north, and ends in a small 
 triangular marsh, in which are the sources of the 
 Nile. On the north of the marsh, the ground rises 
 into a round hill, on which stands the church of St, 
 Michael Geesh. On the west of the marsh rises the 
 mountain of Geesh, a beautiful detached mountain
 
 THE NILE. 341 
 
 of moderate height, of a pyramidal form, and covered 
 with clover, grass, and Howers. On the east of the 
 marsh the ground descends gently to the village of 
 Sacala, which is six miles distant. 
 
 In the middle of the marsh arises a hillock of a 
 circular form, about three feet high and twelve in 
 diameter ; and in the centre of this is a hole about 
 three feet in diameter and seven feet in depth, obvi- 
 ously made, or enlarged, by the hand of man, and 
 filled nearly to the brim with clear and limpid water, 
 without anv ebullition on its surface. At the dis- 
 tance of ten and twenty feet from this, are two 
 other fountains, standing, like the former, in altars 
 of firm sod, but smaller and lower. 
 
 Geesh is situated in lat. 10° 59' north, and in Ion. 
 ■36* 55' east. At five o'clock in the morning, the 
 thermometer stood at 44° ; at noon, at 96° ; and at 
 sunset, at 46°. In this country it is always disagree- 
 ably cold when the thermometer is below 6S°. 
 
 It may not be unacceptable to trace the course of 
 the Nile, so far as it is known. This river runs in a 
 northerly direction from its source till it has advanced 
 to the lake Tzana, which it crosses from west to east 
 for about twenty one miles, preserving the colour of 
 its stream distinct from that of the lake, and issuing 
 out of it in the territory of Dara. There is a ford, 
 though a very deep and dangerous one, as soon as it 
 has left the lake. Having passed the cataract of 
 Alata, its course becomes south-east, and it washes 
 the western part of Begemder and Anihara ; it then 
 turns successively south and west, inclosing nearly 
 all the province of Gojam, and leaving it always on 
 the right. In forming this circle, it at length turns 
 almost due north, and approaches so near its source 
 as to be only about sixty-two miles to the southward
 
 S4}^2 ABYSSJNIA. 
 
 of it. The river is here very deep and rapid, and 
 only fordable at certain seasons of the year. The 
 Galla pass it on goat skins, blown up like bladders ; 
 or on small rafts ; or by twisting a horse's tail in 
 their hands and swimming. Crocodiles abound in 
 this part of the Nile. 
 
 To the south of Abyssinia is a mountainous coun- 
 try, inhabited by a nation of perfect Blacks called 
 Guba. Here the Nile is said to have forced its way 
 through a gap in this barrier, and to fall down about 
 280 feet ; and this fall is succeeded by two others, 
 very considerable, but not so high as the former, in 
 the same ridge of mountains. These are called the 
 mountains of Fazuclo. They are said to be inha- 
 bited by many pow^erful tribes of Blacks, and a large 
 quantity of gold is brought from thence. This is 
 the fine gold of Sennaar called tibbar, which is washed 
 down by the rains, and found in small pellets among 
 roots, tufts of grass, or hollows in the earth. 
 
 The Nile now runs bv Sennaar, in a direction 
 nearly north, and is the only ornament of that flat, 
 though cultivated country. From Sennaar, it passes 
 many large towns inhabited by Arabs ; then passes 
 Gcrri, and runs north-east to take in the Tacazze, 
 passing, in its way, a large and populous town called 
 Chendi. The Nile, now takes its course due north 
 till it arrives at Korti, the first town in the kingdom 
 pf Dongola ; from whence it bends to the west as 
 far as Moscho, a considerable town, and a M'clcome 
 place of refreshment to the weary traveller, when 
 the caravans were suffered to pass this way. From 
 Moscho, the Nile turns gradually towards the east, 
 till it recovers its former northerly direction. In 
 lat. 22°. 15' it meets with a chain of mountains ; 
 and, throwing itself down a pass, it forms the seventh
 
 THE Nil.i;. 343 
 
 cataract, which is called Jan Adel. It then passes 
 Ibrim and Deir ; forms the eighth cataract, above 
 Assouan ; and takes its course through Egypt, to 
 the Mediterranean Sea. 
 
 But, though I have generally spoken of the Nile 
 of Abyssinia, as being the Nile of Egypt, the source 
 of which the ancients were so anxious to discover j 
 the reader may have observed I am not ignorant 
 that there is another Nile, which remains to be 
 explored. 
 
 I have hitherto banished conjecture from the his- 
 tory of my travels, desirous that it should contain 
 only facts ; but here the facts already known can 
 but serve for the foundation of conjecture. 
 
 It is said that a chain of mountains crosses Africa ; 
 from Assentee, on the west, to Abyssinia on the east, 
 and that these are called the Mountains of the Moon. 
 
 It is said, by a most accurate and judicious tra- 
 veller, Mr. Jackson, on the authority of respectable 
 African merchants, that from one of these moun- 
 tains, belonging to a western branch, two large rivers 
 take their course ; one from the eastern, the other 
 from the western, side of the mountain ; that, at 
 first, they both flow in a northerly direction ; and 
 that afterwards the river on the western side runs 
 towards the west, and is called the Senegal ; while 
 that on the eastern runs towards the east, and is 
 called by the African Arabs the Bahar el Abeed, or 
 the Nile el Abeed ; that is, tlie River, or the Nile, 
 of the Blacks, or Negroes. 
 
 A large river, flowing towards the east, has been 
 traced from Bammakoo to Silla, in Bambarra ; it is 
 known to proceed to Jinnie, and to pass about twelve 
 miles to the south of Timbuctoo -, it is said then to 
 pursue its course eastward for about 350 miles, and
 
 344« ABYSSINIA. 
 
 to empty itself into an immense lake called the Sea 
 of Soudan. Here it is lost. 
 
 The next that we hear of, a large river taking a 
 similar, but rather more northerly direction, is in 
 the country called Dar Kulla, to the south west of 
 Dar Fur. 
 
 We are afterwards told of a Bahar el Abiad, or 
 White River, broader and deeper than the Abyssinian 
 Nile, which, coming from the south west, passes 
 about three day's journey to the west of Sennaar, 
 and joins the Abyssinian Nile at a village called 
 Hojila, about nine miles south west of Halfaia. 
 
 It would ill become me to pretend to decide Vvhere 
 the learned entertain different opinions. But is it 
 too much to suppose that the Nile of the Negroes 
 lias been called by the various names of the Niger, 
 the Joliba, and the Bahar el Abiad ? that it rises itl 
 a branch of the Mountains of the Moon, south west 
 of Bammakoo? that it passes by that town, Sego, 
 Silla, Jinnie, and near Timbuctoo ? that it runs 
 through the Sea of Soudan, as the eastern Nile 
 through the Lake Tzana? and that, issuing from 
 thence, it pursues its course through countries un- 
 known to us, till it appears in Dar Kulla and the 
 kingdom of Sennaar? The word Niger has the same 
 signification as the true distinction, Abeed ; Joliba 
 may be a local appellation, like the Avon Mawr, or 
 Great River, by \vhich name the Maw is known in 
 Wales ; and Abiad may be a mistaken orthography 
 for Abeed. 
 
 It is said that the Nile of the Negroes overflows 
 like the Nile of Egypt. It is also said that the African 
 Arabs know but two Niles ; the larger, which they 
 call the Nile el Abeed, or the Nile of the Blacks ; 
 and the smaller, which they call the Nile cl Massar,
 
 CEESH. Bi5 
 
 or the Nile of Egypt : thus ascribing to the Nile af 
 Geesh the long established honour of being the river 
 of Egypt. I apprehend, however, that it only 
 merits the title of Nile el Habbesh, and that both, 
 when united, form the river of Egypt. But I have 
 heard of persons who deny it even this honour, and 
 thus contradict the universal voice of every country 
 through which it flows, from Geesh to Rosetta. 
 
 If future discoveries should ascertain that the 
 Bahar el Abeed and the Bahar el Abiad are distinct 
 rivers, I cannot entertain any doubt that they will 
 prove there is a communication between the two, by 
 means of some intermediate W'aters ; for besides that 
 the enlightened traveller above mentioned informs 
 us there is but one opinion on this subject among 
 intelligent persons in Africa, he has given the par- 
 ticulars of a voyage actually performed by a party 
 of Negroes, from Jinnie to Cairo. 
 
 This voyage appears to me more extraordinary 
 than any which has been accomplished since the dis- 
 covery of America. Its authenticity rests upon the 
 credit of a most respectable Mohammedan merchant, 
 now living, whose name, if the author thought him- 
 self at liberty to mention it, would add considerable 
 weight to his evidence ; and the author himself has 
 done more, and is still capable of doing more, to- 
 wards laying open the interior of Africa, than those 
 who have been sent out expressly for that purpose. 
 
 By the activity of Woldo, I found myself settled 
 in the house of the Shum of Geesh, and had four or 
 live other houses for my baggage and servants. We 
 were scarcely seated, when a servant arrived from 
 Fasil with a tine milk white cow, two sheep, two 
 ^oats, fifty loaves of excellent wheatcn bread, six 
 jars of honey beer, and two horns of strong spirits.
 
 34)6 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 We passed a cheerful evening, Woldo alone betraying 
 some degree of apprehension. At length he besought 
 me not to mention the affair of the sash to Fasil's 
 servant. I assured him that if he continued to act 
 as he now did, I was much more likely to give him 
 another sash, than to complain of tlie means he used 
 to obtain this. He then joined in the general mirth, 
 and ever after deserved more and more commen- 
 dation. 
 
 I displayed my lesser articles for barter to the 
 Shum of Geesh, and told him that I should pay for 
 sheep and oxen with gold. He was so struck with 
 this unexpected generosity, that he insisted upon 
 our taking three of his daughters to be our house- 
 keepers. The eldest, who took the direction of my 
 house, was sixteen years of age, tall, genteel, and 
 sprightly ; her features must have constituted her a 
 beauty in any country of Europe, if colour were out 
 of the question ; and though she could not understand 
 our words, she easily comprehended our signs. I 
 thought the head of this young Agow would have 
 turned with the profusion of riches committed to 
 her disposal, and promised to herself, in the form 
 of antimony, beads, knives, small scissors, and large 
 needles. 
 
 The Shum of Geesh was about seventy years of 
 ac:e, with a long white beard, an ornament rare 
 among the Abyssinians. He was called Kefla Abay, 
 the Servant of the River ; and he believed that the 
 honourable charge he possessed had been in his fa- 
 mily from the beginning of the world. He conceived 
 that he might have had eighty four or eighty five 
 children ; and indeed, if the families of his prede- 
 cessors had been as numerous as his own, there was 
 no great danger of the office devolving upon strangers.
 
 THE AGOWS. 34>7 
 
 He wore an ox's hide, tanned and scraped to the 
 consistence of Shamoy leather, and fastened round 
 his middle with a broad belt, and over this a cloak 
 with a hood, which covered his head. He had san- 
 dals on his feet, which he took off when he ap- 
 proached the marshes of the Nile. 
 
 Once a year the different tribes of the Agows 
 meet at the source of the Nile, and sacrifice a black 
 heifer that has never borne a calf. The head of the 
 animal is wrapped in its skin, and what becomes of 
 it I could not learn ; the carcase, after having been 
 washed at the fountain, is divided among the tribes, 
 and eaten raw ; the only beverage allowed is from 
 the spring : the bones are piled up and burnt. The 
 church of St. Michael Geesh is never opened, and 
 the people are privately hastening its decay, while 
 they pray to the spirit residing in the river, and call 
 it the *' Father of the universe,'* *' Light of the 
 world," " Saviour of the world," " Everlasting god,"' 
 and " God of peace." 
 
 The richer sort of the Agows keep serpents of a 
 particular kind in their houses, which they consult be- 
 fore they undertake a journey, or an affair of any con- 
 sequence. They take this animal from his retreat and 
 place butter and milk, of which he is extravagantly 
 fond, before him ; if he do not eat, misfortune is at 
 hand. The Shum told Woldo that the spirit of the 
 river informed him a party was coming to Geesh from 
 Fasil's army; that, being afraid, he consulted his ser- 
 pent, and that, as the animal ate readily and heartily, 
 he knew we intended him no liarm. Before an inva- 
 sion of the Galla, or the inroad of any other enemy, 
 they say that these serpents disappear, and are not 
 to be found. 
 
 The country of the Agows is no where sixty miles
 
 34^ ABYSSINIA. 
 
 in length, or half that in breadth, yet troops of a 
 thousand or fifteen hundred of these people, in suc- 
 cession, are constantly on their way to Gondar, laden 
 with butter, honey, wax, hides, and other commo- 
 dities. In such a journey, and in such a climate, it 
 might naturally be supposed that butter would be 
 in a state of fusion; this is prevented by mixing with 
 it the bruised root of a herb called moc-moco, which 
 is of a yellow colour, and in shape resembling a carrot, 
 a very small quantity of which preserves the butter 
 firm and sweet for a considerable time. The trade 
 with the neighbouring Shangalla for gold, elephants' 
 teeth, and very fine cotton, might be carried on to 
 a much greater extent, were it not for the propensity 
 that both nations have to theft and plunder. 
 
 Notwithstanding the natural riches of the Agows, 
 taxes, tributes, and war, have rendered them mise- 
 rable. I saw a number of women, wrinkled and 
 sun-burnt, so as scarcely to appear human, wandering 
 about, with one or two children on their backs, ga- 
 thering the seeds of grass to make a kind of bread. 
 
 The clothing of the Agows is entirely of hides, 
 which they soften and manufacture in a manner 
 peculiar to themselves. The younger sort are nearly 
 naked. Women generally marry about eleven years 
 of age, and none of the married are without children. 
 
 Almost every small collection of houses has behind 
 it a large cavern, or subterraneous dwelling cut in 
 the rock, the entrance of which is concealed by 
 thorns and bushes; and all the districts of the Agows 
 have mountains perforated in the same manner. These 
 are probably intended as asylums for the women and 
 cattle on the approach of an enemy. In the principal 
 cavern at Geesh, the heads of the tribes assemble 
 after the sacrifice of the black heifer, and perform 
 some sacred rites which are kept secret.
 
 GtlESH. .349 
 
 When I quitted Geesh, my amiable housekeeper 
 bestowed little attention on my presents. She tore 
 her fine hair, which before had been braided in the 
 most graceful manner ; she threw herself on the 
 ground within the house, and refused to see me 
 mount my horse ; but after we had begun our journey, 
 she came to the door, and followed me with her 
 eyes and good wishes, as long as her person could 
 be seen, or her voice could be heard. 
 
 The day after I left Geesh I quitted my former 
 road, and turned to the right, to the house of Shalaka 
 Welled Amlac, to whom I had been recommended 
 by Fasil, and who had been introduced to me at 
 Gondar, as one of the most powerful, resolute, and 
 best attended robbers in Maitsha. Welled Amlac 
 was not at home ; his mother, his wife, and his two 
 sisters were, and received me very kindly, as did 
 Fasil's wife, who was their guest ; and a cow was 
 instantly slaughtered. The sisters of W^elled Amlac 
 were about sixteen or seventeen years of age, and 
 handsome; and Mclectanea, the eldest of these young 
 ladies, in comformity to the custom mentioned by 
 Fasil, told me she was to be my companion for the 
 night. Fasil's wife was about eighteen, and was still 
 more beautiful and graceful. Her features were 
 regular, her eyes and teeth were fine, and her com- 
 plexion was a dark brown: unfortunately, she spoke 
 only Galla. She was of a noble family of that people, 
 which had conquered and settled in the low country 
 of Narea. Slie said her husband had twenty wives 
 besides herself. 
 
 Welled Amlac now arrived, another cow was 
 killed, and the honey wine went plentifully round. 
 The room we were in, which was large, and which 
 contained its master, his mothci", wife, sisters, ser-
 
 S50 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 vants, horses, and mules, night and day, was hung 
 round with trunks of elephants that Welled Amlac 
 had killed with his own hand. 
 
 The next morning, I settled with Woldo to his 
 perfect satisfaction, and he consigned me to the care 
 of a servant of an Abyssinian nobleman, my friend. 
 I then distributed presents to the ladies; Melectanea 
 was covered with beads, handkerchiefs and ribbands 
 of all colours ; the beautiful wife of Fasil was not 
 forgotten : and I pursued my journey accompanied 
 by Welled Amlac, my host. 
 
 In half an hour we came to the ford of the Jemma, 
 a considerable river that joins the Nile a little above 
 the second cataract. Welled Amlac assured me that 
 though I had now quitted Goutto, his country, I 
 was perfectly safe from the people of Maitsha, in 
 whose country I then was ; " For," said he, " they 
 come to the same market we do in Goutto ; the 
 fords of the Jemma are in my hands ; and, did they 
 offer an injury to a friend of mine, were it but to 
 whistle as he passed them, they know I am not gentle." 
 Welled Amlac told me so many anecdotes of himself 
 that I could not doubt his last assertion. Among 
 other things, he said that he and his people plundered 
 the stragglers of the king's army, wherever they 
 found them, after we had forded the Nile. *' And 
 what did you with these stragglers," said I, " when 
 you had robbed them ? Did you kill them." " We 
 always kill them," replied Amlac, coolly ; " we 
 never do a man an injury, and leave him alive to 
 revenge it." 
 
 At four o'clock we came to the banks of the Nile, 
 at the ford of Delakus, which is not far from the 
 entrance of the river into the lake. The Nile was 
 Jiere become a large river j its breadth at this time
 
 ibaBa. 351 
 
 was about three quarters of a mile, its depth about 
 four feet and a half, and its current veiy gentle. 
 Our conductor, Welled Anilac, met with two chiefs 
 of his acquaintance at tlie ford, who were feasting 
 upon a living cow ; and having himself devoured 
 about two pounds of the flesh, and guided us across 
 the river, he reminded me of his services, which 
 did not go unrewarded, and returned to finish his 
 repast. 
 
 On the following day, after travelling three hours 
 and a quarter, I left Maitslia by crossing the river 
 Kelti, and entered the road I had taken in my way 
 from Gondar, which is the high road to Bure. Ibaba, 
 the capital of Maitsha, is said to be one of the largest 
 and richest towns in Abyssinia, little inferior to Gon- 
 dar itself: it has a market every day. Tlie country 
 around it is pleasant and fertile, and the principal 
 Ozoros, or descendants of the kings, have houses 
 and possessions there. 
 
 Two days afterwards, I overtook a troop of Agows 
 laden with butter, honey, and untanncd hides, and 
 having with them about 800 head of cattle, which 
 they were taking to market at Gondar. 
 
 On the ninth day I reached Gondar; that part of 
 the route on my return which differed from the other 
 forming the string, as that in going did the bow. I 
 computed the whole distance in returning to be 
 ninetv-thrcc miles.
 
 35^ 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 PRINCE OF SHOA, CHIEF OF ANGOT, KING OF GINGIRO, 
 
 JlIAVING seen the source of the Nile, I became 
 desirous of quitting Abyssinia and pursuing my tra- 
 vels. Besides, I was disgusted with Gondar ; rebels 
 were taken, and traitors were surprized ; and hack- 
 ing human bodies to pieces with knives, in the mar- 
 ket place, and leaving them to be devoured by the 
 hyena, was the spectacle that was continually before 
 my eyes. Even the young king, though naturally 
 well disposed, such is the force of habit, viewed 
 with indifference the scenes which chilled m.y blood. 
 With great difficulty I obtained permission to de- 
 part ; a permission in this country never granted to 
 strangers, and which would not have been accorded 
 to me, had not the king observed that anxiety and 
 disgust were undermining my health. Before I quit 
 the court of AbySrsinia, I shall srive some account of 
 two remarkable strangers who presented themselves 
 there, and the reception they met with. 
 
 The first of these was Amha Yasous, son of tne 
 independent Governor of Shoa, who came, unex^ 
 pectedly, at the head of a thousand excellent horse- 
 men, equipped at all points, offering his services to 
 the King of Abyssinia against his enemies, and bring- 
 ing with him a present of five hundred ounces of 
 gold.
 
 PRINCE OF SIIOA. 353 
 
 The king was encamped with his army. To re- 
 ceive this illustrious visitor, he was seated on his 
 throne, and richly dressed in brocade, with a web 
 of very fine muslin wrapped loosely about him, so as 
 partly to shew, and ])artly to conceal, the flowers of 
 the cloth of gold of which his vest was com})osed. 
 His hair was combed out at its full length, and fall- 
 ing down from his head in every direction ; and a 
 skewer made of the horn of a rhinoceros, with a 
 golden head upon it, was run through his hair, near 
 the temples. He was perfumed all over with rose- 
 water, and two people stood on the opposite sides of 
 the tent, each with a silver bottle full of the same. 
 
 Amha Yasous, at the head of his thousand horse- 
 men, presented himself at the door of the tent, and 
 rode on till he was completely in it ; he then dis- 
 mounted as in a great hurry and surprise, and ran 
 forward, stooping to the fbotof the throne, inclining 
 his body lower as he approached ; and just before 
 the act of prostration, two young noblemen who had 
 been instructed beforehand, seized him by the arms, 
 and prevented him from touching the ground. The 
 king's hand was uncovered, but not extended, as 
 not meaning that the stranger should kiss it : Amha 
 Yasous, however, after the struggle respecting the 
 prostration was over, seized the hand, and kissed it 
 after some resistance on the part of the king, who, 
 when the back had been kissed, presented the palm 
 likewise, which in tliis country is a great mark of 
 familiarity and confidence. A small stool about six 
 inches high, and covered with a Persian carpet was 
 placed in the tent. Andia Yasous attempted to 
 speak standing, but was not permitted, being con- 
 strained by the two noblemen to sit upon the stool ; 
 they then deluged him so with rose-water that I 
 
 A A
 
 354 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 believe he was never in his life so wet with raan. 
 All this ceremonial was premeditated ; and etiquette 
 could not have been more scrupulously observed in 
 any court in Europe. 
 
 Amha Yasous was about twenty-seven years of 
 age, tall, and well made ; his face was uncommonly 
 handsome, and his manners were affable. All the 
 noble women at court fell in love with him ; and 
 he behaved to all with an honourable attention, 
 and decent gallantry. Apartments were assigned 
 him in the palace ; he had a table regularly 
 served ; was waited upon by the king's servants ai 
 well as his own, and a guard was stationed at his 
 door* 
 
 Amha Yasous had heard of me in Shoa from some 
 priests of the monastery of Debra Libanos in that 
 country, and it was among his first requests to the 
 king to make him acquainted with me: the king 
 therefore ordered me to wait upon him every morn- 
 ing, and we soon became inseparable companions. 
 As I saw Amha Yasous eat raw beef, I asked him 
 if that were the custom among the nations to the 
 southward. He said he believed so, if they were 
 not Mohammedans ; and enquired if it were not also 
 the practice in my country. He said that the peo- 
 ple of Shoa were often supplied with Indian goods 
 from Mohammedan merchants on the eastern coast; 
 but that the Galla had overrun most of the inter- 
 mediate countries, and rendered the ways dan- 
 gerous. 
 
 The other remarkable stranger was Guangoul, the 
 Chief of the Galla of Angot, who came to pay his 
 respects to the king, and brought with him five hun- 
 dred foot, and forty horse, and a number of large 
 horns for carrying the king's wine. GujRigoul was
 
 CHIEF OF ANGOT. 355 
 
 a little, thin, ill-made man, about fifty years of age, 
 of a yellow unwholesome colour, neither black nor 
 brown ; his legs too small for his body, and his head 
 too large. His long hair was plaited and interwoven 
 with the guts of oxen, which hung down in long 
 strings before and behind, the most extraordinary 
 ringlets I had yet seen. He had likewise a wreath 
 of guts hung round his neck, and several of the same 
 round his waist. Below these was a short cotton 
 cloth dipped in butter, and short drawers. Tliese 
 formed bis dress of ceremony, and from his wliole 
 body issued streams of butter. 
 
