o f this fiih great numbers in the Red Sea, and in the Indian
Ocean ; how they came upon the buihes, or at the roots o f
them, appears more the bufinefs o f the prefent narrative.
To confine m y fe lf to the matter o f fact, I fhall only fay, that
throughout this defert are many fprings o f fait-water; great
part o f the defert is foffilefalt, which, buried in fome places
at different depths according to the degree o f inclination
o f all minerals to the honzon, does at times in thefe fountains
appear very near the furface. Here I fuppofe the feed
is laid, and, by the addition o f the rain-water that falls upon
the fait during the tropical rains, the quantity o f falt-
water is much mcreafed, and thefe fiihes fpread themfelves,
over the plain as m a temporary ocean. The rains decreafe
and the fun returns ; thofe that are near fprings retire to"
them, and provide for the propagation o f future years.
Thofe that have wandered too far o ff in the plains retire
to the buihes as the only ihelter from the fun. The in-
tenfe heat at length deprives them o f that ihade, and they
perifli with the leaves to which they crept for ihelter, and
this is the reafon that we faw fuch a quantity o f ihells un-
er the buihes ; that we found them otherwife alive in the
very heart .o f the fprings, w e .ih a ll further circumftantiate
in our Appendix, when we fpeak o f m uffels fo found in our
niitory o f the formation o f pearls.
Rashid was once fu ll o f villages, all o f which are now
ruined by the Arabs Daveina. There are feven or eight
wells o f good water here, and the place itfelfi is beautiful
beyond description. It is a fairy land, in the middle o f an
inhofpitable, uninhabited defert; fu ll o f large wide fpread-
m g trees, loaded with flowers and fruit, and crowded with
an immenfe number o f the deer kind.. Among thefe,
we
we faw a large one, like the antelope, his buttocks (a
confiderable way up his back) being covered with white,
which terminated upon his thigh in a black line, drawn
from the haunch down very nigh to the joint o f his hind
leg. Thefe we had never feen before. The y are called
Ariel in Arabia, go in large flocks, are exceedingly
fwift ; though, from the neceflity o f coming to water,
and its only being found in particular places, they were
an eafy victim to thofe that watched for them at night.
Sim Sim is a copious fpring, which fupplies a large ba-
fon the Arabs have d u g for it near thirty feet deep. It lies
weft o f Rafhid, or a little to the fouthward o f weft. It is in
a fandy defert, in the direft way to Beyla and-Sennaar, and
here the Daveina kept their flocks, equally fecure from
the fly and the troops o f Sennaar, the two great enemies
they have to fear ; and being in the neighbourhood o f Ras
el Feel, they keep a large market there, fupplying that
country amply with provifions o f all kinds, and getting
from it, in .return, what they have not in. their own d iftrift-
We were juft two hours in coming to Raihid, for we
were flying for our lives ; the Simoom, or hot-wind, having
ftruck us not long after we had fet out from Imferrha, and
our little company, all but myfelf, fell mortally fick with
the quantity o f poifonous vapour that they had imbibed. I
apprehend, from Raftiid to Imferrha it is about five miles;
and though it is one o f the moft dangerous halting-places
between Ras el Feel and Sennaar, yet we were fo enervated,
our ftomachs fo weak, and our head-achs fo violent, that
we could not pitch our tent, but each wrapping himfelf in
his cloak, refigned himfelf immediately to fleep, under
the