ibme fandy hillocks, where the ground feems to'be more-
elevated than the reft, Idris the Hybeer. told me, that one o f
the largeft caravans which ever came out o f Egypt, u n d e v
the conduét o f thé Ababdé and the Biihareen Arabs, was
there covered with fan d, to the number o f fome thoufands
o f camels. There are large rocks o f grey- granite fcattered
through this plain; At ten o’clock we alighted-at- a place
called Erboygi, where are-fome trees, to feed our camels.
The trees I have fo-often mentioned in our. journey thro,’
the'defert are n o t timber, or tall-growing, trees there are
none o f thefe north o f Sennaar, except a few at Chendi.
The trees I fpéak of,- whichfthe eamels-eat, are a kin d of-
dwarf acacia, growing; only to the height o f buihes ; and
the wood fpoken o f iikewife.is only o f the defert kind, ate.
almoft bare by the camels; There, are fome high trees, indeed,,
on the hanks o f the Nile. At h a lf paft, one .o ’clock
we left Erboygi, and came to a large wood o f doom (Palma
cucidfera).. Here,-.for the firft,time,_we few a ihrub which,
very much refembled.Spanifhibroom. The whole ground
is dead fend,, with. fome rocks o f reddiih granite.. Exaitly
at five o’clock, we alighted in the wood, after, having, travelled
a modéra te. pace.. The place is called El Cowie, and
is a ftationo f the Biihareen in the fummer months; but
thefe people were now eaft o f us, three days journey, towards
the Red Sea, .where the rains-had.fallen, and there was plen,
ty Of pafture. At .forty minutes paft. twelve we. left El '
Gowie, and at five o’clo ck in the evening alighted in a wood,
called-Terfowey, fu l l o f trees and.grafs. The trees are the
talleft and largeft w e had feen fince leaving the Nile. We :
had this day enjoyed, as it were, a holiday,, free from the
terrors o f the fand, or dreadful influence o f the fimoom..
Ellis poifonoùs wind had made, feyeral attempts to prevail
thi&
tins day,, but was always overpowered by a cool breeze at.
north.
On the 19th we left the weft-end o f the wood, or rather,
continued the whole length o f it, andat a quarter paft eight-
in the evening’ arrived .at the well. :It is about four fathoms
deep;, but the fpring not very abundant. We drained
it feveraltimes, and were obliged to wait its filling again..
Thefe laft two days, fince we were at El Cowie, we had feen
more verdure than we had altogether fince we left Barbar.
Here, particularly at Terfcrwey, the acacia-trees are tall and.
verdant, but the mountains on each .fide appear b lack and.
barren beyond imagination..
As foon as we alighted at Teefowey,- and had chofen a-'
proper place-where our camels could feed, we unloaded
our baggage near them, and fent the men to clean the well,
and wait the filling o f the. fk-ins.- We had lighted a large
fire. The nights-were1 exeeflively: cold, though the thermometer
was at 53° ; and that cold oc.eafiOned me inexpreflible
pain in my feet, now fwelled to a ’monftrous fize, and everywhere
inflamed and excoriated. I had taken upon me the
charge o f the baggage, and Mahomet, Idris’s young man,,
the' care o f the camels ; but he- too was gone to the w e l l ,,
though expected to return, immediately,. ■
A d o u b t had arifOn in m y mind h y the way, whioh was
then giving me great uneafinefs. I f Syene is under th e :
fame meridian with Alexandria, (for fo Eratofthenes conceived
..when he .attempted to meafure the circumference o f
thee