THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 44? 



duifl through your kingdom, and the rights of hofpitality 

 beftowed in fuch cafes on every common flranger ; and one 

 of the favours I beg is, your acceptance of a fmall prefent. 

 I bring it not from home ; I have been long abfent from 

 thence, or it would have been better." Ad, " I'll not re- 

 fufe it, but it is quite unnecefTary. I have faults like other 

 men, but to hurt, or ranfom flrangcrs, was never one of 

 them. Mahomet Abou Kalec, my brother, is however a 

 much better man to ftrangers than I am; you will be lucky 

 if you meet him here ; if not, I will do for you what I can 

 when once the confufion of thefe Arabs is over. 



I GAVE him the flierrifFe's letter, which he opened, looked at, 

 and laid by without reading, faying only, " Aye, Metical 

 is a good man, he fometimes takes care of our people 

 going to Mecca ; for my part, I never was there, and proba- 

 bly never fliall." I then prefented my letter from Ali Bey 

 to him. He placed it upon his knee, and gave a flap upon 

 it with his open hand. Ad. " What ! do you not know, 

 have you not heard, Mahomet Abou Dahab, hisHafnadar, has 

 rebelled againfl: him, banifhed him out of Cairo, and now 

 fits in his place? But don't be difconcerted at that, I 

 know you to be a man of honour and prudence ; if Maho- 

 met, my brother, does not come, as foon as I can get leifurc 

 I will difpatch you." The fcrvant that had conduded me 

 to Sennaar, and was then with us, went forward clofe to 

 him, and faid, in a kind of whifper, " Should he go often 

 to the king ?" — " When he pleafes ; he may go to fee the 

 town, and take a walk, but never alone, and alfo to the pa- 

 lace, that, when he returns to his own country, he may 

 report he faw a king at Sennaar, that neither knows how 

 to govern, nor will fuiFer others to teach him ; who knows 



Vol. IV. 3 K not 



