40 TRAVELS IN UPPER 



geon had composed a kind of plaster, with earth, 

 oil, and the white of an egg, and tliis he spread 

 over the limb every day. 



On the evening of the 2d of April a dreadful 

 storm arose. A shower of hail, whic.}) is a vc ry un- 

 common thing in Upper Egypt, was aecompanied 

 with sudden and violent gusts from the south-west. 

 Whirlwinds of dust intercepted the rays of tlie sun, 

 and short and precipitate undulations agitated the 

 surface of the Nile. This stormy weather having 

 subsided on the afternoon of the 3d, we departed 

 from Minief, and stopped three leagues farther 

 off at Moulaha, a village belonging to the Kias- 

 chefi'ick of Miniet, and built on the same shore with 

 that city. The wind came round at night with 

 great impetuosity to the north ; we were very 

 much incommoded the whole night through by 

 the motion of our boat, and the continual shocks 

 she underwent against the shore. 



The same gusts of north wind continued to pur- 

 sue us still on the 4th, and carried us with a 

 dangerous velocity to Scheick Abade, a resort of pi- 

 rates, to the east of the Nile. Immense ruins, and 

 a long succession of rubbish, announce that a great 

 city existed there in ancient times. This was the 

 fruit of a disgraceful passion, which poorly dis- 

 guised the appearance of gratitude aifected by 

 I Adrian 



