The strength of Teawa was about 25 horse, of which about ten were

armed with coats of mail. They had about a dozen of firelocks, very

contemptible from the order in which they were kept, and still more

so from the hands that bore them. The rest of the inhabitants might

amount to twelve hundred men, naked, miserable, and despicable Arabs,

like the rest of those that live in villages, who are much inferior in

courage to the Arabs that dwell in tents: weak as its state was, it

was the seat of government, and as such a certain degree of reverence

attended it. Fidele, the Shekh of Atbara, was reputed by his own

people a man of courage; this had been doubted at Sennaar. Welled

Hassan, his father, had been employed by Nasser the son, late king of

Sennaar, in the murder of his father and sovereign Baady, which he had

perpetrated, as I have already mentioned. Such was the state of Teawa.

Its consequence was only to remain till the Daveina should resolve to

attack it, when its corn-fields being burnt and destroyed in a night

by a multitude of horsemen, the bones of its inhabitants scattered

upon the earth, would be all its remains, like those of the miserable

village of Garigana.

I have already observed, in the beginning of the journey, that the

Shekh of the Arabs Nile, who resided in Abyssinia, near Ras el Feel,

since the expedition of Yasous, had warned me, at Hor-Cacamoot, to

distrust the fair promises and friendly professions of Shekh Fidele,

and had, indeed, raised such doubts in my mind, that, had not the

Daveina been parted from Sim Sim, (or the confines of Abyssinia)

though there would have been a risk, that if, coming with that tribe,

I should have been-ill received at Sennaar, I nevertheless would have

travelled with them, rather than by Teawa; but the Daveina were gone.

The Shekh of Atbara, having no apparent interest to deceive us, had

hitherto been a friend as far as words would go, and had promised

every thing that remained in his power; but, for fear of the worst,

Nile had given us a confidential man, who was related to the Jehaina

and to the principal Shekh of that tribe. This man conducted an ass,

loaded with salt, among the other Arabs of the caravan, and was to

set off to Ras el Feel upon the first appearance of danger, which he

was to learn by coming once in two days, or oftner, either to Teawa,

where he was no farther known than as being one of the Jehaina, or to

the river, where my Soliman was to meet him at the pools of water; but

his secret was only known to Soliman, myself, and a Greek servant,

Michael. From leaving Hor-Cacamoot, he had no personal interview with

me; but the night, when we were like to perish for thirst in the wood,

he had sent me, by Soliman, privately, a horn-full of water, which he

had in his goat's skin, and for which I had rewarded him handsomely

in the instant, glad of that opportunity of confirming him in his duty.

This man we set off to Jibbel Isriff, as a stranger, with orders not

to come to us till the third day; for we were well-persuaded, whatever

the end was to be, that our first reception would be a gracious one.

Indeed we were all of us inclined to believe, that our suspicions of

Fidele Shekh of Atbara, and of his intentions towards us, were rather

the effects of the fear that Shekh Nile had infused into us, than any

apprehension which we could reasonably form after so many promises; at

the same time, it was agreed on all hands, that, life being at stake,

we could not be too careful, in providing means that could, if the

worst happened, at the least diminish our risk.

CHAP. V.

_Transactions at Teawa--Attempts of the Shekh to detain the

Author there--Administer Medicines to him and his Wives--Various

Conversations with him, and Instances of his Treachery._

At the passage of the small river, about a quarter of a mile from

Teawa, we were met by a man on horseback, cloathed with a large,

loose gown of red camlet, or some such stuff, with a white muslin

turban upon his head, and about 20 naked, beggarly servants on foot,

with lances, but no shields; two small drums were beating, and a pipe

playing before them. He stopt upon my coming near them, and affected

a delicacy in advancing to salute me, he being on horseback, and I

upon a mule, for my horse was led behind, saddled and bridled, with a

loose blue cloth covering him. Soliman, who first accosted him, told

him it was the custom of Abyssinia not to mount horses but in time

of war, upon which he immediately dismounted, and, upon seeing this,

I alighted likewise. We saluted one another very courteously. He was

a man about seventy, with a very long beard, and of a very graceful

appearance. It was with the utmost difficulty I could prevail upon

him to mount his horse, as he declared his intention was to walk by

the side of my mule till he entered the town of Teawa. This being

over-ruled, by an invincible obstinacy on my part, he was at last

constrained to mount on horseback, which he did with an agility only

to be expected from a young man of twenty.

Being mounted, he shewed us a variety of paces on horseback. All this,

too, was counted a humiliation and politeness on his part, as playing

tricks, and prancing on horseback, is never done but by young men

before their elders, or by meaner people before their superiors. We

passed by a very commodious house, where he ordered my servants to

unload my baggage, that being the residence assigned for me by the

Shekh. He and I, with Soliman on foot by the side of my mule, crossed

an open space of about five hundred yards, where the market is kept;

he protested a thousand times by the way, what a shame it was to him

to appear on horseback, when a _great man_ like me was riding on a

mule.

A little after, having passed this square, we came to the Shekh's

house, or rather a collection of houses, one storey high, built with

canes; near the street, at entering, there was a large hall of unburnt

brick, to which we ascended by four or five steps. The hall was a very

decent one, covered with straw-mats; and there was in the middle of

it, a chair[25], understood to be the place of the grand signior. The

Shekh himself was sitting on the ground for humility's sake, reading

the Koran, or pretending to read it. At our entry he seemed to be

surprised, and made an attempt as if to rise up, which immediately I

prevented him from doing, holding him down by the hand, which I kissed.

I shall not fatigue the reader with the uninteresting conversation

that passed at this first interview. He affected to admire my size and

apparent strength, introduced some loose hints about Abyssinian women;

and, in general, pretended to blame me for exposing myself to travel

in such a country. In return, I complained of the extreme fatigue of

the journey and heat, the beasts of prey, the thick woods without

shade, the want of water, and, above all, the poisonous blasts of the

simoom that had almost overcome me, the effects of which I was at that

instant feeling.

He then blamed himself very politely, in a manner natural to the

Arabs, for having suffered me to come to him before I had reposed

myself, which he excused by his desire of seeing so _great_ a man as

me. He said also, that he would detain me no longer; bid me repose a

day or two in quiet and in safety; and, upon my rising to go away,

he got up likewise, and holding me by the hand, said, "The greatest

part of the dangers you have passed in the way are, I believe, as

yet unknown to you. Your Moor, Yasine, of Ras el Feel, is a thief

worse than any in Habesh. Several times you escaped very narrowly, by

mere chance, from being cut off, especially at Rashid, by the Arabs

Daveina, whom Yasine had posted there to murder you. But you have a

clean heart, and clean hands. God saw their designs, and protected

you; and, I may say also, on my own part, I was not wanting."

Being then on my legs for retiring, I returned no answer, but the

usual one (Ullah Kerim) _i. e._ God is merciful. Soliman, on the other

side, echoed, "_Ullah Kerim!_" by which I saw he understood me. We

both went out, and were conducted to the apartment provided by the old

man in the red cloak, who met us on our first arrival at the river,

and who now walked before me till we came to the house. It was a very

decent one, consisting only of one large room, and stood close upon

the river. This situation was chosen with an intention to keep open

the correspondence with the Shekh of Nile's servant, whom we had sent

to the Jehaina, and who occasionally was to meet us there; but Soliman

told the old man, it was necessary to me, on account of frequent

ablutions before prayer, which my religion obliged me to perform.

This old man was called Hagi Soliman Kaiya, that is, the Shekh's

Lieutenant. He had been at Mecca, and had seen Metical Aga, and knew

his post and consequence; but he was a murderer and robber like his

master, a liar and dissembler beyond all conception.

We had scarce taken possession of our lodging, or thrown off our

clothes to put ourselves at our ease, when several slaves of both

sexes, brought us a quantity of dishes of meat from the Shekh, with

many flattering compliments and good wishes. The whole was dispatched

very speedily, and some of our poor companions of the caravan, with

the salt, came and helped us very thankfully, without ceremony, as is

the custom of the country. When all was over, I was astonished at one

young man, who came and put his mouth close to my ear, saying these

few words in Arabic, "Seitan Fidele! el Shekh el Atbara Seitan!" _i.

e._ Fidele is a devil! the Shekh of Atbara is the devil himself!

All strangers were now dismissed, under pretence of our going

immediately to repose. We had, indeed, much need of rest in our

present situation, but still more of council, for which we immediately

assembled by ourselves, after having shut the door. I asked Soliman

what he thought of the Shekh of Atbara, and his discourse. He

answered, without hesitation, "He is a traitor, has deceived Yasine,

and means you ill." The word, _great man_, so often applied to me--the

abuse bellowed upon Yasine, whom in his letters he had called his dear

brother--the wondering that I came that way, after, in his letters,

and by his servants, he had so often persuaded us, while at Ras el

Feel, that it was the best, nay, the only road possible; all this

united together, seemed to leave us no doubt but that we had fallen

into a trap, from which our own activity and resolutions, under the

protection of Providence, could alone release us.

It may be remembered that, some time before our setting out from Ras

el Feel, I had dispatched a servant with the Daveina to Sennaar, whom

they were to escort as far as Beyla; and they had consigned him into

the hands of Mahomet, Shekh of Beyla, who was to forward him to

Sennaar; and this he certainly would have done immediately without

delay, but for a misfortune that happened, and entirely disconcerted

the plan. The Daveina, on their way to Beyla, had heard that an

encampment of Arabs, (who usually, at this time, occupy the banks

of the Nile) had come eastward towards Atbara. Whether the Daveina

intended to attack these Arabs, or were afraid the Arabs intended to

fall upon them, I know not; but they returned westward to the left,

instead of coming to Beyla; they sent my servant forward, after

some loss of time, and Mahomet, Shekh of Beyla, had forwarded him

to Sennaar. Here, too, he was detained by Shekh Adelan, the first

minister, who happened then not to be at Sennaar, but levying taxes

upon the Arabs. This we did not know at that time; so every moment we

expected his arrival. We were disappointed, likewise, in not finding

a servant of the Shekh of Beyla waiting for us, who was to inform us

of the situation of the country about Beyla. This we more wondered

at, because, being ill of the gravel, he had expressed himself very

anxious, in his letter to Yasine, to have some lime-water, which his

servant was to get from me at Teawa. We did not then know, as we soon

afterwards did, that this servant had been waiting for us at Teawa,

and that Shekh Fidele had informed him that I was no longer coming by

Atbara, but that Coque Abou Barea had sent me, under the care of some

Ganjar horse, straight down the Dender from Kuara; so that the Shekh

of Beyla did not expect to see me.

All this being unknown to us; we were in constant expectation of

servants from Sennaar, and the message from the Shekh of Beyla. But,

as we all agreed we were in danger, we resolved, the next day, at

meeting Shekh el Nile's servant, to dispatch him to Ras el Feel,

requiring Yasine to send some person, as from the king or Ayto Confu,

to ask the reason of our being detained, and to be a witness of the

Shekh's behaviour and our departure. In the mean time, we determined

to make our interviews with him as few as possible, till some

assistance should arrive. Soliman met the Shekh el Nile's servant, and

gave him the letter he was to carry to Yasine, explaining himself to

the Arab by word of mouth.

On the night of the 24th of March, the day after our arrival, our

dispatch set off from Jibbel Isriff for Ras el Feel; where he arrived

safely, but found Yasine was gone to Ayto Confu at Tcherkin, else he

would certainly have been the first to bring us comfort, for he had

executed his commission with great fidelity. This day I had staid in

the house, being ill of the simoom; but had sent to Fidele, to let

him know I should wait upon him next day, having as yet given him no

present, and being desirous to know what effect that might have.

On the 25th, at four o'clock I waited upon the Shekh accordingly, in

his own house. Soliman the Moor, Hagi Ismael the Turk, who, besides,

was a sherriffe, and my Greek servant, were along with me. I gave the

Shekh, for a present, a large piece of blue Indian cotton cloth, with

gold flowers, a silk and cotton sash, about two ounces of civet, two

pounds of nutmegs, and ten pounds of pepper. He received the presents

very graciously to appearance, and laid all the articles down beside

him. I desired that he would dispatch me as soon as possible, and,

for that end, be preparing the camels. He answered, the camels were

fifteen days journey off, in the sandy desert, for fear of the flies;

but that the want of them should not detain us, if he had leave from

Sennaar, for which he was to write that night. He added, that they

always were exceedingly tedious at Sennaar, and both the town and

road were, at present, in a very unsettled state. I told him, I was

surprised at this, as Hagi Belal had written to Yasine and myself

also, in a letter (then in my custody) that orders were gone both

to him and the Shekh of Beyla, to receive me kindly, and forward me

safely and speedily to Sennaar: that he himself had confessed this to

Yasine in a letter written to him from Teawa, desiring that I would

come speedily, as he had every thing ready, which letter I myself had

read. Fidele seemed in the utmost surprise at this. He lifted up his

hands and eyes, as if I had been telling the greatest of lies. He

said, "he never wrote a letter about me to Yasine in his life; or, at

least, not this year; that it was all a forgery of Yasine, knowing

that I had a quantity of gold with me, to get me out into the desert,

to rob and murder me there; that I might see he never could receive

such orders, or else it would have been as much as his life was worth,

not to have prepared to dispatch me immediately; but so far from

that, says he, seek all over the town, and if you find one camel, or

any other number, I will make you a present of them all, for this is

entirely a forgery of Yasine."

Soliman could bear this no longer. He told Fidele, "That it was he

who was a forger and a liar, not Yasine. Will you persuade me that I

do not know of your letter to Yasine? Have not your servants Ibrahim

and Nasser lived with us at Ras el Feel for weeks together as bearers

of these letters, which I have seen in their hands before reading,

and also read them afterwards? Was I not speaking to them both this

morning about the letters? and are not they just now waiting without?

