THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 403 



They were all flruck with amazement, and with a kind 

 of terror. They had never before feen a gun fired on horfe- 

 back, much lefs a gun fired twice without charging. I 

 did not want to .explain the matter to them ; and, as far as 

 I could perceive, the Moullah efpecially was very glad 

 when I fent it home. " This is the way, faid I, that my 

 countrymen ride, and the way they fight ; no people on 

 earth underftand fire-arms or horfemanfliip like them. 

 For my part, I am a man of peace, a Dervifh, and no fol- 

 dier ; it is not my profeiTion, and I do the thing aukward- 

 ly. If you faw fome of our foldiers ride, it would be a 

 fight indeed." Fidele laughed, or counterfeited a laugh, 

 but being a foldier, it was his part to fay fomething. " If 

 many of your countrymen like you were here, man of 

 peace as you are, imlefs they were friends to us they would 

 get all Atbara to themfelves. If they were friends, fays he, 

 I think I could do fomething with them ; that horfe feems 

 to have the fenfe of a man."—" Such as he is, faid I, dif- 

 mounting, a prince gave him to me, and fuch as he is I 

 now give him to you, as a proof that I am your friend, 

 and that I fliould not grudge you a few paltry piafters, if 

 I had not been under a vow of poverty ; money is of no 

 kind of value to me, and confequently not carried a- 

 bout with me." The horfe was gladly received, though, as 

 I was going to Sennaar, where no horfes are kept, the 

 compliment was a cheap one on my part. 



" How could you, Fidele, fays the Moullah in great fur- 

 prife, have it in your heart to torment fuch a man as this ? 

 I told you what he was, our books fpeak of them : ihey are 

 not Kafrs, but fpend all their lives in wandering over the' 



3 E 2 face 



