millrefs, o f Chendi, or Chandi. However this may be
Chendi was once a town o f great refort. Thé caravans o f
Sennaar, Egyptv Suakem, and Kordofan, all were in ufe to
rendezvous-diere, efpecially fince the Arabs have cut off the
road by Dongola, and the defert o f Bahiouda ; and though
it be not now a place o f great plenty, yet every thing here
is at a cheaper rate, and better than at Sennaar; we muft
except the article fuel, for wood is much dearer here than
in any part o f Atbara; the people all burn camels dung.
Indeed, were it not for drefiing viétuals, fire in’ a place fo
hot as this would be a nuifance. It was fo fultry in the
end o f Auguft and beginning o f September, that many
people dropt down dead with heat, both in the town and,
villages round it ; but it is now faid to be much cooler
though the thermometer at noon was once fo high as,
1 19°.
Chendj has fa it about 250 houflés, which are not all
built contiguous, fome o f the beft o f them being feparate,
and that o f Sittina’s is h a l f a mile from the town.'
There are two or three tolérable houfes, but the reft o f
them are miferable hovel's, built o f clay and reeds. Sit-
tina gave us one o f thefe houfes, which I ufed for keeping
my inftruments and baggage from being pilfered or
broken ; I llept abroad in the tent, and it was; even there
hot enough. The women o f Chendi are efteemed the moft
beautiful in Atbara, and the men the greateft cowards..
This is the character they bear among their countrymen
but we had little opportunity o f verifying either.
Ok our a r r iv a l at Chendi we found the people very
much alarmed at a phenomenon, which, though it often.
3 happens,,
happens, by fome ftrange inadvertency had never been obfer-
ved, even in this ferene iky. The planetVenus appeared flii-
ning with undiminiihed ligh t all day, in defiance o f the
brighteft fun, from which flie was but little diftant. Tho’
this phenomenon be vifible every four years, it filled all
the people, both in town and country, with alarm. They
flocked to me in crowds from all quarters to be fatisfied
what it meant, and, when they faw my telefcopes and
quadrant, they could not be perfuaded but that the ftar
had become vifible by fome correfpondence and intelligence
with me, and for my ufe. The bulk o f the people
in all countries is the fame ; they never foretell any thing
but evil. The very regular and natural appearance o f this
planet was immediately converted, therefore, into a fign that
there would be a bad harveft next year, and fcanty rains ;
that Abou Kalec with an army would depofe the king,
and over-run all Atbara ; whilft fome threatened me as a
principal operator in bringing about thefe difafters. On
the other hand, without feeming over-folicitous about my
vindication, I infinuated among the better fort, that this was
a lu ck y and favourable fign, a harbinger o f good fortune,
plenty, and peace. The clamour upon this fubfided very
much to my advantage, the rather, becaufe Sittina and her
fon Idris knew certainly that Mahomet Abou Kalec was
not to be in Atbara that year.
On the 12th o f Oftober I waited upon Sittina, w ho received
me behind a fcreen, fo that it was impolfible either to fee
h e r figuré or face ; I ohferved, however, that there were a-
pertures fo managed in the fcreen that flie had a perfect
view o f me. She expreffed herfelf with great politenefs,
talked much upon the terms in which Adelan was with
3 X 2 the