THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 197 



"ther our father, or children, that lifts his hand againfl you, 

 in the defert, or in the plowed field." " Then, faid I, you 

 are all accurfed in the defert, and in the field, for a num- 

 ber of your people are going, to murder my fervant. They 

 took him indeed from my houfe in the town, perhaps that is 

 not included in your curfe, as it is neither in the deftrt nor 

 the plowed field" — I was very angry. "Whew! fays Ibrahim 

 with a kind of whittle, that is downright nonfenfe. Who 

 are thofe of my people that have authority to murder, and 

 take prifoners while I am here ? Here one of you, get up- 

 on Yagoube's horfe, and bring that man to me." Then 

 turning to me, he dellred I would go into the tent and fit 

 down : " For God renounce me and mine, (fays he), if it is 

 "as you fay, and one of them hath touched the hair of his 

 " head, if ever be drinks of the Nile again." 



A number of people who had feen me at Shekh Ammer, 

 now came all around me ; fome with complaints of fick- 

 nefs, fome with compliments; more with impertinent ques- 

 tions, that had no relation to either. At laft came in the 

 culprit Abdel Gin, with forty or fifty of the Ababde who 

 had gathered round him, but no rope about his neck. There 

 began a violent altercation between Ibrahim, and his men, 

 in their own language. All that I could guefs was, that 

 the men had the woril of it ; for every one prefent faid 

 fomething harm to them., as difapproving the action. 



I heard the name of HafTan Sidi HafTan often in the dis- 

 pute. I began to fufpeft fomething, and delired in Arabic 

 to know what that Sidi Hailiin was, fo often mentioned in 

 difcourfc, and then the whole lecret came out. 



Tiij 