 When this chief appears in state in his own country, 
 he rides upon a cow. In state he appeared now, on 
 a visit to the King of Abyssinia, and on a cow he 
 advanced to the royal tent. He had no saddle; but 
 as an indication of state, he leaned exceedingly 
 backwards ; while his left arm and shield, stretched 
 out on one side, and his right arm and lance, on the 
 other, gave the idea of a pair of wings. 
 
 The king was seated on his ivory seat to receive 
 the stranger, when the smell of carrion gave notice 
 of his approach ; and when the beast and her rider 
 appeared in view, the king was seized with such an 
 immoderate fit of laughter that he was obliged to 
 retreat to an apartment behind the throne. In this 
 instance, and in this only, Tecla Haimanout forgot 
 he was a king. 
 
 The greasy chieftain dismounted from his cow at 
 the door of the tent, with all his tripes about him, 
 ^nd seeing the king's seat empty, he imagined it was 
 placed there for himself, and gravely sat down on 
 the crimson silk cushion, while butter was running 
 from every part of his person. A general cry of 
 astonishment followed j Guangoul started up, though 
 
 A A ^
 
 356 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 ignorant of the cause, and was hurried out of the 
 tent without seeing the king. The cushion was 
 thrown away, and an Indian shawl spread in its. 
 place ; and, to prevent such an accident in future, 
 the seat was always turned upside down, when the 
 king was not in the tent. 
 
 I have no partiality for the guts of cattle myself; 
 on the contrary, I prefer the sight of gold brocade 
 and the scent of rose water : vet I am not certain 
 whether my preference entitles me to decide upon 
 the respective merits of these things ; and I have 
 still greater doubts whether it justifies me in giving 
 offence to those whose optics and olfactory nerves 
 differ from my own. 
 
 Guangoul went from the tent of the king to that 
 of the Ras, where he was better received. 
 
 The horns brought by this Galla chief are the 
 :horns of a cow or bull, which are so large that the 
 two will commonly contain nearly six gallons ; and 
 they are esteemed so valuable that 1 have seen 
 them sold at Gondar for four ounces of gold, or 
 ten pounds sterling, the pair. Two of these horns, 
 filled with wine or spirits, are carried commodiously 
 on a woman's back. 
 
 Gingiro is one of the nations to the south of Abys- 
 sinia. The colour of the people is nearly black, but 
 it is not the black of a negro, and their features are 
 small and straight, as in Europe and Abyssinia. All 
 matters in this state are conducted by magic, and 
 here begins the reign of the devil, to whom this so- 
 vereign sacrifices those slaves which his situation de- 
 nies him the opportunity of selling to his fellow crea- 
 tures. 
 
 The kingdom is hereditarv in one familv; but 
 the election of the particular prince is in the nobles,
 
 KING OF GINGIRO. 357 
 
 who, however, do not trust wboliy to their own sa- 
 gacity on so momentous an occasion. When tlie 
 king dies, his body is wrapped in a fine cloth, and put 
 into the skin of a cow killed for this purpose. The 
 princes of the royal family then fly, and hide them- 
 selves among the bushes ; and those persons to ' 
 whom the right of election belongs, enter the thick- 
 ets, beating about, as if in search of game. At 
 length, the Envoy of his Satanic Majesty, in the 
 shape of a bird of prey which they call Liber, ap- 
 pears, hovering over some particular bush, uttering 
 loud cries, without quitting his station. In this 
 bush tiie prince who is destined to be king of Gingiro 
 is found; and, as the people affirm, surrounded by 
 lions, leopards, and panthers. It is easy to believe 
 that such animals might assemble in this country 
 without any supernatural agency ; though the inter- 
 ference of some superior power might be requisite 
 to preserve the true prince from their attacks. 
 
 As this king is discovered like a wild beast, so his 
 behaviour, when discovered, is not dissimilar. He 
 iVies upon his hunters with great fury, wounding and 
 killing all within his reach, till, overcome by force, 
 he is dragged to the throne. 
 
 The ceremony, however, does not end here ; for 
 though the honour of seeking the king belongs to a 
 certain number of persons, the privilege of disputing 
 the possession of him is vested in a particular flxmily. 
 These attack the people who are conveying the 
 prince from the wood, and a battle ensues in which 
 several persons are killed and wounded. If the se- 
 cond party succeed in taking the destined monarch 
 out of the hands of those who found him, they enjoy 
 aW the honours due to the makers of a king. 
 
 Another ceremony still remains to be performed ;
 
 358 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 for before the king enters his palace, two men are 
 to be slain ; one at the foot of the tree by which his 
 house is principally supported ; the other at the 
 threshold of the door, which must be besmeared with 
 the blood of the victim. It is said that the family 
 whose especial privilege it is to be slaughtered on 
 these occasions, glory in it, and offer themselves to 
 be sacrificed. 
 
 On the east side of Debra Tzai, or the Mountain 
 of the Sun, is the road to Walkayt ; on the west 
 that to the province of Kuara, and the low country 
 through which lies tlie way to Sennaar ; and by this 
 last I was determined to return to Egypt, or perish 
 in the attempt.
 
 359 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 CONCLUSION OF ABYSSINIA. 
 
 1 JAVING taken leave of many persons for vvliom 
 I had the sincerest regard, and from whom I had 
 received reiterated proofs of friendsliip, I set out on 
 my journey to Sennaar from the pahice of Koscam, 
 and after ascending Debra Tzai, the mountain on 
 which it is situated, I saw the plain flat country 
 before me, to all appearance a thick black wood. 
 Three Greeks, one of whom was nearly blind, au 
 old Janizary, and a Cojrt, were my only attendants 
 in this perilous journey, except some men who had 
 charge of the beasts, and who were to go no further 
 than Tcherkin. We passed the night at a miserable 
 village whose inhabitants are hewers of wood and 
 drawers of water to Gondar. These people affirm 
 that they are descended from |the prophet Jonah. 
 They were undoubtedly Jews, but having been bap- 
 tised, they are now neither Jews nor Christians. As 
 we could not boast our descent from Jonah, they 
 shewed much reluctance to admit us into their houses, 
 and hid all their pots and drinking-vcssels for fear 
 of contamination. 
 
 On the following day we got into the great road, 
 and travelled in a direction nearly north. We rested 
 at three villages called Gimbaar, which, being each 
 situated on the top of a pointed hill, have a beau- 
 tiful appearance from the plain below.
 
 3(J0 A13YSSIN1A. 
 
 On the lliird day we found the country fertile, 
 and the soil a black loamy earth ; but it is unwhole- 
 some and thinly inhabited. In the evening we en- 
 camped in the market-place of Waalia. Waalia is a 
 collection of villages, each placed on the top of a 
 separate hill, and the whole inclosing, as in a circle, 
 an extensive piece of ground about three miles over, 
 on which a very well frequented market is kept. 
 Here I was visited by two of the principal Shums, 
 who presented me with two goats, several jars of 
 bouza, and a quantity of excellent bread, and as- 
 sured me all was peace. " I will answer for you," 
 said one of them, " between here and Tcherkin ; 
 after that all is wilderness, and no man knows if he 
 be to meet friend or foe." 
 
 The next day we passed the Mai Lumi, or River 
 of Lemons. A prodigious quantity of fruit in all 
 the diiferent stages of ripeness, loaded the branches 
 of these trees, almost to breaking, on one side; while 
 multitudes of flowers, which emitted the most deli- 
 cious odour, covered the other. The natives make 
 no use of this fruit. Having crossed the river of 
 Lemons, we came to the pass of Dav Dohha, a very 
 narrow defile, full of strata of rocks, like stairs, 
 which are so high that, without leaping, or being 
 pulled up, no horse or mule can ascend them. The 
 descent, though short, is steep, and almost choaked 
 up by huge stones washed down by the torrents. 
 From the Mai Lumi, though the soil was good, the 
 country wore an air of desolation ; the huts were 
 hidden in recesses, or in the edges of vallies over- 
 grown with wood ; and the few that were exposed 
 to view were more than comnionlv miserable. 
 
 On the fifth day we found the country partly in 
 wood, and partly in plantations of dora j well
 
 TCHERKTNT. S()l 
 
 watered, and producing abundant crops ; but it was 
 not beautiful. 
 
 The next day vvc had a view of a black, bare, 
 ridge of rocks called Magwcna j one of these, how- 
 ever, is said to produce every species of verdure in 
 the greatest luxuriancy, and here a set of lazy pro- 
 fligate ignorant monks have a monastery. 
 
 On the following morning, I dressed and perfumed 
 my hair in the Abyssinian fashion, and put on new 
 clothes ; having received intelligence, by one of his 
 servants, that Ayto Confu was expected at his house 
 at Tcherkin. I mounted my horse, and after pass- 
 ing through the midst of several small villages, in 
 an hour and a half we arrived at the mountain of 
 Tcherkin, which we encircled first on tlie west, and 
 then on the north, and in an hour and a half more 
 I pitched my tent in the market-place of tlie town. 
 This market-place was a beautiful lawn, shaded by 
 fine old trees of an enormous size, and watered by a 
 limpid brook, running over pebbles as white as 
 snow. 
 
 From the descent of Debra Tzai to Tcherkin, the 
 general face of the countrv was thick black wood, 
 and the roads were rugged and broken. The ther- 
 mometer was sometimes so high as llo°; but the 
 air always seemed cool in the shade. 
 
 I had scarcely got within my tent, when the ser- 
 vant of Ayto Confu hurried me, by a very narro\\ 
 crooked path, up the side of the mountain. When 
 we arrived at about half the height, we reached the 
 house of Ayto Confu, which was situated on the 
 edge of a precipice, and constructed with canes so 
 neatly put together, as not to be penetrated by rain 
 or wind. When we entered the outer court, I wa^ 
 welcomed by many of mv old acquaintance with the
 
 S62 
 
 ABYSblMA. 
 
 greatest demonstrations of joy, though it was only 
 six days since I had left Koscam. 
 
 I was then conducted to an inner apartment, 
 where I saw, not Ayto Confu, but his mother, 
 Ozoro Esther, and the beautiful Tecla Mariam, 
 whom Esther had frequently offered me as a wife ; 
 and whom, if I could have persuaded myself to re*- 
 main in Abyssinia, I should certainly have preferred 
 to every other. Ayto Confu arrived soon after, and 
 with him a great company of noblemen and ladies. 
 The inside of the state rooms was hung with long 
 strips of carpet, and the floors were covered with 
 the same. 
 
 I was happy to my wish on this enchanted moun- 
 tain ; but the active spirit of young Confu could ngt 
 rest. The country abounded with elephants, rhino- 
 ceroses, and buffaloes ; and Confu was determined 
 to hunt. We mounted on horseback an hour before 
 day, being about thirty in number ; exclusive of 
 our Agageers, who are elephant-hunters by profes- 
 sion, dwelling constantly in the woods, and living 
 intirely upon the flesh of the animals they kill. 
 They are exceedingly thin, light, and agile, very 
 swarthy, though few of them are black, and all have 
 European features. Two of these people get upon a 
 horse, one sitting behind the other. As soon as the 
 elephant is found, the man who manages the horse 
 rides as near to his face as possible ; or if the ele- 
 phant fly, he crosses him in all directions. At the; 
 same time, he abuses the noble beast, and, as he 
 believes, affronts him, crying out, " I am such a 
 rean, and such a man ; this is my horse, which has 
 such a name ; I killed your father in such a place, 
 and your grandfather in such a place, and I am now 
 come to kill you ; y.ou are but an ass in comparison
 
 HUNTING. 36§ 
 
 with them." The elephant, irritated by the noise 
 and interruption, seeks to revenge liiniself on the 
 horse, whicli the rider keeps dexterously turning 
 about, to avoid him; while he drops his companion 
 on the other side, who cuts the tendon achilles with 
 a sharp sword which he carries for that purpose. 
 The horseman then wheels round, takes uj) his com- 
 panion behind him, and rides full speed in quest of 
 more game, leaving the poor disabled elephant tx) 
 be pierced witli the javelins of the hunters. If the 
 sword be good, and the man not afraid, the tendon 
 is connnonly intirely separated ; and if it be not, 
 the stress the elephant lays upon it breaks the re- 
 mainder ; in either case, he is incapable of advanc- 
 ing a step. 
 
 The elephant slain, his flesh is cut into thongs, 
 and hung in festoons upon the trees to dry, for pro- 
 vision diu'ing the rains, as among the Shangalla. 
 When our Agageers had killed two elcjjhants, they 
 could not be persuaded to continue the hunting any 
 longer. They had procured as much meat as would 
 satisfy their present wishes ; and, less barbarous than 
 Europeans, they would not continue murder for 
 sport. 
 
 We passed the night b}" a greac fire, under the 
 shade of trees, and towards morning we heard the 
 deep groan and cry of the rhinoceroses. Several ol 
 the Agageers then joined us, and after we had 
 searched about an hour in the thickest part of the 
 wood, a rhinoceros rushed out, and crossed the plain 
 towards an opposite wood, about two miles distant. 
 Though he trotted with surprising speed, consider- 
 ing his bidk, he was in a very short time pierced by 
 thirty or forty javelins, which he carried with hin^ 
 These so confounded hrm that, quitting his purpo.se
 
 SS^ ABYSSINIA. 
 
 of going to the wood, he ran into a deep ravine 
 with no outlet, breaking above a dozen javelins as 
 lie entered. Here he was soon dispatched. 
 
 There Rre, in the vast forests of the low country 
 of Abyssinia, trees of a soft consistence, and a very 
 succulent quality, which are the principal food of 
 the rhinoceros. With his upper lip and his tongue, 
 he pulls dov/n the upper branches of these, and de- 
 vours them first. Having stripped the tree of its 
 branches, he places his snout as near the bottom of 
 the trunk as he finds his liorn will enter, and rips up 
 the tree, reducing it to thin pieces, like so many 
 laths ; and when he has thus prepared it, he em- 
 braces it in his monstrous jaws, and twists it round 
 with as much ease as an ox would do a plant of 
 celery. Such too is the practice of the elephant, who 
 uses his proboscis to bring down the branches, and his 
 teeth to divide the tree. But it is not always that 
 soft wood is the food of either ; for I have seen in the 
 excrements of both, pieces of undigested hard wood, 
 full three inches in diameter. 
 
 The rhinoceros possesses an astonishing degree of 
 swiftness, considering the weight and unwieldiness 
 of his body; but though it be true that a horse can 
 seldom come up with him, this is owing to his cun- 
 ning, not his speed. He forces himself into the 
 thickest parts of the woods ; the trees that are dry 
 are broken down as by a cannon shot, and fall be- 
 hind him and on both sides of him, in all directions. 
 Others, that are more flexible, are bent by his 
 weight and the velocity of his motion; and after he 
 has passed, restoring themselves to their natural po- 
 sition, they sweep the unwary pursuer and his horse 
 from the ground, and dash them to pieces against 
 the surroundincT trees. The onlv hairs of the rliino-
 
 HUNTING. 36'J 
 
 ceros are at the tip of its tail ; they are few and scat- 
 tered ; but so thick that ten of them will make a 
 whip which will draw blood at every stroke. The 
 rhinoceros I saw killed was thirteen feet in length, 
 not including either the horn or tail, and very little 
 less than seven feet in height from the sole of the 
 foot to the top of the shoulder. 
 
 We now hunted homewards. I had been a spec- 
 tator only of the death of two elephants and a rhino- 
 ceros ; but I was now become very expert in the 
 management of Abyssinian arms, and we had not 
 gone far before a wild boar arose, which I imme- 
 diately killed with a javelin. I then mortally- 
 wounded a buffalo with my spear, and two of our 
 attendants dispatched him. 
 
 Having passed some days at Tcherkin in festi- 
 vity and friendship, I took leave of Ozoro Esther, 
 and her company, and set out for Ras el Feel, in 
 my way to Sennaar. This district is dependent 
 upon Abyssinia ; and Yasine, its deputy governor, 
 was my particular iViend, and had sent me camels- 
 for my baggage. We entered immediately into dark 
 thick woods, overgrov/n with long grass, and passctl 
 some villages of elephant hunters, near one of which 
 we encamped for the night. 
 
 On the following day, we pursued our journey 
 through the thickest wood, the scene of much 
 bloodshed between the elephant hunters and the 
 Shangalla, who possess the country lying about four 
 days journey to the north east. We passed the nighti 
 not without alarm, as fresh foot-steps were seen in 
 the sand, which, by the length of the foot, and the 
 largeness of the heel, my people pronounced to be 
 those of the Shangalla. 
 
 The next dav we arrived at Sancalio, formerly
 
 366 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 the frontier territory of Abyssinia. The town is 
 situated on a rock, which rises in the midst of a 
 plain, and is accessible only at the eastern end, by a 
 narrow, winding road ; this seems to be the work of 
 art, and is obstructed at every turning by huge 
 stones, laid there for the purpose of defence. All 
 the other sides of the rock are perpendicular. The 
 town may consist of about three hundred huts or 
 houses, built with canes, and curiously thatched 
 with their leaves. The inliabitants are Baasa, a 
 race of Shangalla. A considerable district of wilds 
 and woods around it belongs to the town ; if such a 
 district, abandoned as it is to wild beasts, can be 
 said to belong to man. It is an absolute govern- 
 ment, under the King of Abyssinia, with a kettle 
 drum of its own for proclamations ; yet it is under- 
 stood to be dependent on Ras el Feel, and under 
 the controul of the governor of Has el Feel, who 
 then was Ayto Confu. 
 
 Having encamped at the foot of the rock, I sent 
 one of Yasine's men, who had brought my camels, 
 to the chief of Sancaho, desiring him to send me 
 the usual quantity of provisions, and one or two 
 camels, and to deduct the value out of the revenue 
 to be paid to the king. The son of the Erbab, or 
 ^hief, a woolly-headed black, returned with my 
 messenger, and brought me his father's answer in 
 these .words : *' My father salutes you ; if ye eat 
 what he eats, ye shall be very welcome." On en, 
 quiring what his father did eat, he said, '* Elephant 
 killed yesterday ; and as for the camels ye demand, 
 he tells you he has none ; elephants are his camels, 
 and rhinoceroses are his mules.'' 
 
 On hearing this, with a pair of i)istols at my gir- 
 dle, a musquet in my hand, and attended by tw©
 
 SANCAIIO. 367 
 
 servants well armed, I set out for the town of San- 
 caho. AVe mounted the hill with great difficulty, 
 being several times obliged to pull each other up by 
 the hands. I entered a large room about fifty feet 
 long, hung round with elephants' heads and trunks, 
 and skeletons of the heads of rhinoceroses, hippopo- 
 tami, and camelopardalises ; large Hon skins were 
 spread on several parts of the floor like carpets. 
 At the further end of this apartment stood Gimbaro, 
 the Erbab of Sancaho. He was six feet and a half high, 
 and strongly made in proportion ; perfectly black, 
 flat-Tiosed, thick-lipped, and woolly headed ; naked 
 except a cloth about his waist. I could have fancied 
 him one of the cannibal giants of the Arabian Tales. 
 Gimbaro always hunted on foot, and was said among 
 his people, to have killed elephants himself, and 
 each with one blow of his spear. His part of the re- 
 venue was paid in buffaloes' hides, elephants' teeth, 
 and rhinoceros's horns. 
 
 He did not seem to notice my entering the room 
 till I was near him, when he came forward, bowing, 
 and endeavoured to kiss my hand. *' Is it thus, 
 Sir," said I, withdrawing it, " that you pay the re- 
 venue to the king ? Your refusal is an act of rebel- 
 lion, and I shall report it to Ayto Confu." Gim- 
 baro begged in the most earnest manner that I 
 would not complain of him. He said that he had 
 always been a faithful servant to the King, the Ras, 
 and Ayto Confu ; that the message was sent but in 
 sport ; that he begged my pardon ; would send me 
 bread and honey, and the camels should be ready in 
 the morning. He added, that he would send his 
 s-pies out to the eastward, and not a Shangalla should 
 pass to molest us. without our being informed of it. 
 On this I thought j)roper to be friends with the
 
 368 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 black cliief ; and I ate bread and drank beer witli 
 him to shev/ that my reconcihation was sincere. 
 
 At six in the evening, came two strong camels, 
 thirty loaves of bread made of dora, two large 
 wheaten loaves for myself, and a jar of excellent 
 wild honey. I was supplied with an equal quantity 
 of provisions for the journey. I gave the Erbab 
 some presents, and some glasses of brandy ; and we 
 parted such cordial friends, that he engaged me to 
 pass a week with him on my return, and to hunt 
 with him the elephant and the rhinoceros. 
 
 On the fourth day from Tcherkin, w^e were so en- 
 tangled with woods, and so fatigued with cutting 
 the way through them for our camels, that we 
 thought we could proceed no further ; and at the 
 end of five hours and a half we were not more than 
 five miles from Sancaho. Soon after, we encamped 
 on the banks of a river among large and beautiful 
 trees. 
 
 On the next day, we were preceded by a lion, 
 which was generally only a small gun shot distant ; 
 and whenever it came to an open place, it would sit 
 down and growl, as if it meant to dispute the way 
 with us. Our beasts trembled, and were covered 
 with sweat, and could scarcely be made to keep the 
 road. As there seemed to be but one remed}'' for 
 this annoyance, I took a long Turkish rifle gun, 
 and crawling under a bank, as near as possible to 
 the animal, I lodged the contents in its body. It 
 fell from the bank, on the road before us, quite dead 
 and even without muscular motion. It proved to 
 be a large lioness, and we left her to the inhabitants 
 of a neighbouring village ; for we were too much 
 fatigued even to take off her skin. All the people 
 in this country eat the flesh of lions. The thick
 
 GUANJOOK. 369 
 
 wood was here divided by small plains, and at the 
 end of one of these, we found the body of a man 
 newly murdered, the wild beasts not having yet 
 touched it. He had been hamstrung, and his throat 
 had been cut, probably by the neighbouring Shan- 
 galla. We ascended a hill on which stands the vil- 
 lage of Kantis, inhabited, like Sancaho, by Moham- 
 medan Shangalla of the tribe of Baasa ; here we 
 passed the night. 
 
 On the sixth day, we proceeded only a mile and 
 a half on our journey, our beasts and ourselves being 
 equally fatigued, and our clothes torn to rags. We 
 encamped at Guanjook, a delightful spot by a river 
 side, presenting small woods of lofty trees, inter- 
 spersed with beautiful lawns, several cultivated fields 
 bearing cotton, guinea fowls in abundance, and per- 
 roquets upon every tree. 
 
 On the seventh day of our journey from Tcherkin, 
 we arrived at the Guangue, the largest river I had 
 seen in Abyssinia, except the Nile and the Tacazze. 
 It joins the latter in the kingdom of Sennaar, and 
 the two rivers, when united, are called the Atbara, 
 which gives name to the province. From the Guan- 
 gue we proceeded to Ilor-Cacamoot, or the Shadow 
 of the Valley of Death, the village of my friend, 
 Yasine. 
 
 Hor-Cacamoot is situated in a plain in the midst 
 of a wood, so much only of which has been cleared 
 away, as to make room for the miserable huts that 
 compose the village, and for the small quantity of 
 maize that is sown ; the principal food of the inha- 
 bitants being tlie flesh of the elephant and rhinoceros. 
 The country from Tcherkin to Hor-Cacamoot is the 
 fat black earth I have often mentioned, the hot 
 
 D B
 
 370 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 unwholesome country called the Kolla. This, as I 
 have before observed, has been penetrated in two 
 places for the purposes of commerce, and been set- 
 tled by strangers in order to keep in awe the native 
 Shangalla. One of these places had been my road, 
 by Tcherkin, and through the territory of Ras el 
 Feel J the other lies to the southward of this, and 
 leads by Tchelga. 
 
 The thermometer at Hor-Cacamoot was at sun-rise 
 6l% at three in the afternoon in the shade, 114% 
 and at sun-set Ss^". 
 
