trees. Hardly were the tents pitched, than Mahomet
returned, accompanied, by an officer and ten soldiers
as a guard, with a polite message from the Mudir
or governor, who had, as usual, kissed the potent
firman, and raised it to his forehead, with ‘the declaration
that he was “my servant, and that all that I
required should be immediately attended to.” Shortly
after, we were called upon by several Greeks, one of
whom was the army doctor, Signor Georgis, who,
with great kindness, offered to supply all our wants.
My wife was dreadfully weak and exhausted, therefore
an undisturbed night’s rest was all that was
required, with the independence of our own tent.
Cassala is rich in hyaenas, and the night was passed
in the discordant howling of these disgusting but
useful animals : they are the scavengers of the country,
devouring every species of filth, and clearing all carrion
from the earth. Without the hyaenas and vultures,
the neighbourhood of a Nubian village would be unbearable
; it is the idle custom of the people to leave
unburied all animals that die. Thus, among the
numerous flocks and herds, the casualties would create
a pestilence were it not for the birds and beasts of
prey.
On the following morning the fever had yielded to
quinine, and we were enabled to receive a round of
visits—the governor and suite, Elias Bey, the doctor
and a friend, and, lastly, Malem Georgis, an elderly
Greek merchant, who, with great hospitality, insisted
upon our quitting the sultry tent and sharing "bis.
CHAP. i n .] HOSPITALITY OF THE GREEK MERCHANT. 71
own roof. We, therefore, became his guests in
a most comfortable house for some days. Our
Turk, Hadji Achmet, returned on his way to
Berber; we discharged our camels, and prepared
to start afresh from this point for the Nile tributaries
of Abyssinia.