xGS TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



•fhot, however, took place, and laid him without motion on 

 the ground. Yafine and his men killed another with a pike; 

 and fuch was their determined coolnefs, that they ftalked 

 round about us with the familiarity of a dog, or any other 

 -domeftic animal brought up with man. 



But we were ftill more incommoded by a leffer animal, 

 a large, black ant, little lefs than an inch long, which, co- 

 ming out from under the ground, demolifhed our carpets, 

 which they cut all into fhreds, and part of the lining of our 

 tent likewife, .and every bag or fack they could find. We 

 had firft feen them in great numbers at Angari, but here 

 they were intolerable. Their bite caufes a confiderable in- 

 flammation, and the pain is greater than that which arifes 

 from the bite of a fcorpion ; they are called gundan. 



On the ift of February the Shum fent his people to value, 

 ,as he faid, our merchandife, that we might pay cuftom. 

 Many of the Moors, in our caravan, had left us to go a near 

 way to Hauza. We had at mod five or fix affes, including 

 thofe belonging to Yafine. I humoured them fo far as to 

 open the cafes where were the telefcopes and quadrant, or, 

 indeed, rather fhewed them open, as they were not fhut 

 from the observation I had been making. They could only 

 wonder at things they had never before feen. 



On the 2d of February the Shum came himfelf, and a 

 violent altercation enfued. He infifted upon Michael's defeat: 

 I told him the contrary news were true, and begged him to 

 •beware left it mould be told to the Ras upon his return that 

 he had propagated fuch a raliehood I told him alfo we 

 ihad advice that the Ras's fervants were now waiting for us 



4 at 