 My next recommendation was to Fidele, the Sheik 
 of Atbara, who had sent me the strongest assurances 
 of protection before I left Gondar; but at Hor-Caca- 
 moot I received a visit from another Sheik, wlio ad- 
 vised me to doubt. He affirmed that Fidele had 
 been a robber and a murderer all his days, and was 
 the son of a father no better than himself; and it 
 was agreed that my friend should send a man of con- 
 fidence, with an ass laden wath salt, along with me, 
 without seeming to belong to me, and that if, when 
 at Teawa, the residence of Fidele, I informed this 
 man there was danger, he should mount a dromedary, 
 and give Yasine notice of it with all possible speed. 
 
 On leaving Hor-Cacamoot, eleven naked men, 
 with asses laden with salt, were added to mv com- 
 pany. After passing through thick brushwood, we 
 encamped at a village called Falaty, in the district 
 of Ras el Feel. It is only three miles and a half dis- 
 tant from Hor-Cacamoot; the name signifies poverty, 
 or misery, and is perfectly well applied. 
 
 The next day we continued our journey through 
 almost impenetrable woods, full of thorns, and in 
 two hours we came to a river called Surf cl Sheik,
 
 ATBARA. 371 
 
 which is the boundary of Ras el Feel, and of the 
 Abyssinian dominions. 
 
 Here I took an affectionate leave of my friend 
 Yasine, he having, before we parted, like an old tra- 
 veller, called all my company together, and obliged 
 them to repeat the Prayer of Peace. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXJ. 
 
 TEAWA. 
 
 X ROM the river called Surf el Sheik, which forms 
 the boundary between Abyssinia and Atbara, a pro- 
 vince dependent upon Sennaar, I proceeded on my 
 way towards Sennaar, the capital of the latter king- 
 dom ; and in the evening I arrived at a large cavity, 
 several hundred yards in length, and about thirty 
 feet in depth, made for the reception of water by 
 the Arabs, who encamp by its side after the rains. 
 The water was now almost exhausted, and what re- 
 mained was intolerably bad, yet thousands of guinea 
 fowls, partridges, and other birds, reduced to fea- 
 thers, skin, and bone, by hunger and thirst, were 
 flocking around it to drink. 
 
 At eight o'clock at night, we came to a resting- 
 place, where the ground, for the space of about half 
 a mile each way, had been cleared of wood, that tra- 
 vellers might repose upon a spot from whence they 
 could sec all around them, and guard themselves 
 
 u B 2
 
 Sj^^ liVlfeEIlRHA. 
 
 from the sudden attack of man or beast. At eleven 
 we pitched our tent in the bed of a torrent which 
 no longer afforded water. The thick wood by which 
 we were surrounded was full of lions and hyenas, and 
 the latter came boldly up with a resolution to attack 
 us. On our lighting a fire, they left us for a time, 
 but, towards morning, they returned in great num- 
 bers ; one of them attacked a man, tore his cloth 
 from his waist, and wounded him in the back ; and 
 a lion took away one of our asses. We now expected 
 to be devoured ; and present danger overcame the 
 resolution I had made, not to use our fire-arms, lest 
 they should be heard by banditti. I fired two guns, 
 and ordered my servants to fire two large ship blun- 
 derbusses. These presently freed us from our trou- 
 blesome visitors, though we still heard numbers of 
 them howling in the woods. When day-light ap- 
 peared, we found two hyenas killed, and a lion mor- 
 tally wounded. 
 
 Though this day's journey had been of eleven 
 hours, we had advanced no more than ten miles ; for 
 our beasts were heavily loaded, and it was with the 
 utmost difficulty that either they or we could force 
 our way through the thick woods we had to pass. 
 From our station we saw a most magnificent spec- 
 tacle, the mountains, from the banks of the Tacazze 
 to the province of Kuara, in a bright flame, the peo- 
 ple having set fire to the dry grass. 
 
 On the second day of our journey in Atbara, we 
 reached Imserrha, a station where there is water ; 
 the wells are situated on a ridge of rock. The 
 Daveina Arabs, the tyrants of the country (and every 
 country 1 have seen has its tyrants) have desolated 
 this territory. The soil is sandy, and therefore im- 
 proper for agriculture ; but it is thickly overgrown
 
 RASIIID. 37-^ 
 
 with trees, and every species of cattle here lives 
 upon the leaves and young branches of trees, even 
 on spots wliere grass is abundant. 
 
 On the tliird day, after quitting the confines of 
 Abyssinia, we rested at Ilasliid, which, though full 
 live miles distant from Imserrha, we reached in two 
 hours, for we were flying for our lives. The simoom, 
 or poisonous hot wind, struck us soon after leaving 
 the former of these places, and we were deadly sick 
 w^ith the noxious vapour we had inhaled. Rashid 
 was once full of villages, which have now been ruined 
 by the Daveina. It is fairy land in the midst of an 
 uninhabitable desert. It contains seven or eight 
 wells of good water; is full of large, wide-spreading 
 trees, loaded with fruit and flowers; and crowded 
 with deer of diflferent kinds. When we arrived here, 
 we were so enervated with the simoom, our stomachs 
 were so weak, and our head-achs so violent, that we 
 were unable to pitch our tent, but each, wrapping 
 himself in his cloak, lay down to sleep. To the 
 south-west of Rashid, the Daveina Arabs have a 
 station called Sim-Sim, where is a spring so copious 
 that it supplies a bason near thirty feet deep. 
 
 On the fourth day we halted at Imhanzara, also 
 a station of the Daveina, where we found cavities 
 sixty yards long, and from twenty to thirty feet deep, 
 apparently dug by the hand of man. The water was 
 nearly dried up, a foot of it in depth only remaining 
 in one pool. The borders of these reservoirs were 
 thickly planted with acacia and jujeb trees. The 
 fruit of the latter was drying upon the stones ; it 
 has a pleasant acid flavour, and forms a part of the 
 sustenance of the Arabs while they reside here. That 
 they had been here recently we had sufficient proof, 
 from the variety of traps and cages, some of them
 
 374- IMHANZARA. 
 
 very ingenious, which had been set to catch the 
 birds ; and we were not sorry to quit the place as 
 soon as possible. 
 
 On approaching the pool we found a deer that had 
 been killed, and partly eaten by a lion, which, on 
 hearing us, had abandoned his prey. This, how- 
 ever, did not deter five or six hyenas from seizing it, 
 and others were arriving to share the spoil. I took 
 a blunderbuss which contained about forty small 
 bullets ; they saw me advancing, looked at me, rais- 
 ing the bristles on their back, and shaking themselves 
 as a dog does when he comes out of the water; and 
 then, giving a short, but terrible grunt, they again 
 fell to devouring their prey. I began to question 
 my own prudence in having ventured so near such 
 a voracious groupe ; but, placing myself behind a 
 large tree which had fallen down, I levelled my 
 blunderbuss in the midst of them. Two fell dead 
 upon the spot, two died at the distance of about 
 twenty yards, the others fled without looking back ; 
 and, satisfied with my victory, I did not wait the 
 arrival of the next troop. 
 
 At four o'clock we left Imhanzara, and at eight we 
 lost our way in a wood. To add to our misfortune, 
 we found that the water in the skins had evaporated. 
 At nine the next morning, however, we reached the 
 well of Imgellalib, and it Was discovered that we had 
 not wandered much out of our way. The fear of 
 dying with thirst, rather than thirst itself, operated 
 so powerfully upon my people, that on their arrival 
 at the well, they drank like camels ; and two Abys- 
 sinian Moors who had joined us, actually died with 
 drinking. On the preceding day we had travelled 
 fourteen miles in thirteen hours. 
 
 The thick forest, which had extended without in-
 
 TEAWA. 37.5 
 
 teiTiiption from Tclierkin, ended at Imgellallb. Here 
 the country was perfectly flat, and tlie trees afforded 
 no shade, the foliage having been destroyed by the 
 burning of the grass. 
 
 On the fifth day our road lay over an extensive 
 plain. In three hours from Imgellalib, we arrived 
 at the well of Garigana, where the water was bad 
 and in small quantity, and the thermometer rose from 
 IIP to 119° in the shade. In another hour we ar- 
 rived at the village of Garigana, whose inhabitants 
 had all perished with hunger the year before, tlieir 
 crops of grain having been burnt by the Daveina. 
 The whitened bones of these unfortunate people now 
 strewed the ground, and we encamped among the 
 remains of the dead, no space being found without 
 them. 
 
 On the sixth day we passed a small river which 
 had still some pools of water standing in its bed, 
 although its banks were destitute of shade ; and, in 
 the evening we arrived at Teawa, the principal vil- 
 lage of Atbara, and the residence of the Sheik who 
 commanded the district. The distance from Hor- 
 Cacamoot, in Ras el Feel, as nearly as I could com- 
 pute it, w'as about sixty-five miles, and the direc- 
 tion due north ; the distance from Sennaar about 
 seventy, and the direction w'est and by north. 
 
 The force of Teawa consisted of about twenty-five 
 horsemen ; and the other inhabitants of about twelve 
 hundred despicable Arabs. The Arabs who live in 
 villages are much inferior in courage to those who 
 live in tents, and the latter are the mortal enemies 
 of the former. Teawa had been often threatened 
 by the Daveina ; and it had only to remain till they 
 should resolve to attack it, when, its corn-fields being 
 burnt and destroyed in a single night, the bones of
 
 J76 TEAWA. 
 
 its inhabitants would be all its remains, like those of 
 the miserable village of Garigana. 
 
 When I arrived at the pools of water a quarter of 
 a mile short of the town, I dismissed my man of trust, 
 telling him to come to me again in three days= At 
 this place I was met by a man of about seventy years 
 of age, with a long beard, and of a very graceful ap- 
 pearance. He was mounted on horseback, dressed 
 in a large loose gown of red stuff, and a muslin tur- 
 ban, and attended by about twenty mean-looking 
 servants on foot, armed with lances. This person- 
 age, who was the Sheik's lieutenant, had two small 
 drums beating and a pipe playing before him. On 
 approaching each other, we both dismounted ; he 
 saluted me very courteously, and declared his inten- 
 tion of walking by the side of my horse till we ar- 
 rived at Teawa. This being over-ruled by invincible 
 obstinacy on my part, we rode into the town together. 
 
 We passed a very commodious house, where Hadje 
 Soliman Kaiya, for so this officer was called, ordered 
 my servants to unload my baggage, it being the re- 
 sidence assigned me by the Sheik. We then crossed 
 the market-place, an open space of about five hun- 
 dred yards, and soon after came to the house of this 
 governor, which was rather a collection of houses, 
 built with canes, and one story high : towards the 
 street was a large hall of unburnt brick, to which we 
 ascended by four or five steps. The floor was co- 
 vered with straw mats ; in the middle was a vacant 
 chair, which was understood to be the place of the 
 Grand Signior ; and the Sheik was sitting on the 
 ground, reading, or pretending to read, the Koran. 
 He received me with great politeness and seeming 
 friendship; and, after some conversation on indifferent 
 subjects, he said, holding my hand, '* The greater
 
 TEAWA. S77 
 
 part of the dangers you have past are, I beHeve, vet 
 unknown to you ; your Moor, Yasinc, of Ras cl Feel, 
 is a thief worse than any in Ilabbesh. Several times 
 you have narrowly escaped being cut off by the Da- 
 veina whom Yasine had posted to murder you : but 
 God protected you, and I may say also that I have 
 not been wanting." I returned no other answer than 
 the usual one, " Ullah Kerim," God is merciful. 
 The house provided for me consisted of only one 
 large room, and I was conducted to it by Hadje 80- 
 liman, tlie lieutenant. 
 
 We had scarcely taken possession of our habitation 
 when several slaves, of both sexes, brought us a num- 
 ber of dishes of meat from the Sheik, with many 
 compHments and good wishes. According to the 
 hospitality of the Arabs, I invited some poor salt- 
 merchants who had joined me on the journey, witli 
 asses laden with salt, to partake of the repast ; and 
 when it was over, one of them, putting his mouth* 
 close to my ear, said *' El Sheik el Atbara Seitan." 
 The Sheik of Atbara is the Devil. On this informa- 
 tion I instantly dispatched my man of trust to Ya- 
 sine, requiring him to send some person, as from the 
 King of Abyssinia, who should witness my departure 
 from Teawa. On the arrival of my messenger at 
 Hor Cacamoot, he found that Yasine was gone to 
 Ayto Confu, his superior, at Tcherkin. 
 
 My present to the Sheik consisted of a large piece 
 of blue Indian cotton cloth, with gold flowers, a sash 
 of silk and cotton, two ounces of civet, two pounds 
 of nutmegs, and ten pounds of pepper. He received 
 these things very graciously, and gave me j)rofes- 
 sions, promises, lies, and excuses, instead of the 
 camels I asked for my journey to Sennaar. I was 
 requested to give a vomit to the Sheik, which I ditl
 
 378 TEAWA. 
 
 with such good effect that he desired me to adminis- 
 ter the same remedy to two of his wives. The ladies 
 informed me by a female slave that they dressed my 
 meat with their own hands, and that they would alter 
 it in any way I might choose to direct. 
 
 The next day I waited on the Sheik, and was 
 shewn into a large room, where he was sitting alone 
 in an alcove, and smoking. He proposed to me to 
 turn Mohammedan, in which case, he said, he would 
 give me his daughter in marriage, and I should be 
 the second man in the government of Atbara. Hav- 
 ing refused to change my religion, and declined the 
 honours offered me, he said, " Since you won't take 
 my advice, I shall say no more ; come and see my 
 harem. 
 
 I followed the Sheik througli several apartments, 
 
 well proportioned, but meanly furnished, and in 
 
 slovenly order, wliich composed the side of the 
 
 square that belonged to himself. We then crossed 
 
 the square to the opposite side, where there were 
 
 several apartments furnished in a better style; the 
 
 floors being all covered with Turkey carpets. One 
 
 of the Sheik's wives was sitting in an alcove, with 
 
 her face uncovered, and a number of black slaves 
 
 about her. The circle made way for me ; and, first 
 
 putting my hand to my lips, I touched the ends of 
 
 the lady's fingers with the ends of mine. By this 
 
 time the Sheik had brought in his other wife, and 
 
 set her down by the former. They were both past 
 
 the middle age, and had never been handsome ; one 
 
 of them, however, was the daughter of Sheik Ade- 
 
 lan, the first minister of Sennaar. 
 
 I told the Sheik that I had a number of questions 
 to ask the ladies, which, if lie pleased, he might 
 hear, but that no other person must be present.
 
 TEAWA. 879 
 
 " What has he to do with us and our physician?" 
 said the elder lady ; " all his business is to pay you 
 when you have made us well." *' Wliat woidtl be- 
 come of him," said the younger, Adelan's daughter, 
 ** if we were to be ill ? He would starve for want of 
 people to make ready his meat!" " Hakim," said 
 the Sheik, " ask what questions you please; I nei- 
 ther desire nor intend to hear them ; I hear too 
 much every day, and only wish you would cure 
 these women, or make them dumb ; for a sick wo- 
 man is plague sufficient for the devil." " Then 
 clear the room of these women servants," said I, 
 *' only leave two or three to attend the ladies." The 
 Sheik was perfectly able to accomplish this, for he 
 took up a short whip which lay at hand, and happy 
 were they who got first to the door. 
 
 I vomited the wives of the Sheik to their entire 
 satisfaction, and viewed with astonishment my of- 
 fered bride, who was the daughter of the elder of 
 them. She was not yet fifteen; of the tallest middle 
 size; her figure elegant, and her features faultless. 
 They might have served alone for the study of a 
 painter, if he had been in search of perfect beauty. 
 Her mother being a noble Arab, her complexion 
 was a dark brown. At first she was veiled from head 
 to foot ; but one of her slaves, as in play, took oft' 
 the veil, and shewed me this lovely young female. 
 Her long hair was braided and twisted at the top of 
 her head, like a crown, and ornamented with beads 
 and fiue white shells ; in her ears were plain rings 
 of gold, and round her neck four rows of gold 
 chain, from which hung a number of sequins, 
 pierced. The rest of her dress was a blue shirt that 
 reached to the ground, but was not closed about the 
 jieck and shoulders.
 
 880 TEAWA. 
 
 At eleven o'clock at night I had a visit from the 
 old lieutenant, who was a murderer, a robber, and 
 a dissembler, like his master. This officer pre- 
 tended to be my friend ; and after having drank 
 something more than twenty cups of coffee, he told 
 me that the Sheik knew I had with me ^,0C0 ounces 
 of gold, and that as I was in his power, he might' 
 take the whole ; but that he, the Kaiya, as my par- 
 ticular friend, had prevailed upon the Sheik to be 
 content with 2,000 piastres, only, which, if I would 
 give him, he would in two days dispatch me to 
 Sennaar. " Indeed," said I, " I have not twenty 
 piastres in the world, nor would I give them to him 
 if I had. The Sheik may take all I have, by force ; 
 and you may command the party of plunderers, if 
 you please; but I am resolved not to leave Teawa, 
 if I might, except under the conduct of a man who 
 is neither of your Sheik*s choosing nor yours." The 
 old man arose, sliook the bosom of his cloak, and 
 said he was sorry for it, but he washed his hands of 
 the consequences. 
 
 After this, the Sheik employed one of my servants 
 to endeavour to persuade me to give him the 2,000 
 piastres ; assuring him that I should never go alive 
 out of Atbara, if I did not comply with the re- 
 quisition. He then requested the servant's assist- 
 ance to rob and murder me ; promising that it 
 should never be known, and he should share the 
 booty. Finding these efforts ineffectual, he de- 
 sired the man to tell me that he should expect me at 
 six o'clock the next morning. 
 
 I obeyed the summons, expecting, and prepared 
 for the worst. I had a small blunderbuss with a 
 joint in the stock, so that it folded and hung by my 
 side, under my left arm, un])crceived j a pair of
 
 TEAWA. ,381 
 
 pistols and a knife were at my girtlle : and the whole 
 was hidden by my burnoose or cloak. I took Mitli 
 nie four trusty servants, well-armed, whom I placed 
 at the outer door, and 1 entered the house alone. J 
 found the ,Sheik sitting in an alcove in a spacious room 
 on a large broad sofa like a bed, with India curtains 
 gathered on each side in festoons. On seeing me, 
 he said, in a surly tone, " Are you prepared? 
 Have you brought the needful?" 1 said, ** If you 
 want another vomit, my servants have it, and they 
 are at the outer door.'* " I want money, not poi- 
 son," said the ISheik, furiously; " where are your 
 piastres ?" " I have neither money, nor poison," I 
 replied; and I tinned to leave the room. " Physi- 
 cian ! Infidel ! Devil ! or whatever be your name," 
 cried the Sheik, '* hearken to what I say ! This is 
 the room in which Mek Baady, a king, was slain by 
 the hand of my father! Look at his blood; it stained 
 the floor, and never could be washed out ! I am told 
 that you have 20,000 piastres in gold with you ; ei- 
 ther give me 2,000 before you quit this room, or you 
 die ; I will put you to death with my own hand !" 
 Then, taking up his sword, which lay by him, and 
 tucking up the sleeve of his shirt, like a butcher, he 
 said, " I wait your answer." 
 
 I now stepped one pace backwards, and dropping 
 my burnoose behind me, I laid my hand on the 
 blunderbuss, and said in a firm tone of voice, '* This 
 is my answer." There needed no more. The Sheik 
 let fall his sword, and threw himself on his back up- 
 on the sofa, crying, " Hakim, I was but jesting !'" 
 He then called with all his might, *' Brahim ! Mo- 
 hammcdl All of you! " If one of your servants ap- 
 proach me," said I, " that instant I blow you to 
 atoms !" The women now came to the door ; my
 
 382 TEAWA. 
 
 servants rushed in : and I took iny leave of the 
 Sheik. 
 
 The next day we heard the cry of *' News from 
 Sennaar !" and presently three men appeared. One 
 of these proved to be a servant of my own, whom T 
 had dispatched from Gondar to Sennaar with letters 
 to a merchant to whom I had been recommended; 
 another was a servant of the King of Sennaar, and 
 the third was a servant of Adelan. The first brought 
 me a favourable letter from the merchant ; the two 
 latter were sent to conduct me to Sennaar. 
 
 The king's servant was a drunkard, a profligate, 
 and a great friend of the Sheik of Atbara, and hav- 
 ing been tutored by him on the evening of his arri- 
 val, he declared, the following morning, that he 
 was not to leave Teawa in less than a fortnight, and 
 that the camels were ordered from a distant place. 
 Adelan*s servant, a sober respectable young man, 
 on hearing this declaration of his companion, said, 
 that he knew not wliat orders the king had given, 
 but he knew his master's orders ; and if the Sheik 
 did not furnish him with camels, he would take him 
 with him to Adelan ; or upon his refusing to go, he 
 would denounce him as a rebel and an enemy. The 
 king's servant then joined his companion, and said 
 he would see me the next night at Beyla. 
 
 I had scarcely reached my house, when I was 
 summoned to the Sheik. He held in his hand let- 
 ters from Yasine, the purport of which was that if I 
 had not left Teawa in peace before these reached 
 him, Yasine would be down upon the town, as an 
 enemy, in less than a fortnight; and that if the Da- 
 veina did not engage to burn every stalk of corn be- 
 longing to the town, as soon as it was in ear, they 
 should neither eat bread nor drink water in Abyssi-
 
 TEAWA. 38.3 
 
 nia, so long as he was governor of Ras el Feel. Ya- 
 sine s men, who broiight these letters, were mounted 
 on dromedaries, and armed with coats of mail and 
 head-pieces; and they refused to enter Teawa, to 
 eat the bread of the Sheik, or to drink the water 
 belonging to him, looking upon liim as the declared 
 enemy of their master. 
 
 The next morning I was told that the camels and 
 all sorts of provisions were ready, and that I might 
 depart any moment I pleased, provided I would 
 make peace with the Sheik, pacify Yasine, and pro- 
 mise to make no complaint against the Sheik at Sen- 
 naar. I accepted the conditions ; a large breakfast was 
 prepared; Yasine's men came into the town to see 
 me set out, ami were kindly received and clothed 
 by the Sheik; eight camels, with people to attend 
 them, were sent to my house ; and the water-skins 
 were filled. 
 
 I had one visit to make before my de])arturc, 
 which was to the ladies my patients, and, with the 
 Sheik's permission, I entered their apartments. We 
 parted with reciprocal expressions of friendship and 
 regret ; those of the beautiful daughter of the Sheik 
 were fervent. On my return horrie, I acknowledged 
 every kindness that had been shewn me by some pre- 
 sent, and that sent to this lovely young woman con- 
 sisted of a piece of yellow India sattin, and half a 
 dozen silk handkerchiefs, green and crimson. It 
 was five o'clock in the evening before we could leave 
 Teawa. 
 
 When we had advanced a few miles into the plain 
 
 one of my servants dehvered a message witli which 
 
 he had been intrusted by a Moullah, or learned holy 
 
 man, whom I had frequently seen with the Sheik of 
 
 . Atbara. The pur{)ort of it was, that we were not to
 
 ^Sli TEAWA. 
 
 trust tlie servant of the king, but to rely wholly 
 upon the servant of Adelan, and if these two had 
 any dispute to take no part in it; that we should on 
 no account, suffer any persons to join us on the 
 road to Beyla, but, if any attempted it, we should 
 beat them oft", and make good our way by force ; 
 that the Moullah desired us to be active and vigi- 
 lant, and not to lose a moment on the road. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 TEAWA TO SENNAAR, HISTORY OF SENNAAR. 
 
 vJUR journey from Teawa for the first seven hours 
 was over a sandy plain, without w^ater, without grass, 
 without the vestige of any living creature : at mid- 
 night we entered a narrow defile. If the Arabs are 
 doubtful of their own superiority, they attack tra- 
 vellers near sun-set, that, if worsted, they may es- 
 cape ; if they think they have the advantage, at the 
 dawn of day, that they may have time to pursue. 
 
