' On ’the i 6th, at h a lf paft fix in the morning we left Sidi
Ali el G.enowi, and a few minutes after palled two villages
on our left along the river fide, not fifty yards from
the water, after which we went through the village o f ET
Menfy. The next to this were two tombs o f Fakirs, nothing
different from the former ones; At a quarter paft ten We
arrived at H erbagi, a large and pleafant village, but thinly inhabited,
placed on a dry, gravelly foil. The people told us,
that the greatefl part o f the townfmen were at fome difiance
looking after their farms. Herbagi is the feat o f Wed
Ageeb, hereditary prince o f the Arabs, now fubjedt to the
government o f Senhaar, whofe lieutenant h e is according
to treaty. He raifes the tribute, and pays it to the Mek,
or his minifiers, from all thofe Arabs that live in the diftan*
parts o f the kingdom, as far as the Red Sea, who do not
pafs by Sennaar to the fands, in the feafon o f the fly ; for
thefe, as I have mentioned, are taxed by the chief minifter,
or the perfon who hath the command o f the troops o f that
capital. The revenue arifing from this-is very large, and
more than all the reft put together. The Refaa, one tribe
o f Arabs who had compounded at this time with Shckb
. Adelan, were faid to poffefs 200,000 ihe-camels, every one
o f which, at a medium, was worth h a lf an ounce o f gold,
each ounce being about ten crowns. The tribute then which
that A rab paid was too,000 ounces o f gold, o r 1,000,000 do liars
or 256,000!. There were at leaft ten o f thefe tribes with which
Adelan was to account, and at leaft fix times that number
that fell to the fllare o f Wed A geeb, whofe Compolition is the
fame as that paid to Sennaar, befides whatever extraordinary
fum he impoies for himfelf. There is alfo a tax upon the
male camels; but this is fm all in comparifon o f the others,
and the young ones pay no duty, till they are three years old.
Camels
, C a m e l s fleih is. the ordinary food o f the Arabs; but
there is ftill room to inquire what becomes o f the prodigious
numbers o f this animal annually confumed. The caravan
o f Mecca requires a large fupply, and vaft numbers
are employed in the fervice o f Damafcus, -of Syria
and Perfia, and efpecially o f Sudan, whofe caravans
traverfe Africa from eaft to weft with Indian c o m m o d i v
ties, which they carry from the Arabian G u lf to the Atlantic
Ocean. Thefe, and this vaft inland trade o f which
they were mailers, the gold, ivory, pearls, and tortoife
ihells, that ferved for returns, to India, were the fource o f
the riches and power o f thofe Shepherds, o f which fo
many things are recorded in ancient hiftory-almoft exceeding
belief. . - ,
I m m e d i a t e l y upon entering Herbagi, I went to wait
upon Wed Ageeb.- He had a very good houfe, confidered
as fuch, though but a very indifferent palace for a prince.
He feemed to be a man o f very gentlemanners; was about 30
years o f age ; had a thick black beard and whiikers, large
black eyes, and a long thin face, which marked his confti-
tution not to be a ftrong.one. We found, indeed, after-
wards, that he had been very much addifted to drinking,
which he had often endeavoured, in vain to leave off, b y
fubftituting opium in its place. He had never before feen
an European, and t-eftified great furprife at my complexion.
He fent <us abundance o f provifions, two iheep and two
‘goats, and begged I would give him advice about his health
in the .evening. He inquired very particularly .about my
reception at Sennaar, which I told him only in part, and,
among other circumffiances, the report at Sennaar, that he
was gathering his forces to the afiiftance o f the kin g againft
3 S 2 Adelan