348 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



The extenfive, and very thick foreft, which had reached 

 without interruption all the way from Tcherkin, ended 

 here at Imgellalib. The country is perfedly flat, and hath 

 very little water. The foreft, however, though thick, af- 

 forded no fort of fliade ; the hunters, for the fake of their 

 fport, and the Arabs, for deftroying the flies, having fet fire 

 to all the dry grafs and flirubs, which, pafling with 

 great rapidity, in the diredion of the wood from eaft to 

 weft, though it had not time enough to deftroy the trees, 

 did yet wither, and occafion every leaf that was upon them 

 to fall, unlcfs in thofe fpaces where villages had been, and 

 where water was. In fuch fpots a number of large fpread- 

 ing trees remained full of foliage, which, from their 

 great height, and being cleared of underwood, con- 

 tinued in full verdure, loaded with large, projecT:ing, and 

 exuberant branches. But, even here, the pleafure that their 

 fliade afforded was very temporary, fo as to allow us no 

 time for enjoyment. The fun, fo near the zenith, changed, 

 his azimuth fo rapidly, that every few minutes I was obli- 

 ged to change the carpet on which I lay round the trunk 

 of the tree, to which I had fled, for fhelter ; and, though 

 I lay down to flcep, perfedly fkreened by the trunk,, 

 or branches, I was prefently awakened by the violent rays, 

 of a fcorching fun, the fhade having paffcd beyond me;; 

 and this was particularly incommodious, when the trees,, 

 under which we placed ourfelvcs, were of the thorny kind,, 

 very common in thofe forefts. The thorns, being all fcat- 

 tered round the trunk upon the ground, made either chan- 

 ging- place, or lying, equally uneafy ; fo that often, how- 

 .ever averfe we v/ere to^ fatigue, with the efFe6ls of the 

 fimoom, we found, that, pitching the head of our tent, and 

 fcmctimes the whole of it, was the only pofTible means of 



fecuring; 



