THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 411 



of villages, were fupplied with water from wells and 

 had large crops of Indian corn fown about their pof- 

 feffions. The curfe of that country, the Arabs Daveina, 

 have deftroyed Imgededema, and all the villages about it, 

 filled up their wells, burnt their crops, and expofed all the 

 inhabitants to die by famine. 



We found Beyla to be in lat. 13° 42' 4"; that is, about 

 eleven miles weft of Teawa, and thirty-one and a half miles 

 due fouth. We were met by Mahomet, the Shekh, at the 

 very entrance of the town. He faid, he looked upon us as 

 rifen from the dead ; that wc muft be good people, and 

 particularly under the care of Providence, to have efcaped 

 the many fnares the Shekh of Atbara had laid for us. Ma- 

 homet, the Shekh, had provided every fort of refrefliment 

 poilible for us ; and, thinking we could not live without it, 

 he had ordered fugar for us from Sennaar. Honey for the 

 moft part hitherto had been its fubilitute. We had a good 

 comfortable fupper ; as fine wheat-bread as ever I ate in my 

 life, brought from Sennaar, as alfo rice ; in a word, every- 

 thing that our kind landlord could contribute to our plen- 

 tiful and hofpitable entertainment. 



Our whole company was full of joy, to which the Shekh 

 greatly encouraged them ; and if there was an alloy to the 

 happinefs, it was the feeing that I did net partake of it. 

 Symptoms of an aguifli diforder had been hanging about 

 me for feveral days, ever fmce the diarrhoea had left me. I 

 found the greateft repugnance, or naiifea, at the fmell of 

 warm meat ; and, having a violent headach, I infiftcd up- 

 on going to bed fupperlefs, after having drank a quantity 

 of warm water by way of emetic. Being exceedingly ti- 



3 F 2 red 



