THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^X5 



The drum beat a little after fix o'clock in the evening. 

 "vVe then had a very comfortable dinner fent us, camels 

 flelh ftewed with an herb of a vifcous ilimy fubftance, called 

 Bammia. After having dined, and finiftied the journal of 

 the day, I fell to unpacking my inilruments, the barometer 

 and thermometer firft, and, after having hung them up, 

 was converfmg with Adelan's fervant when I fhould pay my 

 vifit to his mailer. About eight o'clock came a fervant from 

 the palace, telling me now was the time to bring the pre- 

 fent to the king. I forted the feparate articles with all the 

 fpeed I could, and we went diredlly to the palace. The 

 king was then fitting in a large apartment, as far as I could 

 guefs, at fome diftancc from the former. He was na- 

 ked, but had feveral clothes lying upon his knee, and about 

 him, and a fervant was rubbing him over with very ftinking 

 butter or greafe, with which his hair was dropping as if 

 wet with water. Large as the room was, it could be fmell- 

 ed through the whole of it. The king afked me, If ever I 

 greafed myfelf as he did ? I faid, Very feldom, but fancied 

 it would be very expenfive. He then told me. That it was 

 elephants greafe, which made people flrong, and preferved 

 the flcin very fmooth. I faid, 1 thought it very proper, but 

 could not bear the fmell of it, though m.y fkin fhould turn 

 as rough as an elephant's for the want of it. He faid, " If 

 I had ufed it, ray hair would not have turned fo red as it 

 was, and that it would all become white prefently when 

 that rednefs came off. You may fee the Arabs driven in 

 here by the Daveina, and all their cattle taken from them, 

 becaufe they have no longer any greafe for their hair. The 

 fun firil turns it red and then perfectly white ; and you'll 

 know them in the flreet by their hair being the colour 



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