If you have a mind to call them in, and question them, do it now

before me. What do you think Yasine will say when he hears of the fine

character you give him?" "Soliman, replies the Shekh, in a very soft

tone of voice, I may have forgotten, in the many letters and affairs

that pass through my hands in a day; but Yasine is my brother, and I

will do every thing for him and you that you could wish: stay only

this week, and if my camels do not arrive, I will send and take them

from the Arabs, wherever they can be found. They are for the king's

business, and not mine." He said this with such an air of candour and

sincerity, that it was impossible to doubt him.

On the 26th, I went in the forenoon to see the Shekh; I sat a few

minutes with him, then rose to go away. He then inquired if I had

any thing particular to ask? I answered, I had nothing but to pay my

compliments to him. He made me a very civil bow, and I took my leave.

Next day, the 27th, I staid in the house all day, it being the Shekh's

festival. In the evening, the old man, who was the Kaiya, came to my

house with compliments from the Shekh. He told me Fidele was often ill

with complaints in the stomach, and hinted that it was from excessive

drinking. He wished that I would give him some medicine to vomit

him, and restore his appetite, which he had perfectly lost. The old

man added, that this was the way to make the Shekh do what I wished,

sooner than all the presents in the world. I told him, that he might

assure Fidele, that I both could, and would do him that service, and

for that purpose would wait upon him at 6 o'clock next evening.

On the 28th, in the evening I went to the Shekh's house with the

medicine, and it answered all our expectations. I observed, however,

when the cup with the ipecacuanha was in his hands, that they

trembled, and also his under lip. He was apparently at that time

under some apprehension, which his conscience suggested, of what it

was in my power to do to him. In these countries they have an emetic

which they take occasionally, which operates so violently, that it

often throws them into convulsions. What it may be I know not. Some

say it is the small seed of a flower like the poppy; some, the pith

of a tree, after it has been dried and rubbed into a fine powder by

the hand; whatever it may be, it is so severe in proportion to the

strongest doze of ipecacuanha, that the latter seemed but like a sport

in comparison. The ease that warm water occasioned, which he had

never experienced before, was so unexpected, that he could hardly be

satisfied with drinking. After this was over, all was thankfulness,

and promises of doing whatever I should desire of him, provided I

would administer two or three dozes more to him, and, if he forwarded

me quickly, leave him some of the powder, with directions how to take

it in my absence. This I engaged faithfully to do, and we parted

apparently the best friends in the world.

The 29th, early in the morning, before sun-rise, I had a message from

him again by the Kaiya, to whom I gave coffee at the door while I was

dressing. He told me, the Shekh was wonderfully well, and never in

such health and spirits in his life, but desired that I would come to

him in the evening, for two of his wives were ill of the same disorder

that he had. I excused myself, under pretence that it was Sunday, my

festival, and that I never went out upon any business.

This excuse passed as to the Shekh, but at noon a black common slave

came down with a message from her mistresses, who thought the answer

given to the Kaiya was a refusal. They said, they were sorry if I

had not meat to my liking; that they dressed it with their own hands

every day in the best manner possible, but they would alter it in any

respect I chose, if I would instruct them. I soon found how necessary

it was to content my benefactresses. I explained my answer to the

Shekh about Sunday; but assured them, that on Monday evening I should

be with them, to vomit them till they were perfectly satisfied; in the

mean time, I took a small cup, which I filled with civet, and sent it

by the slave to her mistresses; giving likewise, at the same time, two

handfuls of pepper for herself.

On the 30th, in the evening I went to the Shekh's house according

to promise, and was carried into a large room, where he was sitting

alone, smoaking in an alcove; I suppose meditating future mischief,

for he had no other apparent employment. He was perfectly sober,

however, and seemed rather thoughtful; was very civil, and thanked

me in an unusual strain of kindness, for the care I had taken of his

family. I asked him if he was recovered? He declared, he had never

been so well in his life as since I had given him the last vomit;

but that he had received very bad news from Sennaar, that Mahomet

Abou Calec (the first minister) had taken the greatest part of the

horse and troops, and was gone to Kordofan, a very distant province,

surrounded with deserts, where he governed independently; and by his

manners and discourse seemed resolved to withdraw himself from his

duty to the king: That Shekh Adelan, his younger brother, with the

remaining troops, had left Sennaar, and was encamped at Aira, a few

miles from the town, where he too governed despotically by his own

will; it being the prerogative of the minister to have absolute power

as soon as he has left the capital, and put himself at the head of the

army, for levying the tax from the Arabs; but that he had parted with

the king on terms very little short of rebellion. He then said, "Since

this is the case, that Providence has thrown your lot here, that you

cannot go forward to Sennaar, nor back to Abyssinia, if you will

resolve to stay with me, and turn Mahometan, which is the only true

religion, I will give you my daughter for your wife, and you shall be

second man in the government of Teawa; and as my intention is to go

next year to Mecca, you shall then be appointed to the government of

Atbara, while I go to Sennaar, and procure an office fitter for an old

man."

Although I seldom, in my life, was less inclined to merriment, I

affected to break out into a loud fit of laughter; at which he looked

grave, seeming to take it ill, and asking me if I laughed at him?

"Exactly so, said I, at you; I was laughing to think that a man set

over a province to govern it, like you, should yet know so little of

mankind as to imagine one like me capable of turning renegado. You

may deny it for some purpose of your own, but I know you are well

informed of the degree of favour and honour in which I was whilst in

Abyssinia, where I had every thing that I desired. They were people of

my religion, and yet I never could consent either to stay with them

or marry among them. What then could be my inducement to marry here,

to change my religion, and live in a country where there is nothing

but poverty, misery, famine, fear, and dependence?" "Hearken, says he,

you are a fool; this country is a thousand times healthier and sweeter

than Abyssinia; but, since you wont take my advice, I shall say no

more; come and see my Harem[26]."--"With all my heart, replied I, as

far as that I will go, and shall be happy to do both you and your

family all the good I can."

The Shekh went before me, through several apartments, well

proportioned, but very meanly furnished, slovenly, and in bad order.

This was the part of the house that belonged to himself, and formed

one side of a square. We crossed the square to the opposite side,

where there were several apartments furnished in a much better style.

The floors were all covered with Turkey carpets. In an alcove sat one

of his wives upon the ground, with a number of black slaves about her.

Her face was uncovered; the circle made way for me; so that, first

putting my hand to my lips, I touched the end of her fingers with the

end of mine. In the mean time, the Shekh had brought a second wife

from another apartment, and set her down beside the first. They were

both women past the middle age, seemed to have a great many slaves

attending them, but never had been handsome. One of them, I learned

afterwards, was daughter to the first minister Shekh Adelan.

I thought it necessary to explain myself a little with Fidele. "You

know, Shekh, said I, it is not always that you and I agree, and

though I have lived many years with people of your religion of all

ranks, yet I am far from knowing what are the manners of Atbara; what

will offend you or them, or what not; for, as I have no view but your

good and theirs, I would not expose myself to any ill usage to which

a mistake of your customs may subject me. In short, I must ask these

ladies a number of questions, which, if you choose to hear, you may,

but no person else must, as is the custom of my country." "What has

he to do with us and our physician? said the eldest of the two; all

his business is to pay you money when you have made us well." "What

would become of him, says Adelan's daughter, if we were to be ill?

he would starve for want of people to make ready his meat."--"Aye,

and his drink too, says the other, which he is fonder of than his

meat."--"No, no, says Shekh Fidele, in perfect good humour, we know

you, Hakim; you are not like us; ask them all the questions you

please, I neither wish nor intend to hear them; I hear too much of

them every day against my will, and only wish to God you would cure

them or make them dumb altogether, and then they will not teaze me

with their illness any longer; a sick woman is plague sufficient for

a devil."--"Then, clear the room, said I, in the first place, of all

these idle women-servants; only leave two or three of the steadiest

slaves to serve their mistresses." He did not seem at a loss how to do

this, for he took up a short whip, or switch, which lay at hand, and

happy were they who got first to the door. I saw among these a genteel

female figure, covered from head to foot, whom Fidele pulled in with

his hand, after he had pushed the others out of the door, saying,

"Come in, Aiscach;" and immediately after this he went away.

I was very sensible that I was playing a farce upon which a very great

deal depended. Though in these countries the daughters of ministers

and great men are given to inferiors, this is only with a view of

having them provided for; they are spies upon their husbands, and keep

up the consequence of their birth in their husband's house even after

they are married, and this I understood was precisely the case with

Adelan's daughter. Notwithstanding the bad character I had of Fidele,

I knew he durst not rob me, without murdering me also; and I was sure

he did not dare to do either, if it was once known that I was arrived

in the dominions of Sennaar; and this his wife could inform Adelan her

father of, whenever she pleased. This was then the first step towards

safety.

I shall not trouble my reader with a repetition of my medical

inquiries, nor the complaints of ladies, which are properly secrets

with me, though at the distance of Atbara. The ipecacuanha operation

gave high satisfaction. It was now happily terminated; but, whilst

it was administering, I observed the figure, who till then appeared

covered, had unveiled her face and head down to her shoulders; and

soon after one of the slaves, her attendant, as in play, pulled off

the remaining part of the veil that covered her. I was astonished

at the sight of so much beauty. Her hair, which was not woolly, but

long, and in great quantity, was braided and twisted round like a

crown upon the top of her head, ornamented with beads, and the small

white Guinea-shells, commonly known here by the name of blackamoor's

teeth. She had plain rings of gold in her ears, and four rows of gold

chain about her neck, to which was hung a number of sequins pierced;

the rest of her dress was a blue shift, which hung loosely about her,

and covered her down to her feet, though it was not very rigorously

nor very closely disposed all below her neck. She was the tallest of

the middle size, and not yet fifteen years of age; her whole features

faultless; they might have served alone for the study of a painter all

his life, if he was in search of absolute beauty. Her mother being an

Arab of the tribe of Jehaina, her complexion was a dark brown. Such

was the beautiful Aiscach, daughter of the eldest of the ladies that I

was then attending.

Neither sickness nor medicine could prevent those who were present

from discovering plainly how exceedingly I was disconcerted. Adelan's

daughter said to me, You will think nothing of the women in Atbara,

after so long a stay in Abyssinia; but the women in Europe, they say,

are so white, that they are the handsomest of all. I never was less

persuaded of that truth than at present, said I; and I see perfectly

you observe it. "Aye, aye, says her mother, and so we do; if Aiscach

was ill, you would take better care of her than of either of us."

"Pardon me, said I, Madam; if the beautiful Aiscach was ill, I feel I

should myself be so much affected as not to be able to attend her at

all."

Aiscach made the most gracious inclination with her head, to shew

she was perfectly sensible of the compliment. The women laughed out

aloud. "Send for Yasine and your horse from Ras el Feel, cries a

voice behind me laughing, but speaking perfect good Amharic; take

her away, and carry her back with you to Abyssinia, I'll go with you

with all my heart, and so will she, I swear to you." I turned with

surprise to the person that spoke the language, which I had not heard

spoken of late. "She is a poor Christian slave, says the eldest of

Fidele's wives, taken by the Jehaina when the Mek Baady was defeated

in his return to Sennaar; she is a foolish, but merry creature, as

you see." All our diet and regimen being settled, I took my leave,

and was attended to the door by the Abyssinian slave and Aiscach, who

seemed to be very much her friend. When she came to the outer door,

she covered herself again with her veil, from head to foot, as before,

saying, in a low voice, Shall we not see you to-morrow?

On the 31st of March, Fidele again insisted upon undergoing another

experiment of the ipecacuanha. I waited upon him at the same hour as

before, curious to know what he would say to me about his wives. Upon

my inquiring after them, he only answered, that they were well; and

when coffee was brought, before I went away, told me, that he knew

perfectly well, from Ras el Feel, that, when I set out from thence,

I had disposed, in various boxes and chests, (which I pretended were

instruments) 2000 ounces of gold, besides variety of cloth of gold,

and other valuable things for presents; and as all this was now in his

power, he could not think me mad enough to refuse him 500 piastres,

which were only 50 of these ounces I carried with me; that, if I gave

them to him civilly, he would forward me to Sennaar in two days; if

not, I was in his hands, and he could easily take the whole by force,

and after dispose of me as he pleased.

"Well done! out with it! said I; this is but what I knew long to be

in your heart. But let me set you right; I have not three ounces

of gold in all my possession. It is of no use to me in my country;

take all my cases and boxes, and search them; the gold that you find

there I freely give you, and without reserve. As for the cloth of

gold, which I have, it is a present from the king of Abyssinia to the

king of Sennaar, to be delivered with his letter. I have likewise a

present to Shekh Adelan, with a letter to him; and some other trifles

for Sennaar, presents to people in government: look at them; if you

think they are too great, apply to your own use what part of them you

please, and account with the king and Adelan for what you take from

them, with your reason for so doing. The little money I may want at

Sennaar, Hagi Belal, Metical Aga's servant from Mecca, will furnish me

with, and, upon my letter, will take payment for the amount from my

countrymen on board the East India ships at Jidda. As for force, do

not deceive yourself; if all those cases were gold it never would be

in your power to open one of them. Do not think that I am a girl or a

child; consider the danger and difficulties I have passed, under God's

protection only, and by my own force and courage: I am well armed, and

have brave men about me, so try your force when you please. I dare say

you will keep yourself out of danger, to give an account of your brave

exploit to the king of Sennaar afterwards." I then arose, and said,

"Good evening." The Shekh called after me to stay. I said, "Another

time;" and immediately left him.

We had hitherto been supplied plentifully with provisions from the

Shekh's house once a-day. When I came home at night, I found that

after Magrib, which is after sun-set, a large store had been sent

by the ladies from the Shekh's house, as acknowledgements for the

attention I had paid them; but no particular message, except than

that they had been exceedingly well after their medicines, and hoped I

would not abandon them, but see them again. A Greek servant of mine,

who knew perfectly their customs, had answered, that I certainly would

wait upon them when the Shekh should desire me so to do.

