THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 56^ 



violent rains, and lodged in holes, and roots of trees and 

 grafs, by the torrents, and there picked up by the natives ; it 

 is called Tibbar, or, corruptly, gold-duft. The greateft part 

 finds its way to Sennaar by the different merchants. Pagan 

 and Mahometan, from Fazuclo and Sudan. The Agows and 

 Gibbertis alfo bring a fmall quantity of it to Gondar, moftly 

 debafed by alloy ; but there is no gold in Abyllinia, nor 

 even in Nubia, weft of Tchelga, among the Shangalla them- 

 felves. 



Cambyses marched from Egypt exprefsly with a view of 

 conquering the gold country, and fent mcfTcngers before 

 him to the king, or chief of it, requiring his immediate 

 fubmiflion. I omit romantic and fabulous circumftances ; 

 but the anfwer of the king of Macrobii to Cambyfes was, 

 Take this bow, and till you can bring me a man that can 

 bend it, you are not to talk to us of fubmiffion. The bow 

 was accordingly carried back with the defiance, but none of 

 the Perfian army could bend it. Yet it was their own wea- 

 pon with which they pradifed from tlieir infancy ; and we 

 are not to think, had it been poffible to bend this bow, but 

 that fome of their numerous archers would have done it, 

 for there is no fuch difproportion in the flrength of men. 

 But it was a bow which had loft its elaftic force from the 

 circumftance above mentioned, and had been long given up 

 as impoflible to be bent by the Macrobii themfelves, and was 

 now takea down from the tree where it had probably fome 

 time hung, and grown fo much the lefs flexible, and in- 

 tended to be buried, as thcfe bows arc, in the grave v/ith 

 their mafter, who is to ufe it, after his rcfurredion, in an- 

 other world, v/here he is to be endowed with ftrength infi* 



4 B 2 .nitcly 



