known difpofition o f thofe people, that what they defire
muft; be granted inftantly, I aiked him whether he was at
leifure or not to fee them? He faid, “ By all means; it was
a good time.” I then fent Michael my fervant for a book
o f trees, and one o f fifties.
I n the interim arrived one o f their priefts, or an Imam,,
who are efteemed the moil learned o f their clergy. Ill-hu-
ffiour and ill-breeding is the characfteriftic o f violent people
o f all re ligion s; a Chriftian fanatic is not one bit more charitable
towards thofe that differ from him than a Turkifh.
fa in t; the greateft difference between them is the turban.
Though I was the only reaion o f his coming there at that:
time, he palfed me with the moil contemptible indifference*,
his eyes h a lf flmt and lifted up to heaven, fu ll o f that exalted
pride by which his great mailer fe ll from happinefs.
“ I wifli to know, (fays he to the Aga, regardlefs o f me) i f
that Kafr faw any thing o f Mahomet Towafh in the defert.”
The Aga aiked me, I faw, with fome degree o f ihame, and
I anfwered him :— “ I faw Mahomet Towafh alive at Chendi,
richly cloathed as i f he had been at Mecca. He had twelve
or fourteen men armed with firelocks, and about fourfeore
Tucorory, each with a lance in his hand, to whom he was
to give food and water in crofting the defert. There were
three Hybeers, all Bifhareen, who had come from Suakem
with the caravan, and were carrying back fenna to the
neighbourhood o f Syene. I offered to join company with
them ; and though one Hybeer was enough for him, yet,
to diftrefs me as being a Chriftian, he took the whole three
along with him. In vain Sittina, Wed Ageeb’s filler, and
Wed el Faal’s mother,, defiredhim to leave one o f the Bifhareen
Hybeers for me, or rather to join our companies together,
for the Bifhareen were not to be trailed. Contrary
to the defire o f the ch ie f o f the Arabs, he took away the
three Hybeers, to difappoint me ; he found them three murderers,
and left me the only honeft man whom he did not
know. God punifhed the prefumption and pride o f which
he was full, juft as this Moullah, who iaft came in, and fits
before you, appears to be.”
T he Aga then aiked me, i f I faw him afterwards ? “ You
know, I fuppofe, thè ftory. One o f the three Hybeers went
to Abou Bertrán, a principal Shekh o f the Bifhareen, and
prepared a party- to meet them on the road at the next fta-
tion, whileuhe other two Hybeers, their guides, took care to
deceive him by lies, and carried h im dire&ly upon the road
where the plot was laid. About twenty men on camels,
armed with lances, and as many young men on foot, with
fwords, came to meet him, and thofe upon camels made
their beafts kneel down at fome diftance from him, as out
o f reipeft coming to kifs his hands, as o f a holy perfon belonging
to the Caaba, their fanétuary at Mecca.
“ T h e vain, imprudent man difmounted from his
camel to give them à mòre eafy opportunity o f paying him
their refpeits, and when one o f them held him by the hand
in token o f friendfhip, another cut Him acrofs the. hams
with a broad-fword, and a third run him through the back
with a lance. He endeavoured to put his hands to his pif-
tols, but it was too late. They afterwards perfuaded his fervants,
who had fire-arms in their hands, and, like fools, did
not ufe them, to capitulate ; and, after they had difarmed
them, they .carried them afide and murdered them alfo, then
4 H 2 took