 At three o'clock on the following day we arrived 
 at Beyla, which is eleven miles west of Teawa, and 
 thirty.one south. We were met by the Sheik at the 
 entrance of the town ; and were hospitably enter- 
 tained with rice, sugar, and fine wheaten bread- all 
 which he had procured from Sennaar, and with deer 
 and guinea fowls from his own neighbourhood. I
 
 BEYLA. 385 
 
 had administered medicines to the Sheik with such 
 success that no intreaty coukl prevail upon him to 
 accept of the smallest trifle for our entertainment ; 
 and he solemnly swore that if I importuned him 
 further, he would mount his horse and leave me. 
 
 Beyla is a pleasant village, situated towards the 
 bottom of a w^ooded hill, and overlooking a plain 
 sown with Indian corn, ornamented with timber- 
 trees, and intersected by high hedges, forming in- 
 closures for cattle. 
 
 After remaining three days at Beyla, w^e pursued 
 our journey in a south-west direction, through a flat 
 country, very pleasant, but without water, and at 
 night encamped in a wood about nine miles from 
 Beyla. 
 
 On the second day our course was westward. 
 After travelling three hours and a half, we came to 
 the banks of the river Rahad, now foul and fetid, 
 covered with a green mantle, and standing in pools. 
 We forded this river, and in two hours more met it 
 again, and pitched our tents by its side, near the 
 huts of a stationary tribe of Arabs called Cohala, 
 who are subjects of the Mek or Melek of Sennaar. 
 
 On the third day from Beyla we continued along 
 the banks of the Rahad, or Thunder. This river 
 rises near Tchelga, passes between the Abyssi- 
 nian province of Kuara and the territory of Sen- 
 naar, and falls into the Nile at Habharras, about 
 thirty-eight miles below the capital of the latter 
 kingdom. While in Abyssinia, this stream is called 
 the Shimfa. 
 
 On the fourth day we passed through several 
 small villages of Cohala Arabs, and after travelling 
 five hours and a half, we came to the river Dender, 
 standing now in pools; but, by the distance be- 
 
 c c
 
 SH6 THE NUBA. 
 
 tween its banks, and the depth of its channel, it 
 should seem that, in time of rain, it contained near- 
 ly as much water as the Nile. The banks were over- 
 grown with the rack and the jujeb tree, both of 
 great beauty; but the wood, which had continued 
 with little intermission from Beyla, extended no 
 further towards Sennaar. We found here the main 
 body of the Cohala, with their cattle ; and were 
 plentifully supplied with excellent milk, which I had 
 scarcely tasted since I left Gondar. 
 
 At six o'clock in the evening we left our shady 
 place of repose on the banks of the Dender, and en- 
 tered a large plain with not a tree before us. We 
 soon, however, found ourselves encompassed with a 
 number of villages, placed at equal distances in the 
 form of a semi-circle; the houses with conical roofs, 
 as is always the case within the tropical rains. The 
 plain was of a red soapy earth, and the corn just 
 sown ; this was on the S4th of April. The whole 
 country was in perfect cultivation ; and though at 
 this time it had a bare appearance, it must have a 
 magnificent one when waving with grain. At nine 
 w^e halted for the night at a village of Pagan Nuba. 
 
 These Nuba are all soldiers of the Mek, or King 
 of Sennaar, and are cantoned in villages, which, at 
 the distance of four or five miles, surround the capi- 
 tal. They are either purchased or taken by force 
 from Fazuclo, and the provinces to the south; and, 
 having settlements and provisions given them, and 
 arms put into their hands, they never desert; but 
 live a domestic and sober life. Many of them whom 
 I conversed \yith seemed a gentler sort of Negro 
 than the Funge their masters, who compose the go- 
 vernment of Sennaar; but few even of their priests, 
 understood Arabic.
 
 • THE NUBA. 387 
 
 The Nuba pay adoration to the moon, and testify 
 great joy at its first appearance. They also worship 
 a tree and a stone, but it is a tree and a stone of 
 their own country, not of Sennaar. They are im- 
 moderately fond of the flesh of swine, and have great 
 herds of these animals in their possession. They 
 rarely become Mohammedans, but the generahty of 
 their children do. The Mek retains about 14,000 of 
 these Nuba near Sennaar, to keep the Arabs in sub- 
 jection ; they are very quiet, scarcely ever known 
 to be guilty of any robbery or mutinous disorder, 
 and always declare for the master whoever he may be. 
 
 There is no river in the immense plain inhabited 
 by these Nuba, but water is drawn from wells. They 
 do not eat their meat raw, like the Abyssinians, but 
 make ovens in the ground, which they heat with the 
 stalk. of millet or dora, and the dung of camels. 
 They procure fire by turning a pointed stick between 
 their hands in the manner of a chocolate mill, the 
 point being placed on another stick ; and so pre- 
 pared is every thing to take fire in this excessively 
 hot climate, that both sticks are in a flame in a mo- 
 ment. They bake their hogs whole, in a cleanly and 
 not disagreeable manner. 
 
 On the fifth day, at four o'clock in the afternoon, 
 we left the villages of the Nuba, intending to arrive 
 at Basboch, where is the ferry over the Nile ; but 
 we had scarcely advanced two miles along the plain, 
 when we were inclosed by a whirlwind, or what at 
 sea is called a water-spout. A camel which was 
 nearly in the centre of its vortex was lifted from the 
 ground, and thrown down at a considerable distance, 
 and several of its ribs were broken. Although 1 was 
 not in the centre, it whirled me off my feet, and 
 threw me on my face with such violence as to make 
 
 c c 2
 
 388 THE T^UBA. * 
 
 the blood gush out at my nose. It took away my 
 sense and breathing for an instant, and when I re- 
 covered I found my mouth filled with mud, and saw 
 myself and my people plastered with a coat of the 
 same, as smoothly as if it had been laid on with a 
 trowel. The whirlwind divided a small hut as if it 
 had been cut through with a knife, leaving one half 
 standing, and dispersing the materials of the other 
 over the plain. I computed the sphere of its action 
 to be about 200 feet. 
 
 As soon as we recovered from the effects of the 
 whirlwind, we took shelter in one of the villages of 
 the Nuba, where we were treated with the greatest 
 hospitality, roasted hog being given us for our en- 
 tertainment, and a neat clean hut set apart for my 
 repose. The Nuba told us that it was fortunate the 
 whirlwind had involved a great quantity of water ; 
 for that had the sand and dust arisen in the same 
 proportion, without being moistened, we should in- 
 fallibly have been suffocated. They added that these 
 tempests were frequent at the beginning and at the 
 end of the rainy season ; and they cautioned us, 
 whenever we should see one of them coming, to fall 
 on our faces, and keep our lips close to the ground 
 while it passed, as it would then neither have the 
 power to raise us from the earth, nor to suffocate 
 us. Some of the Nuba watched for us during the 
 night, taking care of our beasts and baggage, while 
 they sung and replied to each other alternately in 
 notes full of melody. 
 
 My host having provided for my accommodation, 
 went to inform Sheik Adelan of the unexpected and 
 extraordinary guest who occupied his house. He 
 found the minister at supper, but he was immediately 
 admitted, and a multitude of questions were asked
 
 « BASBOCH. 389 
 
 him. He described our colour, our number, the 
 unusual size of our fire-arms, the poorness of our 
 attire, our cheerfulness and affability, our being con- 
 tented with any sort of food, and particularly our 
 having eaten of the hog. A man who was present 
 testifying his abhorrence of this, Adelan said of me 
 to my host, " He is a soldier and a Kafr like your- 
 self. A soldier and a Kafr, wlien travelling in a 
 strange country, should eat any thing, and so does 
 every other man that is wise. Go you, and stay 
 with them at Basboch till I have time to send for 
 them to town." 
 
 On the sixth day we set out from the village, 
 keeping something to the westward of south-west, 
 across this immense plain, with villages of the Nuba 
 on every side ; and in three hours we arrived at Bas- 
 boch, which is a large assemblage of the huts of these 
 people, and has the appearance of a town. It is 
 situated on the eastern bank of the Nile, and not a 
 quarter of a mile above the ferry. 
 
 The governor of Basboch, a venerable old man 
 of about seventy years of age, so feeble that he could 
 scarcely walk, received me with great complacency, 
 saying, " O Christian, what dost thou at such a 
 time, and in such a country !" Kafr, or Infidel, is 
 the common term among these people, and I was 
 much surprized at the civil one, Nazarani, or Chris- 
 tian, till I found that this old officer had been several 
 times at Cairo. Scnnaar is about two miles and a 
 half south south-west of Basboch. I heard the even- 
 ing drum very distinctly, and not without anxiety, 
 when I considered the brutal character of the people 
 I was going to visit. I had here a clean and com- 
 fortable hut to lodge in, and was supplied, though 
 sparingly, with provisions. The Nile ran north and
 
 390 THE NILE. • 
 
 south, and seemed something broader than the 
 Thames at Richmond ; its banks were of fine white 
 sand, and the country appeared flat and bare. 
 
 From the confines of Abyssinia to Teawa, the 
 time passed in actual traveUing was about forty-eight 
 hours ; from Teawa to Basboch about fiftv-four. 
 
 The servant of Sheik Adelan left us at Basboch 
 to give his master an account of our journey, and 
 of our safe arrival. He found him well informed of 
 all that had happened at Teawa ; and, speaking of 
 the Sheik of Atbara, he said, in great anger, "Will 
 no one save me the disgrace of hanging that wretch!" 
 Leave was sent us to enter Sennaar, and we em^ 
 barked on the Nile in so indifferent a boat that it 
 was obliged to pass backwards and forwards several 
 times before we got all our packages landed on the 
 western side. This business excited either the cu- 
 riosity or the appetite of the crocodiles, one in par- 
 ticular of which swam twice over the river by the 
 side of the boat. He was making his third trip, 
 when, weary of Ills company, I fired at him with a 
 rifle gun, and shot him in the belly. He dived to 
 the bottom, leaving the water deeply tinged with 
 his blood ; and the next day he was brought to me 
 by the people of the ferry, who had found him quite 
 dead at the bottom of the river. He was about twelve 
 feet long ; and the boatmen told me that crocodiles 
 of this size were more fierce and dangerous than the 
 large ones. The Nuba of Sennaar eat the flesh of 
 the crocodile ; it looks much like that of the conger 
 eel, but I did not taste it. 
 
 Before I enter the city of Sennaar, I shall give 
 some account of the foundation of the monarchy, 
 and the nature of the government. 
 
 Many Arabs of the Beni Koreish, the family of
 
 , SENNAAR. oQl 
 
 Mohammed, came over to Beja and the eastern part 
 of Nubia, where they lived in small towns or vil- 
 lages, and were distinguished by the name of Jaha- 
 leen. These people had their prince, whose general 
 inauguration name was Welled Ageeb, Son of the 
 Good, contracted into Wed Ageeb. This prince 
 was no more than the Chief of the Arabs, to whom 
 the others paid a tribute, to enable him to maintain 
 his dignity, and a sufficient streng:th to enforce his 
 orders, while each tribe remained under the govern- 
 ment of its own Sheik. The residence of the Arab 
 prince was Gerri, a town upon the ferry of the Nile, 
 which leads to the Desert of Bahiouda, Dongola, 
 and Egypt. This was a well-chosen situation, being 
 a kind of toll-gate to catch the Arabs, who, with 
 their flocks, were obliged every year to seek the 
 sandy desert, to avoid the fly ; and here the Arab 
 chief, with a large army of light horse, stood in the 
 way of their return to their pastures, till they had 
 paid the tribute he demanded. 
 
 In the year 1504, a black nation hitherto unknown, 
 inhabiting the banks of the western Nile in about 
 lat. 13°, made a descent, in a multitude of canoes 
 or boats, upon the Arab provinces -, and, in a battle 
 fought near Herbagi, defeated Wed Ageeb. They 
 forced this prince to a capitulation, by which the 
 Arabs agreed to surrender to their conquerors one 
 half of their present stock, and one half of the in- 
 crease every subsequent year, to be levied at the 
 time of their passing to the sands to avoid the fly. 
 On this condition the Arabs were to enjoy their pos- 
 sessions unmolested, and Wed Ageeb his place and 
 dignity. 
 
 This race of Negroes is known in their own country 
 by the name of Shillook ; and their country, whicli
 
 392 SENNAAR. 
 
 lies on the banks of the western Nile, is called El 
 Aice. They founded the city of Sennaar, and re- 
 moved the seat of government of Wed Ageeb to 
 Herbagi, that he might be more immediately under 
 their own eye. At the establishing of this monarchy, 
 the whole nation of the Shillook were Pagans, but 
 they were soon after converted to Mohammedanism^ 
 and took the name of Funge. They say this term 
 means Lords, Conquerors, Free Citizens; and they are 
 at liberty to give it what interpretation they please, as 
 no foreigner knows enough of their language to con- 
 tradict them. It is certain that the term is applied 
 only to those born east of the western Nile ; and it 
 does not appear to me that they should pride them- 
 selves on being free citizens, when the sole title of 
 nobility among them is that of slave. 
 
 Although the founder of the monarchy of Sennaar 
 began with a very remarkable conquest, it does not 
 appear that his successors added much to their king- 
 dom. Tn the beginning of the eighteenth century 
 one of them subdued the province of Fazuclo. 
 
 Nearly one half the number of the kings of Sennaar, 
 from the first establishment of the monarchy, have 
 been deposed and murdered ; and the king ascends 
 his throne under an admission that he may be law- 
 fully put to death by his own subjects and slaves 
 upon a decree of the great officers assembled in 
 council that it is not for the advantage of the state 
 he should reign any longer. This custom bears too 
 hard Upon royalty. Kings are men, and, as such, 
 must err. As, however, the errors of sovereigns 
 involve the happiness of a multitude of other men, 
 it does not appear to me to be necessary to allow the 
 continuance of them. In this case, as in many others, 
 a middle course may be best ; I therefore should not
 
 SENNAAR. 393 
 
 abolisli the council of the great officers of Sennaar, 
 but when it had decreed that it was for the advantage 
 of the state the king should reign no longer, 1 would 
 transport him to the summit of some fertile moun- 
 tain, and leave him every enjoyment but the power 
 of doing mischief. 
 
 The King of Sennaar has the privilege of being 
 murdered according to rule. An officer of his own 
 family, who is distinguished by the title of Seedy el 
 Coom, Master of the Household, can alone perform 
 this office. He has no vote in deposing his sovereign, 
 nor is any guilt imputed to him for the murder ; he 
 is merely the instrument that executes the decree of 
 the council. I became well acquainted with the 
 present licensed regicide, who had put to death the 
 late king and three of his sons, and who expected 
 every day to be called upon to perform the same 
 office for the reigning monarch. The king also en- 
 tertained the same opinion ; yet there was no malice 
 on one part, nor jealousy on the other. 
 
 I asked this officer whv he murdered the sons of 
 the late king in the presence of their father. He 
 answered with great coolness that he did not dare to 
 do otherwise ; that the king had a right to see his 
 sons slain in a regular and a lawful manner, by him, 
 who was the proper person, by a sword, which was 
 the proper instrument, and by cutting tlieir throats, 
 which was the most respectful and least painfiil 
 method of inflicting death ; and that, if things had 
 not been done according to order, the princes might 
 have fallen into the hands of their enemies, and their 
 end have been more painful and ignominious. 
 
 I then asked the Seedy el Coom if he were not 
 afraid, when he entered the king's presence, which 
 he was obliged by his office to do twice every day,
 
 394 SENNAAR. 
 
 that, foreseeing what was likely to happen, the king 
 might take a fancy to turn executioner himself He 
 said, by no means ; the king knew that he had no 
 hand in what might befal him ; that if it were come 
 to the point that he must die, the rest was a matter 
 of decency ; and it would undoubtedly be his choice 
 to die in private by the hands of his own relation, 
 rather than be slain before the populace by a hired 
 assassin. 
 
 I have already mentioned that the governor of 
 Atbara shewed me the blood of a king of Sennaar, 
 shed by his father in the place in which we then 
 stood. This king was the father of the present, and 
 also of the late king. He was taken prisoner in fight- 
 ing, and sent to Teawa, where he was put to death 
 by order of Sheik Adelan. The people murmured 
 against Adelan exceedingly on account of this in- 
 justice; not that the king was murdered, for that 
 was in the due order of things, but because he was 
 not murdered according to his peculiar privilege, by 
 his lawful murderer, and with the lawful instrument 
 of death. 
 
 Upon the death of a king of Sennaar, his eldest 
 son succeeds by right ; and, immediately after, as 
 many of the brothers of the reigning prince as can 
 be found are put to death by the Seedy el Coom. 
 No female succeeds to the sovereignty : the prin- 
 cesses have no settled state nor revenue, and are 
 little more regarded than the daughters of private 
 individuals. The royal family, like their subjects, 
 were originally negroes, and so they still remain, 
 except when they are born of Arab women, in which 
 case the black colour of the father cedes to the whiter 
 colour of the mother, as it had done in the person 
 of the present king.
 
 S95 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 AUDIENCE OF THE KING OF SENNAAR, 
 AND OF ADELAN. 
 
 \JN entering Sennaar, we were conducted by Ade- 
 lan*s servant to a very spacious good house, two 
 stories high, belonging to the minister himself; and 
 the next morning I received a message desiring me 
 to wait upon the king. The palace was only one story 
 high, the walls were of clay, and the floors of earth, 
 but it covered a great space of ground. The cham- 
 bers through which we passed were all unfurnished ; 
 many of them had been barracks for soldiers, though 
 now I did not see more than fifty soldiers on guard. 
 The king was in a small room, not twenty feet 
 square, to which we ascended by two short flights 
 of narrow steps. The floor of the room was paved 
 with square tiles, over which was laid a Persian car- 
 pet J the walls were hiuig with Persian tapestry, and 
 the whole was in good order. 
 
 The king was sitting on a mattrass laid on the 
 ground, and around him was a number of Venetian 
 cushions of cloth of "'old. His dress did not corre- 
 spond with this magnificence ; for it consisted only 
 of the large, loose Soudan shirt, made of the blue 
 cotton cloth of Surat, which covered his feet, and 
 differed only from that of his servants in being dou- 
 ble stitched at the neck and seams with white silk.
 
 596 SENNAAR. 
 
 He wore nothing on his head but his own short 
 black hair ; his colour was as light as that of an 
 Arab ; he appeared to be about thirty-four years of 
 age; and his physiognomy was expressive of meanness 
 and irresolution. On my advancing and kissing his 
 hand, he seemed at a loss what to say, and then 
 asked for an Abyssinian interpreter. I told him in 
 Arabic that I believed I understood as much of that 
 language as would enable me to answer any inquiries 
 he might have to make. " Downright Arabic, in- 
 deed !" said he, " You did not learn that language in 
 Habbesh!" I answered, " No, I have been in Egypt, 
 where I learned it ; but it is spoken in Habbesh." 
 " Impossible I" said he ; " they know no language in 
 Habbesh but their own." I then delivered to the 
 king a letter from tlie Shereef of Mecca, and ano- 
 ther from the King of Abyssinia. Having read them 
 he said, " You are a physician and a soldier ?'* " I 
 am both upon occasion," replied I. " But the She- 
 reef's letter tells me also that you are of a noble 
 family, and in the service of a great king called En- 
 gliseman, who is master of all the Indies?'* " I am 
 9f a good family in my own country," said I, " and 
 my king is the greatest sovereign upon earth ; the 
 Indies make but a small part of his dominions." 
 " The greatest sovereign upon earth !" repeated a 
 man, whom, by his white cotton frock, and a white 
 shawl which covered his head and a part of his face, 
 I knew to be a man of learning and law, *' You for- 
 get the Grand Signior ! There are four great kings, 
 Othman, Fersee [Persia], Bornou, and Habbesh." 
 '* I neither forgot the Grand Signior, nor did him 
 wrong," rejoined I, " What I have said, I have 
 said." 
 
 *' How comes it,'* said the king, " you that are
 
 S&NNAAR. o97 
 
 noble ; so learned that you know all things, all lan- 
 guages ; and so brave that you fear no danger, but 
 pass with two or three old men into such countries 
 as this and Habbesh ; how comes it that you do not 
 stay at home, eat, drink, take pleasure and rest, 
 and not wander like a poor man, exposed to every 
 danger?" " I am content with the bread that is 
 given me," said I, " and I am bound by a vow to 
 travel in hardships and dangers, doing all the good 
 I can to poor and rich, serving every man, and hurt- 
 ing none." " Tybe ! that is well," said the King. 
 " He is a dervish," said one of the learned men. 
 The king then made a sign, and a slave brought a 
 cushion ; I would have refused it, but I was obliged 
 to be seated. 
 
 One of the gentlemen of the white robe, desirous 
 
 to display his learning, now asked me, with a look 
 
 of great wisdom, what was my opinion concerning 
 
 the coming of Hagiuge Magiuge [Gog and Magog], 
 
 and w'hether my books agreed with theirs. " I do 
 
 not know," I replied, " till I hear what is written in 
 
 yours." " Hagiuge Magiuge," said the learned man, 
 
 " are little people not so big as bees, or like the zimb, 
 
 that come in great swarms out of the earth, aye, in 
 
 multitudes that cannot be counted. Two of their 
 
 chiefs are to ride upon an ass ; and every hair of that 
 
 ass is to be a pipe; and every pipe is to play a different 
 
 kind of music; and all that hear and follow them are to 
 
 be carried to hell." *' Then," said I, " mv books differ 
 
 greatly from yours; for the Hagiuge Magiuge of my 
 
 country are prodigious giants, and never move from 
 
 their place. But I should not fear yours, were they 
 
 twice as little as you say they are, and twice as skilful 
 
 musicians; for lam notso fond of music as to go to hell 
 
 for any tunes that either they or an ass can play."
 
 398 SENNAAK. 
 
 The king laughed excessively, and I rose to take 
 leave, asking, when it would be convenient to him 
 to receive my present. He said, not to-night, as I 
 might be fatigued, but he would send me notice 
 when to come. I passed through the great square 
 before the palace, and afterwards through the street, 
 in both of which was a number of people, and every 
 one offered me some insult. 
 
 The drum beat a little after six o'clock in the eve- 
 ning, and we had then a dinner sent us of camefs 
 flesh, stewed with a viscous herb called bammia. 
 The king's impatience to receive my present did not 
 permit him to wait longer than eight o'clock, when 
 a servant from the palace came to tell me that now 
 was the time to bring it. I found the king sitting in 
 a large apartment at some distance from the former. 
 He had no clothes on, but several pieces of apparel 
 were lying around him, and on his knees ; and a 
 servant was rubbing him with elephant's grease, 
 which was dropping from his hair like water. The 
 king asked me if I ever greased myself, as he did ; 
 adding that it made the body strong and the skin 
 smooth. I replied that the scent was indeed strong, 
 and that I could not bear to use the grease, though 
 my skin were to become as rough as that of the ele- 
 phant itself. *' As for the scent," said the king, 
 " you will find that cured presently." 
 
 The king then retired to another room, where he 
 was deluged with pitchers of cold water ; and when 
 he returned, a slave anointed him with a sweet oint- 
 ment, of which civet made a part of the composi- 
 tion. I asked him why he did not use rose-water. 
 He said he got it from Cairo when the merchants ar- 
 rived, but it was long since any had visited Sennaar; 
 and his people could not make rose-water, as the rose
 
 AIRA. 399 
 
 would not grow in his country; the women, however, 
 made something like it from the flower of the lemon. 
 
 The king's toilette being finished, I produced my 
 present, which I told him the King of Abyssinia 
 had sent him, hoping that, according to the faith 
 and custom of nations, he would protect me while 
 here, and send me safely and speedily into Egypt. 
 He said there was a time when he could have done 
 all this and more, but those times were changed : 
 Sennaar was in ruin, and not like what it once was. 
 He ordered some perfum.ed sherbet to be brought 
 for me to drink in his presence, as a pledge that my 
 person was in safety, and then retired to sup with 
 his ladies. 
 