The weather was extremely hot, and people, avoiding sun-shine of the

day, generally sat up the whole of the night, enjoying the only hours

when it was possible to breathe freely. It was about eleven o'clock at

night, when the old Kaiya, whom I never saw but upon these occasions,

came to me for coffee, of which he drank at least twenty dishes every

visit. He appeared at first very moderate, and, as he pretended, a

friend. But immediately afterwards, being seated, and assuming a new

kind of air and tone of voice, he reproved me roundly for my behaviour

to the Shekh that day. He extolled him highly for his generosity,

courage, and his great interest at Sennaar from his father's merits,

and from his having married Shekh Adelan's daughter. He said, it was

the greatest presumption, in a set of infidels like us, to behave in

the manner we had done to Fidele that day. "Hagi Soliman, answered I,

you are an old man; if years have not given you wisdom, your journey

to Mecca, and conversation with persons of all nations there, should

at least have taught you an appearance of it, which, at this time,

you have not. I am here, immediately under the protection of the

sherriffe of Mecca, the chief of your religion, and Metical Aga his

minister. I have letters from the king of Abyssinia to your king of

Sennaar, requesting only, under the faith of nations, to pass through

your country in my way to Cairo, to rejoin Ali Bey, whose physician I

am, and in whose hands at least three thousand subjects of Sennaar,

and their effects, are at this moment. I say to you now, as I did to

your master in the morning, that he cannot either rob or murder me at

Teawa without all your nation being responsible for it, wherever they

shall go. But I am not a sheep, or a lamb, to be spoiled of my goods,

or robbed of my life, without defending myself to the utmost; and I

tell you, for your proper instruction, that there are probably now at

Sennaar, people from the king of Abyssinia, complaining of my being

detained here, and demanding justice."

He seemed to pay no attention to this threat. He did not think it

possible that I could have had any communication with Ras el Feel

since I came to Teawa, but declared, that, as my particular friend, he

had calmed the Shekh's wrath, and obliged him to promise, that, for

2000 piastres, he would dispatch me in two days to Sennaar. Indeed,

Hagi Soliman, said I, I have not 20 piastres in the world to give

either him or you, nor would I give them if I had them. The Shekh may

take all that I have by force, and is welcome to try the experiment.

You, as his friend and soldier, may command the party, if you please;

but I am resolved, were he willing, never to leave Teawa till I depart

under the conduct of another man than one of your or of Shekh Fidele's

chusing. Upon my saying this, he arose, shook the bosom of his cloak,

and said, he was sorry for it; but he washed his hands of all the

consequences.

Immediately after this we shut our doors; and our fire-arms being

cleaned, loaded, and primed, we resolved to abide the issue of this

bad affair in the best manner possible, and live or die together.

One thing, however, diverted us: One of the large blunderbusses being

accidentally laid across the door, this veteran soldier started back

at the sight of it, and, although the muzzle was pointed far from

him, would not enter till the piece was removed, and placed at a

considerable distance from him.

As we saw things were growing to a crisis, we became every hour more

impatient for the arrival of relief, either from Ras el Feel or

Sennaar. On the 1st of April came a servant from the Shekh of Beyla,

and delivered a message to Fidele: What it was I know not; but about

noon he came to inquire after us, and pay us a visit.

All this time Fidele had kept our arrival at Teawa a secret from the

Shekh of Beyla; but the people, who frequented the market of Teawa,

having told their governor that they had seen strangers there, he all

at once suspected the truth, and dispatched a confidential servant to

Fidele, under a shew of business, to inquire whether we were those

strangers. An explanation immediately followed upon his coming to my

house, and especially concerning the message the Shekh of Beyla had

received from the Shekh of Atbara, that we were gone by Kuara down

the Dendar. He said, that his master either had sent, or intended to

send, advice of this to my servant at Sennaar, who, expecting us no

longer by Teawa, would neither come himself, nor seek a king's servant

to conduct us from hence, but would seek measures for our safety the

other way, or wait at Sennaar, expecting our arrival daily; for the

way from Kuara was through a number of outlawed, or banditti Arabs, so

that it was not in the power of the government of Sennaar, if ever so

well inclined, to conduct us one step in safety on that road till we

should be within two days journey of Sennaar. The servant therefore

proposed, that he should return instantly to Beyla, (as he did that

night) and that his master should send a messenger on a dromedary

express to Sennaar, to inform Hagi Belal of our situation, and procure

immediate relief. He promised further, that his master should send

a Moullah, (or man of extraordinary holiness and learning) in whose

presence Shekh Fidele would not dare to proceed to extremities,

as this was a man universally esteemed, and of great weight and

reputation at Sennaar, both with Abou Calec and Adelan, as well as

throughout Atbara.

I must here obviate a very reasonable objection which may be made

by my reader:--"Why, when you knew your safety depended upon the

government of Sennaar, when you was arrived at Teawa, did you not

take the first opportunity of notifying it to Fidele, that you had

already sent to acquaint your correspondent at Sennaar that you had

set out for that place?" I answer, That to do this had been many

times in agitation among us, but was always rejected. It was thought

a dangerous measure to leave a man like Fidele, the only person who

had seen us, to give us any character and description he pleased, who,

from the connection and correspondence he must have in that capital,

and the confidence necessarily placed in him, as governor of a

frontier province, might so far prejudice the minds of that credulous

and brutal people, by misrepresenting us, as either to get orders to

cut us off upon our journey, or procure us a fate similar to that of

M. du Roule, the French envoy, after our arriving in that capital.

It was by the goodness of Providence alone that we were restrained

from adopting that measure, often considered as the most adviseable,

but which, we since have certainly known, would have ended in our

destruction.

Nothing material passed on the 3d of April, their festival day; but on

the 4th no meat was sent us. However, on Sunday the 5th it was brought

rather in larger proportion than before, and we spent the whole day in

conjecturing what was become of our servants, and of the Moullah whom

the Shekh of Beyla's servant had promised us. On the 6th the Kaiya

came, and, without ceremony, told me that the Shekh had heard I wanted

to escape to Beyla, in which journey I should certainly perish, and

therefore he had taken my horse from me, which was in a stable at some

distance. From this time we got our victuals very sparingly. On the

7th he sent me word, that I should bring him a vomit the day after,

which I promised to comply with. It was very plainly seen Beyla's

secret was not kept, and to this we attributed the delay of the

Moullah; but nothing could comfort us for the want of an answer from

Ras el Feel.

On the 8th, in the evening, a little before six o'clock, when I was

making ready to go to the Shekh, a message came, that he was busy, and

could not see me; with which, for a time, I was very well pleased.

About ten, arrived a naked, very ill-looking fellow, more like an

executioner than any other sort of man, with a large broad-sword in

his hand, and seemingly very drunk. He said he was one of the Shekhs

of Jehaina, and in a little time became extremely insolent. He first

demanded coffee, which was given him, then a new coat, then some

civet, and, last of all, drawing his sword, that we should instantly

provide him with a new scabbard, his own being but a piece of common

leather, which he threw with a kind of indignation down upon the

floor. Till that time I had been writing these very memoirs, at least

the journal of the day. I was not any way afraid of one drunkard, but

laid down my pen, wondering where this insolence was to end. Before

I had time to speak a word, I heard my old Turk, the sherriffe, Hagi

Ismael, say, "You are of the Jehaina, are you? then I am of the

Daveina;" and with that he caught the stranger by the throat, taking

his sword from him, which he threw out of the house, after casting the

owner violently upon the floor. The fellow crept out upon all-four,

and, as soon as he had picked up his sword, attempted again to enter

the house, which Soliman perceiving, snatched his own short, crooked

sword, from a pin where it hung, and ran readily to meet him, and

would very speedily have made an end of him, had I not cried out, "For

God's sake, Soliman, don't hurt him; remember where you are." Indeed,

there was little reason for the caution; for when the Arab observed

a drawn sword in the Turk's hand, he presently ran away towards the

town, crying, Ullah! Ullah! Ullah! which was, God! God! God! an

exclamation of terror, and we saw no more of him; whilst, instead of

a new scabbard, he left his old one in the house. Seeing at once the

cowardice and malice of our enemies, we were now apprehensive of fire,

things were come to such an extremity; and as our house was composed

of nothing but dry canes, it seemed the only obvious way of destroying

us.

On the 9th, in the morning I sent Soliman with the scabbard to Fidele,

and a grievous complaint against the supposed Shekh of the Jehaina

for his insolence the night before. Shekh Fidele pretended to be

utterly ignorant of the whole, made light of what had passed, and said

the fellow was a fool. But a violent altercation took place between

him and my servant black Soliman, who then told him all his mind,

threatening him with Yasine's immediate vengeance, and assuring him he

was, before this, fully informed of his behaviour. They, however, both

cooled before parting. Fidele only recommended to Soliman to persuade

me to give him 2000 piastres, without which he swore I never should go

alive out of Atbara. Soliman, on the other hand, declared, that I was

a man that set no value upon money, and therefore carried it not about

with me, otherwise I should not refuse what he desired, but warned him

to think well before he uttered such expressions as he now had done.

In the course of conversation, as Soliman told me, the Shekh gave him

several hints, that, if he would agree with him, and help to rob and

murder me, he should share the booty with him, and it never would be

known. But Soliman pretended not to understand this, always assuring

him that I was not the man he took me for; and that, except the king's

present, all I had was brass, iron, and glass bottles, of no value

to any but myself, who only knew how to use them. They then finished

their discourse; and he desired Soliman to tell me, that he expected

me at the usual hour of 6 o'clock to-morrow evening, which was Friday

the 10th.

This seemed to me to be an extraordinary appointment, because Friday

is their festival, when they eat and drink heartily, nor did I ever

remember any of them take medicine upon that day. But with Fidele all

was festival, not even their annual solemn fast of Ramadan did he ever

keep, but was universally known to be an unbeliever, even in what was

called his own religion. I had still this further objection to wait

upon him at night, that he had gone so far as to solicit Soliman to

assist him in murdering me. But I considered at last, that we could

not escape from his hands; and that the only way to avoid the danger

was to brave it. Providence, indeed, seemed all along to have reserved

our deliverance for our own exertions, under its direction, as all

the ways we had taken to get relief from others had hitherto, in

appearance at least, miscarried. However, it was resolved to go armed,

for fear of the worst; but to conceal our weapons, so as to give no

umbrage. I had a small Brescian blunderbuss, about 22 inches in the

barrel, which had a joint in the stock, so that it folded double. It

hung by an iron hook to a thin belt under my left arm, close to my

side, quite unperceived, like a cutlass. I likewise took a pair of

pistols in my girdle, and my knife as usual. All these were perfectly

covered by my burnoose; so that, with a little attention, when I

sat down, it was impossible to discover my having any weapons about

me; Hagi Ismael the Turk, Soliman my servant, and two other Moorish

servants, took also their fire arms, small and great, and swords,

along with them. We all went to the house of the Shekh a little

before seven o'clock in the evening. I entered the back door into

the square where the women's house was; but declined going so far as

their apartment without leave, turning to the left hand into the side

of the square where he usually staid. I was surprised to meet but one

servant, a black boy, in the whole house, and he carried me to the

Shekh, my servants remaining at the outer-door.

Fidele was sitting in a spacious room, in an alcove, on a large broad

sofa like a bed, with India curtains gathered on each side into

festoons. Upon seeing the boy, in a very surly tone he called for

a pipe; and, in much the same voice, said to me, "What! alone?" I

said, "Yes, what were his commands with me?" I saw he either was, or

affected to be, drunk, and which ever was the case, I knew it would

lead to mischief; I therefore repented heartily of having come into

the house alone.

After he had taken two whiffs of his pipe, and the slave had left the

room, "Are you prepared? says he; have you brought the _needful_ along

with you?" I wished to have occasion to join Soliman, and answered,

"My servants are at the outer door, and have the vomit you wanted."

"D--n you and the vomit too, says he with great passion, I want money,

and not poison. Where are your piastres?" "I am a bad person, said I,

Fidele, to furnish you with either. I have neither money nor poison;

but I advise you to drink a little warm water to clear your stomach,

cool your head, and then lie down and compose yourself, I will see

you to-morrow morning." I was going out. "Hakim, says he, infidel,

or devil, or whatever is your name, hearken to what I say. Consider

where you are; this is the room where Mek Baady, a king, was slain by

the hand of my father: look at his blood, where it has stained the

floor, which never could be washed out. I am informed you have 20,000

piasters in gold with you; either give me 2000 before you go out of

this chamber, or you shall die; I will put you to death with my own

hand." Upon this he took up his sword, that was lying at the head of

his sofa, and, drawing it with a bravado, threw the scabbard into the

middle of the room; and, tucking the sleeve of his shirt above his

elbow like a butcher, said, "I wait your answer."

I now stept one pace backwards, and dropt the burnoose behind me,

holding the little blunderbuss in my hand, without taking it off the

belt. I said, in a firm tone of voice, "This is my answer: I am not a

man, as I have told you before, to die like a beast by the hand of a

drunkard; on your life, I charge you, stir not from your sofa." I had

no need to give this injunction; he heard the noise which the closing

the joint in the stock of the blunderbuss made, and thought I had

cocked it, and was instantly to fire. He let his sword drop, and threw

himself on his back on the sofa, crying, "For God's sake, Hakim, I was

but jesting." At the same time, with all his might, he cried, "Brahim!

Mahomet! El coom! El coom[27]!"--"If one of your servants approach me,

said I, that instant I blow you to pieces; not one of them shall enter

this room till they bring in my servants with them; I have a number of

them armed at your gate, who will break in the instant they hear me

fire."

