386 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



great willlngnefs, the office of that night for me. I went 

 to bed, and fell prefently into a profound fleep, from which 

 I was awakened, a little before midnight, by a meflage 

 from the ladies, my patients, in the Shekh's houfe, fent by 

 the black flave that had fpoken in the Abyflinian language 

 to me while I was attending her miftre fs. They advifed 

 me to be upon my guard, for the Shekh was abfolutely 

 refolved to take a fevere revenge upon us all : That after 

 we had left him that evening, an exprefs arrived from the 

 lower part of Atbara, giving him an account that Shekh» 

 Ibrahim, a great man at Sennaar, and favourite of Adelaa 

 the prime minifter, while he was employed in gathering 

 the taxes from the Arabs, had fought with the tribe called 

 Shukorea, fomewhere eaft of Sennaar ; that he had beea 

 completely beaten, and many of his people killed ; as alfo^ 

 that Shekh Ibrahim and his two fons were wounded ; that 

 Shekh Fidele had immediately fent back word, that he had: 

 then with him a furgeon and phyfician, meaning me, who 

 could, upon occalion, even bring a dead man to life, but that 

 1 would never confent to come to him unlefs I was forced ; 

 therefore, if he would difpatch a fufficient number of armed 

 men, to help him to furprife me in the night, he .would con- 

 du<5t the execution of that fcheme, and would fend me to him; 

 in iron^;^ He faid I was an infidel, a white man from Abyf-^ 

 finia, and had feveraL ftout people with me expert in fire^ 

 arms, (of which I had a number,) who would be of great ufe 

 to him in fubduing the Arabs. They aflured mc, however^ 

 of their friendship, and begged me to confider what I had. 

 Uo do in time, for many wild men would be poured in up-- 

 0J3. mo, who would not fail to kill me if I rcfifled. 



A I RETURNEZ^ 