 Some days after this, I had my audience of Sheik 
 Adelan at Aira, which is three miles and a half to 
 the southward of Sennaar. We set out early in the 
 morning, and walked the greater part of the way by 
 the side of the Nile, which was here divested of its 
 beauty, having no trees, the bottom being foul and 
 muddy, and the edges white, witli small concretions 
 of calcareous earth. We then struck to the right, 
 across a large sandy plain, without trees or bushes, 
 and came to Adelan's habitation. 
 
 Two or three very considerable houses, consisting 
 of one"^tory each, occupied the middle of a square 
 which was half an English mile on every side, and 
 inclosed by a high fence of strong reeds or canes, 
 joined together in fascines by stakes and cords. On 
 the outside of the inclosure, on each side the gate, 
 were six houses of a slighter construction; and close 
 to the fence were sheds, under which the soldiers 
 slept, with their horses picquetted before them. 
 Above the sleeping-place of each man, and covered 
 at top from the weather, were hung a lance, a small
 
 400 SHEIK ADELAN. 
 
 oval shield, and a large broad sword. These sheds 
 I understood were the quarters of the couriers, who, 
 being Arabs, were not allowed to lodge within the 
 inclosLire. 
 
 Within the gate was a number of barracks, with 
 the horses of the soldiers picquetted in ranks, each 
 wdth his head towards his master. It was one of the 
 finest sights I ever saw of the kind ; the horses being 
 none less than sixteen hands high, all finely made, 
 as strong as our coach horses, but exceedingly quick 
 and active in their motions. Their forehands were 
 rather thick and short, their eyes, ears, and heads, 
 most beautiful. They were mostly black, though 
 some were black and white, and some completely 
 white, with white eyes and hoofs, which did not 
 add to their beauty. 
 
 Upon each man's quarters, opposite to his horse, 
 was hung a steel shirt of mail, with an antelope's 
 skin, made soft like shamoy, to cover it from the 
 dew. Above these, was a head-piece of copper, 
 without crest or plumage, suspended by a lace ; 
 to this was added an enormous broad sword in a 
 scabbard of red leather ; and, on the pummel of 
 the saddle, hung two thick gloves like our hedgers* 
 mittens. I was told that within this inclosure 
 there were 400 horses, which, with their riders, 
 and their armour and accoutrements, were the pro- 
 perty of Sheik Adelan ; and I am convinced that no 
 body of cavalry could be more magnificently dis- 
 posed under the direction of any European powei'. 
 There were five or six of these inclosures, no one 
 half a mile distant from the other, which contained 
 the horses, slaves, and servants of the king. 
 
 Adelan was sitting upon a piede of the trunk of a 
 palm-tree, in front of one of the divisions of his
 
 AIRA. 401 
 
 horses, wliicli he seemed to he contcmphiting with 
 pleasure; and a number of black people, his friends 
 and servants, were standing round him. He was 
 about sixty years of age, above six feet high, and 
 rather corpulent. He had the colour and features 
 Df an Arab, with large piercing eyes, a determined, 
 though a very pleasing countenance, and rather 
 more beard than falls to the lot of people in this 
 country. He had on a long drab-colourcd camblet 
 gown, lined with yellow satin, and a camblet cap 
 like a head piece, with two short points that covered 
 his ears. This was the dress he w^ore when he visited 
 his horses early in the morning, a .custom he never 
 neglected. 
 
 On my coming near him, Adelan rose, and, with- 
 out any salutation, said to me, " You that are a 
 horseman, tell nie, what would your King of Hab- 
 besh give for these horses?" I answered, in the 
 same tone, " What king would not give any price 
 for such horses if he knew their value !" " Well," 
 5aid he, in a lower voice, turning to those about him, 
 *' if we are forced to go to Habbesh, as Baady was, 
 we will take our horses with us." 
 
 We then went into a spacious saloon hung round 
 with mirrors and scarlet damask, in one of the sides 
 of which were two large sofas covered with yellow 
 and crimson damask, with cushions of cloth of gold, 
 like those of the king. Adelan now took off his 
 camblet gown and cap, and remained in a coat of 
 .crimson sattin, which wrapped over his breast, and 
 reached below his knees : this was jiirded round his 
 waist with a sash, in whicli was stuck a short dagger, 
 in an ivory sheath mounted with gold. He wore 
 upon his finger one of the largest and most beautiful 
 amethysts 1 ever saw, and in one of his cars a small 
 goJd ear-ringo v d
 
 40*^^ SEN^JAAK^ 
 
 "Why have you come hither," siiid Adelan to 
 me," on foot, without arms, and without attend- 
 ants?" "I was told," replied I, " that horses were 
 not kept at Sennaar, and therefore I did not bring 
 any." " You imagine you have come through great 
 dangers, and so you have," said Adelan; "but what 
 do you think of me, who am day and night in the 
 fields, surrounded by hundreds and thousands of 
 Arabs, who would eat me alive if they dared?" "A 
 brave man, accustomed to command, as you are," 
 answered I, "does not regard the number of his 
 enemies, but their ability ; a lion fears ten thousand 
 sbeep no more than he does a single one." "True,** 
 said Adelan. " Look out at the door ; these are 
 their chiefs, whom I am now taxing ; and I have 
 brought them hither that they may judge from what 
 they see, whether I am prepared for them, or not." 
 "You could not do better," said I. "But, with 
 regard to my own affairs, I wait upon you from the 
 King of Abyssinia, desiring safe conduct through 
 your country into Egypt, and with his royal promise 
 that he will return that favour to you, or grant any 
 other favour you may require of him." 
 
 Adelan took the letter of the King of Abyssinia, 
 and read it ; then said, "The King of Habbesh may 
 be assured that I am always ready to do more for 
 him than this. It is true v.e have had no formal 
 peace; but neither are we at war; we understand 
 one another as good neighbours ought to do ; and 
 what else is peace ?" " I have nothing to do with 
 peace or war between nations," said I : " I am a 
 stranger and a traveller, seeking my way ; I beg a 
 safe conduct through your kingdom, and the usual 
 rights of hospitalit}^ while I am in it ; and one of 
 the favours I beg is your acceptance of a small pre-
 
 AIRA. 403 
 
 sent." " I will not refuse it,*' said Adelan. **but it 
 is quite unnecessary. I have faults like other men ; 
 but to injure or plunder strangers was never one of 
 them. Mohammed Abou Kalec, my brother, is, 
 however, a much better man to strangers than I 
 am ; you will be lucky if you meet him here ; if not, 
 I will do for you what I can when the confusion of 
 these Arabs is over.** 
 
 The servant of Adelan who had conducted me to 
 Sennaar then approached his master's ear, and said 
 in a kind of whisper, "Should he go often to the 
 king?" "When he pleases," replied Adelan. "He 
 may walk in the town, but never alone ; and he may 
 go to the palace, that when he returns to his own 
 country he may report that he saw a king at Sennaar, 
 who neither knows how to govern, nor will suffer 
 others to teach him ; who knows not how to make 
 war, yet will not sit in peace." I was then sent into 
 another room, where I found a plentiful breakfast. 
 
 On leaving the house, I kissed the hand of Adelan. 
 " Sheik," said I, " when I ])ass these Arabs in the 
 square, will it disoblige you if I converse with some 
 of them, out of curiosity?" "By no means," said 
 Adelan. " Converse with them as much as you 
 please ; but don't let them know where they can 
 find you at Sennaar ; or they will be in your house 
 from morning till night, will eat up all your provisi- 
 ons, and then cut your throat if they can meet with 
 you upon your journey.** 
 
 I had a long conversation with these Arabs. They 
 were all on their way northward to their respective 
 countries in the sands, to the east of Mendcra and 
 Barbar. The fly had compelled these people to mi- 
 grate from the fat and fertile lands to the southward 
 of Sennaar; and the sands, so barren and desolate 
 
 Dl) 2
 
 i04f SENNA AR. 
 
 during the rest of the year, were now, on the 8th of 
 May, beginning to be crowded with cattle and inha- 
 bitants. The troops of Sennaar, few in number, but 
 well provided, stood in the way of this migration, 
 till every Arab Chief had given in a well verified 
 inventory of the stock of his tribe, and made a com- 
 position with Sheik Adelan. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 RESIDENCE AT SENNAAR. ACCOUNT OF SENNAAR. 
 
 J RETURNED to Sennaar well pleased with my 
 reception at Aira. I had not seen, since I left 
 Abyssinia, a man so open and frank in his manners 
 as Sheik Adelan ; but he was exceedingly engaged 
 in business, and it was of such extent that it seemed 
 impossible to be terminated in a much longer time 
 than I wished to stay at Sennaar. In my return to 
 town, every man I met occasioned some altercation, 
 offered some insult, or made some demand for gold, 
 cloth, or tobacco, from which I found it difficult to 
 extricate myself. 
 
 The contemptuous manner in which Adelan had 
 spoken of his sovfreign made a strong impression 
 upon my mind. The Seedy el Coom also told me 
 that the king stood upon very precarious ground ; 
 that, of the three brothers, his generals, Adelan and 
 Abou Kalec were at the head of armies in the field, 
 and Kittou had the disposal of all the forces in Sen-
 
 SENiVAAR* 405 
 
 naar ; and that the king was little esteemed, and 
 had neither experience, friends, money, nor soldiers. 
 Hadgi Belal, a native of Morocco, established as a 
 merchant at Sennaar, to whom I had letters of cre- 
 dit, told me that nothing could be expected from 
 Sheik Adelan without going to Aira ; that he would 
 never trust himself in Sennaar during the life of the 
 present king ; but that the moment he assembled his 
 troops without the town he was absolute. This 
 merchant also told me that he had been questioned 
 by the king concerning me ; that he had been asked 
 what sort of man I was ? how such a man as I had 
 ventured to pass such deserts with only four or five 
 old servants ? what it was I came to see ? why I had 
 not Englishmen with me, instead of beggarly Copts, 
 Arabs, and Turks, who W'ere not of my religion ? 
 When Hadgi Belal told the king that I had left 
 Abyssinia because I was weary of the perpetual war 
 which prevailed in that kingdom, he said, '* He has 
 chosen well to come into this country for peace.'* 
 
 While I was revolving these circumstances in my 
 mind, I received a message from the king, desiring 
 me to go to the palace. I found him alone, and in 
 ill humour. He asked me in a very peevish manner 
 if I were not yet gone. I replied, " Your majesty 
 knows I cannot go from Sennaar without assistance 
 from you.'* " How could you think of coming this 
 way?"' said the king. "Nobody in Abyssinia ima- 
 gined,'* said I, "that you were not able to give a 
 stranger safe conduct through your own dominions." 
 He then, without speaking, made a sign for me to 
 depart, which I did immediately. 
 
 In the afternoon of the same day, the king sent 
 for me again, when he told me that several of his 
 wives were ill, and desired I would give them my
 
 406 StNNAAR. 
 
 advice. I was much pleased with this commission, 
 as I had hitherto found my attendance on the fair 
 sex advantageous to myself. I am not certain, how- 
 ever, that this term can be applied with precision to 
 the sable ladies of the King of Sennaar. I was ad- 
 mitted into a large apartment, very ill lighted, in 
 which were about fifty women, all perfectly black, 
 and without any covering except a piece of cotton 
 cloth round the waist. While I was considerinsr 
 whether these might all be queens, or whether any 
 queen were among them, one of them took me by 
 the hand, and led me, rudely enough, into another 
 apartment. This was much better lighted than the 
 former ; and upon a large sofa, covered with blue 
 Surat cloth, sat three persons clothed from the neck 
 to the feet in shirts of the same material. 
 
 One of these ladies, who I found was the favour- 
 ite, was about six feet high, and corpulent beyond 
 all proportion. She seemed to me, next to the ele- 
 phant and the rhinoceros, the largest living creature 
 I had ever seen. Her features were those of a Ne- 
 gro ; a ring of gold passed through her under lip, 
 and weighed it down, till, like a flap, it covered her 
 chin, and shewed her teeth, which were very small 
 and fine : the inside of her lip was coloured black 
 with antimony. Her ears reached down to her 
 shoulders, and had the appearance of a pair of 
 wings; in each was a ring of gold about five inches 
 in diameter, and nearly the thickness of a man's 
 little linger. The weight of these had drawn down 
 the ear so much that three fingers might pass through 
 the holes that had been pierced for them, above the 
 ring. She had a necklace of gokl of several rows, 
 one below another, to which were hung as many 
 rows of sequins; and on her ancles were two mana^
 
 SENNAAR. * 407 
 
 cles of gold, larger than any I had ever seen on 
 felons ; so large that I could not conceive it possible 
 for her to walk with them, till I understood that 
 they were hollow. 
 
 The other ladies were adorned much in the same 
 manner ; except that one of them had chains of gold 
 which came from her ears, and were fastened to the 
 outside of her nostrils, and a ring put through the 
 gristle of her nose, and hanging down to her mouth. 
 The whole had something of the appearance of a 
 horse's bridle. On my approaching these ladies, the 
 larger one put her hand to Jier mouth, and kissed it, 
 saying, *' How do you do, Merchant?" I answered, 
 " Peace be among you. I am a physician, and not 
 a merchant." 
 
 Having given me a detail of their numerous conif 
 plaints, the three queens desired to be bled. I per- 
 formed the operation with great success ; the room 
 streamed with royal blood; and the whole concluded, 
 with their insisting upon my giving them the instru- 
 ment which I had used on this occasion, and bleed- 
 ing two of their slaves to shew them how to perfornj 
 the operation^ 
 
 Another night I was called upon to administer 
 emetics to the queens and several of the great ladies. 
 The patients were numerous ; the evacuations were 
 copious ; the air was intensely hot ; and the black 
 figures were groaning around me : all together gave 
 me some idea of the punishments of the lower world, 
 and made me almost repent practising physic in this. 
 My mortifications, however, did not end here ; for 
 when my royal patients recovered, they expressed a 
 desire to see the colour of my skin, and insisted upon 
 my being stripped to the waist. The whole of the 
 female court and attendants flocked to the spectacle.
 
 408 SENNAAR. 
 
 Resistance were vain ; I was surrounded by fifty or 
 sixty women, each full six feet high, and strong in 
 proportion. Upon seeing the whiteness of my skin,, 
 they all uttered a loud cry, in token of dislike, and 
 shuddered, seeming to consider it as the effect of 
 disease. For my part, I was not without apprehen- 
 sion that, if the king should happen to enter during 
 this exhibition, he might take a fancy to strip off the 
 skin that had excited their curiosity 5 though I may 
 say, with great truth, that his ladies and myself had 
 but one sentiment, which was disgust. I afterwards 
 understood that among the crowd of women were 
 many sisters of the king. 
 
 Kittou, Adelan's and Abou Kalec's brother, who 
 had the care of the town, advised me to keep witliin 
 my own house as much as possible, and never to go 
 out of it without having tv;o or three black people to 
 attend me. *' While you are in my brother's house, 
 and we are alive," said Kittou, " nobody dares mo- 
 lest you. You are at liberty to refuse admittance 
 to any person, whether he come from the king or 
 no, only saying that Adelan forbids it. I will answer 
 for the rest." 
 
 During this melancholy confinement I put toge- 
 ther the following particulars of the country and 
 people of Sennaar. 
 
 The town of Sennaar is in lat. 13** .34' north, and 
 in long. 33^ 30' east from the meridian of Greenwich. 
 It is situated on the western bank of the eastern, or 
 Abyssinian Nile. The ground on which it stands 
 rises just enough to prevent the river from entering 
 the town, during the inundation ; though, at that 
 time, it rises nearly to the level of the street. The 
 town is very populous, and contains many good 
 houses J those of the great officers are two stories
 
 SENNAAR. 400 
 
 iiigh, with parapet roofs. They are a"ll built with 
 clay, mixed with a very little straw. 
 
 While I was at Seiinaar, there happened to be a 
 week of constant rain, with loud thunder, and great 
 darkness to the south. The Nile increased with vio- 
 lence, and entered the houses which stood upon its 
 banks, which not being constructed for such a con- 
 tingency, some of them melted and fell. The whole 
 stream was covered with wreck of houses, canes, 
 wooden bowls and platters, living and dead camels 
 and cattle ; and a hyena, endeavouring to cross be- 
 fore the town, was surrounded and killed by the 
 inhabitants. 
 
 The heat at Sennaar is excesssive. From 70 to 7^ 
 degrees of the thermometer is cool at Sennaar ; from 
 79 to 92 is temperate. We bear a great degree of 
 heat better here than in our own climate, and tlie 
 natives are still less sensible of it. While I was lying 
 on a carpet, in a room deluged with water, and was 
 perfectly enervated, the thermometer being at llG**, 
 I saw several black labourers pulling down a house, 
 and working with great vigour, without seeming to 
 be incommoded by the heat. 
 
 There is a constant mortality among the childrfU 
 in this metropolis, so that, to all appearance, the 
 people would become extinct if they were not kept 
 up by a constant succession of slaves from the coun- 
 tries to the southward. The men, however, are strong, 
 and remarkable for size, but they are short lived ; 
 this may, perhaps, be owing to the excesses in wliich 
 they indulge themselves from their infancy. Tliey 
 do not scruple to sell their female slaves after they 
 have brought them children, a practice unknown in 
 every other Mohammedan country. 
 
 No horse, ass, or any beast of burthen, will
 
 410 SENNA AU. 
 
 breed, or even live at Sennaar, or on the fat soil 
 around it. Bullocks, sheep, poultry, dogs, and cats, 
 must be taken every half year to the sands, or 
 thc>" die in the first season of the rains. Several 
 of the kings have tried to keep lions, but no care 
 could prolong their lives after the first rains. Sheik 
 Adelan had two, in strong health, which were kept 
 at Aira with his horses. 
 
 The soil in the vicinity of Sennaar, so unfavourable 
 to the life of animals, contributes abundantly to their 
 support. It is sown with dora, which is the principal 
 food of the people ; and it is said, though I believe 
 not truly, to yield three hundred for one. It pro- 
 duces also wheat and rice, but these are sold at Sen- 
 naar by the pound. Once in his reign, the king is 
 obliged to plough and sow a piece of ground with 
 his own hand. Neither the rose nor the jessamine 
 grow here ; the rose has often been tried, but in 
 vain. I saw no tree in flower near the citv, but the 
 lemon. Salt is extracted from the earth of the coun- 
 try, particularly that about Halfaia. 
 
 The barren waste we passed over, on our approach- 
 ing Sennaar, in the latter end of April, presented, 
 at the end of August, when the grain had sprung up, 
 a level green surface, interspersed with large lake* 
 of water, and ornamented with groupes of villages. 
 Through this, the Nile, a delightful river, full to 
 the brim, and now more than a mile broad, was 
 winding; and on its banks M^ere seen numerous herds 
 of the most beautiful cattle of various kinds, the 
 tribute recently extorted from the Arabs. Soon the 
 iscenc changes. The millet begins to ripen, its leaves 
 turn yellow and decay; the lakes putrefy, and are full 
 of vermin ; bare, scorched Nubia returns, with all 
 its terrors of poisonous winds, sultry blasts, and 
 moving sands.
 
 SENNAAIl. 411 
 
 The principal diet of the poorer soKt of people at 
 ♦Sennaar is the millet, either in fioiir or made into 
 bread. The rich heat the Hour before the lire, and 
 pour milk and butter on it ; besides which they eat 
 beef, both raw and roasted. Their liorned cattle 
 are large and fat, and the flesh is excellent ; but the 
 common meat sold in the market is the flesh of 
 camels, and of this, the spare-rib and the liver are 
 always eaten raw. Hog*s flesh is not sold in the 
 market, but the common people eat it openly, and 
 the men in office in secret. 
 
 The people of Sennaar wear tlie long and large 
 Soudan shirt of blue Surat cloth, which reaches 
 to the feet ; tiiat of tlie men does not cover the 
 neck ; that of the women buttons and conceals the 
 neck w^lioUy ; the men have sometimes a sash tied 
 round their waist, l^oth men and women, even of 
 tlie better sort, go bare-footed in the house ; their 
 floors, particularly those of the women's apartments, 
 are covered with Persian carpets. In fair weather 
 they wear sandals without doors, and they use a kind 
 of wooden patten, neatly ornamented with shells. 
 In the greatest heat at noon they have buckets oi" 
 water thrown npon them, instead of bathing. Both 
 men and women anoint themselves, at least once a 
 day, with camel's grease mixed with civet. This 
 they imagine, besides that it softens the skin, pre- 
 serves them from cntaneous eruptions, of which they 
 are so fearful that the smallest pimple on any visible 
 part of their person, conflnes them to the house till 
 it disappears. For the same reason, though they 
 have a clean shirt every day, they use one dipped in 
 grease in the night, and lie upon a bulls hide tanned, 
 which is softened and cooled by this continual greas- 
 ing, but which gives them a scent that no washing 
 can take away.
 
 4l'2 SENNAAR. 
 
 The small-pox is not endemial in the country of 
 Sennaar. It is sometimes twelve or fifteen years 
 without making its appearance ; but when it comes 
 it svv'eeps away a vast proportion of those who are 
 infected. The women of the Blacks and Arabs, and 
 of all the slaves from the various countries of the 
 plains and mountains, have, from time immemorial, 
 practised a kind of inoculation for this disease which 
 they call buying the small-pox. Upon the first 
 hearing of its appearance, they go to the infected 
 person, and wrapping a fillet of cotton cloth round 
 his arm, they let it remain till they have agreed with 
 the mother lor the number of small-pox she is to sell, 
 for which number one piece of silver, at least, must 
 be paid. The bargain concluded, they take the fillet 
 home, and tie it round the arm of their own child ; 
 certain, as they say, from long experience, that their 
 child will do well, and have neither more nor less of 
 the small-pox than the number contracted for. 
 
 Ail the black people of the kingdom of Sennaar, 
 whether Funge or Nuba, are perfectly armed agains't 
 the bite of either viper or scorpion. They take the 
 cerastes in their hands at all times, put them in their 
 bosoms, and throw them at each other, as children 
 do balls, without irritating them. Shew a chicken 
 to one of these animals, he bites it in fury, and it 
 dies : let any of these men seize him, he seems 
 sick and feeble, frequently shuts his eyes, and does 
 not turn his mouth towards the person who holds 
 him. They all know how to prepare any one to 
 liandle the viper with safety, by means of decoctions 
 of herbs and roots. 
 
 The people of Sennaar and other states of Soudan 
 embraced the religion of Mohammed for the sake of 
 personal freedom, or the advantages of trade j but
 
 SHADDLY. 413 
 
 they lire Moliammedans in their conversation only, 
 and Pagans in their hearts and practice. Unless 
 some Fakir, or Arab saint, take pains to instruct 
 them, the whole of their religion is comprised in the 
 confession of faith, " There is bnt one God, and 
 Mohammed is his prophet.'* 
 
 About twelve miles from Sennaar, on the north 
 west, is a collection of villages called Shaddly, from 
 a saint of that name, who directed large pits to be 
 dug there, and plastered closely with clay, as ma- 
 gazines for grain. A quantity of dora is put into 
 these, in plentifid seasons, and the pit is covered 
 and plastered over, or, as they call it, sealed. On 
 any prospect of corn becoming scarce, these are 
 opened, and their contents sold at a low price. 
 These excavations are called matamores. To the 
 north of Shaddly, at the distance of about twenty- 
 four miles, is another foundation of this sort, still 
 greater. Upon these two charitable institutions the 
 bread of the Arabs chiefly depends ; for as there is 
 continual war among these people, and as their vio- 
 lence is directed against the crops, rather than the 
 persons of their adversaries, the destruction of the 
 tribe would sometimes follow that of its harvest, if 
 it were not for these extraordinary supplies. 
 
