the king, and wondered exceedingly how a \vliice mail)
lik e me fhould venture to far in fuchan ill-governed Country.
“ Allow me, Madam, faid I, to complain o f a breach
o f hofpitality in you, which no Arab has been yet gu ilty o f
towards me.”— “ M e ! faid fhe, that Would be ftrangeindeed,,
to a man that bears my brother’s letter. How can that
b e !”— “ Why, you tell me, Madam, that I am a white man,,
b y which I know that you fee me, without giv ing me the
lik e advantage. The queens o f Sennaar did not ufe me fb ■
h a rd ly ; I had a fu ll fight o f them without having u led j
any importunity.” On this fhe broke out into a great fit
o f la u gh te r ; then fell ihto a converfatibn about medicines
to make her hair grow, or rather to hinder it from fallin g
off. She defired me to come to her the next day; that her
fon Idris would be then at home from the HOwat *, and
that he very m u c hw ifh e d to fee me. She that day fent
Us plenty o f provifions from her own table.
On the 13th it Wax io exreffively Lot that it was impof-
fible to fuffer the burning fun. The poiibiious fimoom blew.’
likewife as i f it came from an oven. Our eyes were dim,
b u t lips cracked, our knees tottering, our throats perfectly
dry, and no relief was found From drinking an immoderate
quantity o f water. The people advifed me to dip a fpunge
in vinegar and water, and hold it before my moUth and:
hofe, and this greatly.relieved me, In the evening I Went
to Sittina. Upon entering the hohfe, a b lack Have laid h o ld .
o f me by the hand, and placed me in a paffage, at the end o f
w hich were two oppofite doors.. 1 did not w e ll know the
reafoft.
* T h e farm where he k ep t the ifoeks belonging to himfelf.
ieafon o f this ; but had «aid only a few minutes when I
heard one o f the doors at the end o f the pailkge open, and
Sittina appeared magnificently dreffed, with a kind o f round
cap of folid gold upon the crown o f her head, a ll beat very
thin, and hung round with fequins ; with a variety o f gold
chains, folitaires, and necklaces o f the fame metal, about
her neck. Her hair was plaited in ten or twelve fmall di—
vifions like tails, which hung down below her waift, and
over her was thrown a common cotton white garment. She
had a purple filk fiole, or fcarf, h u n g very gracefully upon
her back, brought again round her waift, without covering
her Ihoulders or arms. Upon herwrifts ihe had two bracelets
like handcuffs, about h a lf an inch thick, and two gold
manacles o f the fame at her feet, fu lly an inch diameter,
the moft difegreeable and aukward part o f all her drefs.
I expeéted ihe would have hurried through with fome affectation
o f furprife. On the contrary, fhe ftopt in the middle
o f the paffage, faying, in a very grave manner, “ Kifhalec,”
— how are you ? I thought this was an opportunity o f kif-
fing her hand, w hich I did, without her fire wing any fort
o f rctouftance. “ Allow me as a phyfician, ¡Cud I, Madam,
to la y one word.” She bowed w ith her head, and laid, Go
in a t that door, and I will hear you.” The fiave appeared,
and carried me through a door at fhe bottom o f the pailkge
into a room, w h ile her mdlrcfs vanrihed in at another door
at the top, and there was the fcreen-I had-lfeem the day before,
and the lady fitting behind it.
SSjns was a woman fcancely forty, taller than the middle
fe e , had a "very around, plump face, her mouth rather large,
ver y ned -lips, the fiiieft teeth and eyes 1 have feen, but at the
. 2 . ' . ■ •: ; > toP:’