C H A P . VU.
-Arrival at Beyla— Friendly Reception there, and after, amongjl ‘the Nuba—
Arrival at Sennaar.
WHEN we got a few miles into the plain, my fervant
delivered me a meffage from the Moullah, that he
wou ld join us the next day at Be yla; that we were not to
'truft to the k in g ’s fervant in any thing, but entirely to that
o f the Shekh A d elan ; and i f thefe two had any difpute
together, to take no fh.are in it, but leave them to fettle it
between themfelves ; that, upon no account whatever, we
fhould fuffer any companions to join us upon the road to
Beyla, but drive them o ff b y harfli words, beat them i f they
did not go away,- and, i f they ftill perfifted, to fhoot them,
and make our way good by force; that between Teawa and
Beyla was a place, the inhabitants o f which had withdrawn
themfelves from their allegiance to the k in g o f Sennaar,
■Whd could not there protect us,; therefore we were to truft
to ourfelvcs, and admit o f no parley ; for i f we paffed, w e
fhould, pafs with; applaufe, as i f the k in g ’s force had conT
ducted us ; a.nd i f we mifcarried, the blame would be
•laid upon ourfelvesj as having ventured, fo thinly attended,
through a country laid wafte by rebel Arabs, exprefsly in
•defiance o f government. He added, that he did not believe
i t was,in Shekh Fidele’s power, from want o f time, to dou*
■any injury upon the road ; that the people in Teawa were
-in general well-affected to us, and afraid we fhould bring
Yafine and the Daveina upon them» and fo were the Jehai-
na ; and as for the pack o f gracelefs foldiers that were then
abou t the Shekh, their belief that we had really no money
-with us» and the Laft exhibition I had fhewn them on horfes
■back, had perfeftly cured them o f venturing their lives for
little, againft people fo much fuperior to them in the management
o f arms,; yet he wifhed us to be adlive and v ig ilan
t like men, and truft in nothing till we had feen the
■Shekh o f Beyla, and not to lofe a moment on the road.
O ur journey, for the firft fevcn hours, was through a
barren, bare, and fandy plain, without finding a veftige o f
any,living,creature, without, water, and without grafs, a
'Country that feemed under the immediate curfe o f Heaven.
At twelve o’clock at night we turned a little to the eaft-
ward.of fouth, to enter through ve ry broken ground into a
narrow defile, between two hills o f no confiderable height.
This pafs is called Mattina. -One o f our camel-drivers declared
that he few two men run into' the bullies before him,
upon which our people took all to their flings, throwing
many ftones before them into the bufhes, directed nearly to
a man’s height. At their earneft defire 1 Ordered Ifmael to
. V ol. IV. 3 F , fire