 Small villages of soldiers are scattered throughout 
 this immense plain, to watch the grain that is sowo, 
 which is millet only, and it is said that the ground 
 will produce no other grain. Prodigious excavations 
 are made at pro})cr distances, which fill with water 
 in the rainy season, and afford a great relief to the 
 Arabs in their passage between the fertile country 
 and the sands. To the westward of the granaries, 
 the country, as far as the western Nile, is full of 
 trees, which makes it a favourable station for camels.
 
 414- SENNA AR. 
 
 Two mountainous districts, of no great extent, 
 rise from this plain : they enjoy a fine climate and 
 are full of inhabitants. Each of these districts is 
 governed by a descendant of its native princes, who 
 long resisted the power of the Arabs, but yielded to 
 Amru, the thu'd of the Negro kings, about the year 
 1551.. This prince, having forced the mountaineers 
 to surrender, fastened a chain of gold to each of 
 their ears, exposed them in the public market-place 
 of Sennaar, and sold them at the vile price of about 
 a farthing each. After this degradation he had them 
 circumcised, and obliged them to embrace the Mo- 
 hammedan religion. Heathen restored them to their 
 respective governments, as slaves of Sennaar, im- 
 posing on them a very easy tribute ; and they con- 
 tinued faithful to this kingdom, as their descendants 
 have done to this day. 
 
 There are three principal governments under the 
 King of Sennaar. The first of these is that of El 
 Aice, the original country of the Shillook, the found- 
 ers of the monarchy. The western Nile spreads it- 
 self over the territory, and, divided into small chan- 
 nels, forms a number of little- islands, on each of 
 which is a village ; and this collection of villages is 
 called the town of El Aice. The inhabitants are all 
 fishermen, and have a number of boats, in which 
 they sail, and it is said, rob, up and down the river 
 as far as the cataracts. It was with incredible fleets 
 of these that they undertook the conquest of the 
 Arabs, who had not the smallest warning of the at- 
 tempt. They had at that time no weapons of iron ; 
 their swords and lances being made of a kind of 
 hard wood. 
 
 The reader will here perceive that the information 
 I received on the west and on the east, (that at D^ii'
 
 SENNA A R. 41. 'J 
 
 VCiv antl that at Sennaar,) meets on the banks of tlie 
 western Nile. In Dar Fur I was tohl of a town called 
 Hellct Allais, situated on the w^estern bank of the west- 
 ern Nile; and opposite to this, on the eastern bank, of 
 a town called Shillook. These can be no other than 
 what I have now been more fully describing ; they 
 are but one ; the town of El Aice, inhabited by the 
 Shillook, *' who were black and commanded the river/' 
 
 The governor of El Aice must be a relation of 
 the sovereign or Mck of Sennaar. This officer is 
 not allowed to come to Sennaar, nor even to leave 
 his post. 
 
 The next government is that of Kordofan ; but 
 the government of this, as has been already seen, 
 is disputed by the Sultan of Dar Fi\r, and only be- 
 longs to the strongest. 
 
 The third government is that of Fazuclo, which 
 is south of Sennaar, and situated between the two 
 Niles. From Sennaar to Fazuclo it is twelve days' 
 journey with loaded camels, and seven with unloaded; 
 probably about 140 miles. The people on the moun- 
 tains of Fazuclo are of large stature, and are remark- 
 able for strength and longevity. Sheik Adelan as- 
 sured me that one of their chief men had above two 
 hundred children, and that he was still able to hunt 
 the elephant on foot, armed only with his lance. 
 The person who commands in Fazuclo is not a Funge, 
 but the native prince from whom it was conquered 
 by Sennaar. This is a remarkable piece of policy 
 of this barbarous nation ; it nuist have succeeded as 
 they constantly adhere to it, and it retains as much 
 of justice as conquest can afibrd. The greatest part 
 of the revenue of Fazuclo is gold. 
 
 Guba, and Nuba, are also two of the southern 
 provinces of Sennaar.
 
 416 SENNAAR. 
 
 The forces of Sennaar immediatelv around the 
 capital consist of the Nuba, who fight without cloth- 
 ing, and without any other arms than a sliort javelin 
 and a round shield ; and about 1800 cavalry, who 
 are black slaves, with coats of mail and broad 
 swords. These last, I imagine, by the weight of 
 man and horse, would bear down double the num- 
 ber of any cavalry in the world. Besides these, 
 there is a great, but uncertain number of Arabs, who 
 live close to the town, and supply it with provisions. 
 The*e pay a tribute to the government, and are un- 
 der its protection, and must doubtless form a part of 
 its strength. The king has not one musket in his 
 whole army. 
 
 When the ways were open, and caravans travelled 
 in safety, Sennaar carried on a considerable trade 
 with Jidda ; receiving from thence India goods, 
 which were dispersed over Soudan ; and sending in 
 return, gold, civet, rhinoceros's horns, ivory, os- 
 trichs' feathers, slaves, and glass. Caravans also 
 passed to Cairo and to Abyssinia. But the violence 
 <of the Arabs, and the faithlessness of the goveri.^- 
 ment of Sennaar, have shut the ])eople up on every 
 side, except that of Jidda, whither they go once a 
 year by Suakem. From Sennaar to Suakem, it is 
 twenty-seven days close travelling ; probably about 
 400 miles. The gold of Sennaar, called tibbar, is 
 i'eckoned particularly fine. If the Abyssinian gold 
 sell for ^3. 12s. Od. the wakea, that of Sennaar 
 sells for ^5. Os. Od. Men slaves, at a medium 
 price, sell at Sennaar at about a wakea each ; but 
 there are women who sell as hioh as 13 or 14 wa- 
 ksas, that is 65 or 70 pounds sterling each, 
 
 I was now told by my merchant that Sheik Ade- 
 lan bad quitted Aira, and was encamped at Shaddly;
 
 SENNAAR. 417 
 
 and that the king had expressed himself with regard 
 tc me in a very threatening manner. I immediately 
 sent to inform the Seedy el Coom of my difficulties, 
 and of my earnest desire to leave Sennaar ; and that 
 officer returned with my servant. " What is the 
 difference to you," said he, " whether Adelan be at 
 Aira, two hours journey from Sennaar, or at Shad- 
 dly, five? Is not Kittou in town? and shall I not 
 bring every slave of the king to join him on the first 
 requisition ? I do not wish you to stay a moment 
 longer in Sennaar ; but till some way can be found 
 to procure necessaries for your journey, you are 
 safer in Sennaar than out of it. Before the king 
 tries to hurt you in Adelan's house, so long as any 
 of the three brothers are alive, he will think twice of 
 it. If any person attempt to enter the house, defend 
 yourself; and do what you will to those who shall 
 force themselves into it." 
 
 It was not long before I was called upon to put 
 a part of this advice in practice. Late at night, 
 as I was sitting in my back room up stairs, hold- 
 ing a melancholy council with my servants on 
 the means of escaping from Sennaar, one of them, 
 who had been left below, came running up stairs in 
 dismav, savin": that a number of men were endea- 
 vouring to force open the outer door. Our lamp 
 was burning, and our arms were ready ; we seized 
 them hastily; and planting three of my men on the 
 first landing of the stair-case, and one at the door of 
 the house, I went into the court yard, attended by 
 the other. The entrance from the street was 
 throng 1 1 a kind of porter's lodge, in which it is the 
 custom for servants to sit in the day, and sleep at 
 night. The assailants had forced the outer door of 
 this, and were now in the lodge, endeavouring to 
 
 E E
 
 418 SENNAAR. 
 
 force the inner door, having put a hand-spike under 
 it, to raise it from the hinges. 
 
 " Are you mad, or w^eary of your lives,*' said I, 
 " to attempt to force Adelan's house, when there 
 are within it men provided witli large fire-arms, 
 that, upon one discliarge through the door, will lay 
 you all dead where you now stand?" The men were 
 silent, and withdrew the hand-spike. At length one 
 of them cried, " Ullah! how sound you sleep! We 
 have been endeavouring to awaken you this hour. 
 The king is sick; you must open the door, and come 
 to the palace instantly !" " Tell the king to drink 
 warm water, and I will come to the palace in the 
 morninf^," said I. 
 
 At this time one of my servants fired a pistol in 
 the air, out of an upper window; upon which the 
 men, seemingly about ten or twelve in number, all 
 ran off, leaving three hand-spikes behind them. 
 The report of the pistol brought the patrole, or 
 guard, who carried the intelligence to my friend 
 the Seedy el Coom ; and in the morning this officer 
 informed me that he had discovered the delinquents, 
 and put them in irons ; that the king's servant who 
 brought us from Teawa was one of them ; and that 
 there v/as uo doubt of his being impaled, by the 
 order of Adelan. 
 
 Being now well assured of receiving no assistance 
 from the king, I sold some gold in my possession, 
 and instantly set about the purchase of necessaries, 
 determined to attempt the journey to Cairo, a dis- 
 tance of more than a thousand miles, in a direct 
 line. Hearing of this, the king sent for me to the 
 palace. I found him sitting alone, in a small low 
 chamber, very neatly fitted up with chintz curtains. 
 He was smoking with a very long Persian pipe,
 
 SENNAAR. 419 
 
 through water, and seemed rather grave than out of 
 humour. He gave me his hand to kiss, as usual, 
 after which a slave brought in a little stool, and 
 placed it before him. The king pointed to the 
 stool, and said, " Sit down." I sat down, and he 
 continued, " You are going to Adelan, I hear.'* I 
 answered, " Yes." " Did he send for you?" de- 
 manded the king, " No," I replied, " but I want' 
 to return to Egypt, and I expect letters from Ade- 
 lan in answer to those I brought him from Cairo." 
 " What was in my head when I desired to see you,'' 
 rejoined the king, " is this. Adelan has been in- 
 formed that my servant, who brought you from 
 Teawa, has been guilty of a drunken frolic at the 
 door of his house, and he has sent soldiers to-day to 
 take him, v/ith two or tlu'ee of his companions." 
 *' About half a score people broke into Adelan's 
 house in the night," said J, " with an intention to 
 rob and murder me ; and your servant might be one 
 of them. I understand Sheik Adelan is exceedingly 
 displeased that I did not fire upon them ; for my part, 
 I am glad that none of them are dead by my hands, 
 or those of my people; but Adelan has sent to the 
 Seedy el Coom, ordering him to deliver two of them 
 to him to-morrow, at Shaddly, where they will be 
 executed before the door of his house, on the market 
 day." " True ; but Adelan is not king," said the 
 monarch ; " and I charge you, when you see him, 
 to ask for my servant's life; otherwise great blame 
 will fall upon yourself. VV^hen you return to Sen- 
 naar, I will send him to conduct you to the frontiers 
 of Egypt." 
 
 I bowed, and took my leave. I had now an in- 
 voluntary safe-guard from the king as far as Shaddly 
 in the hope that I might obtain the life of his scr- 
 
 - E E 2
 
 420 SENNAAIl. 
 
 vant ; and, every thing being ready, we loaded tJie 
 camels, left Sennaar, and passed the night at a 
 small village three or four miles on our way to 
 Egypt. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 SENNAAR TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE 
 DESERT OF NUBIA. 
 
 JjEFORE ray departure from Sennaar, I had pre- 
 vailed upon a Fakir, or Mohammedan monk, ser- 
 vant to Adelan, to write a letter to his master, un- 
 known to any other person whatsoever, to let him 
 know my apprehensions of the king, and that I 
 should proceed directly towards Egypt. I also re- 
 quested Adelan to send me such recommendations to 
 Wed Ageeb as should place me in safety from the 
 king's persecution, and secure me protection in that 
 part of Atbara through which I was to pass. One of 
 my faithful servants, who was now to leave me, and 
 return to Abyssinia with the tidings of my having 
 accomplished my journey so far, was sent with the 
 Fakir to Shaddly, to deliver this letter to Adelan. 
 
 My servants imagined I was going only to Shad- 
 dly, and the idea of returning to Sennaar sat heavy 
 on their spirits, so that scarcely had I dismounted 
 from my camel, and before I tasted food, which that 
 day I had not done, they intreated me, with one 
 voice, to continue my journey towards Egypt; pro- 
 
 A
 
 HERBAGI. 
 
 451 
 
 misiiig to bear fatigue and hunger with cheerfulness 
 and to live and die with nie, if I would proceed 
 homeward, and free them from the horrors of Sen- 
 naar and its king. I then told them that my resolu- 
 tion was similar to their wishes, and acquainted them 
 with the steps I had taken to promote its success. 
 
 On the 13th of September, we quitted the village 
 where we had rested for the night ; and after four 
 days travelling on a course north by west, we ar- 
 rived at Herbagi, the residence of Wed Ageeb, 
 about fifty eight miles distant from Sennaar, 
 
 On the first of these days, the plain was covered 
 with great crops of millet. Though there was not 
 much wood, the country was not entirely destitute 
 of it; and the further we removed from Sennaar, 
 the finer were the trees. In the evening our road 
 lay by the side of the eastern or Abyssinian Nile. 
 On the second day, in the morning, we w^ere tor- 
 mented by the fly, the very noise of which threw our 
 camels into such agitation, that they ran violently, 
 with their loading, into the thickest bushes. The 
 fly does not bite at night, nor in the cool of the 
 morning; and before the heat of the day we were 
 freed from this terrible companion, and we saw 
 it no more. Our road again joined the river, 
 which was here in extreme beauty, broader than 
 at Sennaar, and shaded with acacia and other trees, 
 in full bloom. The thick wood contained great 
 numbers of antelopes; and the open places were 
 covered with large herds of cattle, belonging to a 
 tribe of Arabs, who were returning from the sands 
 to their pastures in the south. On the third day we 
 again passed over plains of millet; the river running 
 parallel with us, and about two miles and a half on 
 our right.
 
 422 HERBAGI. 
 
 Herbagi is a large and pleasant village in lat. l^" 
 39' north. It seemed to us to be thinly inhabited ; 
 but we were told that the greater number of the 
 townsmen were looking after their farms. On enter- 
 ing the town, I went immediately to wait upon Wed 
 Ageeb. He had a very good house, considered only 
 as a house, though it was an indifferent palace for 
 a prince. He was about thirty years of age, had a 
 thick black beard and whiskers, large black eyes, a 
 long thin face, and was a man of gentle manners. 
 He had never before seen a European, and,he testified 
 great surprise at my complexion. When I told him 
 it was reported at Sennaar that he was going to as- 
 sist the king against his ministers, he said of him, 
 with a sneer, " To hell go the Pagan !'* He spoke 
 contemptuously of the king, but respectfully of Ade- 
 lan and Abou Kalec; any one of whose little fin- 
 gers, he said, was sufficient to crush the Mek, and 
 all who belonged to him. When I had taken my 
 leave of this prince, he sent me abundance of pro- 
 visions. 
 
 In the evening I again waited upon Wed Ageeb, 
 and made him a present of a piece of fine muslin 
 which I had bought at Sennaar. He told me that a 
 servant had arrived that evening from Adelan on my 
 account; that two men had been executed for at- 
 tempting to rob the house of Adelan in which I re- 
 sided ; and that the king's servant was to suffer on a 
 stake, as soon as Adelan should remove from Sheik 
 Shaddlys tomb ; before which such an execution 
 could not take place with decency. The prince 
 bade me be of good courage, and said that I should 
 be safer in my tent than in Adelan's house at Sen- 
 naar. 
 
 In the course of conversation, "Wed Ageeb told
 
 HERBAGT. 4^3 
 
 me that the Moorish troops of Ras el Feel had burnt 
 Teawa, and forced the ►Sheik to fly to Beyla. I 
 doubt not that I had some concern in this enter- 
 prise, and that it was executed by order of my Abys- 
 sinian friend, Ayto Confu ; but I did not think pro- 
 per to mention this. Wed Ageeb said that he would 
 send a man with mc to Halfaia; from whence I 
 might go by the way of Chendi, Barbar, and the 
 Great Desert of Nubia, to Egypt; though he thought 
 it impossible for a European to undergo the fatigue, 
 and encounter the dangers of this way. If, however, 
 I chose to attempt it, he would give me a letter to 
 Sittina, his sister, to wliom that country belonged ; 
 but, after Chendi, there was no protection to be re- 
 lied upon but that of heaven. 
 
 This hereditary Prince of the Arabs raises the 
 tribute for the government of Sennaar from those 
 Arab tribes which do not by their migrations give 
 that government the opportunity of collecting it. 
 The tribe whose cattle I had seen was one of those 
 which had compounded with Sheik Adelan, four 
 months before, in its progress northward. This 
 tribe was said to possess 200,000 female camels, each 
 of which, at a medium, was worth half an ounce of 
 gold, or 2/. 10*. Od. ; the tribute, then, paid by this 
 tribe amounted to ^^2,50,000. There were at least 
 ten of these tribes with which Adelan had to ac- 
 count, and at least six times that number that fell to 
 the share of Wed Ageeb, whose composition was 
 the same as that of the others, besides any extraor- 
 dinary sum he might think proper to impose fof 
 himself. There is also a tax upon the male camels, 
 but this is trifling. The young ones pay no duty till 
 they are three years old. Camel's flesh is the ordi- 
 nary food of the Arabs ; but there is still room to
 
 424 HALFAIA. 
 
 enquire what becomes of the prodigious number of 
 these animals annually raised. They are destroyed 
 in their capacity of beasts of burden, in the different 
 caravans which traverse Africa, Syria, and Persia. 
 
 On the 18th I left Herbagi, and in five days 
 arrived at Halfaia. Nothing could be more beau- 
 tiful than the country through which we passed on 
 the first of these days, partly woods, and partly lawns 
 with fine scattered trees ; and at night we rested at 
 a village close upon the Nile, which was here full 
 half a mile broad and a smooth stream. On the se- 
 cond day the river ran parallel with oiu- road, with 
 many small hills scattered on its banks ; such we 
 had not seen hitherto in our journey from Sennaar. 
 The country was open, and laid out in pasture, and 
 we saw goats as well as black cattle. On the third 
 day we passed a bare and sandy country, interspersed 
 with small coppices. The rains here had failed, and 
 the effects of this disaster were visible in the scanti- 
 ness of the crops. Many people were gathering the 
 seeds of grass, to make bread, and their persons were 
 reduced to skeletons ; yet, though they were famish- 
 ing, they gladly exchanged milk for tobacco. This 
 night we slept at Gidid, a town with houses built of 
 clay, and terraced roofs. 
 
 On the fourth day, at the distance of three miles 
 from Gidid, we came to the passage of the Nile, 
 which river was here something more than a quarter 
 of a mile broad : in the rainv season it is twice this 
 breadth. The boats were larger and better made 
 than in any other part of the river. We crossed it 
 from west to east, descending a considerable distance 
 with the current before we landed. The manner of 
 passing the camels gave me pain. Cords are fastened 
 under their hind quarters, and a halter is tied to
 
 PASSAGE OF THE NILE. 4^5 
 
 each of their heads ; two men sustain these cords, 
 and a third the halter; one camel is fastened on each 
 side of the stem, and one on each side of the stern, 
 and thus, by swimming, they carry the boat on shore. 
 The animals suifer much by this rude treatment, and 
 many die in the passage, with all the care that can 
 be taken ; but the boatmen sometimes privately put 
 salt into the ears of the camel, which makes him 
 desperate, and he plunges his head in the water, till 
 he loses his breath, and is drowned ; he is then the 
 perquisite of the boatmen. A dead camel is worth 
 much ; but the price of ferrying over a living one, 
 with all his merchandise, is only three mahalacs. 
 The Arabs, when they pass a camel, tie a goat-skin, 
 blown with wind, to the fore part, which supports 
 him where he is the heaviest ; and guide him, sitting 
 on the hind part, where he is the lightest. 
 
 Notwithstanding the boatmen had a very bad cha- 
 racter, we passed, with our camels and baggage, 
 without loss or accident. One mark of their atten- 
 tion to me 1 cannot but mention. The weather was 
 hot, and the water clear, and I was going to swim 
 over for the pleasure of bathing ; but they would 
 not suffer me to undress, saying there was a multi- 
 titude of crocodiles near the place, which often 
 wounded the camels. And, indeed, the last boat 
 had not reached the shore, when two crocodiles rose 
 in the middle of the stream. Halifoon, where we 
 passed the night, was on the eastern side of the Nile, 
 and about five miles from the ferry. 
 
 On the fiftli day from Herbagi our road lay through 
 pleasant woods of acacia trees interspersed with large 
 fields covered with grass. We passed the encamp- 
 ment of an Arab tribe early in the morning, and 
 afterwards a large village, where we saw troops of
 
 426 HOJILA. 
 
 women going to their daily occupation, that of ga- 
 thering the seeds of grass, to make bread. 
 
 Halfaia is a handsome town, containing about 300 
 houses, built with chiy, and terraced at the top. It 
 is situated on a large circular peninsula, surrounded 
 by the Nile at all the points of west, and is about 
 half a mile from the river. The rains here are very 
 inconsiderable ; and this peninsula, which is watered 
 by wheels turned by oxen, is all the land sown with 
 grain. There are palm trees at Halfaia but they 
 produce no dates. The people eat cats, crocodiles, 
 and hippopotami, of both which last there are great 
 numbers. Halfaia is in 15° 46' lat. and 32° 49' east 
 long, from the meridian of Greenwich. 
 
 On the 29th of September we left Halfaia, and at 
 about nine miles we passed the village of Hojila, 
 where the eastern and western Niles unite, and from 
 whence they flow together through Nubia and Egypt 
 to the Mediterranean Sea. The western Nile, wdiich 
 I now beheld for the first time, is a very deep river, 
 larger than the eastern, running dead, and with little 
 inclination, and preserving its stream undiminished 
 in the different seasons. We had here a ridge of 
 mountains on our left, west of the Nile, about five 
 miles distant, and a low ridge on our right, about 
 eight. Our journey this day was through woods, 
 with large intervals of sandy plains, which produced 
 nothing, except in a few spots where corn had been 
 sown, and promised a miserable crop. The next 
 day, after having travelled about eight miles, we 
 arrived at Gerri. 
 
 Gerri is built on a rising ground of white, barren 
 sand and gravel, mixed with small masses of alabas- 
 ter, a composition extremely hurtful to the eye. 
 The small spot between the town and the river is
 
 GERRI. 427 
 
 cultivated by means of the river : the dates are sent 
 to the Mek of Sennaar, but they are dr}^, and do 
 not ripen. This spot, however, such as it is, is 
 calJed the Country of God, from a comparison with 
 those countries to the northward of it. The town 
 consists of about 140 houses, one story high, neat, 
 well-built, flat-roofed, all of one height, and com- 
 posed of the same earth as that on which they stand. 
 It is something more than a quarter of a mile from 
 the Nile, and is immediately at the foot of the 
 Acaba, a ridge of red bare rocks, which runs from 
 both sides of the river and crosses it. It is impos- 
 sible to look at the gap through M'hich it falls with- 
 out thinking that this passage was made by the river. 
 At Halfaia begins that noble breed of horses called 
 the horses of Dongola, so justly celebrated all over 
 the world. What figure these Nubian horses would 
 make in point of fleetness is doubtful ; but if beautiful 
 and symmetrical parts, great size and strength, nerv- 
 ous, agile and elastic movements, endurance of fatigue, 
 docility of temper, and attachment to man, can con- 
 stitute the merit of a horse, these are most valuable. 
 The people are very jealous in keeping u}) their 
 pedigree. Sheik Adelan, armed as he fought, with 
 his coat of mail, broad sword, and battle-axe, toge- 
 ther with the war saddle, iron chained bridle, brass 
 cheek plates, front plate and breast-plate of his horse, 
 could not weigh less than twenty-six stone. His 
 horse kneeled to receive him, and kneeled to let 
 him dismount; he was the first man who entered 
 among his enemies, and the last who left them, and 
 never changed his horse. The horses of Halfaia and 
 Gerri do not arrive at the size of those of Dongola, 
 where few are lower than sixteen hands. They are 
 kept exceedingly fat upon millet ; they also eat the
 
 4^8 GERRl. 
 
 short roots of withered grass, which are dug from 
 the banks of the Nile, and laid, once a day, in small 
 heaps before them. 
 
