THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 459 



Sennaar will be but 13 years upon an average ; eight of the 

 twenty have been depofed, and Ifmain the prefcnt king 

 {lands the fairell chance poffible of being very foon the 

 9th of that number. 



At the cllablifhing of this monarchy, the king, and the 

 whole nation of Shillook, were Pagans. They were foon 

 after converted to Mahometifm, for the fake of trading 

 with Cairo, and took the name of Funge, which they inter- 

 pret fometimes loi'ds, or conquerors, and, at other- times, 

 free citizens. All that can be faid with certainty of this 

 term, as there is no accefs to the fludy of their language, is, 

 that it is applicable to thofe only that have been born eaft 

 of the Bahar el Abiad. It does not feem to me that they 

 Ihould pride themfelves in being free citizens, becaufe the 

 firll title of nobility in this country is that of ilave ; indeed 

 there is no other. Upon any appearance of your undervalu- 

 ing a man at Sennaar, he inflantly alks you if you know who 

 he is ? if you don't know that he is a Have, in the fame idea of 

 ariftocratical arrogance, as would be faid in England upon 

 an altercation, do you know to whom you are fpeaking ? do 

 you know that I am a peer ? All titles and dignities are un- 

 dervalued, and precarious, unlefs they are in the hands 

 of one wdio is a flave. Slavery in Sennaar is the only true 

 nobility. 



As I do not know that the names of thefe fovereigns are 

 to be found any where elfe, I have fet them down here. The 

 record from which I dre\v them is at leaft as extraordinary 

 as any part of their hiflory ; it was the hangman's roll, or 

 regifler. It is one of the fmgularities Vv'hich obtains among 



3 M 2 this 



