THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 489 



iliipping-place of Cairo upon the Nile, taking with them 

 the ears of the dead elephant. 



The remaining part of the prefent brought for the king 

 of France by this illuftrious embaiTy, was an Abyffinian boy, 

 a flave bought by Murat, and who had been hid from the 

 fearch of the Sheriffe, when he forcibly took from him the 

 two Abyffinian girls, part of the intended prefent alfo. This 

 boy no fooner embarked on board the vejffel at Bulac than 

 a great tumult arofe. The janizaries took the boy out of 

 the veffel by force, and delivered him to Muftapha Cazdagli, 

 their kaya ; nor could all the intereft of M. de Maillet and 

 the French nation, or all the manoeuvres of the Jefuits, ever 

 recover him. 



As for Monhenaut, Ponce t, and Verfeau, his protectors, 

 they were obliged to hide themfelves from the violence of 

 the mob, nor dared they again to appear till the veflel failed. 

 And happy was it for them that this fell out at Cairo, for, 

 had they offered to embark him at Alexandria, in all pro- 

 bability it would have coll all of them their lives. 



I MUST beg leave here to fuggeft to the reader, how dan- 

 gerous, as well as how abfurd, was the plan of this embaf- 

 fy. It was to confift of twenty-eight Abyffmians, twelve of 

 whom were to be fons of noble families, all to be embark- 

 ed to France. What a pleafant day would the embarkation 

 have been to M. de Maillet! What an honourable appear- 

 ance for his king, in the eyes of other Chriftian princes, to 

 have feen twenty-eight Chriflians under his immediate pro- 

 teftion, twelve of whom we might fay were princes, (as all 

 the nobility in Abyffmia are diredly of the family of the 

 •^^^•"' 3 0. ' king), 



