THE SOURCE OF THE NIL^. 4>.i 



"life I never felt fo difagreeably. I have been in more than 

 one battle, but furely I would joyfully have taken my 

 chance again in any of thein to have been freed from that 

 examination. I could not help likewife refledling, that, if 

 the king had come in during this exhibition, the confe- 

 quence would either have been impaling, or ilripping off 

 that fkin whofe colour they were fo curious about ; tho' 

 I can folemnly declare there was not an idea in my breail, 

 fmce ever I had the honour of feeing thefe royal beauties, 

 that could have given his majefty of Sennaar the fmalleft 

 reafon for jealoufy ; and I believethe fame may be faid of the 

 fentiments of the ladies in what regarded mc. Ours was a mu- 

 tual paffion, but dangerous to no one concerned. I returned 

 home with very different fenfations from thofe I had felt 

 after an interview with the beautiful Aifcach of Teawa. 

 Indeed, it was impoflible to be more chagrined at, or more 

 difgufted with, my prefent fituation than I was, and the 

 more fo, that my delivery from it appeared to be very dif- 

 tant, and the circumflances were more and more unfavour- 

 able every day. 



An event happened which added to my diftrefs. Going 

 one evening to wait upon the king, and being already with- 

 in the palace, palling through a number of rooms that are 

 now totally deferted, where the court o£ guard ufed to be 

 kept, I met Mahomet, the king's fervant, who accompanied 

 us from Teawa. Such people, though in reality often 

 enough drunk, yet if they happen to be fobcr at the time of 

 their committing a crime, counterfeit drunkennefs, in order 

 to avail themfelves of it as an excufe. This fellow, feeing me 

 alone, came ftaggering up to tue, faying, " Damn you, Ya- 

 goube, I have met you now, pay me for the trouble of go- 



3 L 2 ing 



