Ù 



26 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



' you relate fuch ftories to a perfon of my age. It 

 ' is now forty years fince I have followed a fea- 



* life. 1 have anchored, night and day, in fhe 



* Thames, which is full of fands, and in the Ta- 

 ' gus, which flows with fuch rapidity ; I have (ten 



* the cataraâis of the Nile, which make a roaring 



* fo dreadful, but never have I fcen or heard any 

 ' thing fimilar to what you have now been relat- 

 ' ing. I fball hardly be fimple enough to remain 

 ' here at anchor, while the wind is favourable for 



* going up the river. I Qiall pafs the night in it'â 



* channel, and exped to fleep very foundly." 



He fpoke, and, in concert with the failors, 

 raifed a hooting, as ignorant and prefumptuous 

 men are accuftomed to do, when advice is given 

 them which they do not underftand. 



Cephas then approached me, and enquired if I 

 knew how to fwim. *' No," anfwered I ; " I 

 ** have learnt, in Egypt, every thing that could 

 " render me refpedable among men, and almofl 

 ** nothing which could be ufeful to myfelf.'' He 

 then faid to me : " Let us not feparate from each 

 ** other; we will keep clofe to this bench of the 

 ** rowers, and repofe all our truft in the Gods." 



In the mean time the veffel, driven by the 

 >vinds, and, undoubtedly, by the vengeance of 



Hercules 



