THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 9 



reafon, they were the means Providence kindly ufed to fave 

 my life in that flaughter-houfe of itrangcrs. 



Achmet's father had been Naybe before, and, of courfe, 

 the fovereignty, upon the prefent incumbent's death, was to 

 devolve on him. And what made this lefs invidious, the 

 fons of the prefent Naybe had all been fwept away by the 

 fmall-pox; fo that Achmet was really, at any rate, to be con- 

 fidered as his fon and fucceflbr. Add to this, the Naybe had 

 received a ftroke of the palfy, which deprived him of the ufe 

 of one of his fides, and greatly impeded his activity, unlefs 

 in his fchemes of doing ill ; but I could not perceive, when 

 intending mifchief, that he laboured under any infirmity. 

 All this gave Achmet fovereign influence, and it was there- 

 fore agreed the reft mould be only fpectators, and that my 

 iate jQiouLd be left to him. 



Achmet was about twenty-five years of age, or perhaps 

 "younger; his flature near five-feet four; he was feebly made, 

 a little bent forward or flooping, thin, long-faced, long-neck- 

 -ed; fmalljbut tolerably well- limbed, agile and active enough 

 in his motions, though of a figure by no means athletic; 

 lie had a broad forehead, thick black eye-brows, black eyes, 

 an aquiline nofe, thin lips, and fine teeth; and, what is very 

 rare in that country, and much defired, a thick curled beard. 

 This man was known to be very brave in his perf'on, but 

 -exceedingly prone to anger. A near relation to the Bahar- 

 nagafli having faid fomething impertinent to him while he 

 was altering the pin of his tent, which his fervant had not 

 .placed to his mind, in a paflion he flruck the Abyflinian 

 with a wooden mallet, and killed him on the fpot and al- 

 though this was in the Abyflinian territory, by getting 



Vol. III. B nimbly 