The women had come to the door. My servants were admitted, each having

a blunderbuss in his hand and pistols at his girdle. We were now

greatly an overmatch for the Shekh, who sat far back on the sofa, and

pretended that all he had done was in joke, in which his servants

joined, and a very confused, desultory discourse followed, till the

Turk, sherriffe Ismael, happened to observe the Shekh's scabbard of

his sword thrown upon the floor, on which he fell into a violent fit

of laughter. He spoke very bad Arabic, mixed with Turkish, as I have

often observed. He endeavoured to make the Shekh understand, that

drunkards and cowards had more need of the scabbard than the sword;

that he, Fidele, and the other drunkard that came to our house two or

three nights before, who said he was Shekh of the Jehaina, were just

possessed of the same portion of courage and insolence.

As no good could be expected from this expostulation, I stopt it, and

took my leave, desiring the Shekh to go to bed and compose himself,

and not try any more of these experiments, which would certainly end

in his shame, if not in his punishment. He made no answer, only wished

us good night.

CHAP. VI.

_Transactions at Teawa continued--A Moullah and Sherriffe arrive

from Beyla--News from Ras el Feel and Sennaar--An Eclipse of the

Moon--Leave Teawa._

We went to the door, through the several apartments, very much upon

our guard, for there was no person to light us out, and we were afraid

of some treachery or ambush in the anti-chamber and dark passages;

but we met nobody; and were, even at the outer gate, obliged to open

the door ourselves. Without the gate there were about twenty people

gathered together, but none of them with arms; and, by the half words

and expressions they made use of, we could judge they were not the

Shekh's friends. They followed us for a little, but dispersed before

we arrived at our house. Soliman, my servant, told me by the way, that

the Moullah was arrived, and that the Shekh of Beyla's servant, who

had come with him, had been at my house ever since I went to Fidele's.

Accordingly we found him still there, and explained to him what had

happened, and the great distress we had been in from the Moullah's not

arriving sooner, as also from receiving no message either from Sennaar

or Ras el Feel. He told us, the reason of our servants not joining us

was the false information his master the Shekh of Beyla had received

from Fidele; that we were coming by the Dender, and not by Teawa, as

already mentioned. He now advised us to come up, and shew ourselves in

the morning to the Moullah, who would be sitting with Shekh Fidele,

administering justice; but to take no particular notice of him, and

only observe to what his discourse pointed, and he would bring us word

if any thing more was necessary.

I recommended to this servant of the Shekh of Beyla that he should

tell the Moullah that he was not to expect I was to open my baggage

here, but that I was a man who understood perfectly the value of a

favour done me, and should not be in his debt longer than arriving

at Beyla, which I wished to reach as soon as possible; nothing can

be quicker than these people are on the smallest hint given; we

separated, fully satisfied that we were now a sufficient match for the

Shekh, even at his own weapons.

Ever since the adventure of the Shekh of the Jehaina, one of us had

kept guard, the door being open every night for fear of fire, and it

was my turn that night, a post that I never declined, for the sake

of good example; but my spirits were so exhausted this day, that I

gave the old Turk plenty of coffee and tobacco, to undertake, as he

did with great willingness, the office of that night for me. I went

to bed, and fell presently into a profound sleep, from which I was

awakened, a little before midnight, by a message from the ladies,

my patients, in the Shekh's house, sent by the black slave that had

spoken in the Abyssinian language to me while I was attending her

mistress. They advised me to be upon my guard, for the Shekh was

absolutely resolved to take a severe revenge upon us all: That after

we had left him that evening, an express arrived from the lower part

of Atbara, giving him an account that Shekh Ibrahim, a great man at

Sennaar, and favourite of Adelan the prime minister, while he was

employed in gathering the taxes from the Arabs, had fought with the

tribe called Shukorea, somewhere east of Sennaar; that he had been

completely beaten, and many of his people killed; as also, that

Shekh Ibrahim and his two sons were wounded; that Shekh Fidele had

immediately sent back word, that he had then with him a surgeon and

physician, meaning me, who could, upon occasion, even bring a dead man

to life, but that I would never consent to come to him unless I was

forced; therefore, if he would dispatch a sufficient number of armed

men, to help him to surprise me in the night, he would conduct the

execution of that scheme, and would send me to him in irons. He said

I was an infidel, a white man from Abyssinia, and had several stout

people with me expert in fire-arms, (of which I had a number,) who

would be of great use to him in subduing the Arabs. They assured me,

however, of their friendship, and begged me to consider what I had to

do in time, for many wild men would be poured in upon me, who would

not fail to kill me if I resisted.

I returned my most humble thanks to my kind informants; with a small

gratification of civet to the two elder ladies, and a separate portion

to the beautiful Aiscach, assuring them I should not fail to profit by

any advice they should give me. After this I again fell into a sound

sleep, which continued till morning; and, though my affairs had not

the most prosperous appearance, I felt a calmness of mind to which

I had been utterly a stranger ever since I had left Ras el Feel. My

servants awakened me in the morning of the 11th; I drank coffee, and

dressed, and took along with me Soliman and Ismael, without arms in

our hands, but having knives and pistols in our girdles, to shew that

we had lived in fear.

The Moullah's name was Welled Mestah, or the _son of interpretation_,

or _explanation_. He was reputed to have attained such a degree of

holiness as to work miracles, and, more than once in his life, to

have been honoured with the conversation of angels and spirits, and,

at times, to have called the devil into his presence, and reproved

him. He was a man below the middle size, of a very dark complexion,

and thin beard, seemingly past sixty, hollow-eyed, and very much

emaciated. If holy, we could not say he was the beauty of holiness.

I understood, afterwards, he was much addicted to the use of opium,

to the effects of which he probably was indebted for his conversation

with spirits. He had brought with him another saint, much younger

and robuster than himself, who had been several times at Mecca, and

had seen Metical Aga, but did not know him. He had seen likewise the

English ships at Jidda, and knew the name of the nation, but nothing

more. He was a sherriffe, (that is, a descendant of Mahomet) a

degree of nobility much respected among the Arabs, distinguished by

wearing a green turban. The Daveina, when they burnt all the country

between Teawa and Beyla, saved this man's house, effects, and crop,

in veneration of his sanctity. These two were sitting on each side of

Shekh Fidele, and before him stood two black slaves holding each a

monstrous long broad-sword. I approached these powers, ecclesiastical

and civil, with great composure, as if nothing had happened; but

Ismael, the Turk, had almost spoiled my gravity, for, seeing the

swords in the men's hands before Fidele, he said, in his barbarous

language, loud enough to be heard, "O, ho, they have got their

scabbards upon their swords to-day."

Fidele seemed to have a very serene countenance, till we approached

nearer, when, seeing the pistols in our girdles, he appeared rather

discomposed, and probably he thought the blunderbuss was not far off;

I made him, however, a bow, and shook him by the hand; I likewise made

another bow to their two holinesses. As people of that sanctity seldom

chuse to have, even their cloaths, touched by unbelievers in public,

I made no further advance towards them. The sherriffe no sooner saw

Ismael's turban, than he got up, took him in his arms, and, as he was

an older man than himself, though all in rags, kissed his forehead

with great respect. This was returned by Hagi Ismael, first kissing

his forehead and then his hand; after which the Moullah did the same,

as I thought with rather less ceremony. Ismael gave a very slight

salutation of _Salama_ to the Shekh, and we all sat down.

"Brother, says the sherriffe to Ismael, you seem a stranger in this

country." "I am a Turk, answered Ismael, born in Anatolia, a janizary

of Ali Bey at Cairo." "He came, says Shekh Fidele, to Habesh, with

their Kafr, the Abuna or great priest, and is returning to Cairo with

that white man, who is physician to Ali Bey." "Kafr there, or Kafr

here, continued Ismael (who did but half underhand what was said) the

greatest of all Kafrs (that is Infidel) is, I believe, in Teawa. I do

not think there is one Mussulman in this cursed place." "Is this the

Frank, says the Moullah, whose servant brought letters to the Shekh of

Beyla some weeks ago, and was forwarded to Sennaar?" "No, says Fidele,

he does not know the Shekh of Beyla." "I am sure, says the Moullah,

that, such a day, when I was at Sennaar, there was a talk of a man

of this kind, whose servant was at Aira with Shekh Adelan, and had

orders to come hither with a servant of his, and one from the king;

and I am sure, upon reflection, continued the Moullah, this must be

the man." "Shekh, says he, turning to me, (who sat silent, overjoyed

at the train I saw the affair taking) did you come from Habesh? have

you letters for Sennaar?" "I came from Habesh, replied I, with letters

to the king of Sennaar; likewise letters to him from the sherriffe of

Mecca, and from Ali Bey of Cairo, (you are welcome to see them all,)

yet, contrary to faith, observed even in Pagan nations, I am here

detained by Shekh Fidele, who last night attempted to murder me in his

own house, because I would not pay him 2000 piastres." Shekh Fidele's

face turned pale; he could scarcely utter, "That is not true." "As

that book is the word of God, says Ismael, (pointing to the Koran,

lying in the sherriffe's lap) it is every word true. Look upon my

turban, (says he to Fidele) do you call me a liar?" _Fid._ "I did

not call you a liar, only that Christian lied." _Ism._ "I say, that

every word he spoke is truth, or I am no true believer. Was not your

sword drawn, and your scabbard lying on the floor, when I entered the

room? Was there any one present but him and you? Whom did you draw

your sword upon?" "Pure merriment for a little amusement, says Fidele,

turning to the Moullah, I was diverting myself with the Christian, who

came to give me medicines." "The diversion, I fancy, was over on your

part, says Soliman, my servant, when you threw away your sword, after

drawing it, and called upon all your servants for assistance. Were not

your women at the door upon my entering it?" _Fid._ "Would you have

had me shot in my own house by an infidel? Did he not present a pistol

at me?" _Ism._ "Lord! Lord! he was only diverting himself, too? Did

not you see that? You should have gone on with your merriment:--What

stopt you?" "Look you, Shekh, said I, your inward thoughts are seen by

me. Did not you send two messengers to Shekh Ibrahim in Atbara that

very night, within these twelve hours, desiring him to take me by

force, while asleep, to heal his wounded men? Was this amusement, too?

Beware in time, for every thought in your heart is known to me as soon

as it is formed."

The sherriffe muttered to himself, "Hakim y'Eref--he is a learned man;

he knows these things." "Shekh Ibrahim is returned to Sennaar, says

the Moullah, that is the reason why he should make haste, and all this

that has passed is very improper. If a man diverts himself with drawn

swords, is he not likely, when angry, to kill? this ought not to be;

send the man away; you can get camels from the Jehaina. Men like

him have no money. There are many of them, at all times and places,

wandering over the face of the earth, and will be so till Hagiuge

Magiuge[28] come; they are Dervishes, study the herbs and the water,

and cure diseases." "God bless the truth! said I; there it is. I am

a Dervish, a poor, but an innocent man." The Moullah seemed to take

credit to himself for all this learning. "I saw, says the Sherriffe,

a number of his countrymen in large ships from the Indies, when I was

at Jidda; they are called Inglese." "They are brave men, says Ismael,

and came first from Turkey. Their country is called Caz Dangli to this

day. I have seen it, and am sure no man would hurt Yagoube that knew

him." _Fid._ "So, Yagoube is his name; the first time I knew it."

_Moul._ "Yagoube el Hakim; now I remember it perfectly. Ali Tchelebi,

Mahomet Abou Calec's factor, is ill of an enchantment from an enemy;

his bowels are out of order; he it was that asked me if such a man

was yet come to Beyla. They surely expect that you should forward him

to Sennaar. True, Yagoube el Hakim, that was his name." _Fid._ "He

shall go next week, since it is so, if I can but get camels." Upon

this we rose, seeing other people coming in. When I took hold of the

Shekh's hand at going away, he asked me, in apparent good humour,

"Well, Yagoube, are we friends now?" I answered him, in the most

complacent tone of voice possible, "Sir, I never was your enemy; so

far otherwise, that my only anxiety now is, lest your behaviour may

bring upon you powerful adversaries, before whom you are not able to

stand. The ill-usage I have met with will not be easily passed over

either in Abyssinia or at Sennaar. I am neither servant nor merchant;

and it has been your ill-luck to try your wicked experiments upon

a man like me, who never in his life carried much money about him,

because he never valued it." _Moul._ "You must forget all, and I will

be your friend with the Shekh, since you come from the Sherriffe of

Mecca." "And I, too, says the other, for the kindness you have shewed

our brother Ismael there, in carrying him home from among the Kafrs of

Habesh; and if Fidele cannot procure camels, we will try and help him;

so go in peace, and get ready."

We had scarce got rid of this real danger, when the apprehension of

an imaginary one struck us violently. The water at Teawa is stagnant

in pools, and exceedingly bad. Either that, or the bouza, a kind of

new beer which they sent us with our meat, had given all of us, at the

same time, a violent diarrhœa, and I was tormented with a perpetual

thirst ever since we had been overtaken by the simoom; and the bouza

being acid, was not only more agreeable, but, I thought, relieved me

more than bad water; in this, therefore, I certainly had exceeded.

When we found we were all taken ill at the same time, it came into

our wise heads that Shekh Fidele had given us poison in our dinner,

and we were very much perplexed what we should do the next day. None

of us, therefore, tasted the meat sent us; when at night, our friend,

the black slave came, and to her we frankly told our doubts. The poor

creature fell into such violent fits of laughing, which followed so

close the one upon the other, and lasted so long, that I feared she

would have expired upon the spot. "It is the water, says she; it does

so to all strangers;" and then she fell into another great fit of

laughter. "Child, answered I, you know the Shekh is not our friend,

and there is no easier way to get rid of us than by poison, as we eat

everything that comes from you without fear."--"And so you may, says

she; the Shekh could do no such thing without our knowledge, and we

would rather all be burnt alive than be guilty of so vile an action.

Besides, says she, this is not like Habesh, where both meat and drink,

brought to you, are tasted by the bearer before you use them. There

is no such thing as poison in Atbara; the lance and the knife in the

field, that is the manner in which they kill one another here."

