THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. t 45 



with thofe who ufe water from draw-wells, as in the defert. 

 But he told me, that, for the firft twenty-feven years of his 

 life, he never had feen the Nile, unlefs upon fome plunder- 

 ing party; that he had beenconftantly at war with the people 

 of the cultivated part of Egypt, and reduced them often to 

 the Hate of ftarving ; but now that he was old, a friend to 

 Shekh Hamam, and was refident near the Nile, he drank of 

 its water, and was little better, for he was already a martyr 

 to the difeafe. I had fent him foap pills from Badjoura, 

 which had done him a great deal of good, and now gave 

 him lime-water, and promifed him, on my return, to mew 

 his people how to make it. 



A very friendly converfation enfued, in which was repeat- 

 ed often, how little they expected I would have vifited them ! 

 As this implied two things ; the firft, that I paid no regard 

 to my promife when given ; the other, that I did not efleem 

 them of confequence enough to give myfelf the trouble, 

 I thought it right to clear myfelf from thefe fufpicions. 



" Shekh Nimmer, faid I, this frequent repetition that you 

 " thought I would not keep my word is grievous to me. I am 

 " a Chriftian, and have lived now many years among you 

 " Arabs. Why did you imagine that I would not keep my 

 " word, fmce it is a principle among all the Arabs I have 

 " lived with, inviolably to keep theirs ? When your fon Ibra- 

 " him came to me at Badjoura, and told me the pain that 

 " you was in, night and day, fear of God, and defire to do 

 " good, even to them I had never feen, made me give you 

 " thofe medicines that have eafed you. After this proof of 

 " my humanity, what was there extraordinary in my com- 

 " ing to fee you in the way ? I knew you not before ; but 



Vol. I. T " m y 



