■wakened b y the noife o f men endeavouring to force open
the d o o r; that he hearkened a little, and found there were
many o f them. Our arms were all ready, and we fnatch-
ed them up and ran towards the door; but I ftopt,
and planted them upon the firft landing-place in the ftair-
cafe, as I wiihed not to fire till the enemy was fairly in the
houfe, that no excufe might remain for this their violation
o f hofpitality.
I s t a t i o n e d Ifmael at the outer door o f the houfe, intendin
g that he ihould fire firft, as it would be lefs odious in
him, being a Turk and a iherriffe, than for us Chriftians.
I then went out to the outer gate, and Soliman with me.
The entry into the yard was through a kind o f porters
lodge, where fervants ufed to fit in the£day-time, and fteep at
night. It had a door from the ftreet, and then another into
the yard, the latter fmall, but very flrong. They had forced
the outer gate, and were then in the lodge, endeavouring
to do the fame by the inner, having put a handfpike under
it to lift it up from the hinges, “ Are you not madmen,
faid I, and weary, o f your lives, to attempt to force Adelan’s
houfe, when there are within it men abundantly provided
w ith large fire-arms, that, upon one difcharge through the
door, will lay y o u all dead where you now ftand ?” “ Stand
b y from the door, cries Ifmael, and let me fire. Thefe
black Kafrs don’t yet know what my blunderbufs is.” They
had been filent from the time I had fpoken, and had withdrawn
the handfpike from under the door. “ Ullah! Ullaht
cries one o f them foftly, how found you fleep! we have
been endeavouring to waken you this hour. The k in g is
i l l ; tell Yagoube to come to the palace, and open the door
inftantly.” “ T ell the king, laid I, to drink warm water,
and
ftnd I w ill fee him in the morning,” A h ! Mahomet, cries
Soliman, isjthat you? I thought you had hada narrow enough
efcape in the palace the other day, but ftay a little, a fer-
vant is gone over the back wall to call the Gindi, and we
are here numerous enough to defend this houfe till morning
againft all the fervants the k in g has, fo do not attempt to
break the door, and Yagoube w ill go to the k in g with the
Gindi,
A t this time one o f m y fervants fired a piftol in the air
out o f an upper window, upon w hich they a ll fan off. T hey
feemed to be about ten or twelve in number, and left three
handfpikes behind them. The noife o f the piftol brought
the guard, or patrole, in about h a lf an hour,- who carried
intelligence to the Sid el Coom, our friend, by whom I was
informed in the morning, that he had found them all out,
and put them in irons.; that Mahomet, the k in g ’s fervant,
who met us at Teawa, was one o f th em ; and that there
was no poflibility now o f concealing this from Adelan, who
would order him to be impaled.
T h i n g s were now come to fuch a crifis that I was determined
to leave my inftruments and papers with Kittou,
Adelan’s brother, or with the Sid el Coom, w hile I went to
Shaddly to fee Adelan. But firft I thought it neceffary to
apply to Hagi Belal to try what funds we could raife to
provide the neceflaries for our journey. I ihewed him the
letter o f Ibrahim, the Englifh broker o f Jidda, o f which
before he had received a copy and repeated advices, and
told him I ihould want 260 fequins at leaft, for my camels
and proviiions, as well as for fome prefents that 1 ihould
have occaiion for, to make my way to the great men in Atbara.