the 20th ; and, for feveral days fince Adelan’s departure, no
provifions were fent to my houfe, as before was ufual.
Money therefore became abfolutely necellary, not only fo r
daily fubfiftence, but for camels to carry our baggage, pro-
villons, and water, acrofs the defert.
I now defpaired abfolutely o f afliftance o f any kind
from the k in g ; and an accident that happened made me
la y all thoughts alide o f ever troubling him more upon
the fubjeft. There are at Mecca a number o f black eunuchs,
whofe fervices are dedicated to that temple, and the fepul-
chre at Medina. Part o f thefe, from time to time, procure
liberty to return on a vifit to their refpedtive homes, or to
the large cities they were fold from, on the Niger, Bornou,
Tocrur, and Tombudto, where they beg donations for the
holy places, and frequently co llc il large fums o f gold, w hich
abounds in thefe towns and territories. One o f thefe,
called Mahomet Towalh, which fignifies Eunuch, had
returned from a begging voyage in Sudan, or Nigritia,
and was at Sennaar exceedingly ill with an intermitting fever.
The k in g had fent for me to vifit him, and the bark
in a few days had perfectly recovered him. A proportional
degree o f gratitude had, in return, taken place in the breaft
o f Mahomet, who, going to Cairo, was exceedingly deflrous
o f taking me with him, and this defire was increafed when
he heard I had letters from the IherrifFe o f Mecca, and was
acquainted with Metical Aga, who was his immediate
mailer.
Nothing could be more fortunate than this rencounter
at fuch a time, for he had fpare camels in great plenty,
and the Arabs, as he paffed them, continued giv ing him
more
more, and fupported him with provifions wherever he went,
fop thefe people, being accounted facred, and regarded with
a certain religious awe, as being in the immediate fervice o f
their prophet, till now ufed to pafs inviolate wherever they
were going, however unfettled the times, or however flen-
derly attended.
Every thing was now ready, my inftruments and baggage
packed up, and the 25th o f Auguft fixed when we
ihould begin our journey for Atbara. Mahomet, who paff.
ed a great part o f his time at my houfe, had not been leen
by us for feveral days, which we did not think extraordinary,
being bufy ourfelves, and knowing that his trade demanded
continual attendance on the great people ; but we
were exceedingly furprifed at hearing from my black Soli-
man, that he and all hjs equipage had fet out the night o f
the 20th for Atbara. This we found afterwards was at the
earneft perfuafion o f the king, and was at that rime a heav
y difappointment to us, however fortunate it turned out
afterwards.
T he night o f the 25th, which was to have -been that o f
our departure, we fat late in my room up ftairs, in the back,
or moft private part o f the houfe. My little company was
holding with me a melancholy council on what had fo
recently happened, and, in general, upon the unpromifing
face o f our affairs. Our fingle lamp was burning very low,
and fuggeited to us that it was the hour o f ileep, to which,
however, none o f us were very much inclined. Georgis,
a Greek, who, on account o f the forenefs o f his eyes had
ilaid below in the dark, and had fallen afleep, came running
up ftairs in a great fright, and told us he had been
3 Q_s wakened