We then shewed her our dinner uneaten, and she again fell into a

violent fit of laughter, and took the meat away that she might warm

it, and we heard her laughing all the way as she went by herself. She

was not long in returning with provisions in plenty, and told us, that

her mistresses never were so diverted in their lives, and that she

left them still laughing. The black slave then called me to the door,

and gave me an India green handkerchief, which she said Aiscach had

pulled from her head, and sent with her to me, with orders to inquire,

"Do the women of your country do such things, Yagoube, which, for all

the fathers and gold in the world, Aiscach would not be guilty of? My

father is indeed a Funge[29], but my mother is a Jehaina[30]."

Neither the Shekh nor Moullah expected me out on Sunday, which I

told them was my festival. I employed that day in mounting and

rectifying my quadrant, and that same evening had a clear and distinct

observation of Procyon, and several other of the fixed stars, the

largest and fittest for my purpose. The next day also, having a good

observation of the sun in the meridian, all equations adopted from

a mean, I found the latitude of Teawa, the capital of Atbara, to be

14° 2´ 4´´ north. With regard to longitude, Hor-Cacamoot is about six

miles east of Teawa, which is nearly under the same meridian with Ras

el Feel, so there was no occasion for any observation on that subject.

On the 13th of April arrived a naked Arab of the Jehaina, with

intelligence that a caravan belonging to Atbara, which had come to

Nara in Abyssinia for salt, had been all seized by Ammonios, Ayto

Confu's governor of Nara, their asses and salt taken from them, and

the men put in close prison. The Shekh of the Jehaina, an old man

of very comely presence, with ten or twelve of his clan on camels,

came over to Shekh Fidele that morning before I went out, and they

found the Moullah sitting with him. The news struck all of them with

a panic, but none more so than our Shekh of Atbara. The Shekh of

the Jehaina said he had not heard the cause of it, but so violent a

procedure had not happened even when Yasous II. invaded Sennaar, for

the people of the two frontiers had all that time been friends. He

begged, however, Shekh Fidele immediately to interfere, and send some

person to Ras el Feel, to his friend Yasine. When they had settled

thus far, a message came for me to attend the Shekh. I immediately

went, leaving my servants to put up my quadrant. I had, indeed,

an inclination to observe the approaching eclipse; but as I knew

perfectly the situation of Teawa with regard to Ras el Feel, I thought

I might spare myself this unnecessary trouble, and only make use of

the eclipse to frighten Fidele as part of the punishment he so amply

deserved.

There was a prodigious number of people assembled at the Shekh's door.

The Jehaina had all come upon camels; two or three of the principal

ones were sitting with him and the Moullah. One of these, whom I did

not know, but who had seen me at Ras el Feel, upon my approaching

the Shekh, got up, took me by the hand, and made a very respectful

salutation. As he was a friend of Yasine, and Shekh el Nile, I never

doubted from that minute that this was a contrivance of theirs in my

favour.

The Moullah had alledged, that probably I had dispatched some

intelligence to Yasine of my being detained, which had caused him

to make this reprisal; but Shekh Fidele assured them that he knew

it to be impossible, and that this seizure of the caravan must have

been occasioned by some ill-usage to the people belonging to Tchelga

and Nara, the frontier villages to the westward. In this the Shekh

of Jehaina agreed; for he had heard Ammonios mentioned, but nothing

of Yasine. The Moullah was unconvinced, but asked me, "Hakim, have

you never sent a complaint to Yasine since you came to Teawa? tell

me truly; no harm shall befal you from it." "If I were not to tell

you truly said I, Shekh, I would not answer you at all. I am under

no obligation to do it, nor am I under any fear. You are but at the

beginning of this affair, and many will suffer before I do." "Truly,

says the Moullah, but have you sent intelligence to Ras el Feel?" "No,

no, says Fidele, he had it not in his power; nor is there a man in

Teawa, that durst go on such an errand, it is some disturbance about

Tchelga."

I easily perceived that the Moullah wanted me to confess, which I

likewise saw the use of myself. "I sent, said I, messengers from

Teawa two several times. The first, when Fidele pretended Yasine

was to murder me in the desert; the second, when he said he had no

camels; and I also mentioned the piastres, and his intention to

murder me." "Ammonios, says black Soliman, and Yasine, Nara, and Ras

el Feel, all belong to Ayto Confu, and were given to Yagoube by him,

for his maintenance all the time he was at Gondar. Ayto Confu and

he are brothers; they were together in the camp, slept together in

the same house; they are brothers and more than brothers, for they

swore to each other, when we passed Tcherkin, upon the heart of the

elephant[31]. I swear by our holy faith, that Confu will be down here

himself; what does he care for a journey of two days?"

All now with one voice condemned Fidele, who had not a word to say,

only, that if he knew the person who carried that message, he would

cut off his head, if he was his brother. "But it is impossible, says

the Shekh; should I not have known of the messenger being absent?

impossible!" Then turning to his servant, said, "Is Kutcho el Hybari

here? I have not seen him lately."--"Sir, says he, you know you sent

Kutcho to Mendera long before the Hakim arrived."--"True, says

Fidele, then it is impossible." "Your messengers and mine, said I,

Shekh, are not of the same sort, nor shall I ask your leave when I

am to send to Ras el Feel or Sennaar, nor shall you ever cut off the

head from any one of them. But why are you alarmed at these asses

being taken? Should you not be afraid of something similar happening

at Mecca? Am not I under the protection of the sherriffe? When

Metical Aga hears this, will he not resent it? Will Yousef Kabil,

the Christian, the sherriffe's vizir at Jidda, through whose hands

your people pass, will he be gentler to them upon this account?"--"A

curse upon him! says the sherriffe; he gentle! he is a shark."

"Meloun Ibn Sheitan, says the Turk Ismael, _i. e._ accursed wretch,

child of the devil!"--"Well then, said I, the difficulty is only to

know if he is informed of this at Mecca. Friday the 17th is your

festival. If the afternoon of that shall pass like those of common

days, I am a worthless man and an impostor; but if on that day, before

el'asser[32], a sign be seen in the heavens that shall be thought

by all of you unusual and extraordinary, then am I an innocent man,

and Fidele's designs against me are known to the world, at Sennaar

and at Mecca, at Cairo and at Gondar, and everywhere else, and will

not be pleasing either to God or man." Yarif el Hakim[33], says the

sherriffe; Hakim[34]! says the Shekh of the Jehaina; Ullah Akbar[35]!

says the Moullah, lifting his eyes up to heaven, and counting his

beads very devoutly.

The foretelling the sign seemed not at all to please the Shekh, who

appeared very much disconcerted with the supposed invisibility of

messengers. I got up, having pushed my design just far enough. I then

shook hands with the Shekh, saying, "I am glad to see you don't want

camels, alluding to the number I saw come with the Jehaina; get your

bouza made, and your provisions ready, you'll have strangers with you

soon." He said only, "(Ullah Kerim!") _i. e._ God is merciful; which

was echoed by every mouth in the room. I saluted particularly the

Shekh of the Jehaina, who had seen me at Ras el Feel, and I then went

out of the room, leaving them all there, and going home very chearful,

began to prepare for leaving Teawa, which we were satisfied was now

near at hand.

On the 14th, in the morning, the Moullah and sherriffe, with the Shekh

of Beyla's servant, and the old Kaiya Soliman, came to see our clocks

and watches. They sat upon benches at the door and drank coffee, not

caring to enter the house, I suppose, for fear of being defiled. As

the old Kaiya was there, it was almost impossible to speak concerning

our affairs, all was about our religion, and the manner in which a

Dervish lived. All at once, a servant behind cried out, "News from

Sennaar!" and, presently after, we saw three men; one of whom was my

servant, whom I sent to Sennaar with the Daveina, who delivered to

me a letter from Hagi Belal, informing me, that Mahomet Abou Calec,

and Shekh Adelan, were both at a distance from Sennaar, at the head

of armies, and the king in the capital almost alone, under great

apprehensions; but as no mischief had yet happened, and the king

had no force, it was hoped things might be made up. He added, that

he thought it better to wait a little, to get a servant of Adelan

to accompany the king's, than to trust to that one alone. Having

communicated the contents of my letter to Shekh Fidele, and received

his congratulations, they all left me, and went to the Shekh to hear

what further news were brought to him. What I told him was confirmed;

and the Shekh having no longer any option, declared his resolution

to obey without further delay, and desired us to get ready for our

journey.

It was told us, however, soon after, that the king's servant who had

arrived, whose name was Mahomet, was a great friend of Shekh Fidele,

and the usual one sent to him at Teawa; and that he was a great

drunkard, and reprobate. On the contrary, Adelan's servant, though

young, was a very gentle, sober person, a slave that had been given to

Adelan by the Shekh of Beyla; and he was very urgent for us to depart.

We soon saw the consequence of this difference of manners; and that

Shekh Fidele had not relinquished his view to the piastres. For having

tutored the king's servant all night, and gained him to his interest,

he had, early in the morning of the 15th, declared that he was not

to stir from Teawa for a fortnight, and he was ordered to get the

camels from some distance in Atbara, the place I do not remember. This

displeased Adelan's servant much, who declared before the assembly,

that he was determined to set out the next day, that he knew not the

orders the king had given, but he knew his master's orders; and that

if the Shekh did not furnish him with camels, or opposed our setting

out, he would take him with him to Adelan at Aira, or, upon his

refusal to go, denounce him a rebel, and his master's enemy, and leave

him to what would be the consequence. Upon this bold speech, every

body left the Shekh, and went away, whispering, two and two together.

The king's servant joined his companion, who told me to be ready, and

fear nothing, for he would see me to-morrow night at Beyla.

About half an hour after my return home I was again called to the

Shekh, who had only the Moullah and the old Kaiya sitting by him, with

two short letters in his hand from Yasine, full of reproaches for his

behaviour to me, and declaring with most solemn oaths, that if those

letters found me at Teawa, or if I was not gone from thence in peace,

he would, before a fortnight was elapsed, be down as an enemy upon

Teawa; and unless the Daveina did engage to burn every stalk of corn

between that and Beyla as soon as it was in the ear, he would shut

Abyssinia against them, and that they should neither eat bread nor

drink water in it as long as he was alive and governor of Ras el Feel.

These letters mentioned a complaint likewise that had been sent to

Shekh Adelan at Sennaar, but by whom they did not say, probably from

Ayto Confu, complaining of Fidele's usage to me. Yasine's men, that

brought the letters from Ras el Feel to Teawa, were said to be three

in number, mounted on camels, or dromedaries, and armed with coats

of mail and head-pieces. They refused to come into Teawa, to eat of

Shekh Fidele's bread[36], or drink of his water, looking upon him as

a declared enemy of Yasine, their master. Fidele with some difficulty

at last allowed black Soliman to go to meet them, to persuade them to

enter the town; but all to no purpose, for the only favour he could

obtain was, that they should stay with the Jehaina at Jibbel Isriff

till they heard I was fairly set out on my journey.

The next day, the 16th of April, I received a message from the

Moullah, that the camels were all ready, that girbas for the water

were wanting, but girbas should be found for me; and he would give me

his word they should be found filled at the river where I directed;

as also all sorts of provisions and necessaries to carry me to Beyla,

to which place I should set out the moment I pleased; only that I

must not go from Teawa without making peace with the Shekh, and

promising to forgive him, and not make any complaint against him at

Sennaar or elsewhere, provided he, on his part, gave over all further

machinations against me. I answered, That however ill-used, yet,

for his sake, I would do any thing he wished me to do, and that I

was ready to pacify Yasine, by writing to him by the return of his

messengers. All was agreed, so we packed up our baggage with the

utmost diligence.

On the 17th, in the forenoon, I was appointed to meet the Shekh at

his own house, and told the Moullah I expected he would have the

camels ready. As we suspected, our girbas were insufficient, and

indeed we had found them so when they lost our water in the wood near

Imgellalib; we got three new ones from the Shekh in perfect good

condition, and gave him our two in exchange, which were something

larger than his. Each of these skins are valued at 12 dollars, or

about three pounds sterling. There is great art and labour required in

making the seams water-tight; they are all stitched most dexterously,

strongly greased, and then laid over thick on the outside with warm

tar, and need constant care and inspection. About nine o'clock we

went to the Shekh, and entered presently upon business. I engaged

to pacify Yasine, whose servants, upon my message, came to town to

see me depart, and were kindly received and cloathed by the Shekh. A

large breakfast was ordered; Fidele and I, with Yasine's servants, ate

together of several very good dishes. The two holy men, and another

stranger equally holy, ate together out of a separate plate; after

which we all stood up, and said the prayer of peace, and I took my

leave. We all then went out together into the market-place, and eight

camels were ordered down to my house, with people to wait upon them.

The girbas, which lay filled and soaking at the river-side, were

ready to be loaded upon our camels. A servant of the Kaiya held my

horse, which had been taken from me by Fidele soon after my arriving

at Teawa, but which was now restored me. My servant who came from

Sennaar had indeed told me that no horses would live there; that

those that were necessary for the troops of the government were all

kept at a distance from Sennaar, and maintained at Aira, or places in

the sand at a small distance, but free from the plague of the fly.

The Shekh made no observation upon this. I said, The horse is a very

excellent one, and I will now shew him to you. I sent for a short

double-barrelled gun, threw off my burnoose, and mounting the horse,

made him do every thing he was capable of, putting him to his full

speed, firing to right and left on each side of him.

