THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. - 21. 



abfolutely to give us meat for ourfelves or horfes ; and, as 

 we had not force, we were obliged to be content. It had 

 rained violently in the evening, and we were all wet. We 

 contented ourfelves with lighting a large fire in the 

 middle of the houfe, which we kept burning all night, as 

 well for guard, as for drying ourielves, though we little 

 knew at the time that it was probably the only means of 

 faving our lives ; for in the morning we found the whole- 

 village fick of the fever, and two families had died out of 

 the houfe where thefe people had put us : for my own part^ 

 upon hearing this I was more affrighted than for Welled 

 Aragawi and all his robbers. Though weary and wet, I had 

 flept on the ground near the fire fix whole hours ; and, tho' 

 really well, I could not during the day perfuade myfelf 

 there was not fome fymptom of fever upon me. My firft 

 precaution was to infufe a dofe of bark into a glafs of aqua- 

 vitse, a large horn of which we had with us ; we then 

 burnt frankincenfe and myrrh in abundance, and fumiga- 

 ted ourfelves, as pradlifed at Mafuah and in Arabia, tarly in 

 the morning we repeated our dofe of bark and fumigation.. 

 Whether the bark prevented the difeafe or not, the aquavitse 

 certainly llrengthened the fpirits, and was a medicine to the 

 imagination. 



The people, who faw the eagernefs and confidence with 

 which we fwallowed this medicine, flocked about us de- 

 manding affifiance. I confefs I was fo exafperated with their 

 treatment of us, and efpecially that of lodging us in the in- 

 fetfled houfe, that I conUantly refufed them their rcqueft, 

 leaving them a prey to their diftemper, to teach them ano- 

 ther time more hofpitality to ftrangers. 



iiiss 



