THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 417 



Sennaar, feparating Abyllinia from Nubia, and making, with 

 the river Atbara, the Allaboras or Tacazze, and the Nile, a 

 perfedl ifland, whereas before it was only a peninfula. It 

 feems to intercept all the fprings that would go down to the 

 middle of the peninfula, frorn the high country of Abyffinia, 

 and is probably the reafon of the great dearth of water 

 there. While it is in Abyffinia it is called Shimfa. It falls 

 into the Nile at Habharras, about thirty-eight miles north 

 of Sennaar. 



The quarrel between our two conductors was fo little 

 made up, that the king's fervant would not travel with us, 

 but always went half a day before, and we joined him when 

 we encamped in the evening. We did not pay him the 

 compliment of afking him why he did this, but allowed 

 him to take his own way, which he feemed not to be plea- 

 fed with, giving many hints at night, that he had, all his life, 

 been averfe to the having any thing to do with white people. 



We fet out at five in the afternoon from Kumar, and 

 in the clofe of the evening met feveral men, on horfcback 

 and on foot, coming out from among the bufhes, who en- 

 deavoured to carry off one of our camels. We indeed were 

 foraewhat alarmed, and were going to prepare for refift- 

 ance. The camel they had taken a way had on it the king's and 

 Shekh Adelan's prefents, and fome other things for our fu- 

 ture need. Our clothes too, books, and papers, were upon 

 the fame camel. Adelan's fervant, though he was at firfl 

 furprifed, did not lofe his prefence of mind ; he foon knew 

 thefe Arabs could not be robbers, and gueffed it to be a 

 piece of malice of the king's fervant to frighten us, and ex- 

 tort money from us, in order to obtain reftitution of the 

 camel. He therefore rode up to one of the villages of the 



Vol. IV. 3 G Arabs 



