38 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER. 



This extraordinary animal only afflicts thofe who are in 

 conftant habit of drinking flagnant water, whether that 

 water is drawn out from wells, as in the kingdom of Sennaar, 

 or found by digging in the fand where it is making its way 

 to its proper level the fea, after falling down the fide of the 

 mountains after the tropical rains. This plague appears 

 indifcriminately in every part of the body, but ofteneft in 

 the legs and arms. I never law it in the face or head ; but, 

 far from affecting the flefhy parts of the body, it generally 

 comes out where the bone has leaf! flefh upon it. 



Upon looking at this worm, on its firft appearance, a 

 fmall black head is extremely vifible, with a hooked beak 

 of a whitifh colour. Its body is feemingly of a white iilky 

 texture, very like a fmall tendon bared and perfectly clean- 

 ed. After its appearance the natives of thefe countries, who 

 are ufed to it, feize it gently by the head, and wrap it round 

 a thin piece- of filk or fmall bird's feather. Every day, or 

 feveral times a-day, they try to wind it up upon the quill 

 as far as it comes readily; and, upon the fmalleft reMance, 

 they give over for fear of breaking it. I have fecn five feet, 

 or fomething more of this extraordinary animal, winded 

 out with invincible patience in the courfe of three weeks. 

 No inflammation then remained, and fcarcely any rednefs 

 round the edges of the aperture, only a fmall quantity of 

 lymph appeared in the hole or puncture, which fcarcely 

 ifliicd out upon prefling. In three days it was commonly 

 well, and left no fear or dimple implying lofs of fubitance. 



I myself experienced this complaint. I was reading up- 

 on a fofa at Cairo, a few days after my return from Upper 

 Egypt, when I felt in the fore part of my leg, upon the 



bone. 