They were all struck with amazement, and with a kind of terror. They

had never before seen a gun fired on horseback, much less a gun

fired twice without charging. I did not want to explain the matter

to them; and, as far as I could perceive, the Moullah especially was

very glad when I sent it home. "This is the way, said I, that my

countrymen ride, and the way they fight; no people on earth understand

fire-arms or horsemanship like them. For my part, I am a man of peace,

a Dervish, and no soldier; it is not my profession, and I do the

thing aukwardly. If you saw some of our soldiers ride, it would be a

sight indeed." Fidele laughed, or counterfeited a laugh, but being a

soldier, it was his part to say something. "If many of your countrymen

like you were here, man of peace as you are, unless they were friends

to us they would get all Atbara to themselves. If they were friends,

says he, I think I could do something with them; that horse seems to

have the sense of a man."--"Such as he is, said I, dismounting, a

prince gave him to me, and such as he is I now give him to you, as a

proof that I am your friend, and that I should not grudge you a few

paltry piasters, if I had not been under a vow of poverty; money is

of no kind of value to me, and consequently not carried about with

me." The horse was gladly received, though, as I was going to Sennaar,

where no horses are kept, the compliment was a cheap one on my part.

"How could you, Fidele, says the Moullah in great surprise, have it

in your heart to torment such a man as this? I told you what he was,

our books speak of them: they are not Kafrs, but spend all their lives

in wandering over the face of the earth in search of wisdom, and are

always to do so till Hagiuge Magiuge come, and then there will be an

end of the world." I made a bow of assent to the Moullah, and all the

rest turned up their eyes to heaven in wonder of so much learning,

repeating their usual ejaculation, "Ullah Akbar!" God is great. I now

took my leave of them, and was going home, when the younger sherriffe

called after me, and said, "I suppose, now you are all at peace, we

shall not see the sign that you foretold us was to appear in the

heavens to-day." "I should be thought a liar if it did not appear,

said I; do you wish to see it?"--"I wish to see it, says he, if it

will do no harm."--"Then, replied I, you shall see it, and it shall

do no harm now. I hope it will bring health and happiness, and a good

crop to Teawa, and all the kingdom of Sennaar. Go home, while I order

my affairs. Something more than two hours after this I will come to

you, and it will then appear." They all went away, and, as I thought

by their looks, they would have been better satisfied that affair had

been forgot, the Shekh saying peevishly to the sherriffe, "Let him

mind his affairs and his journey; what is the use of these things now?"

I had rectified my watch by observation. I knew I could not be far

wrong, having seen in the ephemerides the hour the eclipse was to

begin. I passed a corner of the Shekh's house, and went in at the

back-door. He was there with his usual friends, the Moullah, the

sherriffe, the Kaiya, and one or two more. The sherriffe asked me

where the sign would appear; and the Moullah, if there would be any

thunder and lightning? I told them there would be nothing disagreeable

at all. I went to the door, and saw it was begun. There was to be

a total eclipse of the moon. I did not tell them at first, till it

had advanced some way, and was apparent upon the disk. "Now! look at

that, said I; in some time after this the moon shall be so totally

swallowed up in darkness, that a small light shall only be seen in the

edges." They were frightened at the denunciation, rather than at any

thing they observed, till a little before the eclipse became total. A

violent apprehension then fell upon them all; and the women from their

apartments began to howl as they do on all melancholy occasions of

misfortune, or death. They were in the inner square. "Now, continued

I, I have kept my word; it will soon be clear again, and will do no

harm to man or beast."

It was agreed among them that I should not go home till it was totally

at an end. I consented to this; and only said to the Shekh, that I

wished he would let me see my patients before I went away, for that

one of them was really ill, and needed advice. He seemed to take it

very kindly, and desired me to go in. I was met in the anti-chamber

by Aiscach, and two or three black slaves, who cried out in great

terror, "O! Hakim! what is this! what are you going to do!" "I am

going to do, Madam, said I, one of the most disagreeable things I ever

did in my life; I am going to take leave of you." I was immediately

surrounded with a number of women, some of them crying, some of them

with children in their arms. I went into the room where the two

ladies were, whom I quieted and satisfied to the utmost of my power.

We parted with reciprocal professions of friendship and regret at

separation. I then begged that I might see their slave, who used to

bring us meat, with a clean cloth, to wrap up something I had for

them. They told me, Sennaar was but a bad place for white people; but

promised to send recommendations in my favour, both to Adelan and the

king's women, by Adelan's servant, who was to conduct us.

When I returned to the Shekh, the emersion was far advanced, and they

all seemed to be regaining their composure, though strong marks of

surprise remained in their countenances. After a little conversation,

turning chiefly upon Hagiuge Magiuge, and their silly stories about

them, which I shall not repeat, I took my leave, and went home,

renewing my assurances that all was forgotten.

At night, the slave came and brought a clean cotton cloth. I sent a

piece of thin India yellow satin, and six handsome crimson and green

handkerchiefs, to the beautiful Aiscach; and, to the best of my power,

discharged all our obligations to those that were our friends and had

been kind to us.

In a country so desert, and exceedingly poor as Teawa, under such a

government, it is not to be expected that trade of any kind should

flourish; yet there is a miserable manufacture of coarse cotton cloths

of the size of large towels, just enough to go round the middle, which

pass current, like specie, all over Atbara: They are called Dimoor,

and are used in place of small silver money. The Mahalac, a very bad

copper coin, passes for smaller matters; so that the currency of Teawa

stands thus:--

20 Mahalac, 1 Crush,

12 Crush, 1 Metical,

4 Metical, 1 Vakia.

The vakia of gold is worth about forty-five shillings; but the only

commerce of Teawa is carried on by exchange, as salt for grain, camels

for salt; the value of goods varying according to the scarcity or

plenty of one sort of commodities with respect to the other.

The reader will, I believe, by this, be as desirous to get out of

Teawa as I was; and if so, it is charity in time to deliver him. I

took leave of the Shekh on the 18th in the morning; but before we

could get all ready to depart it was five in the afternoon. The day

had been immoderately hot, and we had resolved to travel all night,

though we did not say so to the Shekh, who advised us to sleep at

Imgededema, where there was fresh water. But we had taken a girba of

water with us, or rather, in case of accident, a little in each of

the three girbas; and all being ready on the river-side, except the

king's servant, we set out, and he overtook us in less than two hours

afterwards, pretty well refreshed with the Shekh's bouza, and strongly

prejudiced against us, as we had occasion to discover afterwards.

CHAP. VII.

_Arrival at Beyla--Friendly Reception there, and after, amongst

the Nuba--Arrival at Sennaar._

When we got a few miles into the plain, my servant delivered me a

message from the Moullah, that he would join us the next day at

Beyla; that we were not to trust to the king's servant in any thing,

but entirely to that of the Shekh Adelan; and if these two had any

dispute together, to take no share in it, but leave them to settle it

between themselves; that, upon no account whatever, we should suffer

any companions to join us upon the road to Beyla, but drive them off

by harsh words, beat them if they did not go away, and, if they still

persisted, to shoot them, and make our way good by force; that between

Teawa and Beyla was a place, the inhabitants of which had withdrawn

themselves from their allegiance to the king of Sennaar, who could

not there protect us; therefore we were to trust to ourselves, and

admit of no parley; for if we passed, we should pass with applause, as

if the king's force had conducted us; and if we miscarried, the blame

would be laid upon ourselves, as having ventured, so thinly attended,

through a country laid waste by rebel Arabs, expressly in defiance

of government. He added, that he did not believe it was in Shekh

Fidele's power, from want of time, to do us any injury upon the road;

that the people in Teawa were in general well-affected to us, and

afraid we should bring Yasine and the Daveina upon them, and so were

the Jehaina; and as for the pack of graceless soldiers that were then

about the Shekh, their belief that we had really no money with us,

and the last exhibition I had shewn them on horseback, had perfectly

cured them of venturing their lives for little, against people so much

superior to them in the management of arms; yet he wished us to be

active and vigilant like men, and trust in nothing till we had seen

the Shekh of Beyla, and not to lose a moment on the road.

Our journey, for the first seven hours, was through a barren, bare,

and sandy plain, without finding a vestige of any living creature,

without water, and without grass, a country that seemed under the

immediate curse of Heaven. At twelve o'clock at night we turned a

little to the eastward of south, to enter through very broken ground

into a narrow defile, between two hills of no considerable height.

This pass is called Mattina. One of our camel-drivers declared that

he saw two men run into the bushes before him, upon which our people

took all to their slings, throwing many stones before them into the

bushes, directed nearly to a man's height. At their earnest desire I

ordered Ismael to fire our large ship-blunderbuss, with fifty small

bullets in it, among the bushes, in the direction of the road-side;

but we neither saw nor heard any thing of those people thereafter, if

there really were any, nor did I, at the time, indeed, believe the

camel-driver had seen any one but through the medium of his own fears;

for the Arabs never attack you till near sun-set, if they are doubtful

of their own superiority, or at dawn of day, if they think they have

the advantage, that they may have time to pursue you.

We, however, all continued on foot, from four till the grey of the

morning of the 19th of April. Indeed, so violent an inclination to

sleep had fallen upon me, that I was forced to walk, for fear of

breaking my neck by a fall from my camel, till eight o'clock, when

we halted in a wood of ebony bushes, growing like the birch tree in

many shoots from the old stems, which had been cut down for fear of

harbouring the fly, and totally deprived of their leaves afterwards,

by the burning of grass, from the same reason. This place is called

Abou Jehaarat, and is the limit between the government of Teawa and

Beyla. After such a very fatiguing journey, we rested at Abou Jehaarat

till the afternoon. The sun was very hot, but fortunately some

shepherds caves were dug in the bank, and to these we fled for shelter

from the intense heat of the sun, where the ebony trees, though in a

very thick wood, could afford us no shade, for the reasons already

given.

At three o'clock in the afternoon we set out from Abou Jehaarat, in

a direction west, and at eight in the evening we arrived at Beyla.

There is no water between Teawa and Beyla. Once, Imgededema, and a

number of villages, were supplied with water from wells and had

large crops of Indian corn sown about their possessions. The curse of

that country, the Arabs Daveina, have destroyed Imgededema, and all

the villages about it, filled up their wells, burnt their crops, and

exposed all the inhabitants to die by famine.

We found Beyla to be in lat. 13° 42´ 4´´; that is, about eleven miles

west of Teawa, and thirty-one and a half miles due south. We were met

by Mahomet, the Shekh, at the very entrance of the town. He said, he

looked upon us as risen from the dead; that we must be good people,

and particularly under the care of Providence, to have escaped the

many snares the Shekh of Atbara had laid for us. Mahomet, the Shekh,

had provided every sort of refreshment possible for us; and, thinking

we could not live without it, he had ordered sugar for us from

Sennaar. Honey for the most part hitherto had been its substitute. We

had a good comfortable supper; as fine wheat-bread as ever I ate in my

life, brought from Sennaar, as also rice; in a word, everything that

our kind landlord could contribute to our plentiful and hospitable

entertainment.

Our whole company was full of joy, to which the Shekh greatly

encouraged them; and if there was an alloy to the happiness, it

was the seeing that I did not partake of it. Symptoms of an aguish

disorder had been hanging about me for several days, ever since the

diarrhœa had left me. I found the greatest repugnance, or nausea,

at the smell of warm meat; and, having a violent headach, I insisted

upon going to bed supperless, after having drank a quantity of warm

water by way of emetic. Being exceedingly tired, I soon fell sound

asleep, having first taken some drops of a strong spirituous tincture

of the bark which I had prepared at Gondar, resolving, if I found any

remission, as I then did, to take several good dozes of the bark in

powder on the morrow, beginning at day-break, which I accordingly did

with its usual success.

On the 20th of April, a little after the dawn of day, the Shekh, in

great anxiety, came to the place where I was lying, upon a tanned

buffaloe's hide, on the ground. His sorrow was soon turned into joy

when he found me quite recovered from my illness. I had taken the

bark, and expressed a desire of eating a hearty breakfast of rice,

which was immediately prepared for me.

The Shekh of Beyla was an implicit believer in medicine. Seeing me

take some drops of the tincture before coffee, he insisted upon

pledging me, and I believe would have willingly emptied the whole

bottle. After having suffered great agony with his own complaint, he

had passed some small stones, and was greatly better, as he said,

for the soap-pills. I put him in a way to prepare these, as also his

lime-water. It was impossible to have done any favour for him equal

to this, as his agony had been so great. He told me our Moullah was

arrived from Teawa, and had left Shekh Fidele still repining at our

departure, without leaving him the piastres. As for the eclipse, he

said he did not care a straw, nor for what they did or knew at Mecca,

for he had no interest there. I understood our friend Mahomet, Shekh

of Beyla, had been under great uneasiness at the eclipse, when it

advanced in the immersion, and became total. Some time before this,

as he said, there had been another, but not so great, on the day

the Daveina burnt Imgededema, with above thirty other villages, and

dispersed or destroyed about two thousand inhabitants of Atbara.

It was now the time to give the Shekh a present, and I had prepared

one for him, such as he very well deserved; but no intreaty, nor any

means I could use, could prevail upon him to accept of the merest

trifle. On the contrary, he solemnly swore, that if I importuned him

further he would get upon his horse and go into the country. All that

he desired, and that too as a favour, was, that, when I had rested at

Sennaar, he might come and consult me further as to his complaints,

for which he promised he should bring a recompence with him. We then

settled to give his present to the Moullah, with which he was very

well pleased, and which he took without any of those difficulties the

Shekh of Beyla had started when it was offered to him.

All being friends now, and contented, the day was given to repose and

joy. The king's servant came and told me, by way of secret, that we

could not do less to please the Shekh than stay with him a week at

Beyla, and I believe it would not have displeased him; but after so

much coming and going, so much occasion for talk relative to me, I

was resolved to follow Hagi Belal's advice, and press on to Sennaar

before affairs there were in a desperate situation, or some scheme

of mischief should be contrived by Fidele. One thing Shekh Adelan's

servant told us, that he had, by his master's orders, taken from

Fidele the present I had given him, though he had already made it

up into a gown, or robe, for himself. "He is a poor wretch, says

the Shekh of Beyla; he has spent two years of the king's revenues

from Atbara, and nobody has supported him except Shekh Adelan, whose

daughter he married, but he now has given him up since he has fully

known him; and, if our troubles do not follow quickly, I suppose one

of these days I shall have him here in his way to Sennaar, never to

return; for everybody knows now that it was in hatred to him, and for

the many faithless and bad actions he was guilty of, that the Arabs

have destroyed all that part of the country, though they have not

burnt a straw about Beyla."

