ifi TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



of the world, this little fea would be too narrow for their 

 fliips : Your fun, now fo hot, would be darkened by their 

 fails; and when they fired their terrible wide-mouthed can- 

 non, not an Arab would think himfelf fafe on the diflant 

 mountains, while the houfes on the more would totter and 

 fall to the ground as if lhaken to pieces by an earthquake. 

 I am a fervant to that king, and an inferior one in rank; 

 only worthy of his attention from my affection to him 

 and his family, in which I do not acknowledge any fupe- 

 rior. Yet fo far your correfpondents fay well: My anceflors 

 were the kings of the country in which I was born, and to 

 be ranked among the greater! and mofl glorious that ever 

 bore the crown and title of King. This is the truth, and 

 nothing but the truth. I may now, I hope, without offence, 

 afk, To what does all this information tend ?" 



" To your fafety," laid he, " and to your honour, as 

 long as I command in Mafuah ; — to your certain death and 

 deftruction if you go among the Abyflinians; a people with- 

 out faith, covetous, barbarous, and in continual war, of 

 which nobody yet has been able to difcover the reafon. 

 But of this another time." 



" Be it fo," faid I. " I would now fpeak one word in fe- 

 cret to you, (upon which every body was ordered out of the 

 room) : All that you have told me this evening I already 

 know ; afk me not how : but, to convince you that it is 

 truth, I now thank you for the humane part you took a- 

 gainft thele bloody intentions others had of killing and 

 plundering me on my arrival, upon Abdelcader governor 

 of Dahalac's information that I was a prince, becaufe of the 



i honour 



