THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. i&» 



lioufe, juft as about twenty men of the enemy's party reach- 

 ed the bottom of it. 



The governor's fervants told us, that now was the time 

 if they advanced to fire upon them, in which cafe they 

 would inftantly difperfe, or elfe they would cut us off from 

 the village. But I could not enter into the force of this 

 reafoning, becaufe, if this village was ftrong. enough to 

 protect us, which was the caufe of our turning to the left 

 to feek it, thefe twenty men, putting themlelves between us 

 and the village, took the moll dangerous ftep for themfelves 

 poffible, as they muft unavoidably be deftroyed ; and, if the 

 village was not ftrong enough to protect us, to begin with 

 bloodfhed was the way to lofe our lives before a fuperior 

 enemy. I therefore called to the twenty men to flop where 

 they were, and fend only one of their company to me; and, 

 upon their not paying any attention, I ordered Yafine to fire 

 a large b'lunderbufs over their heads, fo as not to touch 

 them. Upon the report, they all fled, and a number of people 

 flocked to us from other villages; for my part, I believe 

 fome who had appeared againft us came afterwards and 

 joined us. We foon feemed to have a little army, and, in 

 about half an hour, a party came from the governor's houfe 

 with twenty lances and fhields, and fix firelocks, and, pre- 

 fently afttrr, the whole multitude difperfed. It was about 

 ten o'clock when, under their efcort, we arrived at the town- 

 of Sire, and pitched our tent in a ftrong fituation, in a very 

 deep guliey on the weft extremity of the town. 



CHAP. 