We had again a large and plentiful dinner, and a quantity of bouza;

venison of several different species of the antelope or deer-kind, and

Guinea-fowls, boiled with rice, the best part of our fare, for the

venison smelled and tasted strongly of musk. This was the provision

made by the Shekh's two sons, boys about fourteen or fifteen years

old, who had got each of them a gun with a match-lock and whose favour

I secured to a very high degree, by giving them some good gunpowder,

and plenty of small leaden bullets.

In the afternoon we walked out to see the village, which is a very

pleasant one, situated upon the bottom of a hill, covered with wood,

all the rest flat before it. Through this plain there are many

large timber trees, planted in rows, and joined with high hedges,

as in Europe, forming inclosures for keeping cattle; but of these

we saw none, as they had been moved to the Dender for fear of the

flies. There is no water at Beyla but what is got from deep wells.

Large plantations of Indian corn are everywhere about the town. The

inhabitants are in continual apprehension from the Arabs Daveina

at Sim Sim, about 40 miles south-east from them; and from another

powerful race called Wed abd el Gin, _i. e._ _Son of the slaves of the

Devil_, who live to the south-west of them, between the Dender and the

Nile. Beyla is another frontier town of Sennaar, on the side of Sim

Sim; and between Teawa and this, on the Sennaar side, and Ras el Feel,

Nara, and Tchelga, upon the Abyssinian side, all is desert and waste,

the Arabs only suffering the water to remain there without villages

near it, that they and their flocks may come at certain seasons while

the grass grows, and the pools or springs fill elsewhere.

Although I went early to bed with full determination to set out

by day-break, yet I found it was impossible to put my design in

execution, or get from the hands of our kind landlord. One of our

girbas seemed to fail, and needed to be repaired. Nothing good, as he

truly said, could come from the Shekh of Atbara. A violent dispute

had arisen in the evening, after I was gone to bed, over their bouza,

between the king's servant and that of Shekh Adelan. It was about

dividing their fees which they had received from Shekh Fidele. This

was carried a great length, and it was at last agreed that it should

be determined by the Shekh of Beyla in the morning, when both of them,

as might be supposed, should have cooler heads. For my part, I took no

thought or concern about it, as no circumstance of its origin had been

notified to me; but it took up so much of our time, that it was after

dinner before we were ready.

On the 21st of April we left Beyla at three o'clock in the afternoon,

our direction south-west, through a very pleasant, flat country, but

without water; there had been none in our way nearer than the river

Rahad. About eleven at night we alighted in a wood: The place is

called Baherie, as near as we could compute, nine miles from Beyla.

On the 22d, at half past five o'clock in the morning we left Baherie,

still continuing westward, and at nine we came to the banks of the

Rahad. The ford is called Tchir Chaira. The river itself was now

standing in pools, the water foul, stinking, and covered with a

green mantle; the bottom soft and muddy, but there was no choice.

The water at Beyla was so bad, that we took only as much as was

absolutely necessary till we arrived at running water from the Rahad.

We continued half an hour travelling along the river at N. W. and W.

N. W. till three quarters past ten. At noon we again met the river

Rahad, which now had turned to the westward of north, and by its sides

we pitched our tents near the huts of the Arabs, called _Cohala_, a

stationary tribe, that do not live in tents, but are tributary to the

Mek, and regularly pay all the taxes and exactions the government of

Sennaar lays upon them, and from these, therefore, we were not under

any apprehension.

On the 23d, at six o'clock in the morning we left the Cohala,

continuing along the river Rahad, which here runs a very little to

the eastward of north. At three o'clock we alighted at Kumar, another

station of the same Arabs of Cohala, on the river side. This river,

here called Rahad, or Thunder, winds the most of any stream in

Abyssinia. It begins not far from Tchelga, passes between Kuara and

Sennaar, separating Abyssinia from Nubia, and making, with the river

Atbara, the Astaboras or Tacazzé, and the Nile, a perfect island,

whereas before it was only a peninsula. It seems to intercept all the

springs that would go down to the middle of the peninsula, from the

high country of Abyssinia, and is probably the reason of the great

dearth of water there. While it is in Abyssinia it is called Shimfa.

It falls into the Nile at Habharras, about thirty-eight miles north of

Sennaar.

The quarrel between our two conductors was so little made up, that the

king's servant would not travel with us, but always went half a day

before, and we joined him when we encamped in the evening. We did not

pay him the compliment of asking him why he did this, but allowed him

to take his own way, which he seemed not to be pleased with, giving

many hints at night, that he had, all his life, been averse to the

having any thing to do with white people.

We set out at five in the afternoon from Kumar, and in the close

of the evening met several men, on horseback and on foot, coming

out from among the bushes, who endeavoured to carry off one of our

camels. We indeed were somewhat alarmed, and were going to prepare for

resistance. The camel they had taken away had on it the king's and

Shekh Adelan's presents, and some other things for our future need.

Our clothes too, books, and papers, were upon the same camel. Adelan's

servant, though he was at first surprised, did not lose his presence

of mind; he soon knew these Arabs could not be robbers, and guessed

it to be a piece of malice of the king's servant to frighten us, and

extort money from us, in order to obtain restitution of the camel. He

therefore rode up to one of the villages of the Arabs, to ask them

who those were that had taken away our camel.

In one of the huts he found the king's servant regaling himself; upon

which he said to him, "I suppose, Mahomet, you have taken charge

of that camel, and will bring it with you to Sennaar; it has your

master's presents, and mine also, upon it:" and saying this, he rode

off to join us, and to punish those that had taken the camel, who,

we were sure after this notification, must follow us. We kept on at

a very brisk pace, for it was eleven o'clock before they came up to

where we were encamped for the night, bringing our camel, which they

had taken, along with them, with an Arab on horseback, attended with

two on foot, and with them the king's servant. I did not seem at

all to have understood the affair, only that robbers had taken away

our camel. But it did not sit so easy upon the Arabs, who did not

know there was any with us but the king's servant, and who wanted to

frighten us for not making them a present for eating their grass and

drinking their water. At first, Adelan's servant refused to take the

camel again upon any terms, insisting that the Cohala should carry it

to Sennaar; but, after a great many words, I determined to make peace,

upon condition they should furnish us with milk, wherever they had

cattle, till we arrived at Sennaar. This was very readily consented

to; and as this affair probably was owing to the malice of the king's

servant, so it ended without further trouble.

On the 24th, we set out at half after five in the morning, and passed

through several small villages of Cohala on the right and on the left,

till at eleven we came to the river Dender, standing now in pools,

but by the vast wideness of its banks, and the great deepness of its

bed, all of white sand, it should seem that in time of rain it will

contain nearly as much water as the Nile. The banks are everywhere

thick overgrown with the rack and jujeb tree, especially the latter.

The wood, which had continued mostly from Beyla, here failed us

entirely, and reached no further towards Sennaar. These two sorts of

trees, however, were in very great beauty, and of a prodigious size.

Here we found the main body of Cohala, with all their cattle, living

in perfect security both from Arabs and from the plague of the fly.

They were as good as their word to us in supplying us plentifully with

excellent milk, which we had scarcely ever tasted since we left Gondar.

At six o'clock in the evening of the 24th we set out from a shady

place of repose on the banks of the Dender, through a large plain,

with not a tree before us; but we presently found ourselves

encompassed with a number of villages, nearly of a size, and placed

at equal distances in form of a semi-circle, the roofs of the houses

in shape of cones, as are all those within the rains. The plain was

all of a red, soapy earth, and the corn just sown. This whole country

is in perpetual cultivation, and though at this time it had a bare

look, would no doubt have a magnificent one when waving with grain.

At nine we halted at a village of Pagan Nuba. These are all soldiers

of the Mek of Sennaar, cantoned in these villages, which, at the

distance of four or five miles, surround the whole capital. They are

either purchased or taken by force from Fazuclo, and the provinces to

the south upon the mountains Dyre and Tegla. Having settlements and

provisions given them, as also arms put in their hands, they never

wish to desert, but live a very domestic and sober life. Many of them

that I have conversed with seem a much gentler sort of negro than

those from Bahar el Aice, that is, than those of whom the Funge, or

government of Sennaar, are composed.

These have small features likewise, but are woolly-headed, and

flat-nosed, like other negroes, and speak a language rather pleasant

and sonorous, but radically different from many I have heard. Though

the Mek, and their masters at Sennaar, pretend to be Mahometans, yet

they have never attempted to convert these Nuba; on the contrary,

they entertain, in every village, a certain number of Pagan priests,

who have soldiers pay, and assist them in the offices of their

religion. Not knowing their language perfectly, nor their customs,

it is impossible to say any thing about their religion. Very few

of the common sort of them speak Arabic. A false account, in these

cases, is always worse than no account at all. I never found one of

their priests who could speak so much Arabic as to be able to give

any information about the objects of their worship in distinct and

unequivocal terms; but this was from my not understanding them, and

their not understanding me, not from any desire of concealment, or

shyness on their part; on the contrary, they seemed always inclined to

agree with me, when they did not comprehend my meaning, and there is

the danger of being misinformed.

They pay adoration to the moon; and that their worship is performed

with pleasure and satisfaction, is obvious every night that she

shines. Coming out from the darkness of their huts, they say a few

words upon seeing her brightness, and testify great joy, by motions

of their feet and hands, at the first appearance of the new moon. I

never saw them pay any attention to the sun, either rising or setting,

advancing to or receding from the meridian; but, as far as I could

learn, they worship a tree, and likewise a stone, tho' I never could

find out what tree or stone it was, only that it did not exist in the

country of Sennaar, but in that where they were born. Their priests

seemed to have great influence over them, but through fear only, and

not from affection. They are distinguished by thick copper bracelets

about their wrists, as also sometimes one, and sometimes two about

their ancles.

These villages are called Dahera, which seems to me to be the same

word as Dashrah, the name given to the Kabyles, or people in Barbary,

who live in fixed huts on the mountains. But not having made myself

master enough of the Kabyles language when in Barbary, and being

totally ignorant of that of the Nuba we are now speaking of, I cannot

pretend to pursue this resemblance farther. They are immoderately

fond of swine's flesh, and maintain great herds of them in their

possession. The hogs are of a small kind, generally marked with black

and white, exceedingly prolific, and exactly resembling a species

of that kind common in the north of Scotland. The Nuba are not

circumcised. They very rarely turn Mahometans, but the generality of

their children do. Few of them advance higher than to be soldiers and

officers in their own corps. The Mek maintains about twelve thousand

of these near Sennaar, to keep the Arabs in subjection. They are

very quiet, and scarcely ever known to be guilty of any robberies

or mutinous disorders, declaring always for the master, that is, the

great one set over them. There is no running water in all that immense

plain they inhabit, it is all procured from draw-wells. We saw them

cleaning one, which I measured, and was nearly eight fathoms deep. In

a climate so violently hot as this, there is very little need of fuel,

neither have they any, there being no turf, or any thing resembling

it, in the country, no wood, not even a tree, since we had passed the

river Dender. However, they never eat their meat raw as in Abyssinia;

but with the stalk of the dora, or millet, and the dung of camels,

they make ovens under ground, in which they roast their hogs whole,

in a very cleanly, and not disagreeable manner, keeping the skins

on till they are perfectly baked. They had neither flint nor steel

wherewith to light their fire at first, but do it in a manner still

more expeditious, by taking a small piece of stick, and making a sharp

point to it, which they hold perpendicular, and then make a small hole

of nearly the same size in another piece of stick, which they lay

horizontal; they put the one within the other, and, between their two

hands, they turn the perpendicular stick, (in the same manner that we

do a chocolate mill) when both these sticks take fire, and flame in a

moment upon the friction; so perfectly dry and prepared is everything

here upon the surface to take fire, notwithstanding they are every

year subject to six months rain.

On the 25th, at four o'clock in the afternoon we set out from the

villages of the Nuba, intending to arrive at Basboch, where is the

ferry over the Nile; but we had scarcely advanced two miles into the

plain, when we were inclosed by a violent whirlwind, or what is

called at sea the water-spout. The plain was red earth, which had been

plentifully moistened by a shower in the night-time. The unfortunate

camel that had been taken by the Cohala seemed to be nearly in the

center of its vortex. It was lifted and thrown down at a considerable

distance, and several of its ribs broken. Although, as far as I could

guess, I was not near the center, it whirled me off my feet, and threw

me down upon my face, so as to make my nose gush out with blood. Two

of the servants likewise had the same fate. It plaistered us all over

with mud, almost as smoothly as could have been done with a trowel. It

took away my sense and breathing for an instant, and my mouth and nose

were full of mud when I recovered. I guess the sphere of its action to

be about 200 feet. It demolished one half of a small hut as if it had

been cut through with a knife, and dispersed the materials all over

the plain, leaving the other half standing.

As soon as we recovered ourselves, we took refuge in a village, from

fear only, for we saw no vestige of any other whirlwind. It involved

a great quantity of rain, which the Nuba of the villages told us

was very fortunate, and portended good luck to us, and a prosperous

journey; for they said, that had dust and sand arisen with the

whirlwind, in the same proportion it would have done had not the earth

been moistened, we should all infallibly have been suffocated; and

they cautioned us, by saying, that tempests were very frequent in the

beginning and end of the rainy season, and whenever we should see one

of them coming, to fall down upon our faces, keeping our lips close to

the ground, and so let it pass; and thus it would neither have power

to carry us off our feet, nor suffocate us, which was the ordinary

case.

Our kind landlords, the Nuba, gave us a hearty welcome, and helped us

to wash our clothes first, and then to dry them. When I was stripped

naked, they saw the blood running from my nose, and said, they could

not have thought that one so white as me could have been capable of

bleeding. They gave us a piece of roasted hog, which we ate, (except

Ismael and the Mahometans) very much to the satisfaction of the Nuba.

