i D 6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



me who I was ? — " Tell me firft, faid I, who that is you have 

 before ?" — " It is an Arab, our enemy, fays he, guilty of our 

 blood." — " He is, replied I, my fervant. He is a Howadat 

 Arab, his tribe lives in peace at the gates of Cairo, in the 

 fame manner your's at Shekh Ammer does at thofe of Af- 

 fouan." " I afk you, Where is Ibrahim your Shekh's fon ?" — 

 " Ibrahim, fays he, is at our head, he commands us here. 

 But who are you ?" — " Come with me, and mew me Ibrahim, 

 faid I, and I will fliew you who I am." 



I passed by thefe, and by another party of them. They 

 had thrown a hair rope about the neck of Abdel Gin, who 

 was almofl ftranglcd already, and cried out moll miferably, 

 for me not to leave him. I went directly to the black tent 

 which I faw had a long fpear thrufl up in the end of it, 

 and met at the door Ibrahim and his brother, and feven or 

 eight Ababde. He did not recollect me, but I difmounted 

 clofe to the tent-door, and had fcarce taken hold of the pil- 

 lar of the tent, and faid Fiarduc *, when Ibrahim, and his 

 brother both knew me. " What ! faid they, are you Tagoube 

 our phyfician, and our friend ?" — " Let me afk you, replied 

 I, if you are the Ababde of Shekh Ammer, that curfed your- 

 felves, and your children, if you ever lifted a hand againft 

 me, or mine, in the defert, or in the plowed field : If you. 

 have repented of that oath, or fworn falfely on purpofc to 

 deceive me, here I am come to you in the defert" " What is 

 the matter, fays Ibrahim, we are the Ababde of Shekh Am- 

 mer, there are no other, and we flill fay, Curfed be he, whe- 

 ther 



* That is, I am under your protection. 



