THE SOURCE OE THE NILE. 591 



I was awakened out of this delightful reverie by an alarm 

 that we had loft Woldo our guide. Though I long had ex- 

 pected fomething from his behaviour, I did not think, for his 

 own fake, it could be his intention to leave us. The fer- 

 vants could not agree when they laft faw him : Strates and 

 Aylo's fervant were in the wood mooting, and we found by 

 the gun that they were not far from us ; I was therefore in 

 hopes that Woldo, though not at all fond of fire-arms, might 

 be in their company ; but it was with great diflatisfaction I 

 faw them appear without him. They faid, that, about an 

 hour before, they had feen fome extraordinary large, rough 

 apes, or monkeys, feveral of which were walking upright,, 

 and all without tails ; that they had gone after them thro' 

 the wood till they could fcarce get out again ; but they 

 did not remember to have feen Woldo at parting. Various 

 conjectures immediately followed ; fome thought he had 

 refolved to betray and rob us ; fome conceived it was an in- 

 ftruction of Fafil's to him, in order to our being treacheroufly 

 murdered ; fome again fuppofed he was flain by the wild 

 beafts, efpecially thofe apes or baboons, whofe voracity,, 

 fize, and fierce appearance were exceedingly magnified, ef- 

 pecially by Strates, who had not the leaft doubt, if Woldo 

 had met them, but that he would be fo entirely devoured, 

 that we might feek in vain without difcovering even a frag- 

 ment of him. For my part, I began to think that he had 

 been really ill when he firft complained, and that the fick- 

 nefs might have overcome him upon the road ; and this, too, 

 was the opinion of Ayto Aylo's fervant, who faid, however, 

 with a figniiicant look, that he could not be far off; we 

 therefore fent him, and one of the men that drove the 

 mules, back to feek after him ; and they had not gone but a 

 few hundred yards when they found him coming, but fo 



deciepid 



