the reft o f her drefs was a blue ihift, which hu ng loofely
about her, and covered her down to her feet, though it
was not very rigoroufly nor very clofely difpofed all below
her neck. She was the talleft o f the middle fize, and not yet
fifteen years o f age; her whole features faultlefs; they might
have ferved alone for the ftudy o f a painter all his life, i f he
was in fearch o f abfolute beauty. Her mother being an
Arab o f the tribe .of Jehaina, her complexion was a dark
brown. Such was the beautiful Aifcach, daughter o f the
eldeft of the ladies that I was then attending.
N e i t h e r fickneis nor medicine could prevent thofe when
were prefent from difcovering plainly how exceedingly I
was difconcerted. Adelan’s daughter faid to me, You w ill
think nothing o f the women in Atbara, after fo long a ftay
in A b yflin ia ; but the women in Europe, they fay, are fo<
white, that they are the handfomeft o f all. I never
was lefs perfuaded o f that truth than at prefent, faid I ;
and I fee perfectly you obferve it.. “ Aye, aye, fays her
mother, and fo we do ;- i f ; Aifeach was ill; you would take
better care o f her than o f either o f us.” “ Pardon me;
faid I, Madam; i f the beautiful Aifcach was ill, I feel E
fhould myfelf be fo mucB affeCted as not to be able to at^
tend her at alL” '
A i s c a c h made the me ft gracious inclination with Her-
head, to fllew fhe was perfectly fenfible o f the compliment;
The women laughed out aloud. “ Send for Yafine and
your hopfe from Ras el Feel, cries a- voice behind me laugh-
ing, but fpeaking perfeft good Amharic ; take her away,
and carry her back with you to Abyflinia, I’ll go with y o u
with a ll ray heart, audio w ill ihe, I fwear to y o u .” ' I turned.
Cd with furprife to the perfon that fpoke the language,
which I had not heard fpoken o f late. “ She is a poor
Chriftian flave, fays the eldeft o f Fidele’s wives, taken by
the Jehaina when the Mek Baady was defeated in his return
to Sennaar; ihe is a fooliih, but merry creature, as you
fee.” All our diet and regimen being fettled, I took my
leave, and was attended to the door by the Abyflinian flave
and Aifcach, who feemed to be very much her friend;
When fhe came to the outer door, fhe covered'herfelf again
with her veil, from head to foot, as before, faying, in a low
voice, Shall we not fee you to-morrow?
O n the 31ft o f March, Fidele again infilled upon undergoing
another experiment o f the ipecacuanha. I waited upon
him at the fame hour as before, curious to know what
he would fay to me about his wives. Upon my inquiring
after them, he only anfwered, that they were w e l l ; and
when coffee was brought, before I went away, told me,
that he knew perfectly well, from Ras el Feel, that, when
I fet out from thence, I had difpofed, in various boxes and
chefls, (which I pretended were inftruments) 4000 ounces o f
gold, befides variety o f cloth o f gold, and other valuable
things for prefents; and as all this was now in his power,
he could hot think me mad enough to refufe him y o o p iastres,
which were only 50 o f thefe ounces I carried with
me ; that, i f I gave them, to him civilly, he wou ld forward
me to Sennaar in two days ; i f not, I was in his hands, and
he could eafily take the whole by force, and after difpofe o f
me as he pleafed.
"Well done ! out with it I faid I ; this is ‘hut what I knew
long to be in your heart. But let me fet you r ig h t; 1 have