494 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



bara. Never was furprife better counterfeited than by this 

 man. He held up his hands in the utmofl aftonifliment, 

 repeating, 200 fequins ! over twenty times, and afked me if I 

 thought money grew upon trees at Sennaar, that it was 

 with the utmoft difficuky he could fpare me 20 dollars, 

 part of which he muft borrow from a friend. 



This was a ftroke that feemed to infure our deftrudion 

 no other refource being now left. We were already indebted 

 to Hagi Belal twenty dollars for provifion ; we had feven 

 mouths to feed daily ; and as we had neither meat, money, 

 nor credit, to continue at Sennaar was impoffible. We had 

 feen, a few nights before, that no houfe could protcd: us 

 there ; and to leave Sennaar was, in our fituation, as impof- 

 fible as to ftay there. We had neither camels to carry our 

 provifions and baggage, nor Ikins for our water, nor, in- 

 deed, any provifions to carry, nor money to fupply us with 

 any ofthefe, nor knew any perfon that could give us alTill- 

 ance nearer than Cairo, from which we were then diftant a- 

 bout 1 7° of the meridian, or above 1 000 miles in allraight line; 

 great part of which was thro' the moft barren, unhofpitablede- 

 ferts in the world, deilitute of all vegetation, andof every ani- 

 mai that had the breath of life. Hagi Belal was inflexible; 

 he began now to be weary of us, to fee us but feldom, and 

 there was great appearance of his foon withdrawing himfelf 

 entirely. 



My fervants began to murmm-; fome of them had known 

 of my gold chain from the beginning, and thefe, in the 

 common danger, imparted what they knew to the reft. In 

 Ihort, I refolved, though very unwillingly, not to facrifice 

 my own hfe and that of my fervants, and the finilliing my 

 3 . travels 



