met, Shekh o f 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 dif-
concerted the plan. The Daveina, on their w a y . to Beyla,
had heard that an encampment o f Arabs, (who ufually,
at this time, occupy the banks o f the Nile) had come eaft-
ward towards Atbara. Whether the Daveina intended to
attack thefe Arabs, or were afraid the Arabs intended to
fa ll upon them, I know not;, but they returned weilward
to the left, inftead o f coming to Be yla; they fent my fervant
forward, after fome lofs o f time, and M ahomet, Shekh
o f Beyla, had forwarded him to Sennaar. Here, too, he was
detained b y Shekh Adelan, the firft minifter, who happened
then not to be at Sennaar, but levying taxes upon the Arabs.
This we did not know at that tim e ; fo every moment we
expe&ed his arrival. We, were difappointed, likewife, in not
finding a fervant o f the Shekh o f Beyla waiting for us, who
was to inform us o f the fituation o f the country about Beyla.
This we more wondered at, becaufe, heing ill o f the
gravel, he had expreffed himfe lf very anxious, in his letter to
Yafine, to have fome lime-water, which his fervant was to
ge t from me at Teawa. We did not then know, as we foon
afterwards did, that this fervant had been waiting for us at
Teawa, and that Shekh Fidele had informed, him that I was
no longer coming b y Atbara, but that;Coque Abou Bareahad
fent me, under the care o f fome Ganjar horfe, ftraight down
the Dender from K u a ra ; lb that the Shekh; o f Beyla did not
expeit to fee m e
A l l this .being unknown to us, we were,ip epnflant ex-
peaation o f fervants from Sennaar, and the meflage from the
Shekh o f Beyla. But, as we all agreed we were in danger,
'4 we
w e refolved, the next 'day, at m eeting Shekh el Nile’s fervant,
to difpatch him to Ras eh Feel, requiring Yafine to fend
foibe perfbn, as from the k in g or Ayto Confu, to alk the rea-
fon o f our being detained, and to be a witnefs o f the Shekh’s
behaviour and our departure. In the mean time, we determined
tp make our interviews with him as few as pofli-
ble, till fome .affiftance ihould arrive. Soliman met the
Shekh el Nile’s fervant, and gave him the letter he was to
carry to Yafine, explaining himfelf to the Arab, by word o f
mouth.
On the night o f the 24th o f March, the day after our arrival,
our difpatch fet o ff from Jibbel Ifrifffor Ras el Feel ';
where he arrived fafely, but found Yafine was gone to Ayto
Confu at Tcherkin, elfe he would certainly have been ■
the firft to bring us comfort, for he had executed his coni-
miflion with great fidelity. This day I had ftaid in the
houfe, being ill o f the fimoom ; but had fent to Fidele, to let
him know I Ihould wait upon him next day, having as yet
given him no prefent, and being defirous to know what
effeft that might have. •
On the 25th, at four o’clock I waited upon the Shekh accordingly,
in his own houfe. Soliman the Moor, Hagi
Ifmael the Turk, who, befides, was a flierriffe, and my Greek
fervant, were along w ith me. I gave the Shekh, for a prefent,
a large piece o f blue Indian cotton ■ cloth, with gold
flowers, a 111k and cotton fafli, about two ounces o f civet,
two pounds o f nutmegs, and ten pounds o f pepper. He
received the prefents very gracioully to appearance, and laid
a ll the articles down befide him. !I defired that he would
difpatch me as foon as pofiible, and, for that end, be pre-
Vol. IV. - ' Z z - paring