the largeft and moil beautiful amethyfts upon his finger
that ever I faw, mounted plain, without any diamonds, and
a fmall gold ear-ring in one o f his ears.
“ Why have you come hither, fays he to me, without
arms, and on foot, and without attendants r>Yagouh.“ I was
told that horfes were not kept at Sennaar, and brought none
with me.” Adelan. “ You fuppofe you have come through
great dangers, and fo you have. But what do you think o f
me, who am day and night out in the fields furmunded by
hundreds and thoufands o f Arabs, all o f whom would eat
me alive if they dared ?” I anfwered,-“ A brave man, ufed
to command as you are, does not look to the number o f is
enemies, but to their abilities; a w o lf does not fear ten thou-
fand iheep more than he does one.” :, Ad. “ T ru e ; look out
at the d o o r; thefe are their chiefs whom I am now taxing,
and I have brought them hither that they may judge from
what they fee whether I am ready for them or not. Tag.
“ You could not do more properly ; but, as to my own affairs,
I wait upon you from the k in g o f Abyffima defirmg
fafe conduct through your country into Egypt, with his royal
promife, that he is ready to do the like for you again, or
any other favour you may call u pon him fo£ . 6 0 .
letter and read it. Ad. “ The k in g o f Abyffima may be af-
fured I am always ready to do more for him than this. It
is true, fince the mad attempt upon Sennaar, and the next
ftill madder, to replace old Baady upon the throne, we have
had no formal peace, but neither are we at war. We un-
derftandone another as good neighbours aerixaiiu uut — 0 ----------------- ought to d o , an„ n_d____ „ j
what elfe is peace ?” Tag. “ You know I am a ftranger and
traveller,' feeking my way home. I h a v e nothing to do
with peace or war between nations,. All I beg is a fafe cond
u it through your kingdom,• and the rights o f hofpitality
bellowed in fuch cafes on every common ftranger ; ami one
o f the favours, I beg is, your acceptance o f a fmall'prefcn-f.
I bring it not from home ; I have been long abfent from
thence, or it would have been better.” Ad. “ I?U not re->
fufe it, but it is quite unnecefiary. I have faults like other
men, but to hurt, or ranfom ftrangers, was never one o f
them. Mahomet Abou Kalec, my brother, is however a
much,better man to ftrangers than I am; you w ill be lu ck y
t f you meet him h e r e ; i f iiot, I w ill do for you w hat I can
when once the confufion o f thefe Arabs is over.
I g a v e him the Iherriffe’s letter, which he opened, looked at,
and laid by without reading, faying only, “ Aye, Metical
is a good man, he fometimes takes care o f our people
go in g to Mecca ; for my part, I never was there, and probab
ly never ihall.” I then prefented my letter from Ali Bey
to him. He placed it upon his knee, and gave a flap upon
it with his open hand. Ad. “ What! do you not know,
have you not heard,Mahomet Abou Dahab, hisHafnadar, has
rebelled againft him, baniihed him out o f Cairo, and now
fits in his place? But don’t be difconcerted at that, I
know you to be a man o f honour and prudence ; i f Mahomet,
my brother, does not come, as foon as I can get leifure
I w ill difpatch you.” The fefvant that had condudted me
to Sennaar, and was then with us, went forward clofe to
him, and faid, in a kind o f whifper, “ Should he go often
to the k in g ?”— “ When he pleafes ; he may go to fee the
town, and take a walk, but never alone, and alfo to the palace,
that, when he returns to his own country, he may
report he faw a k in g at Sennaar, that neither knows how
to govern, nor w ill fuffer others to teach h im ; who knows
‘ V o l. IV. 3 K 0«