THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 5 



fure it is the cuftom." " And his fervant, too ? faid I." Cer- 

 tainly, his fervant too ; and if he had ten fervants that 

 ate and drank in your houfe, you moft cloath them all." 

 " I think, faid I, Ayto Aylo, a phyfician at this rate had 

 much better let his patients die than recover them at his 

 own expence." " Yagoube, fays Aylo, I fee this is not a cuf- 

 tom in your country, but it is invariably one in this : it is 

 not fo among the lower fet of people ; but if you will pafs 

 here as a man of fome degree of.confcquence, you cannot 

 avoid this without making Welled Amlac your enemy : the 

 man is opulent ; it is not for the value of the cloaths, but 

 he thinks his importance among his neighbours is meafur- 

 cd by the refpecfh fliewn him by people afar off; never fear, 

 he will make you fome kind of return, and for the cloaths 

 I fliall pay for them." " By no means, faid I, my good 

 friend ; I think the anecdote and cuftom is fo curious that 

 it is worth the price of the cloaths ; and I beg that you 

 •would believe, that, intending to go through Maitflia, I con- 

 fider it as a piece of friendfliip in you to have brought me 

 under this obligation." " And fo it is, fays he :. I knew you 

 w^ould think fo ; you are a cool difpaflionate man, and walk 

 by advice, and do not break through the cuftoms of the 

 country, and this reconciles even bad men to you every 

 day, and fo much the longer fliall you be in fafety." 



The reader will not doubt that I immediately fulfilled' 

 my obligation to Welled Amlac, who received his cloaths, 

 a girdle, and a pair of fandals, in all to the amount of about 

 two guineas, withthe fame indifference as if he had been buy- 

 ing them for ready money. He then afked for his fervant's 

 cloaths, which were ready for him. He only faid he thought 

 tkey were too good, and hinted as if he fliould take them 



for 



