3x8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



Ayto Confu's fervants, who heard this meflage deliver- 

 ed, and who were as defirous of getting over this journey 

 to Ras el Feel as I was, adviled me to go with him up the 

 hill to the town, and expoftulate with the Erbab, who, he 

 faid, would be afliamed to refufe. Accordingly, I armed 

 myfelf wdth a pair of piftols at my girdle, with a fufil and 

 bayonet inmy hand ; and took with me two fervants with 

 their piftols alfo, eacli carrying a large Ihip-blunderbufs. 

 V/e mounted the hill with great difficulty, being feveral 

 times obliged to pull up one another by the hands, and en- 

 tered into a large room about fifty feet long. It was all 

 hiung round v/ith elephants heads and trunks, with fkele- 

 tons of the heads of feme rhinocerofes, and of monftrous 

 hippopotami, as alfo feveral heads of the girafFa. Some 

 large lion fkins were thrown on feveral parts of the room, 

 like carpets ; and Gimbaro flood upright at one end of it, 

 naked, only a fmall cloth about his middle ; the largefl 

 man I ever remembered to have feen, perfectly black, flat- 

 nofed, thick-lipped, and v/oolly-headed ; and feemed to be 

 a perfect pidure of thofe Cannibal giants which we read of 

 as inhabiting enchanted caflles in fairy talcs. 



He did not feem to take notice at my firfl entering the 

 room, nor till I was very near him. He then came auk- 

 wardly forward, bowing, endeavouring to kiis my hand, 

 whicli I withdrew from him, and faid in a firm voice, " I 

 apprehend, Sir, you do not know me." He bowed and faid 

 he did, but did not conceive, at the time, it w^as me that en- 

 camped at the brook. " You did know. Sir, when you fent 

 your fon.with Yafmc's fcrvant, and you know that you are 

 confiderabl)' in my debt. Befides, if you had any gratitude, 

 you would remember the arrears I remitted you, and the pre- 



fents 



