a TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



This ifland is not in our courfe for Alexandria, but lies to 

 the northward of it ; nor had I, for my own part, any curi- 

 ofity to fee it. My mind was intent upon more uncommon, 

 more diftant, and more painful voyages. But the mailer 

 of the veflel had bufmefs of his own which led him thither ; 

 with this I the more readily complied, as we had not yet got 

 certain advice that the plague had ceafed in Egypt, and it 

 Hill wanted fome days to the Feflival of St John, which is 

 fuppofed to put a period to that cruel diftemper *. 



We obferved a number of thin, white clouds, moving with 

 great rapidity from fouth to north, in direct oppofition 

 to the courfe of the Etefian winds ; thefe were immenfely 

 high. It was evident they came from the mountains of A- 

 byilinia, where, having difcharged their weight of rain, and 

 being prefled by the lower current of heavier air from the 

 northward, they had mounted to poffefs the vacuum, and re- 

 turned to reftore the equilibrium to the northward, whence 

 they were to come back, loaded with vapour from Mount 

 Taurus, to occafion the overflowing of the Nile, by breaking 

 againft the high and rugged mountains of the fouth. 



Nothing could be more agreeable to me than that fight, 

 and the reafoning upon it. I already, with pleafure, antici- 

 pated the time in which I mould be a fpectator firft, after- 

 wards hiflorian, of this phenomenon, hitherto a myftery 

 through all ages. I exulted in the meafures I had taken, 

 which I flattered myfelf, from having been digefted with 

 greater confideration than thofe adopted by others, would 



fecure 



* The nufla, or dew, that falls on St John's night, is fuppofed to have the virtue to flop the. 

 plague. I have confidered this in the fequeL . 



