NATURAL HISTORY. 



597 



gate at the back of his house. 

 When we had quitted our boat to 

 accompany the Turks to Manfa- 

 lout, we had gi\ en orders that it 

 should follow us, and now found 

 it waiting close to the town. 



We again set sail, but as the 

 wind continued to blow strongly 

 from the north, with little pro- 

 spect of eluding the pursuit of our 

 enemies. 



The Nile here is about two 

 musket shots broad, and we were 

 continually obliged to tack. 

 Though we rowed with all our 

 might we made but little way, 

 and had scarcely lost sight of the 

 town before we observed a party 

 of horsemen at a considerable 

 distance in the Desert, on tlie 

 right bank of the Nile, whom we 

 took for Bedouin Arabs. Soon 

 after we perceived a number of 

 heads peeping over the santi hil- 

 locks on the same side. We were 

 at this moment nearly in the mid- 

 dle of the river, and consequently 

 a little without musket shot. 

 Suddenly several Arabs jumped 

 up and shouted to us to come 

 over, or they would fire upon us. 



We rowed our boat as quickly 

 as possible to the other bank, and 

 consulted amongst ourselves what 

 measures to take. Our danger 

 was imnuaent, we were sur- 

 j'ounded on all sides by enemies, 

 our friend the Cacheft'a!- Manfa- 

 lout was unable to protect us, 

 and the distance to Miniet was 

 seventy miles. If the wind had 

 been favourable, by fast sailing 

 and keeping close to the left bank 

 of the rivej', we might have es- 

 caped our pursuers j but in the 

 present circumstances it would 

 have been madness to continue 

 our course. 



At length it was resolved Ave 

 should return to Manfalout again, 

 claim the assistance of the Ca- 

 cheff, or endeavour to convince 

 the Arabs of our innocence. We 

 quickly reached the town, and 

 had no sooner stepped on shore 

 than we were assailed by three 

 women, and five or six children 

 — they were all naked and smear- 

 ed with mud. We were informed 

 that they were the wives and 

 children of the men who had pe- 

 rished, and the state in which 

 they exhibited themselves was ac- 

 cording to the custom of mourn- 

 ing amongst them. As we were 

 armed, we reached without much 

 obstruction the house of the Ca- 

 chetf, whom we now found sur^ 

 rounded by more than four hun- 

 dred Arabs, and amongst them 

 the Shekh of the village of Am- 

 abdi. Making our way thro\igh 

 the crowd, we luckily lecognized 

 the person of the Arab whom we 

 had left and supposed to have 

 died with his companions in the 

 cavern. His appearance was most 

 wretched ; he was unable to stand, 

 and was supported by two of his 

 friends. We afterwards found 

 he had escaped by tlie light of 

 I\lr. Smelt's torch, when he was 

 obliged to remain for a short tim(^ 

 to recover his strength at the edge 

 of the trench. Our dragoman 

 related our story again, and called 

 upon the survivor to couHrm the 

 truth of it, but in vain ; on the 

 contrary he maintained we .had 

 taken liim and his companions l)y 

 force, and compelled them to 

 conduct us to the place. Jn tliis 

 falsehood he was supported by the 

 Arab who had remained on the 

 outside of the cavern, and whom 

 we now saw for the first time 



among 