 A little to the north of Gerri is the ferry over 
 which travellers pass who go through the Desert of 
 Baihouda, and by Dongola to Egypt ; but this com- 
 munication was now cut off by three powerful tribes 
 of Arabs. 
 
 On the 1st of October we left Gerri, and saw the 
 Acaba continuing to the east and the west, but curv- 
 ing towards the extremities like a bow : our road bore 
 to the right for about three miles, to turn the eastern 
 point of the ridge. This day our journey lay through 
 woods and deserts. The flat country on each side 
 the Nile, which is about a quarter of a mile in breadth, 
 is sown with millet ; after this space, the ground 
 rises immediately, and is without water, and without 
 inhabitants. In the evening we came to Hajar el 
 Assad, the Lion's Stone, a yellow stone which the 
 people imagine has the figure of a lion, set upon a 
 rock. This stone marks the boundary between the 
 territories of Wed Ageeb, and those of the Mek of 
 Chencli ; and near it is a miserable village, where a 
 few strips of millet are watered from the river by a 
 Persian wheel. Here are no rains that can be de- 
 pended upon for the purposes of agriculture. 
 
 On the second of October, as on the first, we 
 found all the country desert and sandy, except the 
 banks of the Nile, on which were large villages. 
 Along the plain we saw numbers of people digging 
 pits, and taking out the earth, which they boil in 
 large earthen pans, to procure salt. Great quantities 
 of this are sent to Halfaia, and from thence to Sen- 
 naar. In the evening we rested at a large village 
 called Wed Baal el Nagga, where is another ferry 
 to Dongola by the Desert of Bahiouda.
 
 CHENDI. 4S9 
 
 On the following day we continued along the Nile. 
 For the first seven miles the country on both sides 
 was picturesque and pleasant, and embellished with 
 houses ; afterwards it was bare and desolate. The 
 next morning we arrived at Chendi. 
 
 Chendi is a large village, the capital of its district 
 the government of which belonged to the sister of 
 Wed Ageeb. This lady had the title of Sittina, 
 which signifies Mistress. She had been married, but 
 was now a widow ; she had a son called Idris Wed 
 el Faal, who was to succeed to the government upon 
 the death of his mother. Chendi contained about 
 250 houses, which were not all contiguous ; the best 
 of them being built apart from each other, and that 
 of Sittina half a mile from the rest ; the others were 
 miserable hovels, constructed with clay and reeds. 
 
 The governor of Chendi is called Mek Jahaleen, 
 that is, Melek, or Prince of the Jahaleen Arabs. 
 Chendi was once a town of great resort; and though 
 it be little frequented now, every necessary of life 
 may be had there better and cheaper that at Sen- 
 naar, except wood, which is dearer here than in any 
 part of Atbara. 
 
 I waited upon Sittina, who received me placed 
 behind a screen ; but though she was invisible to 
 me, I observed there were apertures left, through 
 which I could be seen by her. She expressed her- 
 self with great politeness, talked of Adelan and the 
 Mek of Sennaar, and wondered how a white man 
 like me could venture so far into such an i!l-<>:overned 
 country. " Allow me. Madam," said I, " to com- 
 plain of a breach of hospitality in yourself that I 
 have not before met with in this country." " How 
 can that be," said Sittina, *' towards a man wlio 
 bears my brother's letter ?" " Why, you tell me,
 
 ^SO CHENDl. 
 
 Madam, that I am a white man ; you therefore see 
 me, while you deny me the happiness of seeing you. 
 The Queens of Sennaar did not use me so cruelly ; 
 I had a full sight of them without any importunity." 
 On this Sittina laughed immoderately. She then 
 desired me to come to her the next day, when her 
 son Idris, who, she said, wished much to see me, 
 would have returned from the farm where he kept 
 Ms flocks. I was abundantly supphed with provisions, 
 sent me by Sittina from her own table. 
 
 The next day the poisonous simoom blew as if it 
 came from an oven. Our eyes were dim, our lips 
 cracked, our knees tottered, our throats were per- 
 fectly dry, and no relief was found from drinking: an 
 immoderate quantity of water. The people advised 
 me to dip a sponge in vinegar and water, and hold 
 it before my mouth and nose, and this relieved me 
 greatly. 
 
 In the evening I went to Sittina. On entering 
 the house, a black female slave took my hand, and 
 placed me in a passage which had a door at each 
 end. I had been there only a few minutes, when 
 the further door opened, and Sittina appeared mag- 
 nificently dressed. 
 
 Sittina was scarcely forty years of age, taller than 
 the middle size, with a round plump face, a mouth 
 rather large, very red lips, and extremely fine eyes 
 and teeth. She had a small square speck of cohol 
 between her eye-brows, another on the top of her 
 nose, and one on the middle of her chin. On her 
 head was a round cap of gold plate, beaten very thin, 
 and hung round with sequins; and a variety of chains, 
 solitaires, and necklaces, of the same metal, were 
 about her neck. Her hair was plaited in ten or twelve 
 small divisions, like tails, which hung below her
 
 CHENDI. 431 
 
 waist. She wore a common white cotton garment, 
 and had a purple silk scarf, thrown very gracefully 
 upon her back, and brought round lier waist, with- 
 out covering her arms or shoulders. On her wrists 
 she had two thick bracelets of gold, hke handcuffs ; 
 and two heavy gold manacles at her feet. 
 
 I expected that the lady would have hurried 
 through the passage with some affectation of sur- 
 prise ; on the contrary, she stopped in the middle 
 of it, saying, gravely, " How are you ?" I thought 
 this was an opportunity to kiss her hand, which I 
 did without her shewing any reluctance. " Allow 
 me, Madam," said I, " to say one word as your 
 physician." She bowed her head, and said, " Go 
 in at that door, and I will hear you." The slfive 
 appeared, and conducted me through the door at the 
 bottom of the passage, while her mistress vanished 
 through that at the top ; I entered the room, and 
 found the lady and the screen placed as before. 
 
 " Tell me,*' said Sittina, " what you have to say 
 to me as a physcian ?" *' That heavy gold cap, with 
 which you press your hair, will occasion a great part 
 of it to fall off." " I believe so ; but I am so accus- 
 tomed to it, that I should catch cold without it. Are 
 the women handsome in your country?" continued 
 the Arab princess. " The handsomest in the world, 
 and excellent ifi all other respects,'' replied I. " And 
 do they allow you to kiss their hands ?" " Tiiere 
 is no familiarity in kissing hands ; we kiss the hands 
 of our sovereigns." " O, }es, of your kings." "And 
 of our queens ; by sovereigns I meant both." " But 
 do you knovv^ that no man ever kissed my hand but 
 you ?" " I could not know that ; but this I know, 
 that on my part it was done respectfully ; that it 
 could not hurt you, and ought not to offend you."
 
 432 CHENDI. 
 
 " It has certainly done neither," rephed Sittina. 
 " Our guides," continued she, " are gone to Egypt 
 with Mohammed Towash, but somebody else will 
 offer, and I will not suffer you to go without a good 
 man with you. While you remain here, let me see 
 you every day ; and, if you want any thing, send for 
 it by a servant of mine." After this conversation I 
 took my leave. 
 
 I was one day sitting in my tent, when an Arab 
 of a very unpromising appearance, naked, except a 
 cotton cloth about his waist, accosted me, and of- 
 fered to conduct me to Egypt. He told me that his 
 name was Idris; that he had a house below Assouan ; 
 that he had been sick for some months at Chendi, 
 had contracted debt, and been obliged to pawn his 
 cloaths ; and that his camel was detained for what 
 was still unpaid. He said this was his last journey ; 
 for, once at home, he would cross the desert no 
 more. After repeated conversations the bargain 
 was made. I redeemed the cloak and the camel of 
 Idris ; he engaged to shew me the way to Egypt ; 
 and I promised there to recompense him according 
 to his behaviour. 
 
 I prepared now to leave Chendi ; but before my 
 departure I returned thanks to my benefactress, Sit- 
 tina. She had sent for my guide, and had given him 
 positive injunctions to behave well, mixed with 
 threats if he did otherwise ; and to these she had 
 added an ounce of gold. She told me at parting that, 
 for knowledge of the road through the desert, she be- 
 lieved Idris to be as perfect as any one ; but that if 
 we met with the Bishareen Arabs, they would show 
 no mercy to either him or me. She gave me, how- 
 ever, a letter to the Sheik of one of the tribes of the 
 Bishareen. which she had caused her son to write
 
 GIBBAING. 433 
 
 from his farm, it not being usual, she said, for her 
 to write herself. I begged I might be allowed to 
 testify m V gratitude by again kissing her hand, which 
 she permitted me to do, laughing the while, and 
 saying, " Well, you are an odd man ! If my son 
 Idris saw me now, he would think me mad I" 
 
 Chendi is in lat. 16" 38' north, and in long. 33" 
 24/ east. The highest degree of the thermometer 
 was 119, in the shade, at one o'clock in the after- 
 noon, wind north ; and the lowest 87 at midnight, 
 after a small shower of rain, wind west ; excessive 
 heat coming from the desert, and moisture and com- 
 parative coolness from the river. 
 
 On the 20th of October we left Chendi, and halted 
 for the night at the distance of two miles from 
 the town, and one from the Nile. On the following 
 day we passed five or six villages which lay between 
 us and the river. At ten miles began the largest 
 island of the Nile, it being several miles in length, 
 and ftdl of villages, trees, and corn. Opposite to 
 this is the mountain Gibbaing, where was the first 
 scene of ruins I had met with since those of Axum. 
 I saw here heaps of broken pedestals, and pieces of 
 obelisks ; and the Arabs told me that these ruins 
 were very extensive, and that many pieces of statues, 
 both of men and animals, had been dug up here. 
 That side of the Nile along which we travelled was 
 barren ; the other, or western side, was full of trees 
 and corn, and had several large villages. 
 
 On the 22d our road led us through villages, and 
 brought us to a town called Demar, where we rested 
 two whole days. This town belonged to Fakir Wed 
 Madge Doub, a Jahaleen saint of the first importance. 
 
 On the 25th, after travelling two hours and a 
 quarter, we came to the ferry of the Tacazze, which 
 
 F F
 
 434 Gooz. 
 
 is about half a mile before this river joins the Nile. 
 The Tacazze was here about a quarter of a mile 
 broad, and very deep. It w^as clear as in Abyssinia, 
 but its banks had lost their beauty, the country 
 through vi'hich it now ran being barren and desert. 
 I reflected with much satisfaction on the many cir- 
 cumstances this river recalled to my mind ; but the 
 one which afforded me the greatest was, that I had 
 left them so far behind me. The boats here were 
 smaller, and the people less expert and more rude 
 than the ferrymen of Halifoon ; but the sanctity we 
 had acquired by our two days residence at the town 
 of Madge Doub, and our liberal payment, carried 
 us over without difficulty. The Tacazze is the 
 boundary between the countries of Atbara and Bar- 
 bar, the latter of which we entered on crossing the 
 river. 
 
 On the 26th we continued our journey over gravel 
 and sand, with woods of acacia trees, having the 
 Nile about a mile on our left, and arrived at Gooz, 
 a village fifteen miles below the junction of the two 
 rivers. When trade flourished here, and caravans 
 regularly passed, Gooz was a place of some consi- 
 deration, as being the first they stopped at on their 
 way from Egypt, and having therefore the first 
 choice of the market. It is still the capital of Bar- 
 bar ; but it is only a collection of wretched hovels, 
 composed of clay and canes ; and it is not now 
 worth while for stated guides to hold themselves in 
 readiness, as they did formerly, to conduct caravans 
 across the desert. 
 
 At Gooz, Idris, my guide, was arrested for debt, 
 and carried to prison. As we were now upon the 
 edge of the desert, and were to see no other inha- 
 bited place till we should reach Egy[)t, I was not
 
 HASSA. 43.5 
 
 sorry to have it in my power to lay him under ano- 
 ther obligation before we crusted our lives in his 
 hands ; I therefore paid his debt, and reconciled 
 him to his creditors, who, on their part, behaved 
 with moderation. : 
 
 Gooz is in lat. \T 57' north, and long. SV 20' 
 east. The greatest height of the thermometer was 
 IIP. 
 
 I remained a fortnight at Gooz, and left it on the 
 9th of November. In three hours and a half we 
 came to Hassa, a watering-place on the Nile, w^here 
 we passed the whole of the next day, in order to 
 make an experiment of greater consequence than 
 any we ever made before ; whether our water skins 
 Avere water-tight, or not. I had taken the greatest 
 care, while at Chendi, to have them well rubbed 
 with grease and tar, without; but Idris told me that 
 filling them full of water, and tying the mouth as 
 close as possible was the only method to prove them 
 within. We filled four skins, which mi^ht contain 
 all together, a hogshead and a half. Our provision 
 of food consisted of twenty-two large goat-skins, 
 filled with powdered bread, made of millet, which is 
 furnished at Gooz on purpose for such expeditions. 
 It is about the size and shape of a pancake, but 
 thinner ; and after being dried at the fire, it is 
 rubbed to powder between the hands, for the sake of 
 package ; the goat skin is then crammed as full 
 as possible, and tied with a leathern thong. This 
 bread has a slight acidity, which it imparts to the 
 water mingled with it when it is eaten ; and in that 
 state it swells to six times its bulk when dry. A 
 handful of bread, as much as one could grasp, put 
 into the half of a gourd, which made a bowl about 
 twice the size of a common tea-basin, and mixed 
 
 F F 2
 
 43G iiAssA. 
 
 with water, was the mess allowed to each man morn- 
 ing and evening ; and another such bowl, of water 
 only, was drank at twice, that is about ten o*clock, 
 and one. I submitted to this regulation as well as 
 my servants. 
 
 There were, besides myself, four servants, two 
 Barbarins, who took care of the camels, our guide, 
 and a young man, a relation of his, who was return- 
 ing to Egypt. We were all well armed with blunder- 
 busses, double-barrelled guns, swords, and pistols^ 
 except Idris and his lad, who could use only lances. 
 
 The Nile at Hassa runs at the foot of a mountain, 
 called, emphatically, Jibbel Ateshan, or the Moun- 
 tain of Thirst ; those who quit it, entering the de- 
 sert, here taking their first provision against thirst; 
 and those who arrive here from the desert, first as- 
 suaging theirs. 
 
 While the camels were being loaded, I bathed, 
 with infinite pleasure, in the Nile; thus taking 
 leave of an old companion, doubtful if we were ever 
 to meet again. Then, having received all the as- 
 surances possible from Idris that he would live and 
 :,die with me, we repeated the prayer of peace, and 
 committed ourselves to the desert.
 
 437 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 DESERT OF NUBIA TO TERFOWEY. 
 
 yjN the 11th of November we quitted Hassa and 
 the Nile, and turning our faces to the north east, 
 we entered a bare desert of fixed gravel of a whitish 
 colour, mixed with small pieces of white marble, 
 and pebbles like alabaster. Having travelled five 
 hours, we stopped at a spot of high bent grass, 
 where we suflfered our camels to feed ; and after 
 three hours further travelling we rested for the 
 night on another patch of grass, called Howeela. 
 I here requested my guide to point out the direction 
 of Assouan, which he did without difficulty; audit 
 proved afterwards to be very near the exact bearing. 
 He said, however, that we should not preserve the 
 line, but must deviate from it occasionally, as we 
 might find the wells in the desert capable of sup- 
 plying us with water, or not. 
 
 On the second day of our travelling in the desert, 
 we increased our distance from the river, to avoid 
 meeting any Arab that might give intelligence to 
 those who inhabit its banks of our being on our 
 journey. We were now in the territory of the 
 15ishareen Arabs; but they had retired to the moun- 
 tains, a high even ridge on our right, at the dis- 
 tance of something more than two days journey. 
 This ridge ran parallel with our course all the way
 
 438 DESERT. 
 
 to Egypt. On stretching still further into the de- 
 sert, we saw a hill called Assero-baybe, about four- 
 teen miles to the north of us : this was one of the 
 marks by which the guide directed his course. Our 
 road this day lay wholly over ston}', gravelly ground, 
 without either herb or tree. Large pieces of jasper 
 and of beautiful marble were every where scattered 
 around us. 
 
 On the third day, having travelled six hours with 
 great diligence, we rested among a few trees and 
 shrubs, which scarcely afforded shade to us, or pro- 
 vision for our camels. Having now gained a suffi- 
 cient distance from the Arabs who live upon the 
 banks of the Nile; with the same view to our safety 
 we declined approaching any nearer to the moun- 
 tains, but held a northerly course to a small spot of 
 grass and white sand called Assa-Nagga. A rock 
 which looked like a castle had appeared before u« 
 and directed our steps. These land-marks are of 
 the utmost consequence to caravans, because they 
 are too considerable to be covered by the moving 
 sands. 
 
 On the fourth day we continued our course due 
 north; and having travelled six hours, during which 
 time we went twenty-one miles, we rested among 
 some acacia trees, at a spot called Waadi el Hal- 
 boub ; the word Waadi signifying such a place in 
 the desert. In our way here we were at once sur- 
 prised and terrified by a sight, surely one of the 
 most magnificent in the world. In the vast expanse 
 of desert from west to north west, we saw a number 
 of prodigious pillars of sand, at different distances, 
 at some times moving with great celerity, at others, 
 stalking on with majestic slowness. At intervals 
 we thought they were coming to overwhelm us; and
 
 DESERT. 4.39 
 
 small quantities of sand did actually mere tlian 
 once reach us : again they would retreat till they 
 were almost out of sight, tlieir tops stretching to the 
 clouds : there the heads often separated from the 
 bodies, and the whole dispersed in air. Sometimes 
 they were broken in the middle, as if struck with a 
 cannon shot. At noon, eleven of these pillars ranged 
 alongside of us, at about the distance of three miles : 
 the greatest diameter of the largest appearing as if 
 it would measure ten feet. They retired from us, 
 leaving an impression upon my mind to which I can 
 give no name, though assuredly two of the parts of 
 it were astonishment and fear. I stood rivetted 
 to the spot. Indeed, the attempt to fly before 
 so swift an enemy woidd have been unavaiHng. 
 By four o'clock these stupendous phantoms of the 
 plain had all disappeared. We passed the night 
 at Waadi Dimokea, and found to our great dismay, 
 on awaking in the morning, that one side of the tent 
 was buried in the sand which had been raised du- 
 ring the night. 
 
 On the fifth day our course was a little to the 
 westward of north. We saw before us the moun- 
 tain Del Aned, which marked our next resting- 
 place. After seven hours travelling, we came to a 
 ridge of rocks which cut across our way, and found 
 an opening about a mile in breadth. The end 
 of this passage brought us to Waadi Del Aned, 
 at the foot of the mountain of thac name^ where 
 we rested two hours. We then travelled an hour 
 and a half more, and reposed for the night at a 
 small rock in sandy ground, without trees or her- 
 bage, and bearing the ill-omened name of El Mote, 
 or Death. 
 
 On the fifth day, immediately after sun-rise, the
 
 44'0 DESERT. 
 
 the moving pillars of sand, less in size, but more in 
 number, than the day before, rose up, and almost 
 darkened the sun ; his rays, shining through them, 
 gave them, for nearly an hour, the apj)earance of 
 pillars of fire. I believe they advanced towards us 
 till they were within the distance of two miles. 
 My people now became desperate. One said that 
 it was the day of judgment; another, that it was 
 hell ; another, that the world was on fire. I asked 
 Idris if he had ever before seen such a sii>;ht. He 
 replied that he had often seen the pillars as ter- 
 rible, though never more so ; but that v;hat he most 
 feared was the extreme redness in the air, which 
 was a sure presage of the coming of the simoom ; 
 and he warned us all to fall upon our faces at its 
 approach, with our mouths upon the earth, and not 
 to inhale the air as long as we could exist with- 
 out it. 
 
 On the sixth day, when we had travelled half an 
 hour, and while we were contemplating with great 
 pleasure the rugged top of Chiggre, a rock which 
 v/as to supply us with abundance of good water, 
 Idris cried, " Fall upon your faces ! here is the si- 
 moom !" I saw, advancing from the south east, a 
 kind of haze, not twenty yards in breadth, and 
 about four above the ground, of a slight purple, or 
 blueish colour. It moved so rapidly that I had 
 scarcely time to turn to the northward, and lay my 
 face upon the ground, before 1 felt the heat of its 
 current as it passed over me. The purple vapour I 
 had seen soon passed; but the light air which still 
 blew was of a degree of heat to threaten suffoca- 
 tion. I found in my breast that I had imbibed a 
 part of it; and I was not free from an asthmatic
 
 DESERT. 441 
 
 sensation for a long time after. This phenomenon 
 of the simoom continued to blow so as to exhaust us 
 entirdy; though the blast was so faint that it would 
 scarcely have raised a leaf from the ground. It 
 lasted five hours and a half, wlien it was succeeded 
 by a refreshing breeze from the north, which blew 
 at intervals, for five or six minutes at a time. 
 
 This day we reached Chiggre, which is a small 
 narrow valley of sand, closed up with barren rocks, 
 except one opening about ten yards broad. The 
 springs are very abundant; for, wherever a pit is 
 dug five or six feet deep, it is immediately filled 
 with water. We, however, found the water so foul 
 from the dead animals within it, that we were obliged 
 to drink it through a piece of the cotton cloth of our 
 Sfirdles. Chigrscre is one of the haunts of the Bisha- 
 reen Arabs, who cannot make it a station, because 
 it affords neither trees, shrubs, nor pasture; but 
 who have recourse to its waters when they travel 
 between the Red Sea and the banks of the Nile, 
 from both of which it is equally distant, and also in 
 their expeditions from Barbar to the frontiers of 
 Egypt. 
 
 Our first attention was to our camels, to which 
 we gave a double allowance of millet, that they 
 might be able to drink for the rest of the journey, 
 if the other wells in the desert should prove insuffi- 
 cient. We then washed in a large pool, which be- 
 ing in a cave covered with rock, and inaccessible to 
 the sun, was, I think, the coldest water I ever felt. 
 All ray people seemed greatly recovered by this re- 
 frigeration ; but two people of the country, who 
 liad joined my little caravan, died in consequence 
 of it.
 
 442 DESERT. 
 
 Idris declared Chiggre to be halfway to Assouan. 
 Its latitude is nearly 2P nortli. 
 
 On the seventh day of our journey we left the 
 valley of Chiggre, in which, during the night, the 
 thermometer had been as low as 63", to us an ex- 
 cessive degree of cold ; the day, however, was in- 
 sufferably hot. Again we saw an army of pillars of 
 sand; but 1 began to be in some measure reconciled 
 to this phenomenon, as it had hitherto done us no 
 injury. The magnificent appearance of these co- 
 lumns in some degree indemnified us for the dan- 
 ger ; but it was otherwise with regard to the si- 
 moom ; for we were persuaded that under another 
 passage of the purple vapour we could not escape 
 with life. Having travelled six hours, we rested on 
 a vast plain, bounded on all sides by hills of sand 
 in the form of cones, and from seven to thirteen 
 feet in heia;ht. The sand here was of an incon- 
 ceivable fineness, having been the sport of hot 
 winds for ages ; and there could be no doubt that, 
 the preceding day, the wind had been raising pil- 
 lars of sand in this place; marks of the v.'hirling 
 motion of the pillars being still visible in every 
 heap. While, then, we were murmuring under 
 the influence of the simoom, Providence, by re- 
 tarding our pace, had kept us out of the way of 
 certain destruction from the whirling sands. 
 
 On the eighth day, passing over a sandy plain, 
 Idris pointed out to me a spot more elevated than 
 the rest, about three hundred yards to the left ; 
 and there, he said, the largest caravan that had 
 ever left Egypt for this country, lay buried in the 
 sand. 
 
