THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 15 



arms whatever. I rofe up to meet him, and thank him for 

 his civility in fending my baggage ; and when I obferved, 

 befides, that it was my duty to wait upon him, rather than 

 fuffer him to give himfelf this trouble, he took me by the 

 hand, and we fat down on two cufhions together. 



" All that you mentioned," faid he, "is perfectly good and 

 well ; but there are queftions that I am going to aik you 

 which are of confequence to yourfelf. When you arrived 

 at Jidda, we heard it was a great man, a fon or brother of a 

 king, going to India. This was communicated to me, and 

 to the Naybe, by people that faw every day the refpect paid 

 to you by the captains of the mips at Jidda. Metical Aga> 

 in his private letter delivered to the Naybe laft night by 

 Mahomet Gibberti, among many unufual expreffions, faid, 

 The day that any accident befals this pcrfon will be looked 

 upon by me always as the moll unfortunate of my life. 

 Now, you are a Chriftian, and he is a Muffulman, and thefe 

 are expreffions of a particular regard not ufed by the one 

 when writing of the other. He fays, moreover, that, in your 

 finnan, the grand figniorftiles you Bey- Adze, orMoft Noble, 

 Tell me, therefore, and tell me truly, Are you a prince, fon, 

 brother, or nephew of a king? Are you banifhed from 

 your own country -> and what is it that you feek in our's, ex- 

 pofing yourfelf to lb many difficulties and dangers? 1 ' 



" I am neither fon, nor brother of a king. I am a pri- 

 vate EngUihman. If you, Sidi Achmet, faw my prince, the 

 eldeft, or any fon of the king of England, you would then 

 be able to form a jufter idea of them, and that would for 

 ever hinder you from confounding them with common 

 men like me. If they were to choofe to appear in this part 



of 



