THE SOURCE OFTHENILE. 437 



It was not till the eighth of May I had my audience of 

 Shekh Adelan at Aira, which is three miles and a half from 

 Sennaar; we walked out early in the morning, for the 

 greateft part of the way along the fide of the Nile, which 

 had no beauty, being totally divefted of trees, the bottom 

 foul and muddy, and the edges of the water white with 

 fmall concretions of calcarious earth, which, with the bright 

 fun upon them, dazzled and affedled our eyes very much. 



We then ftruck acrofs a large fandy plain without trees 

 or buflies, and came to Adelan's habitation ; two or three^ 

 very confiderable houfes of one ftorey occupied the middle 

 of a large fquare, each of whofe fides was at leaft half of an 

 Engliih mile, hiftead of a wall to inclofe this fquare, was 

 a high fence or impalement of ftrong reeds, canes, or ilalks 

 of dora, (I do not know which) in fafcines ilrongly joined 

 together by flakes and cords. On the outfidc of the 

 gate, on each hand, were fix houfes of a flighter conflru(5tion 

 than the reft; clofeupon the fence were iheds where the fol- 

 diers lay, the horfes picqueted before them with their 

 heads turned towards the ilieds, and their food laid before 

 them on the ground ; above each loldier's fleeping-place, co- 

 vered only on the top and open in the fides, were hung a 

 lance, a fmall oval fhield, and a large broad-fword. Thefe, 

 I underftood, were chiefly quarters for couriers, who being 

 Arabs, were not taken into the court or fquare, but fliut out, 

 at night. 



Within the gate was a number of horfes, with the fol- 

 dicrs barracks behind them ; they were all picqueted in 

 ranks, their faces to their mailers barracks. It was one of 

 the finefl: fights 1 ever faw of the kind. They were all above 



lixteen. 