 This day we halted among some trees to feed 
 our camels. Hitherto, when I have spoken of
 
 DESERT. 443 
 
 trees in this desert, I have meant only bushes of 
 the acacia, eaten ahnost bare by the camels ; but, 
 after this we came to a wood of the doom palm, 
 though the ground was dead sand, interspersed 
 with rock. This place is a station of the Bishareen 
 in the summer months ; but these people were now 
 three days journey east of us, towards the Red 
 Sea, where the rains had fallen, and the pasture 
 was plentiful. In the evening we arrived at Ter- 
 fowey, a place full of trees and grass ; the trees 
 the tallest and largest we had seen since we left 
 the Nile. This day had been a holiday to our 
 minds ; as we had been free from the terror of 
 the sand, and the dreadful influence of the si- 
 moom-
 
 4-11 
 
 CHAPTER XXX VII. 
 
 DESERT, FROM TERFOWEY TO ASSOUAN. 
 
 vJN the ninth day of our journey through the de- 
 sert, we travelled through the wood, and in the eve- 
 ning arrived at the well, of Terfowey. This was 
 about four fathoms deep ; but the spring was not 
 very abundant, and we drained it several times, and 
 were obliged to- wait its filling again. Having un- 
 loaded the camels, I sent all my people to the well, 
 and took upon myself the charge of the baggage. 
 
 It was dark, and the night was excessively cold, 
 the thermometer being at 53" ; I sat musing by the 
 side of a large fire ; the camels were chained by the 
 feet, and the chain was secured by a padlock ; when 
 I heard the chain clink, as if some person were un- 
 loosing it, and then, by the light of the fire, I saw a 
 man pass swiftly by, stooping, with his face almost 
 to the ground. I rose, and called out in Arabic, 
 *■' Whoever you are, either come to me directly, or 
 keep at a distance till day ! Why should you throw 
 away your life ?" In a minute after, the man repassed 
 among the trees. I was armed, and I advanced de- 
 liberately. " If you are an honest man," cried I, 
 aloud, "come to the fire, and fear not ; I am alone; 
 but if you approach the camels again, the world can- 
 not save your life." Mohammed, the nephew of 
 Idris, who heard my voice, came running up from 
 the well J we went to the camels, and found that the
 
 TERFOWEY. 445 
 
 links of two of the chains had been broken, and we 
 saw the foot-steps of a man in the sand. I therefore 
 sent orders to have the skins filled before day, and 
 the men armed by the dawn ; soon after which time, 
 if they thought themselves strong enough, both Idris 
 and I were convinced that the Arabs would attack us. 
 We were in the middle of a most barren and in- 
 hospitable desert. Lances and swords were not ne- 
 cessary to destroy us ; the bursting or tearing of a 
 v/ater-skin ; the lameness or death of a camel ; a 
 sprain or a wound which might disable us from walk- 
 ing ; were as certain death to us as a shot from a 
 cannon. To lose time was to die ; because, with 
 the utmost exertion our camels could make, we could 
 scarcely carry with us a sufficient quantity of bread 
 and water to keep us alive. 
 
 That desert, which did not contain inhabitants for 
 the relief of travellers, had more than was necessary 
 for destroying them. Large tribes of Arabs were 
 cantoned in different places, where there was water 
 and herbage for their cattle ; and these, as their 
 several designs or necessities required, traversed, in 
 parties, the wide expanse of solitude, from the moun- 
 tains which border on the Red Sea, on the east, to 
 the banks of the Nile on the west. The only chance 
 remaining was that their present number might be 
 so small as that, by the superiority of our fire-arms 
 and courage, we might leave them to that death in 
 the desert, which either they or we must suffer. 
 
 Day broke, and found us ready ; but no Arabs 
 appeared, and all was still. The danger now was 
 lest the man I had seen should give intelligence to 
 others ; I therefore set out in search of him, taking 
 three servants with me. We soon found his foot- 
 steps in the sand, and following them behind the
 
 44G DESERT. 
 
 point of a rock, we saw two dirty ragged tents, 
 pitched with cords of grass. Two of my people en- 
 tered the smaller of these, in which was only a wo- 
 man ; the other servant and I rushed into the larger, 
 and found a man and a woman, frightful emaciated 
 figures, and a sucking child laid on a rag in a corner. 
 It appeared afterwards that botii the women were 
 the wives of the man. 
 
 I sprang upon the man, and seizing him b}^ the 
 hair of the head, I laid him on the ground, and set 
 my foot upon his breast. " If you mean to pray,'* 
 said I, " pray quickly, for you have but a moment 
 to live." The woman seized an old lance, with which 
 I doubt not she would have distinguished herself, 
 had she not been prevented by my servant. '^Tie 
 tlie women separately," said I to him, " carry them 
 to the baggage, and keep them apart ; while I settle 
 accounts with this camel stealer." The mother then 
 turning to her husband, said in a despairing tone, 
 " Did not I tell you you would never prosper if you 
 hurt that good man ? Did not I tell you this w^ould 
 happen for having murdered the Aga?" She begged 
 to have her child with her, which I granted ; and 
 the little creature, instead of being frightened, held 
 out its hands as it passed me, and crowed. 
 
 We fastened the man with the chain of one of the 
 camels, and placed him on his knees. " Answer me 
 plainly and truly," said I to him; "for the first pre- 
 varication or falsehood you utter is the last word you 
 will speak in this world. Your wife and your child 
 have the same chance ; you shall all die together, 
 unless you speak the truth. Here, Ismael," said I 
 to one of my men, " stand by him, and take my 
 sword ; I believe it is sharper than yours." Then, 
 addressing the culprit, I asked, "Who was that good
 
 TERFOVVEY. 447 
 
 man whom your wife reproached you with having 
 murdered?" He answered, trembling, "It was a 
 Black, an Aga, from Chendi.** 
 
 I have alreadv mentioned this man, whose name 
 was Mohammed Towasli. He was a Black Eunuch 
 belonging to the temple at Mecca, and had been on 
 a begging expedition in some of the countries of 
 Soudan. He was at Sennaar, in his way to Egypt, 
 when I was there ; and 1 was extremely desirous of 
 travelling in his company, as his person was account- 
 ed sacred ; but I was prevented by the King of Sen- 
 naar, who dispatched him, purposely, without my 
 knowledge. At Chendi I saw him again, and was 
 again desirous to join him •, which he not only re- 
 fused, but he took all the three guides with him, 
 though Sittina herself requested him to leave me 
 one. The account my prisoner gave was as follows. 
 
 The guides, who were Bishareen, gave notice of 
 the journey to one of the principal Sheiks of their 
 tribe, who m.et the Black and his attendants on the 
 road, with about twenty men mounted on camels, 
 and armed with lances, and the same number on 
 foot, with swords ; my informer was one of these. 
 The party on camels made the animals kneel down in 
 token of respect to the servant of the sanctuary at 
 Mecca; the vain, imprudent man dismounted from 
 his horse to receive their homage ; and, while one 
 held his hand, in seeming friendship, another ham- 
 strung him with a broad sword, and a third ran him 
 through the back with a lance. The servants were, 
 some disarmed, and murdered, and others left to 
 perish with thirst ; the camels, with the water and 
 other lading, were taken away. Had not the pride 
 of Mohammed Towash, or the injunctions of the Mek 
 of Sennaar, prevented our companies from joining,
 
 448 DESERT. 
 
 we either should successfully have fought the Bish-^ 
 areen, or they would not have dared to attack us* 
 This is the only instance known of the guides having 
 proved treacherous. 
 
 The rest of the intelligence extorted from my 
 Bishareen prisoner by the fear of death was, that a 
 camel might reach the chief of liis tribe in a day and 
 a half; that he, with about 300 camels, and 30 men, 
 with some women and children, had lately left this 
 chief, on their way to the banks of the Nile ; that 
 the rest of the party had gone forward, and that he 
 and his wives had been left to take care of some fe- 
 male camels, which were not well able to keep up 
 with the rest ; that they subsisted on the milk of 
 these camels, and that they were to follow. ► He 
 added that the party at the Nile had two dromeda- 
 ries with them, which would carry information from 
 the river to the Sheik in three days, and that the 
 Sheik would not leave his present place of encamp- 
 ment till he heard that the srass at the Nile was 
 
 t)' 
 
 grown. 
 
 " And what did you intend to do with my camels, 
 if you liad taken them last night?" said 1. The 
 Bishareen owned, after some hesitation, that he 
 should have taken them with him to join the party 
 at the Nile. "What must have become of us then?'' 
 said I, " we must have died!" '* Why, certainly, 
 you must have died," replied the Arab ; " you could 
 not have gone any where." " And if a party of 
 your people had found us here, would they have 
 murdered us?" "Yes, surely; they would murder 
 any body that had not a Bishareen with them." 
 *' Now," said I, "attend to me, and understand me 
 clearly, for upon your answer to two questions de- 
 pends your life. Do you know of any party of your
 
 TERFOWEY. 449 
 
 people who are soon to pass the wells between here 
 and Assouan ? and have you sent any intelligence 
 that you have seen us here?" He answered with 
 alacrity that the wells to the northward were now 
 too scanty to supply his people, and that he had sent 
 nobody. 
 
 I now went to the wife, attended by Ismael with 
 the drawn sword. She thought him the executioner 
 of her husband, and exclaimed, in a fit of despair, 
 " All the men are liars and murderers ; but if you 
 had come to me first, I would have told the truth !" 
 *'Then go, Ismael," said I, "and tell them not to put 
 the man to death till I come. And now," continued 
 I, addressing the woman, "truth will give you a 
 chance of saving yourself, your husband, and your 
 child ; but if you do not adhere to it strictly, you 
 shall all die together.' She then, with great earnest- 
 ness, gave the same answers to the same questions 
 that her husband had done before. 
 
 I rose to go; the woman burst into a flood of 
 tears, and tore her hair in the most violent paroxysm 
 of grief; shrieking, begging me to have mercy on 
 her, pressing the little child to her breast, as if to 
 take leave of it; then, laying it down before me, she 
 cried in agony, " If you are a Turk, make it a slave, 
 but spare my husband, and do not kill my child !"' 
 
 I was melted to tears, and could not carry on a 
 farce under such tragical circumstances. " Woman," 
 said I, " I am not a Turk, nor do I make slaves or 
 kill children. I am a stranger, seeking my own 
 safety ; but your husband is a murderer and a thief; 
 the murderer of jMohammed Towash, and the thief 
 who would have stolen my camels, and left me to 
 perish in the desert." " It is true," said she, "they 
 are all murderers and liars ; my husband, not know- 
 
 G G
 
 4<S0 DE3«RT. 
 
 ing, may have lied too ; tell me what he said, and I 
 will tell you whether it be truth or not." 
 
 I left the three prisoners bound, placing a centinel 
 over them, and held a council to determine their 
 fate. A considerable majority of my people were 
 for sparing the women and child, and there was not 
 one who did not willingly decree the death of the 
 man. When every one had delivered his opinion, I 
 gave mine. *' If ever we meet the Bishareen," said 
 I, " I will fight them cheerfully and boldly, without 
 a doubt of beating them ; but my courage would not 
 be the same if my conscience were burthened with 
 that most horrid crime, murder in cold blood: there- 
 fore my determination is to spare the life of this 
 man, and I will oppose his being put to death by 
 every means in my power.'* 
 
 Two or three of my people answered at once, 
 *' That is all very well ; but what shall we do ? Shall 
 we give ourselves up to the Bishareen, and be mur- 
 dered as Mohammed Towash was?" 
 
 " Since you ask me," rephed I, *' I will tell you 
 what you shall do. You shall follow the duty of self- 
 preservation as far as you can do it without a crime. 
 You shall leave the women and the child where they 
 are, and with them, the camels to give them milk; but 
 you shall lame the camels so as to prevent them from 
 carrying intelligence of our being on the journey. 
 You shall chain the husband's right hand to the left 
 of one of you, and you shall each take that trouble 
 in your turn. Perhaps this man knows the desert 
 and the wells better than Idris ; and if he do not-^ 
 we have two guides instead of one, or we have a 
 guide if misfortune deprive us of Idris. He knows 
 the stations and the courses of his people at particular 
 seasons, and the moment any of them are seen.
 
 DBSERT. 451 
 
 the man that conducts him shall stab him to the 
 heart. But if he prove faithful, informing Idris 
 where danger is and where to avoid it, on the day 
 that I safely arrive in Egypt, I will new clothe him 
 and his women, give him a good camel for himself, 
 and a load of dora for them all.'* 
 
 Universal applause followed this speech : Idris, 
 above all, declaring his warmest approbation. Our 
 prisoner cheerfully subscribed to the conditions re- 
 quired of him ; and the mother declared that she 
 would as soon see her child die as be the instrument 
 of any harm to us ; and that if a thousand Bishareen 
 should pass, she knew how to mislead them all, and 
 none should follow us. 
 
 On the tenth day of our journey in the desert, 
 having given the women twelve handfuls of bread, 
 which we could very ill spare, and lamed the camels 
 without doing them any essential injury, we left the 
 well of Terfowey, and took our prisoner with us. 
 We had no sooner got into the plain than we felt 
 symptoms of the simoom ; and in an hour after- 
 wards, first our Bishareen, and then our guide, cried 
 out, " The simoom!" Great as was the danger, I 
 could not help turning to look at this visible, this 
 almost tangible, aerial poison ; and, a little to the 
 east of south I saw it, about a yard in breadth, a 
 thick vapour, purple, now tinged with blue, the 
 edges not defined as before, but fading into a thin 
 smoke. We all fell upon our faces, and felt the 
 simoom pass with a gentle ruffling wind. It con- 
 tinued to blow during three hours, and at night we 
 were all taken ill. This day one of my camels died 
 with hunger and fatigue. The flesh was cut into 
 thongs, which being hung on the few straggling 
 acacia trees of our station at night, and upon our
 
 452 DESERT. 
 
 baggage in tlie morning, soon became perfectly dry. 
 We had all this day seen large blocks of fossile salt 
 on the plain ; and the well at our station was strongly 
 impregnated with salt. We found near this well the 
 dead bodies of a man and two camels. No moisture 
 to decompose the matter, no animals to prey upon 
 it, nothing but a burning sun to exhale the fluids ; 
 the bodies were dried, reduced, and preserved. 
 
 On the eleventh day, having filled our water-skins, 
 we set forward with our faces to the north. About 
 eight o'clock) we had a view of the desert to the 
 westward, in that vast circular space left by the Nile 
 in going round by Chaigie towards Dongola ; and 
 we saw the sands rise in immense twisted pillars, 
 thicker and more magnificent than ever; the sun 
 shining through them gave those that were nearest 
 to us the appearance of being spotted with stars of 
 gold. We now began to observe that the rising of 
 these colunms so early in a morning was the sign of 
 a hot day, followed by a poisonous wind. The former 
 was certain destruction if it involved us in its com- 
 pass ; but the latter produced despondency, and a 
 kind of desperate indifference about life. I viewed 
 the condition of my camels, I began to think we 
 were doomed to a sandy grave, and I contemplated 
 it with some degree of resignation. At half past 
 eight in the evening we arrived ata sandy flat, with 
 trees and bent grass, which, for this time, afforded 
 sufficient sustenance for the camels. 
 
 On the twelfth day, at six o'clock in the morning, 
 we pursued our journey, and continued it till six in 
 the afternoon, when we arrived at Umarack, so called 
 from a number of rack trees which grow there. 
 Though our camels, as we thought, had fared well 
 for the two last nights, another of them died here,
 
 DKSERT. 4^53 
 
 which reduced the number to five ; and it did not 
 seem probable that these could advance much fur- 
 ther. Our situation appeared most desperate ; for 
 we, whose strength was so exhausted that we were 
 but just able to walk without any burthen, could 
 hardly be supposed capable of carrying our provisions, 
 and water from one well to another. The Bishareeu 
 alone kept up his strength and spirits. He had at- 
 tached himself in a particular manner to me, and 1 
 otfered to free him from the conhnement of his right 
 hand, which was chained to the left of one of our 
 company, night and day. This he refused, saying, 
 *' Unchain me only when you load and unload your 
 camels; I cannot then run away from you, for il 
 you did not shoot me, I should perish with hunger, 
 but if you treat me as you have done, I cannot be- 
 have ill during the journey, and so lose the reward 
 you have promised me at the end of it." 
 
 Two hours before we reached Umarack we saw 
 the body of Mohammed Towash, naked, and lying 
 unburied on the sand, withered and dried, but not 
 corrupted. The back sinews of both the legs had 
 been cut, and several wounds had been made with 
 a lance and swords. We followed some foot-steps 
 in the sand, an<J saw the bodies of three other per- 
 sons w ho had been murdered, which Idris knew to 
 be those of the principal servants of ]\Iohammed 
 Towash; and the next day we saw scattered the dead 
 bodies of his inferior attendants, who had been left 
 to perish with thirst, their dry gourds grasped in 
 their hands, or held to their mouths. 
 
 The sight of Mohammed Towash and his servants 
 so affected my people that, with one voice, they 
 begged to travel all night. I believed that the scene 
 of a recent massacre would not be the haunt of mur- 
 derers, and I determined to halt at Umarack. All
 
 454 DESERT. 
 
 we suffered there was from extreme cold, the ther- 
 mometer he'wg at 49° an hour before day. light. 
 
 On the thirteenth day of our journey we travelled 
 between mountains of fine blue stone with thick 
 veins of jasper. After five hours travelling, we en- 
 tered a narrow valley of deep sand, the windings of 
 which we followed till they brought us to a large 
 pool of excellent water, sheltered from the rays of 
 the sun by a projecting rock of green marble. We 
 saw here a bird of the teal or widgeon kind, which 
 I roused to make it seek its home. The bird flew 
 directly west, rising as he flew, till he disappeared 
 at a great height ; a proof that his journey was a 
 long one, and that we were yet at a distance from 
 the Nile. 
 
 On the fourteenth day we left our station in tlie 
 sandy valley, and continued our course through 
 others of the same kind, bounded on either side by 
 stony hills. We passed the dead horse of Mohammed 
 Towash, which had perished the last of the party, 
 having pursued the track of the wells and Assouan 
 without a guide, till hunger and thirst had stretched 
 him on the sand. At one o'clock we halted near a 
 well in which there was no water; and in the evening 
 at two wells of good water, in a large plain of sand. 
 Near the former we passed the dead body of a man, 
 which had been a considerable time dry. Our camels 
 had nothing to eat this night, except the dry bitter- 
 roots of that drug, the senna. 
 
 On the fifteenth day we halted among some acacia 
 trees, and passed the night at a place called Abou 
 Ferege, where there was little verdure of any kind. 
 Till now all the travellers we had seen in the desert 
 were become dead men; this day we met a troop 
 of my brethren the Ababde, who, to the number of
 
 DESERT. 455 
 
 seventeen, were mounted on camels, and going to 
 the south-west, to gather senna for the government 
 of Cairo. We met with some caution on botli sides ; 
 but parted as friends. At Ahou Ferege, for the 
 first time on our journey, we had a cloudy sky. 
 
 On the sixteenth day we left our station at half 
 past six o'clock in the morning. At noon, I found 
 by observation that we were in lat. 23% from which 
 1 was convinced that our journey must finish in a 
 very few days. At four in the afternoon the plain 
 before us appeared to be covered with green grass 
 and yellow flowers. We were delighted with so un- 
 expected a prospect; but our joy was of short dura- 
 tion ; for, on advancing, we found the whole of the 
 verdure to consist of senna and coloquintida, plants 
 the most incapable of being substituted as food 
 for either man or beast. At nine in the evening* we 
 rested at a ridge of craggy mountains called 
 Saffieha, and found the night immoderately cold ; 
 the thermometer being, an hour before day, at 42". 
 
 On the seventeenth day, at half past five in the 
 morning, we attempted to raise our camels by every 
 method we could devise, but in vain. We had nei- 
 ther time nor strength to waste, nor bread to sup- 
 port us ; we therefore killed two of them, and took 
 as much of their flesh as might supply the deficiency 
 of bread during the three days which I calculated 
 we might be from Assouan; and about four gallons 
 of water was taken from each of their stomachs by the 
 Bisliareen Arab, who managed this with great dex- 
 terity. It is well known that the camel has within 
 him reservoirs, in which he can preserve a suiHcient 
 quantity of water to supply him for fourteen or six- 
 teen days ; and that, when he eats, or chews the 
 cud, he throws up mouthfuls of this to dilute his
 
 156 DESERT, 
 
 food. Nature has contrived this vessel with su^li 
 properties that the water within it never putrifies 
 or becomes unwholesome. It was, indeed, vapid, 
 and had a bhieish tinge, but it had neither taste 
 nor smell. 
 
 We took the small skins that had contained our 
 water, filled them as full as we thought a man 
 could carry them, and set out in the direction, as 
 we believed, of Assouan. In the afternoon we 
 saw two kites which were known to feed upon car- 
 rion ; and I could not conceal my joy at this omen 
 of our approach to the habitable world. We tra- 
 velled only five hours and a half this day, and, at 
 night, rested among some trees, at a place called 
 Waadi el Arab. 
 
 On the eighteenth day, at half past seven o'clock 
 in the morning, we entered a narrow defile, with 
 rugged hills on cither side. At twelve o'clock we 
 halted at a place called Abou Scielat ; and after re- 
 freshing myself with my last bread and water, I 
 climbed one of the hills on the western side, to see 
 what was beyond it. I did not see the Nile ; but 
 its being in the vicinity was evident, by the appear- 
 ance of the uniform range of mountains which con- 
 fines its waters on their coming out of Nubia. A 
 flock of birds, of a small species of the heron, were 
 flying in a straight line, and very low. It was not an 
 hour for birds to go far from home; nor do these 
 birds feed at a distance from their accustomed 
 haunts ; they were therefore seeking their food on 
 the banks of the river. All around me was still ; and 
 sitting down, and covering my eyes with my hands, 
 that my attention might not be diverted by external 
 objects, I listened, and heard distinctly the sound 
 of the cataract, whicii we seemed to have passed.
 
 DESERT. 457 
 
 I returned, and communicated the welcome ti- 
 dings to my people, which were not before known 
 to Idris himself; he having, till now, entered Egypt 
 by another way. A cry of joy followed this annun- 
 ciation ; Christians, Arabs, and Turk bursting into 
 tears, kissing and embracing each other, and thank- 
 ing God for their deliverance from the desert. One 
 man is nearly equal to another in the desert ; or if it 
 be otherwise, the superiority lies in prudence, cou- 
 rage, and bodily strength, not in condition. 
 
 On the nineteenth day of our journey, we left 
 Abou Scielat, and in two hours and a half we ar- 
 rived at a grove of palm-trees, a little beyond the 
 city of Assouan. 
 
 At Assouan I found money, credit, and protec- 
 tion ; and my first care was to procure, with these, 
 rest and refreshment for myself and my followers. 
 My second care was to return to Saffieha, where I 
 found my baggage untouched, by the side of my 
 dead camels; and I brought it safely to Assouan, 
 without either myself or my attendants having seen 
 one person by the way. 
 
 Nothing now remained but to discharge the debts 
 I had contracted in the desert. I began by fully 
 recompensing Idris, my guide, for his faithful ser- 
 vices, and then I kept faith with my prisoner. I 
 made Idris choose him a good camel ; I clothed 
 him, gave him dresses for his two wives, and a load 
 of dora ; and I dispatched him to Terfowey with 
 the protection of the governor of Assouan. 
 
 Thougli this man, a thief by profession, would 
 have stolen my camels, and left me to perish in the 
 desert, without remorse ; and though he was now 
 placed in a state of affluence beyond his hopes; 
 the poor fellow declared, with tears in his eyes, that 
 
 H H
 
 458 ASSOUAN. 
 
 if I would permit it, he would only go back, and de- 
 liver to his family the riches I had given him, and 
 return to me at Assouan, and follow me as my ser- 
 vant whithersoever I should go. I have never yet 
 seen uncivilized man so savage as to be insensible of, 
 or ungrateful for, uniform kindness and good treat- 
 ment. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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