422 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



and began now to think there was no fafety but in the camp 

 of the king. I will not repeat his wife expoftulations againft 

 going to the cataract. We were rather late, and I paid little 

 regard to them. After coffee, I mounted my horfe, with 

 five fervants on horfeback, all refolute, active, young fellows, 

 armed with lances in the fafhion of their country. I was 

 joined that moment by a fon of Mahomet, on a good horfe, 

 armed with a fhort gun, and piftols at his belt, with four 

 of his fervants, Mahometans, flout men, each having his 

 gun, and piftols at his girdle, and a fword hung over his 

 moulder, mounted upon four good mules, fwifter and ftrong- 

 er than ordinary horfes. We galloped all the way, and were 

 out of fight in a fhort time. We then purfued our journey 

 with diligence, but not in a hurry; we went firft to a hilly 

 and rocky country, full of trees, moftly of unknown kinds, 

 and all of the greateft beauty poffible, having flowers of a 

 hundred different colours and forms upon them, many 

 of the trees were loaded with fruit, and many with both 

 fruit and flowers. I was truly forry to be obliged to pafs 

 them without more diftinct notice ; but we had no time, as 

 the diftance to the cataract was not abfolutely certain, and 

 the cataract then was our only object. 



After paffing the plain, we came to a brifk flream which 

 rifes in Begemder, paffes Alata, and throws itfelf into the 

 Nile below the cataract. They told me it was called Mariam 

 Ohha; and, a little farther, on the fide of a green hill, ha- 

 ving the rock appearing in fome parts of it, ftands Alata, a 

 eonfiderable village, with fcveral fmaller, to the fouth and 

 weft. Mahomet, our guide, rode immediately up to the 

 houfe where he knew the governor, or Shum, refided, for 

 fear of alarming him ; but we had already been feen at a 

 4 eonfiderable 



