this brutiih people, that the k in g afcends his throne under
an admiffion that he may be lawfully put to death by his own
fubj eels or flaves, upon a council being held by the great officers,
i f they decree that it is not for the advantage o f the
ftate that he be fuffered to reign any longer. There is one
officer o f his own family, who, alone, can be the inftrument
o f fhedding his fovereign and kinfman’s blood. This officer
is called, Sid el Coom, mailer o f the k in g ’s houfehold,
or fervants, but has no vote in depofing him ; nor is any
gu ilt imputed to him, however many o f his fovereign«,he
thus regularly murders. Achmet Sid el Coom, the prefent
licenfed parricide, and refident in Ifmain’s palace, had murdered
the late k in g Nailer, and two o f his fons that were
well grown, befides a child at his mother’s breaft; and he
was expecting every day to 'con fe r the fame favour upon
Ifma in ; though at prefent there was no maliceon the one
part nor jealoufy on the other, and I believe both o f them
had a guefs o f w hat was likely to happen. It Was this Ach-
mer, who was very much my friend, that gave me a lift o f
the kings that had reigned, how long their reign lafted,
and whether they died a natural death, or were depofed and
murdered.
T his, extraordinary officer was one.pf the very few that
fhewed me any attention or civility at Sennaar.' He had
been violently tormented with the gravel, but had found
much eafe from the ufe o f foap-pills that I had given him,
and this had produced, on his part, no fmall degree o f gratitude
and friend fh ip ; he was alfo fubj eft to the epilepfy,
but this he was perfuaded was witchcraft, from the machinations
o f an enemy who refided far off. I often fiaid at
his
his houfe all night, when he fuffered excelfive pains, and I
may fay then only I was in fafety.
AcUmet feemed, by ftrange accident, to be one o f the
gentleft fpirits o f any that it was my misfortune to converfe
with at Sennaar. He was very little attached to, or convinced
of, the truth o f the Mahometan religion, and as little
zealous o f inftrufted in his own. He ufed often to qualify
his ignorance, or diibelief, by faying, that any, or mo religion,
wasbetter than that o f a Chriftian. His place o f birth
was in a village o f Fazuclo, and i t appeared to me that he
was ftill a Pagan. He was conftantly attended by Nuban
priefts, powerful conjurers and forcerers, i f you believed
him. | • I often converfed with thefe in great freedom, when
•it happened they underftood Arabic, and from them I learned
many particulars concerning the fituation o f the inland
part o f the country, efpecially that vaft ridge o f mountains,
D v r e : and Tegla, which run into the heart o f Africa to the
w e f t w a r d , whence they fay anciently they came, after having,
been preferved there from a deluge. I a iked them
often, (powerful as they were in charms), Why they did
not cure Achmet o f the gravel, or epilepfy r Their anfwer
was, That it was a Chriftian devil, and not fubjed to their
power.
Achmet did not believe that I was a Chriftian, knew I
was no Mahometan, but thought I was like himfelf, forne-
thing between the two, nor did le v e r undeceive him. I was
no miflionary, nor had I any care o f fouls, nor defire to enter
into converfation about religion with a man whofe only
office was to be the deliberate murderer o f his fovereign.
He fpoke good Arabic, was offended at no queftion, but anfwcred