On the other hand, as our camel was lame, we ordered one of our

Mahometan servants to kill it, and take as much of it as would serve

themselves that night; we also provided against wanting ourselves

the next day. The rest we gave among our new-acquired acquaintance,

the Nuba of the village, who did not fail to make a feast upon it

for several days after; and, in recompence for our liberality, they

provided us with a large jar of bouza, not very good, indeed, but

better than the well-water. This I repaid by tobacco, beads, pepper,

and stibium, which I saw plainly was infinitely more than they

expected. Although we had been a good deal surprised at the sudden and

violent effects of the whirlwind of that day, and severely felt the

bruises it had occasioned, yet we passed a very social and agreeable

evening; those only of the Nuba who had been any time at Sennaar speak

a bad kind of Arabic, as well as their own language. I had seldom, in

my life, upon a journey, passed a more comfortable night. I had a very

neat, clean hut, entirely to myself, and a Greek servant that sat near

me. Some of the Nuba watched for us all night, and took care of our

beasts and baggage. They sung and replied to one another alternately,

in notes full of pleasant melody,

_Et cantare pares & respondere parati_----

VIRGIL.

till I fell fast asleep, involuntarily, and with regret, for, tho'

bruised, we were not fatigued, but rather discouraged, having gone no

further than two miles that day.

The landlord of the hut where I was asleep having prepared for our

safety and that of our baggage, thought himself bound in duty to go

and give immediate information to the prime minister of the unexpected

guests that then occupied his house. He found Adelan at supper, but

was immediately admitted, and a variety of questions asked him, which

he answered fully. He described our colour, our number, the unusual

size and number of our fire-arms, the poorness of our attire, and,

above all, our great chearfulness, quietness, and affability, our

being contented with eating any thing, and in particular mentioned

the hogs flesh. One man then present, testifying abhorrence to this,

Adelan said of me to our landlord, "Why, he is a soldier and a Kafr

like yourself. A soldier and a Kafr, when travelling in a strange

country, should eat every thing, and so does every other man that

is wise; has he not a servant of mine with him?" He answered, "Yes,

and a servant of the king too; but he had left them, and was gone

forward to Sennaar." "Go you with them, says he, and stay with them at

Basboch till I have time to send for them to town." He had returned

from Aira long before we arose, and told us the conversation, which

was great comfort to us all, for we were not much pleased with the

king's servant going before, as we had every reason to think he was

disaffected towards us.

On the 26th, at six o'clock in the morning, we set out from this

village of Nuba, keeping something to the westward of S. W. our way

being still across this immense plain. All the morning there were

terrible storms of thunder and lightning, some rain, and one shower of

so large drops that it wet us to the skin in an instant. It was quite

calm, and every drop fell perpendicularly upon us. I think I never

in my life felt so cold a rain, yet it was not disagreeable; for the

day was close and hot, and we should have wished every now and then

to have had so moderate a refrigeration; this, however, was rather

too abundant. The villages of the Nuba were, on all sides, throughout

this plain. At nine o'clock we arrived at Basboch, which is a large

collection of huts of these people, and has the appearance of a town.

The governor, a venerable old man of about seventy, who was so feeble

that he could scarcely walk, received us with great complacency, only

saying, when I took him by the hand, "O Christian! what dost thou, at

such a time, in such a country?" I was surprised at the politeness of

his speech, when he called me Nazarani, the civil term for Christian

in the east; whereas Infidel is the general term among these brutish

people; but it seems he had been several times at Cairo. I had here a

very clean and comfortable hut to lodge in, though we were sparingly

supplied with provisions all the time we were there, but never were

suffered to fast a whole day together.

Basboch is on the eastern bank of the Nile, not a quarter of a mile

from the ford below. The river here runs north and south; towards the

sides it is shallow, but deep in the middle of the current, and in

this part it is much infested with crocodiles. Sennaar is two miles

and a half S. S. W. of it. We heard the evening drum very distinctly,

and not without anxiety, when we reflected to what a brutish people,

according to all accounts, we were about to trust ourselves. The

village of Aira, where the vizir Adelan had then his quarters, was

three miles south and by west.

Next morning, the 27th, Shekh Adelan's servant left us to the charge

of the Nuba, to give his master an account of his journey, and our

safe arrival. He found Mahomet, the king's servant, our other guide,

before him there, and Adelan well informed of all that had passed

relating to Fidele, though not from Mahomet; for as soon as he began

to mention that he had found us at Teawa, Adelan said in a very angry

stile, "Will no one save me the disgrace of hanging that wretch?"

Adelan sent back his servant to inform us, that, two days afterwards,

we should be admitted. Mahomet, the king's servant, too, came back

with him, and staid till the evening; then he returned to Sennaar; but

he did not give us the satisfaction to tell us one word of what the

king had said to him about us, or how we were likely to be received,

leaving us altogether in suspence.

On the 29th, leave was sent us to enter Sennaar. It was not without

some difficulty that we got our quadrant and heavy baggage safely

carried down the hill, for the banks are very steep to the edge of

the water. The intention of our assistants was to slide the quadrant

down the hill, in its case, which would have utterly destroyed it; and

as our boat was but a very indifferent embarkation, it was obliged to

make several turns to and fro before we got all our several packages

landed on the western side. This assemblage, and the passage of our

camels, seemed to have excited the appetite, or the curiosity, of

the crocodiles. One, in particular, swam several times backwards

and forwards along the side of the boat, without, however, making

any attack upon any of us; but, being exceedingly tired of such

company, upon his second or third venture over, I fired at him with

a rifle-gun, and shot him directly under his fore shoulder in the

belly. The wound was undoubtedly mortal, and very few animals could

have lived a moment after receiving it. He, however, dived to the

bottom, leaving the water deeply tinged with his blood. Nor did we

see him again at that time; but the people at the ferry brought him

to me the day after, having found him perfectly dead. He was about

twelve feet long; and the boatmen told me that these are by much the

most dangerous, being more fierce and active than the large ones. The

people of Sennaar eat the crocodile, especially the Nuba. I never

tasted it myself, but it looks very much like Congor eel.

CHAP. VIII.

_Conversation with the King--With Shekh Adelan--Interview with

the King's Ladies_, &c. &c.

We were conducted by Adelan's servant to a very spacious good house

belonging to the Shekh himself, having two storeys, a long quarter

of a mile from the king's palace. He left a message for us to repose

ourselves, and in a day or two to wait upon the king, and that he

should send to tell us when we were to come to him. This we resolved

to have complied with most exactly; but the very next morning, the

30th of April, there came a servant from the palace to summon us

to wait upon the king, which we immediately obeyed. I took with me

three servants, black Soliman, Ismael the Turk, and my Greek servant

Michael. The palace covers a prodigious deal of ground. It is all

of one storey, built of clay, and the floors of earth. The chambers

through which we passed were all unfurnished, and seemed as if

a great many of them had formerly been destined as barracks for

soldiers, of whom I did not see above fifty 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 covered with

broad square tiles; over it was laid a Persian carpet, and the walls

hung with tapestry of the same country; the whole very well kept, and

in good order.

The king was sitting upon a matress, laid on the ground, which was

likewise covered with a Persian carpet, and round him was a number

of cushions of Venetian cloth of gold. His dress did not correspond

with this magnificence, for it was nothing but a large, loose shirt

of Surat blue cotton cloth, which seemed not to differ from the

same worn by his servants, except that, all round the edges of it,

the seams were double-stitched with white silk, and likewise round

the neck. His head was uncovered; he wore his own short black hair,

and was as white in colour as an Arab. He seemed to be a man about

thirty-four, his feet were bare, but covered by his shirt. He had a

very plebeian countenance, on which was stamped no decided character;

I should rather guess him to be a soft, timid, irresolute man. At my

coming forward and kissing his hand, he looked at me for a minute

as if undetermined what to say. He then asked for an Abyssinian

interpreter, as there are many of these about the palace. I said

to him in Arabic, "That I apprehended I understood as much of that

language as would enable me to answer any question he had to put to

me." Upon which he turned to the people that were with him, "Downright

Arabic, indeed! You did not learn that language in Habesh?" said he

to me. I answered, "No; I have been in Egypt, Turkey, and Arabia,

where I learned it; but I have likewise often spoken it in Abyssinia,

where Greek, Turkish, and several other languages, were used." He

said, "Impossible! he did not think they knew any thing of languages,

excepting their own, in Abyssinia."

There were sitting in the side of the room, opposite to him, four

men dressed in white cotton shirts, with a white shaul covering

their heads and part of their face, by which it was known they were

religious men, or men of learning, or of the law. One of these

answered the king's doubt of the Abyssinians knowledge in languages.

"They have languages enough; and you know that Habesh is called the

paradise of asses." During this conversation, I took the sherriffe of

Mecca's letter, also one from the king of Abyssinia; I gave him the

king's first, and then the sherriffe's. He took them both as I gave

them, but laid aside the king's upon a cushion, till he had read the

sherriffe's. After this he read the king's, and called immediately

again for an Abyssinian interpreter; upon which I said nothing,

supposing, perhaps, he might chuse to make him deliver some message

to me in private, which he would not have his people hear. But it

was pure confusion and absence of mind, for he never spoke a word

to him when he came. "You are a physician and a soldier," says the

king. "Both, in time of need," said I. "But the sherriffe's letter

tells me also, that you are a nobleman in the service of a great

king that they call Englise-man, who is master of all the Indies,

and who has Mahometan as well as Christian subjects, and allows them

all to be governed by their own laws."--"Though I never said so

to the sherriffe, replied I, yet it is true; I am as noble as any

individual in my nation, and am also servant to the greatest king now

reigning upon earth, of whose dominions, it is likewise truly said,

these Indies are but a small part."--"The greatest king! says he that

spoke about the asses, you should not say that: You forgot the grand

signior; there are four, Otman, Fersee, Bornow, and Habesh."--"I

neither forgot the grand signior, nor do him wrong, replied I. What I

have said, I have said."--"Kafrs and slaves! all of them, says Ismael;

there is the Turk, the king of England, and the king of France; what

kings are Bornow and the rest?--Kafrs."--"How comes it, says the

king, you that are so noble and learned, that you know all things,

all languages, and so brave that you fear no danger, but pass, with

two or three old men, into such countries as this and Habesh, where

Baady my father perished with an army? how comes it that you do not

stay at home and enjoy yourself, eat, drink, take pleasure and rest,

and not wander like a poor man, a prey to every danger?"--"You,

Sir, I replied, may know some of this sort of men; certainly you do

know them; for there are in your religion, as well as mine, men of

learning, and those too of great rank and nobility, who, on account of

sins they have committed, or vows they have made, renounce the world,

its riches and pleasures: They lay down their nobility, and become

humble and poor, so as often to be insulted by wicked and low men, not

having the fear of God before their eyes."--"True, these are Dervish,"

said the other three men. "I am then one of these Dervish, said I,

content with the bread that is given me, and bound for some years to

travel in hardships and danger, doing all the good I can to poor and

rich, serving every man, and hurting none." "Tybe! that is well," says

the king. "And how long have you been travelling about?" adds one of

the others. "Near twenty years," said I.--"You must be very young,

says the king, to have committed so many sins, and so early; they must

all have been with women?"--"Part of them, I suppose, were, replied I;

but I did not say that I was one of those who travelled on account of

their sins, but that there were some Dervishes that did so on account

of their vows, and some to learn wisdom." He now made a sign, and a

slave brought a cushion, which I would have refused, but he forced me

to sit down upon it.

I found afterwards who the three men were who had joined in our

conversation; the first was Ali Mogrebi, a native of Morocco, who was

Cadi, or chief judge at Sennaar, and was then fallen into disgrace

with the two brothers, Mahomet Abou Kalec, governor of Kordofan, and

Shekh Adelan, prime minister at Sennaar, then encamped at Aira at the

head of the horse and Nuba, levying the tax upon the Arabs as they

went down, out of the limits of the rains, into the sandy countries

below Atbara to protect their cattle from the fly. Another of these

three was Cadi of Kordofan, in the interest of Mahomet Abou Kalec,

and spy upon the king. The third was a saint in the neighbourhood,

conservator of a large extent of ground, where great crops of dora

not only grow, but when threshed out are likewise kept in large

excavations called Matamores; the place they call Shaddly. This man

was esteemed another Joseph among the Funge, who accumulated grain in

years of plenty, that he might distribute it at small prices among the

poor when scarcity came. He was held in very great reverence in the

neighbourhood of Sennaar.

The cadi then asked me, "If I knew when Hagiuge Magiuge was to come?"

Remembering my old learned friend at Teawa, I scarce could forbear

laughing. "I have no wish to know any thing about him, said I; I hope

those days are far off, and will not happen in my time." "What do your

books say concerning him? (says he, affecting a great look of wisdom)

Do they agree with ours?" "I don't know that, said I, till I hear

what is written in your books." "Hagiuge Magiuge, says he, are little

people, not so big as bees, or like the zimb, or fly of Sennaar,

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

carried to hell." "I know them not, said I, and, in the name of the

Lord, I fear them not, were they twice as little as you say they

are, and twice as numerous. I trust in God I shall never be so fond

of music as to go to hell after an ass for all the tunes that he or

they can play." The king laughed violently. I rose to go away, for I

was heartily tired of the conversation. I whispered the Abyssinian

servant in Amharic, to ask when I should bring a trifle I had to offer

the king. He said, Not that night, as I should be tired, but desired

that I should now go home, and he would send me notice when to come.

I accordingly went away, and found a number of people in the street,

all having some taunt or affronting matter to say. I passed through

the great square before the palace, and could not help shuddering,

upon reflection, at what had happened in that spot to the unfortunate

M. du Roule and his companions, though under a protection which should

have secured them from all danger, every part of which I was then

unprovided with.