246 , TRAVELS IN UPPEU 



*' if 5'ou do not make haste and stop its progress." 

 Upon this my sagacious friend, knowing all the 

 danger to which (in his own country) he was ex^ 

 posed, should he fail of a cure, did not long hesif 

 tate about forming the resolution which seemed 

 most likely to secure his safety ; he did not even 

 revisit his patient, and disappeared without saying 

 g word to any one, but always taking care to carry 

 his knowledge under his arm. 



If it was not prudent to travel to Gournei, it was 

 not easy to get away from it. The boats of the 

 Nile shunned its shore, which was an object of ge^ 

 neral terror ; and the malignity of its inhabitants 

 had involved it in war with its neighbours, and 

 particularly with the people of KamouU, a village 

 about half way to Negnade, in which they had very 

 lately murdered one of the natives. According to 

 the savage custom of the country, it was requisite 

 that blood should flow at Goumei to avenge that 

 oiKamouU, without their caring whether this blood, 

 which a blind vengeance sought to spill, was that of 

 the murderer or of any other person. No one dared 

 to expose himself to become the victim of a resent- 

 ment, which time does not obliterate, and which 

 tan only be extinguished in blood. Thus the 

 whole village refused to officiate as guides, and the 

 Arabian Scheick himself was afraid to undertake to 

 conduct us to Neguade, At last a man appeared, 



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